Adventures in International Education

On Tuesday, Robert, Sally, and I visited the Severn Valley Railway for an all-day, steam-powered trip between Kidderminster and Bridgnorth. I was the happy kid hanging out the window, feeling the wind in my face, and smelling the coal smoke as the train wound its way through 16 miles of greenery along the Severn River and some of the most picturesque railway stations I’ve ever seen. Memories of Sherlock Holmes and Watson and years of affectionate stories about the British rail system filled my mind. 

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After tea and espresso in the Kidderminster cafe, we inspected the train and settled in our compartment, a car from the 1940s. It was glorious trip, with small stations appearing, milk cans ready to be loaded, and posters from the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s decorating each station. All the volunteers were dressed in their best railroad uniforms and I felt as if I had been thrust back in time to the golden era of British railroading.

Lunch in Bridgnorth

At the end of the line in Bridgnorth, we walked up the hill past a ruined fort destroyed when Oliver Cromwell beseiged the town in the English Civil War (1646) and a memorial to the dead from Bridgnorth who served in World War I and World War II. The paved path led steeply upward to the town, with its shops and ancient town hall. We had lunch at a wonderful tea shop.

On a bit of a side trip, we took the short but quite steep funicular railway to the lower town and back up, a journey of five minutes.

We then descended to the train station for the return trip. As Robert and Sally settled in our compartment, I happily hung out the window in the rain to experience the joy of a steam-train ride in the Midlands.

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