Britain's Railways In The 1950s and 60s
2025-08-28 19:30 - 22:00 (Europe/London) | Virtual Meeting, Virtual Meeting, United Kingdom
Black & White Photos from the Restoration & Archiving Trust Collection, presented by Mike Dodd.
Every region is covered, including GWR, LMS, LNER and Southern ranging across Scotland, England and Wales. The images to be shown this evening come from a few of the negatives held at the archive, from the collections of five photographers: Patrick Kingston, Neville Simms, Peter Skelton, Gordon England and Roger Wales.
For this virtual event, you will require a ticket. Free for RCTS members, but a £2.50 donation will be requested at the checkout. Non-member tickets are £2.50. (Or you can join the Society in the same transaction to take advantage of members’ benefits)
To receive information on coming National (and other) Zoom meetings, please join the RCTS National Zoom E-mail List (RCTS-National@groups.io) by visiting https://groups.io/g/RCTS-National , or by e-mail to RCTS-National+subscribe@groups.io.

Cardiff Central Station and Valley Lines Observation
2025-09-02 11:00 - 17:00 | Cardiff Station, Central Square,, Cardiff, Wales, CF10 1EP, United Kingdom
For those interested we are intending to travel on a number of Branches in the afternoon using a ” Explore Cardiff and the Valleys Ticket”. Meet on platform 3 at 13:00 near the steps up from the subway.

WFD Branch - 'Through Kirton Tunnel Part 1', A railway journey from Sheffield Victoria to Kirton Lindsey, by Stephen Gay, 2nd September 2025
2025-09-02 19:00 - 21:30 | WFD Watford, Beechen Grove Baptist Church, Clarendon Road, Watford, WD17 1JJ, United Kingdom
We welcome back the ever-popular Stephen Gay for another visit and more excellent photography, this time with a journey from Sheffield Victoria to Kirton Lindsey, doubtless with some poetic interludes!
Please note this is a physical meeting, doors open from 18:30 for 19:00 commencement of proceedings.
Please note also that there is no meeting in August as we take a summer break.

CHR Test Meeting
2025-09-04 14:00 - 16:30 | https://rcts.org.uk/event/chr-test-meeting-2/
This is a test meeting for Chichester Branch members by invitation only

Milton Keynes Branch Meeting - '40 Years of Deltic Preservation'
2025-09-04 19:30 - 21:30 | MKY Milton Keynes, Network Rail - The Quadrant: MK, Elder Gate, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK9 1EN, United Kingdom
Murray Brown, former editor of ‘Rail Enthusiast’ and ‘Rail’ magazines and Chairman of the Deltic Preservation Society, gives a talk on the highs and lows of looking after these iconic locomotives.

Bristol Meeting - 'South Wales Railways in the 21st Century' by Stuart Warr.
2025-09-05 19:30 - 22:00 | BTL North Filton, St Teresa’s Church Hall, 71 Gloucester Road, North Filton, BS34 7PL, United Kingdom
Prolific and accomplished photographer Stuart Warr will be showing us a selection of his recent work.

Archive And Library Open Day - CANCELLED
2025-09-06 11:00 - 16:00 | RCTS Library, Leatherhead Station Approach, Leatherhead, KT22 7SQ, United Kingdom
Archive And Library Open Day – CANCELLED
Cancelled due to the interior works by Govia Thameslink Railway’s contractors still being incomplete.

Visit to Llandudno & the Great Orme Tramway
2025-09-09
Please note change of venue

The Midland Main Line - Bedford to St Pancras
2025-09-09 14:00 - 16:30 | HTC Hitchin, St Mark's Church, St Mark's Close, Lancaster Avenue, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, SG5 1UR, United Kingdom
A Hitchin & Welwyn Garden City branch presentation, from the Peter Bland Collection, by Bryan Cross.
A digital presentation of images mostly scanned directly from the negatives of Peter Bland & Harold Clements.
We will travel along the ex-Midland Main Line, Bedford to St Pancras & Moorgate. Looking at the early history, aided by maps & diagrams but mostly photographs covering the period mid 1950’s to 1961 and the end steam hauled suburban services.
Doors open 13:30 for a 14:00 start.

The Life and Times of Edward Thompson - Simon Martin
2025-09-09 14:00 - 16:30 | EMD Nottingham, The New Mechanics, 3 North Sherwood Street, Nottingham, NG1 4EZ, United Kingdom
“I have much to do, gentlemen, and little time in which to do it”. These words are attributed to Edward Thompson and have been taken in the past as meaning little time in which to enact change, specifically to the work of his predecessor, Sir Nigel Gresley. How far was this true, was the question posed by Simon A.C. Martin when he started his research on the L.N.E.R.’s second C.M.E. over a decade and a half ago.

"The North Eastern Railway and the Beginnings of the East Coast Mainline" by Raymond Schofield
2025-09-09 19:30 - 22:00 | CBR Fulbourn, Cambridge, The Swifts, Haggis Gap, Fulbourn, Cambridge, CB21 5HD, United Kingdom
Our 2025/26 season opens with a much-anticipated visit from Raymond Schofield who will take us through the history of the East Coast Main Line. The North-East of England was at the forefront of railway growth, starting some 300 years ago with colliery lines delivering coal to staithes on the Tyne and Tees. Early passenger lines followed and by 1840 York, the ‘Gateway to the North’, was connected to London. Shortly after, in 1847, the first Scottish trains came this way. In his talk, Ray will look at some of the significant early lines and how they slotted into that 1847 route to the North. He will then follow the many changes through to the East Coast Main Line we know today, using his own pictures and purchased images. The presentation is primarily steam-age, but the pioneering North Eastern electrification developments are also included, along with the occasional early diesel.

British Steam in the Early 21st Century – a Personal View
2025-09-09 19:30 - 22:00 | CSL Croydon, East Croydon United Reformed Church, Addiscombe Grove, Croydon, CR0 5LP, United Kingdom
A look back at what I was able to photograph in the early years of this century, both on preserved railways and the mainline.
(This is a replacement for David Cable’s presentation, previously planned for this meeting, which has had to be postponed until 14th April 2026).

The men and machines of the US 756th Railshop Battalion in South Wales
2025-09-10 19:00 - 22:00 | SWL Radyr, Cardiff, Old Church Rooms / Hen Ysgoldy'r Eglwys, Park Road, Radyr, Cardiff, CF15 8DF, United Kingdom
In the run up to D-Day many parts of the UK rail network were taken over by the United States Army to prepare the rolling stock that would be needed to run on the railways of France and Europe after the invasio, including the iconic S160 Locomotive, many of which were at Ebbw Junction Shed in Newport. Bob Price will be giving a what promises to be fascinating talk on this particular aspect of the GWR Shed’s history

Archive And Library Open Day - CANCELLED
2025-09-11 11:00 - 16:00, 2025-09-17 11:00 - 16:00, 2025-09-23 11:00 - 16:00 | RCTS Library, Leatherhead Station Approach, Leatherhead, KT22 7SQ, United Kingdom
Archive And Library Open Day – CANCELLED
Cancelled due to the interior works by GoviaThameslink Railway’s contractors still being incomplete.

Colour Rail Journey 12 (A spotter's tale) by Paul Chancellor
2025-09-15 13:30 - 15:45 | MCN Bromborough, The Bromborough Suite. The Merebrook, Greenfields Avenue, Bromborough, Wirral, Merseyside, CH62 6DD, United Kingdom

The Great Train Robbery - Ian Boskett
2025-09-15 14:00 - 16:00
The Great Train Robbery – What you didn’t hear in the News. A well researched presentation with a more humorous take.

The Modern Image - Not Quite
2025-09-15 19:30 - 22:30 | ESX Shenfield, Shenfield Parish Hall, 60 Hutton Road, Shenfield, CM15 8LB, United Kingdom
Physical meeting at Shenfield Parish Hall which will also be available on Zoom as a Hybrid Meeting. Please note that this talk by Peter Robins replaces the originally listed talk on 21st Century Steam

TVY Branch - Recent and Future Projects at Didcot Railway Centre
2025-09-16 19:00 - 21:30 | TVY Didcot, Didcot Civic Hall, Britwell Road, Didcot, OX11 7JN, United Kingdom
Richard Antliff (Didcot Railway Centre Civil Engineering Adviser) returns to give us a further insight
into some of the recent and future planned projects being undertaken at the Didcot Railway Centre
site. In addition, as we celebrate Rail 200 this year, Richard will also show us some of the activities
happening at other railway sites around the country.

North Norfolk via London connections
2025-09-16 19:30 - 22:00 | HSD Hull, The Highway, Willerby Road, Hull, HU5 5LH, United Kingdom

East - West Journey (UK)
2025-09-17 19:30 - 22:00 | SOE Eastleigh, Junction Church (formerly Eastleigh Railway Institute), 2 Romsey Road, Eastleigh, SO50 9FE, United Kingdom
East – West Journey (UK)

NEA Branch - Railways of North Yorkshire - Part 1
2025-09-18 19:00 - 21:30 | NEA Darlington, Darlington Cricket Club, South Terrace, Darlington, DL1 5JD, United Kingdom
presented by Richard Barber

CHM Branch - A Walk Down Memory Lane
2025-09-18 19:00 - 22:00 | CHM Cheltenham, Victory Club, Burlington House, Lypiatt Road, Cheltenham, GL50 2SY, United Kingdom
Our season opens with local railway enthusiast Ian Boskett taking a walk down memory lane. Expect many oohs and aahs as members and guests own memories are jogged.

Surrey Branch - A Railwayman Reminisces
2025-09-18 19:15 - 21:30 | SRY Woking, Woking United Reform Church, White Rose Lane, Woking, GU22 7HA, United Kingdom
A Railwayman Reminisces
By Jim Lester

Irish Railways
2025-09-22 19:30 - 22:00 | MHD Cox Green, Cox Green Community Centre, Highfield Lane, Cox Green, Maidenhead, SL6 3AX, United Kingdom
Chief Executive of ‘Iarnrod Eireann’ from 2003 to 2013, Dick Fearn will describe the period of significant growth and change to the railway’s infrastructure, rolling stock, and passengers

The Kettering to Cambridge branch line by Robin Cullup, joint meeting of the Northampton and Milton Keynes branches
2025-09-23 14:00 - 16:30 | NHN Roade, Roade Village Hall, Bailey Brooks Lane, Roade, Northampton, NN7 2LS, United Kingdom
This is a joint meeting with the Milton Keynes branch; the venue is Roade Village Hall.

Midland Main Line Electrification - Matt Parkin
2025-09-23 14:00 - 16:30 | EMD Nottingham, The New Mechanics, 3 North Sherwood Street, Nottingham, NG1 4EZ, United Kingdom
Matt Parkin (Contractors Engineering Manager for the MMLE Electrification from Kettering to Wigston) from SPL Powerlines UK (SPL) will present a lecture about the challenges and innovation for new electrification schemes

1125 & DEMU's 0ver the Alps (Watercress Line)
2025-09-24 19:15 - 21:30 | CHR Bassil Shippam Centre, Tozer Way, St Pancras, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 7LG, United Kingdom
The talk covers the development of the Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) by the Southern Region, the link between them and the Mid Hants route (1957 to 1973), and the history of our (Watercress Line) own unit 1125 which worked some of the services on the last day of BR operation.

Great Little Steam Railways of Wales
2025-09-25 19:30 - 22:00 | Virtual Meeting, Virtual Meeting, United Kingdom
A personal view of Steam on the Great Little Railways of Wales in the present century. Railways featured include the Welsh Highland, Festiniog, Talyllyn, Corris, Vale of Rheidol and Welshpool & Llanfair.
For this virtual event, you will require a ticket. Free for RCTS members, but a £2.00 donation will be requested at the checkout. Non-member tickets are £2.00. (Or you can join the Society in the same transaction to take advantage of members’ benefits). Note that with the the new season, the price for Zoom meetings has been reduced. Rather than than making individual donations for each meeting, members may prefer to make a bulk donation at https://rcts.org.uk/product/donation-society/.
To receive information on coming National (and other) Zoom meetings, please join the RCTS National Zoom E-mail List (RCTS-National@groups.io) by visiting https://groups.io/g/RCTS-National , or by e-mail to RCTS-National+subscribe@groups.io.
