David K. Harris

Home station was Wellington (Salop) 1969 onward as I became old enough to go with friends on the 2 bus journey to get there - being 10 or 11 - I guess Wellington was favourity - but Shrewsbury and wandering to the Sheds 6D while it still had a few steamers on the scrap line - next to the fence .. can't believe I don't have the numbers - one memory was my mate climbed into the cab of one and I heard a shout - he'd found someones stash of 'dirty magazines' in the fire box.. never did see them.

I remember decimalisation, the new money. We went to the sheds not long after and wandered around freely .. then asked (if we could actually find anyone) For some reason we spent 30mins in the cab of a shunter - oddly I chose to leave a new 2 pence piece as a kind of gift for having that time. We did manage to get a cab ride around the sheds - D5080 I think, .. I'll need to check my numbers books.

I've moved well away from the end of the platform - just normal activities - sitting on the GWR baggage trollies and brutes - they were long hot days - well you tend to remember life like that. Seeing the steam specials, being bored of the 'bug units' DMUs wondering what the numbers on the front of them, but only caring for the side numbers Especially Cravens units. Wondering what would go around the avoiding line behind the big signal box. Wondering if anything special would come from Crewe on test - D432 is one on test I took a poor photo of in ex-works. Maybe an interesting freight or the Zulu. I didn't get to do late nights at that point.

There were other kids older who took ownership of the comms boxes at the end of the platform and ignored the signs forbidding crossing the rails - I think the use the bridge was still there, though the bridge was gone.

As time went on - we ventured further afield and Railtourers gave us tremendous range and new locos to cop. I did write coach numbers down sometimes and occasionally wagons which cause confusion looking back. Shrewsbury was a working stations who put up with us, the tea room was a regular visit especially in winter and the post packing area although more likely to annoy someone there.

The bay platforms were out entry and exit - we came from Wellington - the postal DMUs M55993 for example.. class numbers didn't interest me - I once planned to get a rid in one of them back to Wellington but never did it - they sat ticking over for hours. The warm diesel smell of fumes - I'd be transported back there in an instant should I smell that now.

Here's a photo (See header and below) from the end of that platform, a type 2 - poor scan I need to do them again., oh and that sign.