Page 113 - It's a Rum Life Book 3 "Ivy House Tales 1970 to 1984"

CHAPTER 22

THE RUNDLE RAILWAY

Just
next
door to
our
home
in New Bolingbroke stood the old Globe Inn. The large property sported double bow
windows and central steps to the main entrance door.
The house was built solidly and stood on a large sweeping entrance from the road, such
as would be expected of a country hostelry of the 19th century.

Now in the 1970's it was a hostelry no more, but the home to John and Ena Rundle and
their four children.
To the rear of the property was another dwelling, the home of the large Picker family.
Father of twelve children, Trevor Picker was the foreman on the Rundle engineering
premises located just a few hundred yards down the road.

Yet further back was the Globe Foundry, a real iron foundry in the old style where machine
parts of all descriptions were carefully cast in sand from wooden patterns.
Even further back from the road was a small shed with a particular treasure, John Rundle's
pride and joy.
A scale 4-6-0 working model, main line steam locomotive. There were open trucks too with
seats for small passengers.
This was the “Rundle Railway”, that ran around a circular track of about three hundred
yards in the paddock next door to the Globe Inn.

On high days and holidays or just when the mood took him, John would put the engine into
steam and as soon as the whistle was heard, the children of the village would descend on
the Globe eager for a ride.

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