This blogging lark can so easily be very stimulating and, at the same time, quite challenging. This little picture appeared on a tweet a few days ago.
The text link gave a smattering of information ...
... all of which was received wide-eyed by an easily excited old bloke.
The easy bit was to identify the locomotive and its current location.
This locomotive was built by Beyer Peacock & Company in 1937 to work at Baddesley Colliery at Atherstone in Warwickshire. It was named after Sir William Francis Dugdale, the son of the founder of the colliery, was the third locomotive at Baddesley to be so bestowed.
The colliery line ran from the West Coast main line in the Trent Valley and rose about 240ft in a distance just short of two miles – an average gradient of 1 in 47 and with 1 in 23 at its steepest grades. It therefore required a powerful locomotive to work on the line.
William Frances was preserved at Bressingham in Norfolk after arriving there in 1968.
On-line research found an old map of a colliery ...
... complete with an industrial line leading to, and even crossing, the A5 (above, upper right). The village {bottom left) across the road from the colliery ...
... is called Baxterley; but what is (or was?) a spindly branch line potters off, leaving the map top right off towards the A5.
But, curiouser and curiouser, a page of info shows a picture of an old Baxterley colliery ...
... which has a remarkable similarity to a picture of ...
... an old Baddesley Colliery.
And again, there is/was a colliery at Baddesley Ensor ...
... which is not rail served.
After hours of painstaking research (?), fbb concludes that Baddesley Colliery is at Baxterley, whilst the colliery at Baddesley Ensor is called ...
... wait for it ...
... Baddesley Ensor Colliery - confused.com!
Baddesley Colliery - at Baxterley - was served by real National Rail coal trains ...
... which did NOT cross the A5 with the assistance of a man with a red flag!
Fortunately, also on-line, is a map of the Colliery - whatever it was called.
This shows the "real" railway route coming in from the top left and the line to the A5 disappearing of the screenshot centre right, just as seen in the aerial view above.
The "real railway" did, indeed, join the main line between Birmingham and Tamworth; at Kingsbury.
Modern maps show a stub of this line as being still in place.
The line of greenery running from bottom left to centre right is the former line to Baddesley Colliery - at Baxterley.
But our interest is the spindly industrial line from Baxterley - the site of Baddesley Colliety - leading to the A5.
Virus Variety?
Fright or Friend?:-
Contrast and compare - Norfolk County Council offers us ...
Whereas, Ensignbus ...
Do we really understand face-masks? Studies as to their effectiveness remain varied and, overall, inconclusive. Some research suggest they make no difference at all, some studies suggest they make matters worse and one or two offer a likely reduction of risk of a maximum of about 10%.
Two examples of misplaced maskology have been spotted by fbb from the comparative safety of his bench in the front "garden".
One, a lady of mature years walking in a sprightly manner along the road with mask over her mouth but not over her nose.
Two, a gentleman of "middle age" who stopped to chat with a chum (less than two metres apart) and removed his mask to engage in conversation.
We all need to remember that the virus can pass through a typical cloth mask as if the mask did not exist. Viri enjoying a swim in saliva droplets might be impeded by a portion of grannie's old bloomers. A more effective device is a proper medical mask.
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Please be aware, there are many other masks on online market places with zero certification as well as only having 95% high bacterial filteration efficiency (usually sold as dust masks). Most do not carry the IIR for fluid resistance / repellant
So now we can be even more scared!
Next Atherstone blog : Wednesday 10th June
This map might be clearer: https://maps.nls.uk/view/101584549
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