The Flatland Wells Railway

by Cheeseminer
The later of the Flatland railways. Ownership of the Flatland Washes Railway (FWR) changed in 2014 when the directors concluded that having a salary was overrated and left in search of a new life that didn't have one.

They headed west and were surprised to find, near the Malvern Hills in Worcestershire, was a small area of flatland that wasn't served by suitable rail transport and that the local Light Cheese Oil industry was suffering as a result. There being no viable bulk transport system, the thin, water-like, oil was just going to waste, dribbling out of small holes in the hills.

FWR History and Status

For earlier works of the FWR directors, please see here. The directors have minimal imagination when it comes to picking a new name for something.   In past lives they designed two robots - one called 'Cold Thursday' and the other called 'Cold Thursday' in Japanese.

Having sold the house with the original FWR to venture into the world of self-employment as B&B owners, we had to put any new FWR on hold while we sorted out minor matters like a roof and some heating - things that B&B guests tend to be quite in favour of.  We also had to take a rather slash-and-burn approach to the two acres of garden which had got out of control. The name 'Heligan' has been referenced several times by visitors.  Anyway, after two years the garden is beginning to reappear and the railway project is restarted.

By contrast to Cambridge where a laser level was waste of time, we now live on the side of a hill.  Conveniently, in the 1800's someone engineered a large flat croquet lawn, which became a tennis court, which (within the last few decades) became a tip - literally.  We've shifted tons of building rubble that previous owners had dumped behind the laurel & buddleia that had invaded the court. Some weeds are now rather major trees so we've been a bit constrained (it's a conservation area) but we now have a large, but simple loop trackbed running around what will again be a lawn; possibly even for croquet.

The detailed track layout is to be decided upon but I've allowed for double track this time.  Also, I'm tempted to echo the former Midland Railway Malvern Wells Hanley Road station which would have been under a mile away along our road.
Comments