Rainy day at Bridgnorth
A Grey Gala
Geoff’s Rail Diaries
22 September 2018
It was going to be a busy
weekend, but the weather got
the better of us. We seem to
have had three storms and the
fag-end of a hurricane in the last
week or so. Yesterday was a
washout, today (the forecast
said) would be dry(ish) until the
afternoon - and there was a
yellow warning for rain tomorrow (since withdrawn). The
SVR’s gala has been running since Thursday, and one of the
visitors is high in the novelty stakes for this part of the world
- a Q6. I’d really like to see that…
It was dry when I left home. Six miles down the road
in Bridgnorth, it’s raining. It’s not torrential - not
even heavy - but it’s steady, and wet (and cold).
There are some trees above the footpath beside the
line, just along from the station platform - there
could be a bit of shelter there…
…and that’s the story of today’s outing - observe,
and record, the passing scene -
visitors 70000 “Britannia”, 6233
“Duchess of Sutherland” - and
former NER T2, LNER/BR Q6
63395. I should also mention the
08 shunter sorting the coaching
stock between trains, and
resident GWR 2-8-0 2857, whose
late arrival delayed the
departure of the Q6 - and my departure, slightly damp, for
home (46100 “Royal Scot” was also due to visit the railway,
but he didn’t show his face during my visit. When the Q6 left,
I’d seen what I really wanted to see).
Photo note: sharp-eyed visitors will be aware that
the photos are in monochrome. I took them in
colour, but they were already mostly grey when I
reviewed them later. The Q6 is black, of course -
perhaps black and white photos would best suit this
grey gala day.
Link: Severn Valley Railway
