19th November 2019 · “Sixties Steam Selection”

Presenter: John Dagley-Morris

We were delighted to welcome local railway legend John Dagley-Morris on 19th November to present “Sixties Steam Selection”. Our treat was a wonderful show covering all regions of British Railways, including John’s beloved London Midland, but with a liberal sprinkling from Great Western, Southern, Great Eastern, North Eastern and Scottish locations. John’s studies for his professional qualifications required him to spend time reflecting on what he was learning – with camera in hand – so we saw images of many Bulleid, Maunsell and Urie classes around the Southern. A regular working for a GWR Manor class was a Reading to Redhill early morning commuter service hauling Southern coaches. A later view of a BR Standard Cl.9F, on a passenger working at Notgrove on the GW line from Kingham to Cheltenham, was considered to have been the largest locomotive ever to work the line. A tame contact at Cheltenham St. James would steer thinking on where to go to photograph trains, so we saw plenty of views from the local area – Ashchurch to Berkeley, Churchdown to Bishops Cleeve. Stanier and Fowler classes were well represented across London Midland locations. Perhaps the most favourites being the Princess Royal and Coronation classes which do look so good, and even now retain the mystery of just how powerful they were.