Category: UK Rail Journeys

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 18:00 — 16.5MB)

Our return to Paddington – UK Rail Journeys Series 1 – Episode 18

In Our return to Paddington our two steam locomotives power us out of Wales and up the Great Western mainline to Paddington.

Click on a ‘thumbnail’ to view the photographs for this podcast:

Watering at Craven Arms:

We stop for water at Craven Arms. It takes quite a long time to water both our locomotives! At least we expected to stop at Craven Arms today – unlike on Sunday.

Hereford:

We reach Hereford and our passengers have the chance to get off the train and take a look at the famous city. The city, at the heart of Herefordshire, is on a loop of the River Wye. There is the cathedral in golden-stone, there are half-timbered houses, many independent shops and the Old Market.

We have a couple of hours to enjoy the sights of the city.

Gloucester:

Another service stop. Our locomotives are supplied with both coal and water. Enough coal for us to reach our final destination at Paddington.

Dinner is in full swing when we reach Gloucester but there is enough time for passengers to get a photograph of the catering team..

Reading:

We’re running late by the time we reach Reading where we say goodbye to some of our fellow travellers. Safe journey home!

Paddington:

We reach Paddington just over an hour late. We left our hotels over 14 hours ago and have been travelling ever since. It has been a wonderful trip – my thanks to everyone involved in delivering it.

Listen to the podcast to hear the full story of our journey back to Paddington.

That’s it!

This is the last podcast in the first series of UK Rail Journeys – there will be more!

Links:

To visit the Steam Dreams website please follow this link.

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox , Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher and Vurbl and others.

Music in this podcast:

Steam Railway is licensed from AKM Music.

© The MrT Podcast Studio 2022

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:03 — 19.3MB)

From Crewe to Shrewsbury – UK Rail Journeys Series 1 – Episode 17

In From Crewe to Shrewsbury our our two steam locomotives power us out of Crewe station and on to the Welsh Marches line.

Click on a ‘thumbnail’ to view the photographs for this podcast:

Crewe station:

The station, then on the Grand Junction Railway, has been open since 4th July 1837. It has a great historical significance and serves as a gateway to the North West because it is 158 miles from London.

There is the main line to Glasgow and lines diverge to Manchester Piccadilly, North Wales, Shrewsbury and Stoke on Trent. Just to the north the line to Liverpool Lime Street leaves the main line.

The famous locomotive works moved here in 1842 from Liverpool. In 1831 there were only 70 residents in the village of Crewe and so they built a town to house all the workers.

The coming of the LNWR:

The merger of the Grand Junction and the London and Birmingham railways in 1846, to create the London and North Western Railway, results in the largest joint stock company. There is great expansion at this time and in 1867 the station is rebuilt. In the 1890s records show that 1,000 trains pass through the station in a 24 hour period.

The Crewe Arms Hotel:

This is the first ‘railway hotel’ and dates from 1837. Queen Victoria is an early guest on her journeys to Balmoral. The hotel undergoes major rebuilding in 1880 and that is the façade you see today.

Today there are 61 bedrooms in the Crewe Arms Hotel. It operates as part of the Best Western franchise.

On to the Welsh Marches Line:

As we steam out of Crewe we are hauled by Mayflower and Bahamas. They will pull us all the way to our final destination, Paddington, this evening.

Listen to the podcast to hear the full story of our journey through the countryside to Shrewsbury.

Next up:

Join me in a couple of weeks for the final episode in this series when we  reach London.

Links:

To visit the Steam Dreams website please follow this link.

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox , Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher and Vurbl and others.

Music in this podcast:

Steam Railway and The 50s 56 Caddy are licensed from AKM Music and The Tavern is licensed from Joseph McDade.

© The MrT Podcast Studio 2022

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 16:49 — 15.4MB)

Onwards to Crewe – UK Rail Journeys Series 1 – Episode 16

In Onwards to Crewe our journey continues along the North Wales Mainline to Chester and then south to Crewe where two steam locomotives are waiting for us to arrive.

Click on a ‘thumbnail’ to view the photographs for this podcast:

More closed stations

Our journey takes us through the sites of Queensferry, Sandycroft and Saltney Ferry stations, all closed because of the good Dr. Beeching’s work! The Class 47 is pulling us at a good speed and we are keeping to time.

Chester:

We pass through Chester station. The station has Avanti West Coast services to Euston and Holyhead, Merseyrail services to Liverpool, Northern services to Manchester Piccadilly and Leeds, and Transport for Wales services to a host of destinations.

Once past Chester we cross the junctions for the Chester to Manchester Line and the Mid-Cheshire Line. We then pass through the sites of yet more stations closed by the Beeching Axe, at Waverton, Tattenhall Road, Beeston Castle and Tarporley, Calverley and Worleston.

Our journey also takes us near to the Crocky Trail which is a favourite adventure park for young and not so young!

Crewe:

We pass over the junctions for the West Coast Main Line and the Crewe to Manchester line before entering the historic Crewe station.

We say goodbye to Chris Fudge, our Class 47 locomotive as Mayflower and Bahamas are in steam and waiting to haul us for the rest of our journey to Paddington.

Listen to the podcast to hear the full story of our day.

Next up:

Join me in a couple of weeks as we continue our return journey to London.

Links:

To find out more about the Chester area please follow this link. You’ll find all the details you need to plan a visit.

To visit the Steam Dreams website please follow this link.

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox , Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher and Vurbl and others.

Music:

AKM Music has licensed Steam Railway and Motivational Build for use in this podcast.

© The MrT Podcast Studio 2022

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 16:44 — 15.3MB)

Homeward Bound (1) – UK Rail Journeys Series 1 – Episode 15

It’s day 5 of The Welsh Dragon and we’re Homeward Bound, however before we set off on our coach to the station I talk to Kate and Shaun who are two very seasoned Steam Dreams travellers.

Click on a ‘thumbnail’ to view the photographs for this podcast:

Thoughts on Sunday’s Mystery Tour

I talk with our ‘seasoned travellers’ about Sunday’s mystery tour. We took the tour because of damage to a bridge on our original route. Our journey from Shrewsbury to Crewe took four and a half hours . Every passenger ate a three course Sunday lunch during the journey.

By coach from our hotels:

We board our coaches on a bright, sunny, morning for the journey to the station. Our driver stops at a view point so that we all have an opportunity to stretch our legs and photograph the scenery.

We arrive at Llandudno Junction in good time for our train which is coming, with the chefs and ‘chewies’, from Holyhead.

Diesel hauled towards Crewe:

Our Class 47 hauled train soon arrives. We board the train and go to our seats. The train sets off along the North Wales Coast Line and our journey takes us past holiday resorts such as Prestatyn and Rhyl, and through the sites of many closed stations – good old Dr Beeching!

Listen to the podcast to hear the full story of our day.

Next up:

Join me in a couple of weeks as we continue our return journey to London.

Links:

To find out more about the Conwy and Llandudno area please follow this link. You’ll find all the details you need to plan a visit.

Rhyl and Prestatyn are famed for their beaches, find out more here.

To visit the Steam Dreams website please follow  this link.

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox , Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher and Vurbl and others.

Music:

AKM Music has licensed Steam Railway and Under the Sun for use in this podcast.

© The MrT Podcast Studio 2022

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 16:46 — 15.4MB)

Snowdonia (2) – UK Rail Journeys Series 1 – Episode 14

It’s day 4 of The Welsh Dragon and we’re in Snowdonia. But before we set off I talk to Kate and Shaun, two of the seasoned Steam Dreams travellers.

Click on a ‘thumbnail’ to view the photographs for this podcast:

Yesterday’s trip with Kate and Shaun

Our seasoned travellers joined the boat trip to Puffin Island yesterday. We hear how much they enjoyed it and how much they learnt from the skipper’s commentary.

Our stop at Clogwyn:

Peris, our locomotive, has powered us up the mountain to the stop at Clogwyn. Peris hails from Hunslet in Leeds, an area with a history of building locomotives!

We disembark from the train. The views are unbelievable as we can see for miles because the weather is amazing! Frequently the mountain is shrouded in mist and cloud so little can be seen.

The return journey:

We re-board the train after 30 minutes for the journey back to Llanberis. Our train stops at one of the passing places to let a another train go up the mountain. We wait a little longer and a steam locomotive passes us because it is on a test run.

Llanberis lake railway:

We board our carriages on the narrow gauge railway that runs along Lake Padarn. Our journey is around 5 miles and we have an opportunity to get out and stretch our legs.

Thomas Bach, our engine, was built in Hunslet in 1904.

Listen to the podcast to hear the full story of our day.

Next up:

Join me in a couple of weeks for the start of our return to London.

Links:

To find out more about Llanberis please follow this link. You’ll find all the details you need to plan a visit.

Details of the Llanberis Lake Railway are here.

To visit the Steam Dreams website please follow  this link.

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox , Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher and Vurbl and others.

Music:

AKM Music has licensed Steam Railway and Sunshine Walk for use in this podcast.

© The MrT Podcast Studio 2022

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 16:41 — 15.3MB)

Up Snowdon by rail – UK Rail Journeys Series 1 – Episode 13

On day 4 of The Welsh Dragon tour we board our coaches and head to Llanberis because we’re going Up Snowdon by rail. But before that I talk to two seasoned travellers.

Click on a ‘thumbnail’ to view the photographs that accompany this podcast:

A chat with some seasoned travellers

Kate and Shaun have been travelling with Steam Dreams for the last 10 years. They have travelled to all corners of the UK, taking both day trips and holidays, often visiting places they’ve never been to.

Over the years, as they’ve travelled to both new and familiar places, they have got to know some of their fellow passengers and feel that there is a real community on the train.

They really enjoy the short notice changes to the itinerary that sometimes happen!

The Snowdon Mountain Railway:

We gather, along with many others, at the station in Llanberis. All the trains are fully booked today. We are waiting for the 11.30 departure.

All around people are enjoying the beautiful weather and having refreshment in the café. Staff are moving supplies to the café, we see a large consignment of bottled water cross the yard.

The Snowdon Mountain Railway travels 4.7 miles from Llanberis to the peak of Snowdon, however we can only travel three quarters of the way up to Clogwyn. It is over 100 years old and is the only rack and pinion railway open to the public in the UK.

At the time we travel, diesel locomotives push all trains up the mountain because the steam engines are being serviced.

Up Snowdon by rail:

We board our carriages and have to wear face masks as, at the time of my travel in September 2020, these are still required in Wales. Our locomotive was built in Hunslet in the 1980s.

Our round trip to Clogwyn takes two hours, 45 minutes up, then 30 minutes, on an amazingly clear day, at Clogwyn and then back down. Listen to the podcast to hear about the journey up the mountain.

Next up:

Join me in a couple of weeks for our return to Llanberis.

Links:

To find out more about Llanberis please follow this link. You’ll find all the details you need to plan a visit.

To visit the Steam Dreams website please follow  this link.

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox , Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher and Vurbl and others.

Music:

AKM Music has licensed Steam Railway and Sunshine Walk for use in this podcast.

© The MrT Podcast Studio 2022

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 20:10 — 18.5MB)

By boat to Puffin Island – UK Rail Journeys Series 1 – Episode 12

Day 3 of The Welsh Dragon and we board the Island Princess for our voyage by boat to Puffin Island. The sun is shining, the sea is calm and the boat is at the end of the pier.

Click on a ‘thumbnail’ to view the photographs that accompany this podcast:

We join the Island Princess

Beaumaris has many pubs, restaurants and cafes, so we’ve had our lunches in a number of different places. I found a really good ice cream parlour just behind the high street.

I’m not sure whether I’d come to Beaumaris for a beach holiday because the beach is both narrow and very stony. The Bulkeley Hotel, on the sea front, looks out to sea, past the Lifeboat station which is home to a B Class lifeboat.

By boat to Puffin Island:

We board our boat and our skipper gives us a very interesting commentary during our voyage. It is very informative and tells us about the things we should look out for.

I include parts of the commentary in this podcast in order to give you a flavour of the trip. Maybe it will persuade you to visit Beaumaris and take a voyage on the Island Princess.

Puffin Island:

There are many species of birds on Puffin Island, in addition to the Puffins. Many of these migrate here to breed, they then spend much of the rest of the year over the water.

In the 12th Century St. Seiriol founds a monestary on the island, it’s remains are still there. There is also a disused telegraph station on the north eastern tip of the island. The telegraph station was part of a chain sending information about cargo ships to Liverpool. Often the cargo was sold in Liverpool before the ship arrived!

The island is home to one of Britain’s largest great cormorant poulations, there are also guillemot, razorbill, kittwake and shag nesting along with smaller populations of common eider and black guillemot.

A rat poulation grew and seriously diminished the puffin population. Two tonnes of rat poison were used to eradicate the rats. Since then the numer of puffins is increasing.

Listen to the podcast to hear the full story.

Up Snowdon by rail:

Join me in a couple of weeks for our trip on the Snowdon Mountain Railway.

Links:

To find out more about Puffin Island please follow this link. You’ll find all the details you need.

To visit the Steam Dreams website please follow  this link.

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox , Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher and Vurbl and others.

Music:

AKM Music has licensed Steam Railway and Trance for use in this podcast.

© The MrT Podcast Studio 2022

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 20:22 — 18.7MB)

Beaumaris Castle – UK Rail Journeys Series 1 – Episode 11

Day 3 of The Welsh Dragon and we board our coaches after a leisurely breakfast, I’m heading to Beaumaris Castle because I’m swapping the train for a coach, a castle and a boat today.

Click on a ‘thumbnail’ to view the photographs that accompany this podcast:

So how do you pronounce Beaumaris?

If you ask an English person (and probably many others) they’ll say ‘Bowmaris’ however if you listen to the locals they’ll say ‘Bewmaris’ – as in Beaulieu of Motor Museum fame.

So now you know!

By coach to Beaumaris:

We’ve got various optional tours today and I’ve chosen the tour to Beaumaris, to see the castle, and Puffin Island. Our coach takes us from the Premier Inn in Caernarfon across the Britannia Bridge across the Menai Strait, which often has strong tides, and on to the Isle of Anglesey.

The coach travels along some busy narrow roads and we stop for about 25 minutes because of road works. No one seems to be doing anything! No men at work! We finally get going when the road mending crew drives off with their equipment.

Beaumaris Castle:

The castle is described both as ‘a fortress of near-perfect symmetry’ and an unfinished masterpiece. It was the last of Edward I’s Welsh royal strongholds – and, to many, the greatest one.

Edward and his architect James of St George used the countryside as a blank canvas using  the ‘beau mareys’, or ‘beautiful marsh’, on the Menai Strait. They’ve already built great castles at Conwy, Caernarfon and Harlech and this is to be the most magnificent, the crowning glory.

It’s an immense fortress with near-perfect symmetry. There are four concentric rings of formidable defences, including a water-filled moat with its very own dock. The outer walls have 300 arrow loops.

By the 1320s a lack of money and trouble in Scotland stopped building work. The south gatehouse and the six great towers in the inner ward would never reach their intended height and the Llanfaes gate was abandoned after very little work. However the castle was used as a defensive fortress until after the Restoration of Charles II in 1660.

Whilst Edward’s dream never came true it is on the global stage as one of  Edward’s masterpieces. Gloriously incomplete Beaumaris is perhaps the supreme achievement of the greatest military architect of the age.

By sea to Puffin Island:

Join me in a couple of weeks for our boat trip to Puffin Island.

Links:

To find out more about Beaumaris Castle please follow this link. You’ll find all the details you need to plan your visit.

To visit the Steam Dreams website please follow  this link.

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox , Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher and Vurbl and others.

Music:

AKM Music has licensed Steam Railway and Joseph McDade has licensed The Tavern for use in this podcast.

© The MrT Podcast Studio 2022

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 19:58 — 18.3MB)

Through the West Midlands to Crewe – UK Rail Journeys Series 1 – Episode 10

The second day of The Welsh Dragon continues as we continue our journey through the West Midlands to Crewe. We are not following the planned route along the Welsh coast because someone crashed into a bridge. Instead we are taking a long route from Shrewsbury to Crewe.

Our four and a half hour journey allows every passenger to eat a full Sunday Lunch before we arrive and join the coaches taking us to our hotels.

Click on a ‘thumbnail’ to view the photographs that accompany this podcast:

Towards Maindee junction:

We continue our journey through Maindee Junction, just to the west of Newport, where we have to wait for a train from Cardiff to pass.

The junction takes us on to the line towards Gloucester that we travelled on yesterday.

Along the River Severn:

Our Class 47 locomotive from West Coast Railways pulls us north as we travel along the Severn on a beautiful day with stunning scenery.

Through the West Midlands:

We climb the Lickey Incline on our approach to Birmingham and the West Midlands. This area is the cradle of the Industrial Revolution.

As we enter Birmingham we pass the amazing Curzon Street Station, the original Birmingham terminus of the line to London Euston. The station originally opened in 1838 and finally closed to passengers in 1893.

Goods traffic used the station until 1966.

We then cause a stir as we pass through Birmingham New Street station, then, after passing through Wolverhampton station, we cross the BOC site in Lower Walsall Street on a viaduct.

On to our destination:

Our journey then takes us through Stafford and Stoke on Trent before reaching Crewe where we transfer to coaches to take us to our hotels. I’m staying in Caernafon at the Premier Inn for three nights.

Links:

To visit the Steam Dreams website please follow  this link.

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox , Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher and Vurbl and others.

Music:

AKM Music has licensed Steam Railway and The 60’s Searching for the 60’s for use in this podcast.

© The MrT Podcast Studio 2022

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 18:19 — 16.8MB)

Day 2 – We start our Mystery Tour – UK Rail Journeys Series 1 – Episode 9

The second day of The Welsh Dragon begins in Shrewsbury station where we start our Mystery Tour. Sadly we are not following the planned route along the Welsh coast because someone has crashed into a bridge.

We are travelling by a long route to Crewe. Our four and a half hour journey will allow every passenger to eat a full Sunday Lunch before we get arrive. We start by retracing our steps along the Welsh Marches line on our journey from Shrewsbury.

Click on a ‘thumbnail’ to view the photographs that accompany this podcast:

Shrewsbury station:

The ‘mock Tudor’ railway station reflects the style of the Shrewsbury School building opposite. The platforms extend over the River Severn.

Just to the south of the station is the Severn Bridge junction signal box. This signal box, built in 1903, is in the centre of a triangle that enables locomotives to turn round.

The signal box is the largest mechanical signal box in the world and has 180 levers. 89 of these are still in use.

On to the Welsh Marches line:

We set off south, retracing our route of yesterday. A Class 47 locomotive from the West Coast Railways fleet pulls our train today. It is a beautiful day and the scenery is stunning.

All around me I can hear bottles being opened and the sound of clinking glasses as our first course comes out of the kitchen.

Onward to Craven Arms:

We speed towards Craven Arms, the train hiccups and then we come to a complete halt. Apparently one of the traction motors has caught fire. The locomotive crew put the fire out and isolate the traction motor.

We resume our journey under reduced power.

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this podcast. If so, please join me in a couple of weeks time and find out whether the Welsh Dragon can make it up in the Lickey Incline with our injured locomotive.

Links:

To visit the Steam Dreams website please follow  this link.

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox , Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher and Vurbl and others.

Music:

AKM Music has licensed Steam Railway and The 60’s Surf 66 and Joseph McDade has licensed The Tavern for use in this podcast.

© The MrT Podcast Studio 2022

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 15:00 — 13.7MB)

We reach Shrewsbury and head for our hotels – UK Rail Journeys Series 1 – Episode 8

The first day of The Welsh Dragon ends as we reach Shrewsbury and head for our hotels. For the last few hours we’ve been having dinner and travelling along the Welsh Marches line on our journey towards Shrewsbury.

Click on a ‘thumbnail’ to view the photographs that accompany this podcast:

North from Abergavenny:

We leave Abergavenny and soon pass a number of long closed stations. In many cases little still remains of the once thriving stations.

This episode of the podcast starts to sound like a roll call of closed stations, junctions and branch lines.

Hereford:

We stop for a short while at Hereford before continuing our journey. Dinmore Tunnel, a major engineering project in the construction of the line, soon follows.

We reach Leominster where about 20 people are waiting to see us take on water. This is the last water stop of the day.

On towards Ludlow:

We pass another batch of closed stations. Berrington & Eye, Wooferton and Asford Bowdler conjure up thoughts of quiet rural communities.

We pass through Ludlow and see the racecourse. The countryside is stunning and this is a beautiful early autumn evening.

Craven Arms to Shrewsbury:

We speed through Craven Arms and climb to the highest point on this line at Church Stretton.

We then benefit from the gently falling gradient as we cover our last few miles into Shrewsbury.

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this podcast. If so, please join me in a couple of weeks time when we continue our journey and leave Shrewsbury for a Sunday afternoon ‘mystery tour’ on the Welsh Dragon.

Links:

To visit the Steam Dreams website please follow  this link.

The Shrewsbury Premier Inn, which looked after the passengers and many of the train crew, can be found here. I can thoroughly recommend this hotel which is close to the railway station and across the road from the River Severn.

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox , Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher and Vurbl and others.

Music:

AKM Music has licensed Steam Railway and The 50’s v12 for use in this podcast.

© The MrT Podcast Studio 2022

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 16:43 — 15.3MB)

Along the Severn and on to the Welsh Marches Line – UK Rail Journeys Series 1 – Episode 7

Our journey continues as we travel along the Severn and on to the Welsh Marches Line. The first part of our journey is on the Gloucester to Newport line. We pass over Maindee junction near Newport and take the Welsh Marches line.

Click on a ‘thumbnail’ to view the photographs that accompany this podcast:

Along the River Severn:

After we pass Lydney we travel down the west bank of the River Severn and soon reach Chepstow. We pass through this historic town with its famous castle and racecourse.

Just south of Chepstow we then pass the ‘first’ Severn Bridge and continue through Caldicot, passing Severn Tunnel junction.

On towards Maindee junction:

We pass the Llanwern steel works. Steel production is long gone but hot slab and steel coil are brought in for processing. The works first opened in 1962 and was the first oxygen blown integrated steelworks. Known as the ‘Spencer Works’ the oxygen was supplied by the British Oxygen Company.

We reach the junctions at Maindee, to the east of Newport. Our journey takes the east and north junctions as we join the Welsh Marches line.

The Welsh Marches line:

Many of the stations on the line closed in the 1960s following the Beeching report.

Our journey on the line starts just to the east of the river Usk. We soon pass through the disused station at Caerleon, once the site of a Roman fortress. There is a chance that the station at Caerleon may reopen as part of the South Wales Metro.

We pass through some closed stations before we reach Cwmbran station. The station opened in 1986 to serve the commuter route between Newport and Cardiff.

More closed stations before we reach Pontypool and New Inn station. The station remains open but is a shadow of its former self. Gone are the branch lines to Neath and Merthyr, the fifty line marshalling yard, the engine shed and the goods shed.

On to Abergavenny:

Yet more closed stations! Thank you Dr Beeching.

We reach the Grade 2 listed station at Abergavenny. Just to the north of the station we pass over a junction that gave access to the Heads of the Valley line that passed through towns famed for coal mining and steel production.

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this podcast. If so, please join me in a couple of weeks time when we continue our journey and reach Shrewsbury on the Welsh Dragon.

Links:

To visit the Steam Dreams website please follow  this link.

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox , Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher and Vurbl and others.

Music:

AKM Music has licensed Steam Railway and Fast Lanes for use in this podcast.

© The MrT Podcast Studio 2022

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 15:55 — 14.6MB)

In and around Gloucester – UK Rail Journeys Series 1 – Episode 6

In this episode our journey continues as we travel along the Golden Valley line through Stonehouse station and on to Gloucester. We have a few hours in Gloucester whilst the crew services our train. We then take the Gloucester to Newport line for the next part of our journey.

Click on a ‘thumbnail’ to view the photographs that accompany this podcast:

More closed stations:

Dr Beeching has a lot to answer for! On our way to Stonehouse we pass through the sites of Downfield Crossing Halt, Cashes Green Halt and Ebley Crossing Halt. The three stations saw their last passengers in November 1964.

Stonehouse to Gloucester:

Stonehouse has two platforms and a ticket office. The platforms at the station could only accommodate two carriages until 2019 when they were extended.

Two miles on from Stonehouse and we cross the Cross Country route that runs from Bristol Temple Meads to York.

We next pass through the site of Haresfield Station which saw its last passengers in January 1965. As we approach Gloucester we cross the Gloucester to Newport line. We shall be taking this later.

Gloucester:

It is a beautiful afternoon. Our passengers leave the train because they have three hours to explore the city. There is a great deal to see and do in Gloucester. Whilst some head for the pubs and restaurants others visit the Cathedral and the docks. Everybody enjoys the chance to stretch their legs!

The Gloucester to Newport line:

Our passengers return in good time to rejoin our freshly serviced train. The tanks are full of water and fresh tablecloths are on the tables. In the kitchen the chefs have started to prepare the evening meal.

A toot on the whistle, a hiss of steam and we pull out of Gloucester on the first leg of our journey to Shrewsbury via Newport using the Gloucester to Newport line.

Lydney:

As we pass through the Forest of Dean we pass through Lydney station which connects with the Dean Forest Railway. You can find out more about this heritage line by listening to the podcast here.

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this podcast. If so, please join me in a couple of weeks time when we continue our journey, travelling along the side of the River Severn on the Welsh Dragon.

Links:

To visit the Steam Dreams website please follow  this link.

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox , Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher and Vurbl and others.

Music:

AKM Music has licensed Steam Railway and Festival of Dreams for use in this podcast.

© The MrT Podcast Studio 2022

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 19:29 — 17.8MB)

From Challow to Stroud – UK Rail Journeys Series 1 – Episode 5

In this episode we continue our journey and travel from our water stop at Challow to Stroud. Our journey takes us along the Golden Valley line.

Click on a ‘thumbnail’ to view the photographs that accompany this podcast:

Our water stop:

A steam engine needs water, lots of water. Mayflower holds over 4,000 gallons. Water comes to the engine by road tanker because there is no infrastructure to water steam locomotives on the mainline network.

The Steam Dreams operations team have worked through the night to organise the supply because yesterday the usual water supplier told them that they are no longer allowed to supply water by tanker.

Because of this we enter the siding at Challow hoping that a tanker is there …….

Onwards to Swindon:

We pass fields and the harvest is in. There is straw on the ground waiting for the bailer. The land is getting ready for ploughing and then next year’s crops.

We steam through the historic Vale of the White Horse. We pass barns in the fields and travel through the sites of long closed stations at Challow, Uffington, Shrivenham and Stratton Park Halt. All long closed memories on the line to Swindon.

Swindon:

We pass the train sidings on our way into Swindon. Urban sprawl has returned! We stop in the 1970’s station where the woodwork on the canopy needs some ‘tlc’ because the paint is peeling off.

There is a lot of Great Western Railway history associated with Swindon – the original station, the works and the growth of the town.

On to the Golden Valley line:

We leave Swindon and take the points onto the Golden Valley line towards Gloucester. Our train is now travelling through farmland again. We pass through the sites of more long closed stations at Purton, Minety & Ashton Keynes and Oaksey Halt before we reach Kemble.

The next 11 miles to Stroud:

We leave Kemble and pass through Tetbury Road Station which saw its last passengers in 1882. The Sapperton Tunnels follow; construction begins in 1839 and completes in 1845. There are now another 6 closed stations before we reach Stroud.

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this podcast. If so, please join me in a couple of weeks time when we continue our journey, travelling from Stroud to Gloucester on the  Welsh Dragon.

Links:

To visit the Steam Dreams website please follow  this link.

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox , Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher and Vurbl and others.

Music:

AKM Music has licensed Steam Railway for use in this podcast.

© The MrT Podcast Studio 2022

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 17:11 — 15.7MB)

From Reading to Wantage Road – Series 1 – Episode 4

In this episode we continue our journey travelling from Reading to Wantage Road. Our journey takes us west, through towns and the countryside, over bridges as we cross rivers.

Click on a ‘thumbnail’ to view the photographs that accompany this podcast:

The Sonning Cutting:

The cutting allows the railway to bypass Sonning. The cutting is over a mile long and, in places, 60 feet deep. Navvies dug the cutting and moved the spoil in wheelbarrows and horse drawn carts. It takes two years to complete and the line opens on 31 March 1840.

There is an accident 21 months after the cutting is completed. A mixed freight and passenger train runs into a landslide. Passengers travel in open top wagons and so many are thrown out. Nine die and sixteen are injured. This leads to the President of the Board of Trade, W E Gladstone, bringing in railway safety legislation.

Reading:

We pass over the River Kennet and soon see the tracks shared by the SWR route to Waterloo and the GWR route to Gatwick Airport.

We stop at the modernised station so that passengers can join the train. Reading is the 9th busiest UK station outside London and the second busiest interchange.

Queen Elizabeth II opened the rebuilt station on 17th July 2014.

Westwards:

We soon reach Tilehurst which opened in 1882. GWR operate local services from the station. Jerome K Jerome mentions the railway at Tilehurst in Three Men in a Boat. He says the railway soils the view!

We then pass through Pangbourne station which has been open since June 1840. Again GWR operate local services from the station.

Goring and Streatley soon follows. Our train is now travelling at speed as Mayflower powers westward. We cross the Moulsford Railway Bridge, actually two parallel bridges, across the Thames.

Next comes Cholsey Station where you can get local services to Didcot, Oxford, Reading and Paddington. The Cholsey and Wallingford Railway, a heritage line, uses Platform 5 at the station.

Didcot:

We pass Didcot Parkway a few minutes behind schedule. The current station buildings date from 1985 and the station offers ‘Park & Ride’. The station is a major junction. On the 7th December 1964 all local services between Didcot and Swindon were withdrawn and stations closed.

Closed stations west of Didcot:

We now pass a number of closed railway stations. The first is Steventon. Although the station has been demolished the Great Western Railways, Jacobean style house used as the company headquarters from July 1842 to January 1843, still exists.

Wantage Road, the end of this episode, dates from 1846 – 6 years after this section of line opened. In 1873 the Wantage Tramway opened joining the station with the town.

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this podcast. If so, please join me in a couple of weeks time when we continue our journey, taking water at Challow, and proceeding to Swindon and beyond on the  Welsh Dragon.

Links:

To visit the Steam Dreams website please follow  this link.

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox , Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher and Vurbl and others.

Music:

AKM Music has licensed Steam Railway and Funny Corporate for use in this podcast.

© The MrT Podcast Studio 2022

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:22 — 19.6MB)

Across the London border and on towards Reading – UK Rail Journeys – Series 1 – Episode 3

We continue our journey and go across the London border and on towards Reading. Our journey takes us west, first through the suburbs and then on towards the countryside, over famous bridges across rivers.

Click on a ‘thumbnail’ to view the photographs that accompany this podcast:

Hanwell to Langley:

As we continue our journey we pass Hanwell, once called Hanwell and Elthorne.

We then cross the River Brent, passing over the Wharncliffe Viaduct which Brunel built in 1836 / 1837. The viaduct has a Grade 1 listing and a number of firsts to it’s name:

• It is Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s first major structural design,
• It carries the first electric telegraph, first operating on 9th April 1839,
• The police use a telegraph message in early 1845 to apprehend John Tawell for murder.

Apparently Queen Victoria liked the view so much that the Royal train always stopped on the viaduct! Today there is a bat colony in the supporting piers of the viaduct.

We soon pass the West Coast Trains depot outside Southall which is home to our train. Southall station follows with it’s bilingual signs.

Hayes and Harlington is soon followed by West Drayton as Mayflower powers our train westward.

We shake ourselves free of London when we cross the river Colne, the Greater London border, and then the M25.

Iver and Langley:

Iver is the first station we pass through outside Greater London. It is nearly 15 miles from Paddington. The station has no architectural merit!

Langley soon follows. The 1878 station building has character. There are plans for a link to Heathrow leaving the mainline just east of the station.

Slough:

The station is eighteen and a half miles from Paddington, halfway to Reading. The station is also at the end of the branch line to Windsor and Eton Central.

The Provost of Eton resisted having a railway station near Eton College. The original Act authorising the railway forbids a station within 3 miles of the college! The delays first proper station until 1840. For some years it is the station that Queen Victoria used when visiting Windsor.

Burnham to Twyford:

The next two stations, Burnham and Taplow, serve local trains with commuters travelling to London and Reading.

Next we reach one of Brunel’s masterpieces, the Maidenhead viaduct. There was a great deal of controversy about the very low arches when it was built. It was thought that the viaduct wouldn’t be strong enough for trains. Over 180 years later it stands as a masterpiece of engineering carrying many trains each day.

The next two stations are Maidenhead, 24 miles from London, and Twyford, 7 miles further on.

Next up:

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this podcast. If so, please join me in a couple of weeks time when we continue our journey west, stopping at Reading, on the Welsh Dragon.

Links:

To visit the Steam Dreams website please follow  this link.

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox , Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher and Vurbl and others.

Music:

AKM Music has licensed Steam Railway and Blue Sky for use in this podcast.

© The MrT Podcast Studio 2022

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 15:52 — 14.5MB)

The Welsh Dragon departs – UK Rail Journeys – Series 1 – Episode 2

Paddington Station:

The Welsh Dragon departs after our Guard, Paul, blows his whistle, waves his green flag and the signal changes to green giving us the ‘road’.  We listen as Mayflower starts to pull us out of London’s Paddington station and our journey to North West Wales begins!

Click on a ‘thumbnail’ to view the photographs that accompany this podcast:

Mayflower:

Mayflower is a Thompson B1 steam locomotive. The LNER places the order but delivery, in 1948, is to the newly nationalised British Railways. She spends most of her life working from depots in Hull. In June 1967 she moves to Bradford Low Moor depot. She is withdrawn from service in September 1967 and becomes one the two B1s in preservation.

Over the years Mayflower has had a number of owners. Today David Buck owns Mayflower. He keeps her maintained for mainline service and she often hauls trains for The Steam Dreams Rail Co.

I talk to a member of Mayflower’s support team who tells me about the work that has to be done in order to make the locomotive ready for service.

First some Underground stations:

Our journey takes us past Royal Oak station on the Central and Hammersmith & City lines. The station gets its name from a local pub, when the station opens it is The Royal Oak, however, it is now The Porchester.

Next we pass the Underground station at Westbourne Park, then Portobello junction and Notting Hill sidings.

We then pass under the A40 Westway. Westway runs to the Edgware Road, just east of Paddington Station. Westway was the first urban motorway project in London and was built in the 1960s.

We soon pass under the West London Line linking Willesden Junction in the north with Clapham Junction. Lines such as this allow Steam Dreams excursions to take interesting routes across London!

The North Pole Depot:

Sadly this isn’t a vast storage area used to refill Santa’s sleigh on his 24th December marathon. It is a train maintenance depot for the Hitachi Class 800 trains used on the Great Western Railway’s long distance services.

Westwards through suburbs:

We pass under the North London line that runs from Richmond in the south to Stratford (London) in the east.

We pass under the A40 for a second time, known here as the Western Avenue. This section of the A40 is about 10 miles long. It runs from Old Oak Common in the east to the Denham roundabout in the west.

Our journey continues, we pass through Acton Main Line, Ealing Broadway and West Ealing stations.

Next up:

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this podcast. If so, please join me in two weeks time when we continue our journey west, towards the edge of London on the Welsh Dragon.

Links:

To visit the Steam Dreams website please follow  this link.

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox , Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher and Vurbl and others.

Music:

AKM Music has licensed Steam Railway, Energy and Festival of Dreams for use in this podcast.

© The MrT Podcast Studio 2022

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 15:43 — 14.4MB)

The Welsh Dragon from Paddington – UK Rail Journeys – Series 1 – Episode 1

Paddington Station:

In ‘The Welsh Dragon from Paddington’ I start with a look around this amazing Grade 1 Listed railway station. Simon Jenkins, in his book ‘Britain’s 100 Best Railway Stations’* awards it 5 stars and starts his description by telling us that ‘there is magic in the air at Paddington’. First I walk down the ‘premium’ Platform 1 which oozes history.

* Please Note – Simon says that this is a Railway Station; it is not a Train Station!

You can find out more about this wonderful book by clicking here.

Click on a ‘thumbnail’ to view the photographs that accompany this podcast:

A famous bear:

The first thing I find is a bench dedicated to the famous bear named after the station. He’s sat there eating a marmalade sandwich and I’m not sure whether he’s waiting for the Brown family or just trainspotting.

At the station entrance from the Elizabeth Line station on to Platform 1 there is also a statue to Paddington Bear.

 Underground Stations:

In 1863 Paddington becomes the western terminus of the Metropolitan Railway. This is the first underground railway in the world and links Kings Cross, Euston and Paddington stations.

Today there are two Underground stations at Paddington. There is one for the Bakerloo, District and Circle (towards Victoria) lines in Praed Street and another, for the Hammersmith and City and Circle (towards Hammersmith) Lines at Bishop’s Bridge Road.

The Great Western Royal Hotel:

The Victorian railway companies were operators of grand hotels. There are examples at many of the mainline stations in London.

Brunel’s dream is that people will travel from London to Bristol. They then board the SS Great Britain and travel to America, but, before setting off on the journey they need a night at a grand hotel in London. Today you can leave on the Heathrow Express, and fly to America. Same dream, different transport!

Hilton operate the hotel today, you can find more details here.

Platform 1:

So much history, so much to see – the clock, the triple oriel, the War Memorial and the grandeur of the woodwork. Stop for a moment, look upward and marvel at the structure.

Look at the photographs and listen to the podcast to find out more about the station and our departure.

Next up:

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this podcast. If so, please join me in two weeks time when we journey west from Paddington, through the London suburbs on the Welsh Dragon.

Links:

To visit the Steam Dreams website please follow  this link.

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox , Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher and Vurbl and others.

Music:

AKM Music has licensed Steam Railway and Funny Corporate for use in this podcast.

© The MrT Podcast Studio 2022