7802 Bradley Manor departs Highley 20-09-08

[SteffanLlwyd]

I was told in Aberystwyth as a child that I owned this engine along with everyone else, because it was 'nationalised'. Can I have my railway back now, please?

[edwardianeccentric]

What a lovely thought!

I wished Manors still ran to Aber...would make the journey to and from Uni much more interesting!

[SteffanLlwyd]

Happily I went to UCW Aberystwyth and the tutors in Sociology and Philosophy were especially brilliant. They shut both department later, but I still use everything I learned there every day. Happily, they didn't privatise the university system!

[edwardianeccentric]

I'm doing History at Aber and am thoroughly enjoying it. My diss is train-related, I admit...

[SteffanLlwyd]

UCW Aberystwyth would not exist had Savin and Davies not built the railway and 'Old College' which was intended to be a hotel. What is the dissertation title?

I think the Cambrian system would benefit from an equal-interval timetable, which has been discussed quite a lot over the years.

[edwardianeccentric]

Very true!

I'm not sure whether an increased service would be appropriate except at peak times- the 1530, 1730 and 1930 trains out of Aber on a friday are always insane.

My diss. is on relations between the Railway Executive Committee and the Railway companies during WW1- conflict or co-operation?

[SteffanLlwyd]

There's a lack of flexibility which they didn't have so much with coaching stock (notwithstanding the clear advantages of DMUs). The up Cambrian Coast Express ran as three coaches from Aberystwyth and another three from Pwlleli, combining at Dovey junction, with the Aberystwyth portion strengthened to four in Summer.

You have a good dissertation topic. My PhD was on the origins of local authority in North Kent, specifically Dartford, marked by conflict between 'improvers' and 'economisers'