55,000 Miles in Search of Steam Locos

Presenter: Chris Hurricks

Physical Meeting at Shenfield Parish Hall

Our member Chris clocked up an impressive 55 000 miles, in search of steam locos mainly, in 1968. This was before he was married! His jaunts around the UK and Europe were without the aid of modern cheap air travel, so some taxing schedules, to Portugal for instance, were completed in record time and probably without much sleep.

Chris has a real flair for composition and many of his shots (in Agfa colour) were set in scenic parts such as Switzerland and Austria. So there was much to admire, even for those not particularly interested in trains. There is something magical about a train snaking through a hilly or mountainous environment.

For the enthusiast, there was a great deal of interest in the presentation. At this rather critical time for steam, it had to be searched for.

Chris featured many industrial locos (a favourite topic of his) and several rail tours in this country, interspersed with the more prevalent mainline steam trains still to be found in Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, Spain and Portugal. Narrow gauge and rack and pinion lines were also featured.

Chris also visited Ireland (North and Southern) and the Isle of Man, and we were also treated to pictures of trams and ferries. It might be thought that such an itinerary was exhausting, but Chris has put up similar mileages in subsequent years.