1st October 2019 · ‘Titled Trains of the MML’
Presenter: Ray Schofield
At our October meeting, 23 hardy souls turned up on a foul evening to welcome Ray Schofield with ‘Titled Trains of the MML’. The colour and B&W slides started with an 1868 shot of two MR 3Fs at Hitchin with a brick train to St. Pancras. That station started as a four platform terminus with seven sidings within, some of which later accommodated the wooden platforms 3 and 4 which were wrecked with a direct hit during a bombing raid in WW2. We saw the 07:55 ‘The Palatine’ to Manchester, the 09:10 ‘The Waverley’ to Edinburgh, the 10:10 ‘The Thames-Clyde Express’ to Glasgow and the 10:30 ‘The Robin Hood’ from Nottingham, followed by shots along the line at Cricklewood, St. Albans and onwards to Manchester. A Blue Pullman at Cheadle Heath and 78019 on the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway finished the first half.
We resumed with trains at Glendon Junction, on Harringworth viaduct, Bennerley viaduct (now reopened as a cycleway and footpath), and Chesterfield’s three railways all on different levels. After travelling along the S&DJR with ‘The Pines Express’ from Parkstone through to Bath Green Park, it was once more up north to the Settle & Carlisle and the Waverley Route with Ribblehead, Hawick and St. Boswells. An enjoyable evening with some Q & A thrown in, those that made it were glad they did!
Rob Davidson, Branch Secretary