12th December 2023 Branch AGM and Members’ Contributions

By CBR Cambridge | 2023-12-12
Train Register from Woodford Halse No.2 Box, Up Line, 24th August 1962. The third row shows a Class 1 working (4 beats on the bell) and is the 12.25 p.m. Nottingham Victoria to Marylebone. The sixth row shows the 8.37 a.m. Newcastle to Bournemouth West, signalled as 4-4 to indicate that it will take the diverging route at Culworth Junction on to the Banbury line. Photo: Alan Jones, courtesy Richard Tremaine Collection.
Train Register from Woodford Halse No.2 Box, Up Line, 24th August 1962. The third row shows a Class 1 working (4 beats on the bell) and is the 12.25 p.m. Nottingham Victoria to Marylebone. The sixth row shows the 8.37 a.m. Newcastle to Bournemouth West, signalled as 4-4 to indicate that it will take the diverging route at Culworth Junction on to the Banbury line. Photo: Alan Jones, courtesy Richard Tremaine Collection.

Chairman Robert Bartlett OBE opened the AGM at 7:29 pm, with notices and no apologies for absence. The minutes of the 2022 AGM were approved, and the Chairman thanked the Branch Officers for their work over the year, noting that for the first time in the Branch's history, no Branch Officer had more than one role. Reports were received from all the Branch Officers, and all were unanimously re-elected.  The AGM closed at 7.48pm and the minutes of the meeting can be found on the Branch website under 'Branch Administration'.

Fixtures Secretary Michael Smyth then compered the evening, comprising four presentations from Branch Members:

1. The Web Manager gave a tour of the Branch website, showing its functionality and highlighting recent work on the Gallery.

2. Richard Tremaine began with a miscellany of local views including K3 No. 61812, Gresley D49/2 62745 'The Hurworth' and Sandringham Class B17 61662 'Manchester United' at Norwich. We then saw the M&GN Joint Railway Society's 1X69, 'The Wandering 1500' railtour of 5th October 1963, with views of it leaving Broad Street station behind the last remaining B12, No. 61572 and around Towcester, having travelled via Olney and Blisworth, en-route to Byfield and Stratford-on-Avon before returning to London via Leamington Spa, Birdingbury and the West Coast Main Line. To conclude, Richard focused on Woodford Halse and in particular the movements around No. 2 signal box in the early 1960s in support of which he brought the train register from the box for August 1962 (illustrated above).

3. The latter days of steam were illustrated by David Goodyear, using 50 ASA Agfa slide film, which held its colours remarkably well over the intervening 60 years. David covered a wide range of locations beginning with holiday shots including Battle of Britain Class 34051 'Winston Churchill' at Axminster and BR Standard Class 4 No. 75004 at Aberdovey. We then saw a dilapidated 76041 at Birmingham Snow Hill, a wonderfully atmospheric WD 2-8-0 No. 90378 on Saltley shed, 8Fs at Kirkby-in-Ashfield, 68006 on the Cromford and High Peak Railway, Class O2 0-4-4T No. 20 'Shanklin' at Shanklin and L&Y Pug No. 51218 at Newton Heath. David concluded his BR coverage with views of Black 5s at Lostock Hall and 8F no. 48448 at Rose Grove, finishing his selection with, as many photographers did at the time, views of industrial steam, in this case 1971 views at Bowater's Mill in Sittingbourne.

4. Our final presenter was Trevor Davis, who delighted us with 1977 views of the two Union Flag-decorated Stratford Class 47s (47163 and 47164), former Great Eastern Railway tender No. 20, at the time masquerading as TDE961880 at March depot in 1971, the famous cycling signalman of Nairn station and delightful views of the trip working to Ramsey North and of Class 08 No. D4074 on the Horncastle Branch oil train, both in 1970. Trevor's interests in overseas railways came though with views of Workington steel rails in Pakistan, a five-way 3'6" gauge point in New Zealand, metre gauge Class YLs in Secunderabad and the zig-zag on the Khyber Railway at Landi-Khana. We finished the evening in much flatter terrain, with local views of one of the first BR Mark 1 TSO carriages, E3715 (Lot 30017, 1952 Cravens), a 1977 view of one of the last remaining ex-LNER Buffer cars and Griddle Car E1106 on a Cambridge Buffer Express.

The meeting closed at 10.03 with everyone present resplendent in Christmas cheer.

Posted in CBR Meeting Report