The Last decade Around Hitchin

Local resident & member Richard Allen, our speaker today, presented “The Last Decade around Hitchin”. This attracted another large audience, proving our move to afternoon meetings was a good one.
To start with, Richard covered some of the Railtours seen in 2014, many more than we get today, the first one was hauled by a pair of Class 20’s over the then newly opened Hitchin viaduct. Not only did we see the trains of this era, the presentation also looked at rolling stock, liveries and the buildings. This decade was a time of change with Virgin trains being introduced and phasing out within the time frame, along with the re-start of LNER. The testing and introduction of the Class 700 units and the Class 800 Azuma’s. Richard had photographed no less than 30 different classes of locomotives and units. The rarest of all for this area was a Class 88.
During the afternoon we diversified a couple of time with photographs of a pair of Lancaster bombers and the “Memphis Belle” from nearby Duxford. Also some shots of old buses running locally from the Hertford bus days. It seemed Richard had not missed anything within the area, covering steam specials, unit drags to and from the London area, maintenance trains, RHTT’s and light engine workings.
A thoroughly good afternoon.

Dave Elsdon
Branch Secretary