24 January 2024 Steam in the British Isles

Presenter: Tony Bowles

2024 for Chichester Branch started with an enjoyable Zoom presentation from Tony Bowles, entitled “Steam in the British Isles”.  We were entertained with Tony’s photos from all over the Isles, the early ones unsurprisingly in black & white, the later in colour.  Whatever the medium, it was obvious Tony had a real feel for photography, placing the trains featured into the landscape, thus adding both atmosphere and realism.

Highlights for this reviewer were photos of steam operating in the Scottish Coalfields and Distilleries, loco 256 ‘Glen Douglas’ on a special from Edinburgh and Perth (complete with RCTS plate), and mineral railways in both County Durham and in Southern England.  Also, of particular interest were those of the North Wales slate quarries at Dinorwic, Padarn, et al, where I also managed to see steam in operation before they finally closed in the late 1960s.

Tony’s photos also showed just how run down and dirty steam was toward the end.  One observation: the pre-recorded commentary needs revising, especially in relation to the ‘1938 underground stock still running on the Isle of Wight’; as this class was withdrawn in 2021 and (eventually) replaced with ex D-class stock, which had been refurbished by Vivarail.