It’s been an exciting week down at the Severn Valley Railway. The Awesome A1 Pacific no 60163 Tornado has been doing two trips a day along the line. The Stanier Mogul 42968, GWR Prairie Tank 4566 and N2 Tank Engine GNR 1744 (Visiting from the Great Central Railway) have also been busy, as have many other locomotives.
A1 Pacific no 60163 Tornado
N2 Tank Engine GNR 1744
The 1988 version of Jack the Ripper, Starring Michael Caine is free with the Daily Telegraph this Saturday (or Ebay on Sunday lol 
Also starring Jane Seymour, Susan George, Ray McAnally, Lewis Collins & Armand Assante, This Emmy & Golden Globe Awards Winner focuses on the shocking & brutal murders committed by “Jack the Riper” on the teeming streets of Victorian London. where prostitutes were being torn to pieces by a killer who vanished in the shadows, . Leading the huge manhunt was one of Scotland Yard’s finest detectives – Inspector Frederick Abberline…
This fascinating 3 DVD boxed set takes a look at Railways in Britain throughout the 20th Century. It comprises of the episodes Waterloo Sunset, Rails in the Isle of Wight and Vintage Southern.
Waterloo Sunset as the title suggests concentrates on the Southern Regions last Steam worked lines from Waterloo to Salisbury & Weymouth, and features footage of Nine Elms Shed, following the main-line down to Basingstoke. Heading West to Worthing Junction and going South through Eastleigh & Southampton. There are also scenes filmed in the New Forest, including Lymington, before going south to Bournemouth and featuring the famous Channel Islands Boat Train, before reaching the destination of Weymouth.
Volume Two, Rails of the Isle of Wight features vintage Steam Railway footage of the lines from Ventnor to Cowes, Brading to Bembridge and Sandown to Merstone & Newport. This is contrasted with the islands new Tube trains being tested in places such as Clapham Junction, and the story of the first generation tube trains in their all-blue livery is covered. The story is then brought up-to-date with scenes recording the Wonderful Atmosphere of the Isle of Wight Steam Railway.
Volume three in this wonderful series is Vintage Southern, which as the title suggests features a lot of rare footage made on the railways in the South East of Britain starting at London Bridge, East Croydon and Folkestone, featuring both Mainline Expresses & Boat Trains. There is also coverage of the Golden Arrow & other Southern Pullman Services aswell as The Brighton Belle. The last part of the program looks at lines like The Bluebell Line from East Grinstead to Lewes, The preserved Kent & East Sussex, and the branch lines from Duntan Green to Westerham and Paddock Wood to Hawkhurst
Farmer John lived on a quiet rural highway.
But, as time went by, the traffic
Slowly built up at an alarming rate.
The traffic was so heavy and so fast that his
Chickens were being run over at a rate of three to six a day.
So one day Farmer John called the sheriff’s office
And said, “You’ve got to do something about all
Of these people driving so fast and killing all of my chickens.”
“What do you want me to do?” asked the sheriff.
“I don’t care, just do something about those crazy drivers!”
So the next day he had the county workers
Go out and erected a sign that said:
SLOW: SCHOOL CROSSING
Three days later Farmer John called the sheriff
And said, “You’ve got to do something about these drivers.
The ’school crossing’ sign seems to make them go even faster.”
So, again, the sheriff sends out the county
Workers and they put up a new sign:
SLOW: CHILDREN AT PLAY
That really sped them up. So Farmer John called
And called and called every day for three weeks.
Finally, he asked the sheriff, “Your signs are
Doing no good.. Can I put up my own sign?”
The sheriff told him, “Sure thing, put up your own sign..”
He was going to let Farmer John do just about
Anything in order to get him to stop calling everyday to complain.
The sheriff got no more calls from Farmer John.
Three weeks later, curiosity got the best of the
Sheriff and he decided to give Farmer John a call..
“How’s the problem with those drivers.
Did you put up your sign?”
“Oh, I sure did. And not one chicken has been
Killed since then. I’ve got to go. I’m very busy.”
He hung up the phone.
The sheriff was really curious now and he thought to
Himself, “I’d better go out there and take a
Look at that sign… It might be something that
WE could use to slow down drivers…”
So the sheriff drove out to Farmer John’s house,
And his jaw dropped the moment he saw the sign.
It was spray painted on a sheet of wood….
NUDIST COLONY
Go slow and watch out for chicks!
This novel is available for £2.99 With the Times Newspaper, it concerns The real life murder of a small boy at Road Hill House which shocked Britain and was a cause célèbre even further afield. Dickens was intrigued by it, Wilkie Collins and others borrowed from it, and the public (through newspapers and broadsides) couldn’t get enough of it. The detective at its centre, Jack Whicher, was pilloried in Punch and retired a broken man, but even after the culprit was brought to justice there were twists outstanding.
On the morning of Saturday June 30 1860, 3 year old Saville Kent, was found to be missing from his bed at Road Hill House, on the edge of the village of Road, on the border between Wiltshire and Somerset. Before long his body was discovered by servants, stuffed down a makeshift toilet in the grounds of the house. His throat had been cut. The boy’s father, Samuel Kent, was not well liked. His task was enforcing the 1833 Factory Act, which made him unpopular with employers and employees both. He also erected high fences around his home and added No Trespassing signs.
What soon became clear, however, was that the killer knew the layout and sleeping arrangements in the house. There is little point erecting fences and warning notices if a murderer already lurks within….
The Duke of Gloucester recently visited the Severn Valley Railway, arriving first at a local school, before boarding the Royal Train and travelling to Highley in order to officially open The Engine House Visitors Centre, near the station. The Duke also unveiled a plaque to commemorate the occasion.
The Engine House is currently the home of such magnificent machines as the Midland Railway Compound Engine no 1000, GWR 4930 Hagley Hall, 2-10-0 Austerity locomotive no 600 Gordon, Stanier 8f no 48773 & 0-6-0 tank engine no 1501 which are all being stored out of the elements pending overhaul. I recently learnt that1501 is due to swap places with Pannier Tank 7714, which recently went out of service and is due to take it’s place at the Engine House
The Duke’s visit also included a tour of Highley Signal Box and the cutting of a ribbon to formally mark the reinstatement of Highley Footbridge after an absence of more than 35 Years. The visit was originally due to take place earlier in the year but was cancelled due to ill health.
The Seventh Bridgnorth Jazz festival takes place from Friday 23rd October until Sunday 25th October and features The Allan Bates All stars accompanied by The Craig Milverton Trio. From Saturday Lunch-time a Jazz Trail will feature 19 different Jazz Acts playing at 8 different venues throughout the town.
On Saturday October 24th The Jazz Train will be running from Kidderminster Station along the Severn Valley Railway, with performances from Violinist Mike Piggott & Guitarist Spatts Langham on board. When the train arrives at Bridgnorth Station passengers will be greeted by another band, consisting of Bruce Adams on trumpet, Roy Williams on Trombone, Craig Milverton on Piano & Erika Lyons on Bass.
Saturday night features a concert called a Night Out In New Orleans, which will features a performance by The Ken Coyler Legacy Band with Special Guest Star Martin Litton on piano.
To conclude the weekend there will be more music including a special tribute to the much-loved tenor sax players Zoot Sims & Al Cohn aswell as featuring two saxaphone players from the Humphrey Lyttelton Band supported by The Paul Sawtell Trio.
During Autumn Half-Term week from October 24th until November 1st the awesome A1 Pacific Tornado no 60163 will be visiting the Severn Valley Railway. It will be making two round trips each day.
In addition the equally amazing GWR 6024 King Edward I will also be visiting the Severn Valley Railway. I’m Not sure about the exact times or dates they will both be running, but I will just have to go down and wait, with a drink in one hand, and a camera in the other lol.
This week, Victoria Hislop’s latest novel “The Return” is available for £2.99 when you buy it with The Times Newspaper.
It opens in the present and features a Thirty-five-year-old Londoner named Sonia and her wild-child schoolmate Maggie who have taken up salsa. much to the disapproval of Sonia’s husband James,
They head to Granada to attend a course, and Whilst Maggie throws herself into the holiday pleasures of drink, dance and dalliance, Sonia is beguiled by the city’s brooding sense of past secrets and by its own dancing tradition. Sonia’s fascination with the city’s history intensifies. She frequents a cafe where the elderly owner, Miguel, displays old posters of bullfighters and dancers; he whets her appetite with tales of Lorca and days gone by, and she goes on a voyage of discovery.
Sonia lost her invalid mother, Mary, when young and has learned little about her from her father. When Miguel then tells the story of the Ramirez family, who once owned the cafe, she learns all about her mother and all the tragic events which happened in the area during the Spanish Civil War.
Here is the full list of DVDs which are available in the Daily Mail Hollywood Icons DVD collection, and they can be obtained by buying the paper from either Tesco or Sainsbury, collecting the tokens or getting them off Ebay lol
The Graduate – Starring Dustin Hoffman & Anne Bancroft
Austin Powers – Starring Mike Myers & Liz Hurley
The Elephant Man – Starring John Hurt
Mr & Mrs Bridge – Starring Paul Newman & Joanne Woodward
The Cotton Club – Starring Richard Gere
The Lion in Winter – Starring Peter O’Toole
Darling – Starring Julie Christie & Dirk Bogarde
El Cid – Starring Charlton Heston & Sophia Loren
Croupier – Starring Clive Owen
Black Nacissus – Starring Deborah Kerr & Jean Simmons
A Town Like Alice – Starring Virginia McKenna & Peter Finch
The Go-Between – Starring Julie Christie & Alan Bates
Farewell My Lovely – Starring Robert Mitchum
The Cassandra Crossing – Starring Sophia Loren Burt Lancaster & Richard Harris
