19th January 2026: Tyne to the Tweed and branches in between, by Dennis Lovett
We held our AGM in December last year, with no change in officers or Committee!
Afterwards, as it was 50 years since the Great Cavalcade at Shildon, the Chairman showed some slides of his visit to that memorable event. As was reported by many in the railway press, memories of the event were overshadowed by the fact that no one seemed to have considered that the sun might shine in the north east! This led to the viewing grandstands being placed on the north side of the track, forcing photographs to be taken into the sun. Chairman spent some time Photoshopping the slides to make them presentable! Anyway the atmosphere of that very hot day at the end of August was fully captured, with minimal orange jackets efficiently marshalling the crowds on and off the special trains to the viewing platforms.
The first meeting of 2026 was on 19th January welcoming back well known railway expert Dennis Lovett, who spoke this time on “Tyne to the Tweed and branches in between”.
This was a very well put together illustrated talk which followed the NE Railway’s maze of railways out of Newcastle, starting with the earliest termini which were subsequently replaced by the grand Central station. We followed a route which took us amongst the profusion of colliery connections and then along the main line, with photographs of the stations, now mostly closed, which highlighted the increasingly rural landscape to Alnmouth. From this point we followed the coast, with views of Holy Island, to Berwick, where we left the main line and ventured inland. The route turned south, still on NER metals but on lines principally built to keep rivals out, across even more rugged country which eventually led back to Alnmouth.
To many of us southerners this was an exploration of a little known area, previously just names on a map, and was greatly appreciated.
Richard Deacon
Chairman/Secretary