THE Cathedrals Express steam train will be visiting Melksham next month, where it will pick up locals for a special St George^s Day trip to Oxford, Warwick and Stratford-upon-Avon. 
 
On Wednesday 23rd April, the train which is appropriately scheduled to be hauled by 70000 Britannia, will arrive at Melksham at 09:20hrs.
 
The Cathedrals Express will make its way through the beautiful undulating countryside of Wiltshire, arriving at its first destination of Oxford at 11:30hrs, where passengers may like to stay for a long afternoon.  Alternatively, they could choose to stay on the train to visit either Warwick or the historic market town of Stratford-upon-Avon.In Oxford there will be several hours to enjoy this picturesque city, with its stunning architecture and many independent shops, art galleries and museums.  For passengers visiting the ancient County town of Warwick, a tour of the world famous castle with its Capability Brown landscaped gardens is highly recommended.  There will also be plenty of time to explore the rest of this charming town, well known for its fascinating antique shops.
 
Those opting for a trip to Stratford-upon-Avon will be in for a real treat as the town prepares to mark the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare^s birth.  Holy Trinity Church, Nash^s House and New Place are just a few of the many attractions which celebrate the life of the world^s greatest playwright.
 
As always on The Cathedrals Express passengers have the opportunity to travel in four classes.  These range from Premium Standard at ^99 where they are seated at tables for four, with white tablecloths and complimentary tea and coffee at their seats, right up to Pullman Style Dining at ^239 per person.  Passengers in Pullman Style will enjoy a two course champagne breakfast or brunch on the outward journey and a five course dinner on the return.
 
The Steam Dreams chairman, Marcus Robertson said, ^It seems very fitting that as we celebrate St George^s Day, Britannia will be the hauling The Cathedrals Express through stunning English countryside to Shakespeare^s birthplace on the 450th anniversary of his birth.  With two other fantastic destinations for passengers to choose from, this is one of our most popular day trips of the season.^
 
For this memorable journey The Cathedrals Express will also be picking up passengers along the route at Chippenham and Swindon before heading to Oxford, Warwick and Stratford-upon-Avon. Anyone interested in travelling on The Cathedrals Express should call the booking office on 01483 209888 or visit www.cathedralsexpress.co.uk.

Wiltshire farmer gets apology from Army for stray shell


It is believed the gun was fired northwards from near Tilshead and was intended to land inside the danger zone, but went five miles further north to Patney

The Army has apologised after an artillery shell landed in a farmer's field in Wiltshire.

A spokesman said it had launched a "thorough investigation" after the round landed on Andrew Snook's land.

The shell left a 6ft (1.8m) wide crater when it hit the ground 980 ft (300m) from a railway line at Patney, near Devizes.

Nobody was hurt and live firing will remain suspended until the investigation is completed.

According to the spokesman, the officer "responsible for the safe use of the range" has now apologised to the land owner.

He added that local residents would be kept informed and "if deemed appropriate, additional safety measures" would be put in place.

"The safety of both our own personnel and of the general public is our priority in all training serials."

Salisbury Plain is the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) military's largest training area, with live firing taking place on average 340 days a year.


The shell left a crater in farmland in Wiltshire

Over the last 2 years or so there has been the delivery of, what has been planned for quite a few years, traction power supply improvements on the Kent Routes mainly on the line between Rochester and Ebbsfleet to accommodate 10 car class 395 and to lift the dc power restriction from 4kA to 6kA.  This will enable the splitting of 395 at Faversham.

There is also some power supply improvement along the North Kent Coast although there is a limit due to the nature of the National Grid Network on the isle of Thanet, this also impacts as far a field as Tonbridge, Canterbury, Maidstone due to the nature of the Grid Network and that of NR^» (Network Rail - home page)

Great news!

For FirstGroup shareholders. 

the underground always makes London seem bigger than it is.

Plans approved to open Mail Rail 'secret Tube' as ride

Plans to open The London Post Office Railway - known to many as Mail Rail - as a tourist ride have been approved by Islington Council.

Visitors will be able to ride 0.6 miles (1km) of the tunnels under central London from 2020.

A new postal museum will open at Mount Pleasant, in central London, in 2016.

The British Postal Museum & Archive (BPMA) still needs to raise ^0.5m and plans to launch a public appeal later this year.

The team also expects a decision to be made in May on its application for ^4.5m funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Mail Rail was approved by an Act of Parliament a century ago, and during its heyday its driverless trains carried 12 million postal items daily on the line stretching from East End's Whitechapel to west London's Paddington.

In its prime, 220 people worked on the line, which runs beneath Oxford Street in central London - at one point within a few feet of the Bakerloo Line.

But by the 1990s, Royal Mail built a new hub in Willesden, west London, and by 2003, only three of eight Mail Rail stations still worked


Tourists would get on to a train in Mount Pleasant's depot and descend into the tunnels


The tunnels are narrower than Tube tunnels at just 7ft (2.1m) in diameter

That year, Royal Mail said the line cost five times as much as using roads and the network was mothballed.

Ray Middlesworth, who has worked as an engineer in the tunnels for 27 years, said: "It's the holy grail for underground explorers - a hidden part of the rail network.

BPMA director Adrian Steel said: "It is a fantastic opportunity that Islington borough council has given us - the green light to open up these unique tunnels to the public and reveal the captivating story of Mail Rail."


Up to 220 people worked in the tunnels  The trains are 4ft (1.2m) high and 29ft (8.8m) long

Freshford community shop^s a national role model

Peter King (centre, blue jumper) from The Galleries with teams from Braishfield in Hampshire, Bledington in Gloucestershire and Norton sub Hamdon in Somerset

The Galleries Shop and Cafe in Freshford showed other community shops how it is done when they hosted a workshop this month.
 
Nine aspiring community shop teams from around the country congregated at the volunteer-run community shop, which serves Freshford and Limpley Stoke, to hear about the process and issues they may face.
 
Volunteers from the shop, along with visitors from other successful community shops, gave presentations and helped the teams develop their own action plans.
 
The teams toured the community shop, which won the Bath Business Award for Independent Retailer of the Year in 2011, and were given information packs to go along with their action plans.
 
Mike Newby, chair of the shop management committee, said: ^We are always on the lookout for something new to interest our customers, while always making sure that we have everything a household needs, at reasonable prices.^
 
There are now over 300 community shops in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom). The Plunkett Foundation is the main supporter of this development, as well as community pubs.
 
Mr Newby added: ^We are proud that the Plunkett Foundation has chosen us to host this event. Clearly they think we have a great story to tell, and indeed our shop achieved a turnover of ^330,000 last year, in only its fourth year of operation.^

The shop is now on the lookout for a new manager as Christine McKenzie, manager for the past four-and-a-half years, is leaving to work at Mystery Diners in Bath.
 
Find more information see www.galleriesshop.co.uk or call 01225 722511