Off the Beaten (Railway) Track

Presenter: Iain Scotchman

Virtual Meeting via Zoom

South Essex Branch member Iain Scotchman presented an eclectic mix of railway locations under the banner title “Off the Beaten (Railway) Track” All the trips were undertaken during 2023 as railway holidays. As is always the case, Iain’s photos were excellent and the rather unusual locations meant that we enjoyed some stunning images of scenes which many of us will probably never see for ourselves.

Politics, as is often the case, raised its head, preventing some little used lines being traversed particularly in Morocco. Some of the most dramatic shots came from Argentina where it was a case of right place, wrong time. Our intrepid presenter found himself in the midst of a fairly serious railway accident involving some major injuries within the tour party. Several coaches of the ‘La Trochita’ or ‘Old Patagonian Express’ overturned completely as the steam loco derailed after strong winds affected the track. Iain was fortunately not injured but the incident reminds us that not all railways are as safety conscious as those in the UK