10th December 2019 · Branch AGM and Members’ Contributions

As is customary for our last meeting of the year, we held our branch AGM which was followed by a selection of photographic memories that some of our members had put together.

The chairman was able to guide us through the formal proceedings fairly swiftly as there were no issues raised that required major discussions.

We were then shown a few slides by Robert Bartlett, our chairman which included a rail tour with crowds gathering around the GWR loco and a view of the Blists Hill Museum railway incline.

Mike Page then produced a selection featuring steam workings in Poland and Germany including TY2s, Class 52 2-10-0s, 03 Pacifics and 2-10-2 tank locos. There were also some local scenes which included the aftermath of an oil tank derailment by Hills Road bridge in Cambridge.

After the break for mince pies and sausage rolls, Jim Crane showed a selection of digital images scanned from the collection of the late John Tolson. These included shunters, DMU rail tours and various other workings mainly on the Eastern Region.

Alistair Jolly then showed some of his earlier memories from around Chesterfield where he first caught the railway bug. He included some shots of interesting workings at Manchester Victoria and concluded with some more local shots of deltics at Kings Cross and more recently Class 37s top & tailing Greater Anglia workings at Brundall.

Mark Chaplin then gave us a brief talk on carriage steam heating using B1s and Class 31s at Cambridge and Norwich.

Our sales officer Keith Crossley finished the evening with a variety of pictures from this summer just gone which took us all around the country with freight at Nuneaton and Eastleigh together with a tour of Eastleigh Works. For good measure, we were also shown scenes at Bo’ness Museum, Doncaster and Brighton.

That concluded a very enjoyable evening and 2019 season.