If you could...

The Races to the North perhaps!

 

Having just spent a very enjoyable weekend in the Forest of Dean, I would have loved to have been there at any time between 1860 and 1960.

 

for me, it would be a summer time trip to Cornwall by the ACE, in about 1958 seeing the engines at Exeter changing over, all the junctions on the way and the excitement of the first sight of the Atlantic coast at Bude, then a week of exploring the railways of the area ,going down to exeter, along the western route to paignton and on to Kingswear, ilfracoome, trying to cop exmouth junction , in fact make it 2 weeks, one may not be enough

 

can I tag along?

 

If I could... Park my TARDIS on a GWR mainline in the 1930s, lay some track into it and open the doors... Then plonk them on the GWSR today, that would be great.

 

Imagine the look of sheer horror on the face of the crew, coming face to face with modern day, what would they make of an I Phone, or tablet

 

of course, i wonder what the motive power would have been back then, merchant navy, to exeter, un rebuilt west country to hallwell, maunsel mogol from there to bude ?

 

I do remember a few years ago at Kidderminster seeing a guy footplate really looking the part, authentic clothes greasetop, proper leather bag really looked the part... And then he ansewered his mobile phone!

 

tbh I'd settle for a Warship! or even a 33.

 

And what motive power would you like to capture? Baggsie a 47xx or 48xx auto tank for me?!

 

That would be even better if you could stretch the time machine back to the 1920s: A gleaming King Arthur on the ACE east of Exeter, passing the odd Paddleboat or T9 on the Exeter to Salisbury semi-fasts; an Adams T1 or maybe a Radial Tank propelling the branch train into the branch bay at Seaton Junction, pre the 1928 remodelling when the arrangement involved endless reversals of branch trains; then a change of scene west of Exeter with M7s and elderly Adams 4-4-0s dominating the service, with maybe a chance to see one of the new-fangled and distinctly modernistic N class moguls adjacent to an ancient Well tank, still sporting their anachronistic donkey pumps on the running board ...

Tom

 

You'd have to take a digital camera with you Tom and just how many SD cards would you have to take?!

 

Liverpool Road station, Manchester late 1830s before the fire with old cotton stores and both arrivals and departure stations present. Full working yard including wagon turntables (also used for turning engines), stables, shipping sheds and to see how the whole site was run. Also bag a return trip to Liverpool to travel on the line and see Edge Hill and the tunnels in operation...

 

Romping along on the Paddington - Temple Meads broad gauge open cab 4-2-2 loco at 50/60mph with a train of rolling 4 wheelers in tow.

Or the broad gauge Swindon dump the locos,carriages and wagons....armed with a modern video and digital cameras.

Nick

 

It would be interesting to put a bug on board with video and a GPS trck to see what actually happened when Collett and co pulled their crazy stunt with Lady of Lyons, but I don't think I'd want to be on the footplate!

 

You could if you went to Germany...

 

I would love to have a birds eye view of south London suburban services during the morning peak pre-electrification.

 

Being born in 1957 and, in those days, not really having any interest in railways, it was all gone by the time I was 10.
Could I just go back, almost anywhere, and just see it all?
At least now, with my adult head on, I could experience it all for what it was, and really take it all in.
If I really HAD to choose a time and place, maybe I could see 34095 for myself, at speed through Woking?
When I was young, I never even knew it existed.......