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October 30th, 2007

ChurchRail Trail

The Churches and the Railways in Norfolk and Suffolk are teaming up to promote the Churches and the Railways in Norfolk and Suffolk. The ChurchRail Trail has been endorsed by Vicars and enables travellers to get special stamps when they visit churches:

As well as enjoying a unique day out, visitors can win prizes by accumulating stamps each time they visit a church on the trail

ie what I just said.

I am all for going on the train as we urgently need to get all of the cars off the roads by various means. I am also a supporter of churches, but most especially I am a supporter of special stamps. I for one would have more incentive to get up in the mornings if I knew that my comings and goings would be rewarded with special stamps.

I do not know who will be awarding the stamps. Will it be the responsibility of the churchwardens to stamp people, or will the Vicars be standing by with special hole punches to clip people’s tickets? If you are a Norfolk or Suffolk churchgoer and can enlighten us then please do. If you are from anywhere else and can comment from a position of ignorance then you would be just as welcome.

I think that collaboration between the railways and churches is a good thing. If I had my way special trains would be laid on to transport people to church - the time of the return journey being flexible depending upon the length of the sermon and whether there was a good vibe at coffee time. There are good reasons why I do not have my way.

Sorry that there has been a lack of drawings. My drawing morale has been low as it tends to be on about one week in every two. Also people have been writing in because Paypal is once again adding postage when it shouldn’t. To cap it all I am being tormented ceaselessly by the Camera and Scanner wizard.

By the way The Religious Intelligence (silly name) website originally reported on this. As a further aside, I always like the One Railway site as it greets you with ‘Welcome to One’, which is all posh, like. I like that. The announcers say that on the trains too. ‘One hopes you enjoyed your journey’ etc etc etc



This is a single Cartoon Blog entry, posted by Dave on Tuesday, October 30th, 2007 at 7:28 pm.

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11 Responses to “ChurchRail Trail”


  1. Russ says:

    Is it not GMT in your neck of the woods, Dave? Read the post, noted it was posted at 7.28pm and then was surprised to see it’s only 7.12 where I am.

    Has someone stolen 16 minutes and run off with it? I think we should be told.

    They owes it to one, methinks.

    October 30th, 2007 at 8:13 pm
  2. Russ says:

    Yikes! That said 8.13pm! What’s going on?!! (runs around waving arms in the air)

    October 30th, 2007 at 8:14 pm
  3. Farli says:

    Churches and railways have a very strong link - many vicars are rail enthusiasts. In fact I know of one steam railway that can operate using only church leaders as operating staff (including readers, wardens and a church treasurer). They had a special day when the Bishop came to visit to prove it and it was all ecumenical too. You just can’t help smiling, can you.

    I hope that the church rail trail is a pilot scheme that will be rolled out across the whole country.

    October 30th, 2007 at 9:22 pm
  4. Philip of Samaria says:

    Railways and vicars…. play churches in dark gloomy church building or with train sets in the attic.. i’m ttrying for a smile farli but more of a grimace really… SPCK has upset me

    October 30th, 2007 at 10:45 pm
  5. Beth says:

    Indeed, Farli has a point about churchmen and trains. The Rev Awdry wrote the Thomas the Tank Engine series - and Professor C. Stead (ordained clergyman) wrote The Birth of the Steam Locomotive. There must be more…. in fact I feel there is a whole PhD in there somewhere….
    Anyone??

    And is there any reason why church services should not be held on trains? Different carriages depending on preferred style of worship - meet in the buffet/restaurant car for after-service tea, coffee, a range of hot and cold snacks….

    October 30th, 2007 at 11:53 pm
  6. sally says:

    well being a church goer/ employee from Norfolk I comment in ignorace by saying “what????” I knew nothing aout this- but then I am a Methodist!!!

    October 31st, 2007 at 12:24 am
  7. Kate P says:

    The camera and scanner wizard is tormenting you because it’s Halloween. Give it some sweets and it might go away nicely without coating you in eggs!

    October 31st, 2007 at 10:07 am
  8. David Keen says:

    I like Beths idea of actually having the service on the train. Better not get the Anglicans involved though, otherwise we’ll be wanting to uncouple from the next carriage after a mile or two and be pulled by a different locomotive, but on the same track. I’ll stop before this metaphor gets too complex. Perhaps a cartoon would be better….?

    October 31st, 2007 at 10:23 am
  9. Mark Bennet says:

    Which bit of me are they proposing to stamp on if I visit - I envisage this getting dangerous.

    On the other hand …

    The Eden Project has some pretty robust self-operated embossing machines on its children’s trail - for embossing a card. I would like to be embossed rather less than I would care to be stamped on.

    October 31st, 2007 at 4:16 pm
  10. Rachel says:

    I just had to tell you how wonderful the church coffee cartoon is in the Church Times. My husband has asked me to laminate it for our kitchen wall. It is his most uncomfortable aspect of church life.
    Quality fab, thanks so much!

    October 31st, 2007 at 4:39 pm
  11. Richard Huss says:

    There must be more…

    Like the Bishop of Carlisle (who is believed to be fond of a footplate trip or two on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway), or the Bishop of Durham (who has been sighted on the footplate at Locomotion in Shildon), or the Church of England’s Director of Mission and Public Affairs (who is a driver at the Talyllyn Railway), or …

    November 3rd, 2007 at 3:02 pm