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1860: The 14th adventure for the Railway Detective
1860: The 14th adventure for the Railway Detective
Following a string of successful performances, the Moscardi Circus is travelling by train to Newcastle for their next show. Yet a collision on the track with a couple of sleepers causes pandemonium: passengers thrown about and animals escaping into the night. When the body of a woman is discovered in nearby woodland, Inspector Colbeck is desperate to lend assistance, believing the two incidents might be connected. Who is the nameless woman and who is targeting the Moscardi’s Magnificent Circus?
This really is the most northern of the Railway detectives. There are short journeys elsewhere in the country, but most of the action takes place in and around the north east railways.
Having consulted his copy of Bradshaw on his way north, Colbeck had already learnt that Hexham was picturesque town of almost five thousand souls with a population chiefly engaged in leather, shoe, glove ,hat and woolen manufacture. As he left the station, he had the impression of a contented community, living in pleasant surroundings and preserving its many links to the past.”
The two places in Northumberland around which much of the action takes place
Newcastle and the railway between the city and Carlisle and Northumberland plays a major role in the novel. |The Newcastle and Carlisle Railway (NCR) is one of the newest parts of the railway and it’s the pride of those who work on the line. The trains rattle through some of the most stunning countryside in England and it’s well loved by many.
The novel captures the Victorian times in relation to the development of the railways.
Imagine a circus being transported on this new mode of transport. Two carriages full of animals, the marquee, lions and even an elephant. Quite a train! So when a derailment occurs and a body is found, the railway comes under tight observation.
Destination : Northumberland, Newcastle, Hexham, Corbridge Author/Guide: Edward Marston Departure Time: 1860
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