Steam is Cool

I recently spent an enjoyable day on the Severn Valley Railway in Shropshire. This is a preserved railway entirely run by a volunteer staff. The line itself is over sixteen miles long running from Bridgenorth to Kidderminster. I thought steam trains might have been pretty fun, but on this day I got the chance to see some up close and personal.

It was a special day to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of Land Rover. Up and down the line there were various models on display, my boyfriend Andrew had his beast on display at Bridgenorth station as part of a contribution from the Discovery Owners Club. The various landies on there own would have made it a fun day out, but the steam trains were amazing.

The first steam locomotive that I saw at Bridgenorth was no- 7802, pictured above. As I watched it begin to move it seamed like a great beast, like a living machine. I stood awe-struck watching the loco build up speed and eventually disapear from sight. Now I know what the fogies mean when they bang on about the glorious days of steam. Wow, these things are fantastic.

As I said the steam locomotives seemed like they were alive, unsurprising I guess when you consider that four of the five elements essential to life were present- namely Earth (coal), Air (Steam), Fire and Water. Perhaps the missing elemnt of Spirit was manifest there too in some sort of intangible way.

It is well worth getting a 'Rover' ticket so you can jump on and off the trains all day. We did that at Kidderminster and Highley stations. At both those halts there were museums. The one at Kidderminster had a lot of smaller stuff including a fascinating collection of telephones. At Highley there was a large engine shed with locomotives and carriages. It was an odd feeling to step onto the very mail car assaulted during the great train robbery.