OTD 5th March (1980) - Alderney Railway, first passenger run

[whole diary]

[grahame]

https://www.alderneyrailway.gg/alderney-railway-society

The Alderney Society was established in February 1978 and over the first two years established the rites to run and insurance cover for passenger operation.
​
Two Wickham cars were purchased in August 1978 from Market Bosworth Light Railway and a third from British Rail (Plymouth Depot) and this allowed the first passenger run of 3 Wickham cars on March 5th 1980.

Move from Wickham Trolleys to London Underground carriages, now in their second generation ...

[jdw.wor]

Is that 1938 tube stock in the photograph, it looks more like Central line stock to me (the front roof ends are different)

[grahame]

Memories from - it must have been in the late '80s - of a trip to Alderney with my son on which we travelled on this railway and I can still picture it.



I also remember him coming off a hired bicycle and breaking his arm ... and the consequences there of ... which are a story for my memories and nothing to do with train travel. 

[Mark A]

Sorry to hear that. Healthcare arrangements on those islands are... not particularly in the consciousness of the travelling public.

Mark

[grahame]

Sorry to hear that. Healthcare arrangements on those islands are... not particularly in the consciousness of the travelling public.

Mark

The cloud had a silver lining - it happened right outside the island hospital, and the X-ray operator was cheerful when called in on her day off, all be it covered in plaster because she was retiling her kitchen at the time.

[rogerpatenall]

And the J T Daly

[rogerpatenall]

Not sure whether I replied - or included the photo of the J T Daly near Braye

[Mark A]

The cloud had a silver lining - it happened right outside the island hospital, and the X-ray operator was cheerful when called in on her day off, all be it covered in plaster because she was retiling her kitchen at the time.

Whew. Good to hear that a plasterer was at hand. Presumably, being the channel islands, no Royal Navy to act as longstop in case of dire medical need. (Scilly, thinking of you...)

Mark

[stuving]

The Alderney Society was established in February 1978 and over the first two years established the rites to run and insurance cover for passenger operation.
​

I do rather like that bit - we all know how important it is to have both God and Mammon on your side when you are running a railway.

[grahame]

The cloud had a silver lining - it happened right outside the island hospital, and the X-ray operator was cheerful when called in on her day off, all be it covered in plaster because she was retiling her kitchen at the time.

Whew. Good to hear that a plasterer was at hand. Presumably, being the channel islands, no Royal Navy to act as longstop in case of dire medical need. (Scilly, thinking of you...)

Mark

Chris was given sedative and we had an uncomfortable night. We flew back to Southampton the next day (complete with X-rays) and drove up to Salisbury where the mess of the arm was sorted out under general anesthetic ...