Early morning on QUAI:87. No one around just yet, as the first traces of watery sunlight glint on the cobbled trackwork alongside the quai.
While it’s quiet, please do have a wander around down by the tram depot, along the canal and under the colonnaded warehouses, poking down the alleyways as you go. Maybe cross over one of the swing bridges and take a look at the wagon cooling house (looks like an engine shed) and then move around to the loco shed (looks like an engine shed). A loco may be in there if the day’s activities haven’t started yet: mostly just moving wagons around for the fun of it.
Depending how the swing bridges have been left you may be able to cross directly over the water balancing canal (please don’t be tempted to take a shortcut over the timbers taking the bypass line over the water: you’ll only end up in the drink) and make your way along to the hoist, where wagons of coal are occasionally raised up to the elevated line and taken into the stealth factory by their dedicated tractor. I regret persons riding the hoist and walking along the upper level is not permitted, although I’m told it is a splendid viewpoint for watching shunting operations down on the quai – well perhaps if you ask nicely. You may be able to spend a while watching the trains and the trams from up there, as the non-railway minded will likely spend a bit of time in the plant nursery and on the flower barge.
Presented by Brian Harrap
