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Fifth National
Velocipede Rally 2005
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Words by Steve
Kay Pictures by John Wilkinson
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On the afternoon of
Sunday 24th July the centre of Paris was packed with tens of thousands of
people, straining to catch a glimpse of the final stage of the Tour de
France. At Hampton Loade, in the heart of Shropshire, a much smaller but
similarly enthusiastic group had come for a more arcane but equally
interesting form of Human Powered Vehicle; the railway velocipede.
The Shropshire group certainly needed to be
enthusiastic, for whilst the Rally had enjoyed a number of years of excellent
weather, it had to rain sooner or later. And dear oh lord did it rain!
However velocipede crews are unworried by merely being soaked to the skin and
discovering the reduced efficiency of brakes in extreme wet conditions, and
much operation took place. The Hampton Loade staff coach fire had been lit
early in the day, and in between turns velo crews could be seen standing with
their backs to the stove, steaming gently in the heat.
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Out in the rain soaked countryside,
three velocipedes about to venture back to Hampton Loade
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Owners present at the
rally were Neil Brooks, Peter Riley and John Wilkinson. Anne & Steve Downs operated the Hampton machine. Richard Cookson could not be there,
but kindly let the organisers collect and operate his velocipede. This year
the machines performed impeccably, with no mechanical problems.
The weather kept away casual visitors, but undeterred enthusiasts who
braved the rain included Veteran-Cycle Club and Folding Society as well as
Severn Valley Railway members. Spectators and visitors provided an
interesting number of velocipede stories, ranging from details of recent
railbike holidays in Belgium to some hair-raising tales of
home-built machines on Black Country freight and closed lines in the
1970’s.
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All five machines await
their next outing in the station’s siding.
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Organisers were
particularly pleased to meet John Knill from Ludlow, who bought fascinating old photographs
of his family in the Permanent Way gang, operating velocipedes on the GWR
Kington branch in the 1930s.
The organisers would
like to record their thanks to all who contributed either with machines or
other help to make this unique event such a success. Particular thanks are
due to our ‘bobby’ Lyn Greenwood, probably the world’s most
supportive and tolerant signalman.
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To view a video clip by Neil Brooks
click here
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Back to Hampton Loade Station
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More Velocipede Pages
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