Shannon Express Chorus
 Captain William Peel, son of the former Prime Minister, Sir Robert Peel, owned a large estate at Potton, currently the home of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (R.S.P.B.). When the Great Northern Railway was opened in 1850, he thought it would be a good idea for the estate to have a railway running from Potton to join the main North to South line at Sandy in Bedfordshire. Building began in 1855 at about the same time as Captain Peel was sent by the Royal Navy to the Crimean War. Captain Peel's bravery during the war earned him the Victoria Cross, and soon afterwards he was sent to China in his frigate, the "Shannon". Meanwhile, his railway had been completed and was opened in 1857. The engine was named - yes you've got it - "SHANNON". However, Captain Peel's vessel was diverted to India whilst en route to
China, where he died of smallpox in 1858. He never saw his railway and We are proud to carry the name today, and keep it in the public eye by association with our high energy performances. |
engine, which stayed independent for five years before
becoming part of the London and North Western's Bedford to Cambridge
line. This was an extension of the original line from Bletchley into
Bedford. A new line was built from Bedford to Sandy to join Captain
Peels' railway. From Potton, more track took the line on to Cambridge,
and when it opened in 1862, became known as the "Universities Line" as
it linked Oxford with Cambridge. The line was only used lightly as
goods traffic from east of Bedford was limited to market gardening
produce.The original "Shannon" engine now resides at the Didcot Railway
Museum in Oxfordshire. It is no longer possible for the engine to be
fired up because the boiler is deemed unsafe. The engine however, is
still keep in immaculate condition and in it's original livery.