Dinmore Manor Heads to WSR / 1450 Photo Charter / Classic Vehicle Day / SVR visit by DML

It's a blisteringly hot June so far and last week 7820 Dinmore Manor left a pleasant Toddington for the even sunnier climes of the West Somerset Railway for her holidays.

"Are we nearly there yet?!" she said
(Photo by Mark Young)

Meanwhile, loco 1450 and auto coach Chaffinch from the SVR stayed on awhile after our Workhorses of Steam Gala for a photo charter that occurred on the first Saturday following the opening of Hayles Abbey Halt on 5th June.

The symbolic image of a 14XX class loco and an auto coach harks back to the days where this combination regularly worked the local services of the Honeybourne Line - affectionately called 'The Coffee-Pot' (due to the fact that before 1920 the services were worked by Great Western Rail Motors which resembled the shape of a coffee pot). Ray was there to capture some great shots - some of which are below... thank you Ray.

Recreating that classic Hugh Ballantyne shot of 1424... this time with
a bit less H2O and more steam!

1450 charges through the Cotswolds putting a smile on everyone's faces

An excellent panning shot, showing off the compact dimensions
and proportions of the 14XX class

Sunshine glints over the top of her boiler in this stunning silhouette 

Beautiful sunset colours define the outline of 1450 and Chaffinch

An interesting fact is that now that Hayles Abbey Halt has opened, there are officially more heritage railway stations/halts in Gloucestershire than there are national network examples.

Sunday 11th June saw the latest of our bi-annual Classic (and Modern Classic) Vehicle Days. Yet another exceptionally hot day, I was beginning to wish I'd prepared a bit better and done the sensible thing and applied some sun screen - at the end of the day I rather resembled something like a lobster or a beetroot...

Now, if you like your cars as well as your steam locos, you are in for a treat in this part of the blog. It was a very successful show this summer, with, I think, about 219 vehicles in all paying a visit to our friendly line in the Cotswolds.

Views of the Show I

Views of the Show II

Exhibitors to the show entered for free, with many receiving 2-for-1 vouchers to take a trip out on the line behind one of our fabulous engines. There was an enormous variety of different vehicles - motorbikes new and old, classic cars, some daily drivers, and even super cars. Coventry Transport Museum also brought along a couple of impressive vehicles, remarkably both in running order, which is so unusual to find with 'museum pieces'.

This Austin fire engine from CTM certainly attracted a lot of attention

The oldest vehicle at the show - also from CTM, this stunning Napier

From the oldest to the newest, and perhaps most technologically complex at the show- this Ferrari 458 Italia

Another example from the stable of the prancing horse, this 2003 Ferrari 360 Spider

a close-up of the beautifully sculpted headlights

...and now to the most unusual and basic of vehicles -
a GN, of British origin

The amount of fresh air used in the creation of this vehicle really is quite something!
A quick internet search suggests they were quite sporting

The most basic of interiors - functional. Everything you need... and nothing you don't

There was even a vintage lorry on display - I forgot the make, but the sign writing on
the side was a real eye-catcher. I'm not sure I'd ask them for a quote though! 

A pretty and seldom seen Alfa Romeo

This pair of daily driven classics sport the patina of life!

This 1989 Volvo 440 was in immaculate condition - once a common sight on our roads in the 90s,
now getting rarer and rarer.

Examples from fairly local marque Morgan Motors of Malvern were not hard to come by, with many a Roadster on display, and this unusual 2015 three-wheeler - the owner clearly likes a certain local fashion label (other brands are available) - it wears it well.

A Morgan Three-Wheeler proudly showing off its 2.0 V-Twin engine
with chrome accents

A most unusual rear end makes for some interesting and entertaining
driving characteristics 

"Caution - Hot!"

An impressive Roadster - perfect from every angle

If you've liked what you have seen why not come and pay a visit at the next show? Sunday 10th September 2017 is the next Classic Vehicle Day and if you have a classic yourself and would like to come along, you can enter here.

In other news, a number of Dinmore Manor Locomotive Limited members paid a visit to the Severn Valley Railway to travel behind sister loco 7812 Erlestoke Manor on a special wine and cheese evening train, on Saturday 3rd June.

We arrived at just before 6pm if my memory serves me correctly, which gave us plenty of time to sample the local fish and chips from the establishment just across the road from the station. It was very good, I must say.

7812 waits patiently to join her train at Platform 2

Quietly simmering away

Gleaming brass work on the nameplate.

This evening was the first time I had travelled on the SVR since I was a child so it was a nice opportunity to see it again as I don't remember any of it from the first time! The line is longer than on the GWSR, at 16 miles compared to our 13, now that the line has opened up to Little Buckland.

Scenery-wise, the line is extremely pretty - very similar to that of the GWSR, perhaps if a little more hilly in places.

Erlestoke Manor rounds a corner and goes under a bridge on the way to Bridgnorth

We had quite a long stop at Bridgnorth which gave us time to admire some of the locos in the sidings that were gently smoking with warming fires ready for services the next day.

Sister to our own 2807, 2857 sits just ahead of 7802 Bradley Manor.
Meanwhile, GWR pannier tank sits towards the back left with Taw Valley and Sir Keith Park
to the right

Meanwhile, a local cat decided to pay a visit to the station.
He didn't pay attention to the sign, however - what a naughty cat.

As the sun began to set, it cast a beautiful orange glow over the Shropshire/Worcestershire countryside, resulting in some lovely images, even if they were only taken with a mobile phone!

Bewdley Station bathed in the orange glow of a summer sunset

Back at Kidderminster, it was time for a quick group photo before everyone left for home... some people pre-empted this and managed to escape before I had chance to snap a photo, but here are the few I managed to round up!

(l-r) Will, Mike, Chris (7812), Dan, Mark, Mark and Sam

Thank you very much to the 7812 group for inviting us along to this wonderful evening!