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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.
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Music:
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