Mudgie
Well-Known Forumite
I've not been on it, only seen it in the 1970 The Railway Children film.And very nice it is too
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I've not been on it, only seen it in the 1970 The Railway Children film.And very nice it is too
And Eccleshall had a Railway Inn ( more recently the Badger ) opened in advance of a planned railway line, I think for Market Drayton, that was never built.Where I currently am, on the next island to the west, the local station survived the closures of sixty years ago, as it is a junction for a branch line. The smaller stations either side of it both succumbed.
The branch is quite odd, in that it ends up at the third largest city of the state, but a city that is more easily accessed by rail via the main line that the branch branches off from. Nevertheless, the branch still exists and, despite rumours of imminent closure for pretty much the whole of living memory, it appears that it may not ever actually happen - indeed, the track is currently having the last jointed section replaced with continuously welded rails, in order to raise the speed limits, although it may never reach 'high-speed' standards.
Apart from the city at the far end, which people would rarely travel to via the branch, the largest place that it serves along its fifty miles is about twice the size of Eccleshall, there is another town about Eccleshall-size and the other stops are barely villages in English terms.
It probably survived into the sixties because there was still some mine traffic on it then, but it is purely passenger services now.
We've got a friend on Parkside who commutes to Solihull that way.In the time since covid struck my work office has closed and we've relocated from Oldbury to an existing office in Solihull which I've been going to 1 or 2 times a week for the last month or so. Luckily I can claim the travel costs back.
The train to the office is plain sailing, I get the 0724 Avanti to London which goes through the West Midlands...I get off at New street, get a coffee then walk 5 minutes to moor street.
I love the aesthetics of Moor street and its only 8 mins to Solihull. It's so good getting back out into the real world.
Where possible I try and use the trains for customer meetings, but some of them are in obscure places (such as Kings Lynn) and the logistics just don't suit getting a train...
some of them are in obscure places (such as Kings Lynn)
Yes, it still runs and goes through Nuneaton where you get on if you travel from Stafford. But a 6 min change in Ely which isn't great and at almost 4 hrs it's a slog...Used to be able to get a train from New Street to Ely, then from Ely to Kings Lynn. Kings Lynn obscure? It was a member of the Hanseatic League and Lynn Law had precedence over Westminster Law.
Yes, a six minute change in Ely doesn't allow for a pint of Greene King XX Mild in the Prince Albert.Yes, it still runs and goes through Nuneaton where you get on if you travel from Stafford. But a 6 min change in Ely which isn't great and at almost 4 hrs it's a slog...
So there is an upside to rail travel then.Yes, a six minute change in Ely doesn't allow for a pint of Greene King XX Mild in the Prince Albert.
Yes indeed, decide on the next train and sixty-six minutes gives ample time for a couple of pints in the Prince Albert.So there is an upside to rail travel then.
Said nobody in the real world. Ever.Yes indeed, decide on the next train and sixty-six minutes gives ample time for a couple of pints in the Prince Albert.
Do you have to ruin another decent thread by talking about ruddy pubs?
There is a special area on this Forum for that.
Which is only slightly better than being where the Court is, not sure if it says more about them or the me?Only the other day I was asked by a lady, who was walking towards town from the station, where the market was.
I'm not quite sure what she was expecting to find in our fantastic market and our spectacular shopping centre and as I didn't want to dampen her hopes/excitement I just gave her directions and left it at that.
You mean ... ? You mean ... ? There's something else to be dominated by ?Agree. Many of us don't have lives dominated by alcohol!