Merddin Emrys

 

A Sunday morning in the autumn of 1995, as a ballast train arrives with a short rake of ‘codfish’ hopper wagons with 47145 ‘Merddin Emrys’ on the front. Nobody knows who ‘Merddin’ is or was, but it’s thought that she used to run a 2 star bed and breakfast a few miles north of Cardiff. But to be honest that’s only a wild guess. Though I’m sure those of you here that identify as a blue locomotive will be able to enlighten me, and indeed most others here.

Meanwhile, on the wireless, traditional jazz bands Blur and Oasis are as usual are fighting it out in the charts on Radio 3. It’s been going on for months, and to be honest everybody is tired of the Britpop battle apart from the members of Blur or Oasis, or maybe even Pulp who wish they were as popular. 

Brian, on overtime, is stood in the doorway pondering over the day ahead. Casually he looks over at the arrival of the train, and remembers back to when as a lad the only engines were steam and that the sidings here were full of loaded coal wagons. But it’s very different to now, in that demand for coal is much reduced. But he’s not too worried, because he’ll be retiring next year so isn’t concerned about the future of the colliery which looks increasingly like it will close, and then in due course be flattened to make way for a Toys R Us superstore or a drive through Blockbuster video hire shop. 

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