RAILDATE 2024.08.16

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Thank you to this week's contributors.

The Weekly Poser: Where is this?

A prominent church overlooking a substantial station on a third-rail system. Where is it?

Please send your answers to raildate.co.uk@gmail.com

Last week's Where is this?

The straight line (bottom) of a Roman road just misses this town/city, and a cycleway clearly follows the route of a former railway on the right. Where is it?

Answer: Hereford. Like the Mappa Mundi in Hereford Cathedral, we're facing towards Jerusalem - from the NW. Congratulations are due to the following for their correct answers: Dave Goodyear, John Czyrko, Colin Penfold, Simon Wass, Jeremy Harrison, Paul Hopper, Bryn Pitcher, Neil Spencer, Ian Bromley

The now-closed direct line through Hereford had a station (Barton) until 1891 but antagonism between three railway companies led to the less-direct route via Barr's Court station becoming the preferred route. The Midland had quietly acquired the Hereford, Hay, and Brecon Railway, even though it had no prior presence in Hereford, and the GWR and L&NWR used Barr's Court to avoid cooperating. Agreement took many years to reach and a loop into Barr's Court built, allowing Barton to close.

The H.P.Bulmers cider plant is at Barton, and the Bulmers Railway Centre was housed there 1968-1990. GWR 4-6-0 loco 6000 'King George V' was restored at Bulmers and, in 1971, ended the 1968 steam ban on mainline operations. In the early part of my career, I had frustrating period visiting the cider plant regularly on day trips from my then-home in Yorkshire - many hours of driving, not getting much done. (Nor any sampling)

The frontier Roman settlement of Magnis was a few miles west (circled in red). Two Roman roads crossed here: the E-W route from Salinae (Droitwich) was never completed but has now become the A4103, and the N-S Watling Street - Wroxeter (nr. Shrewsbury) to Caerleon (nr. Newport)

SMALL PRINT

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©  Matthew Shaw 2024