The Railway Correspondence & Travel Society

Archive and Library Open Day
2024-04-04 11:00 - 16:00, 2024-03-30 11:00 - 16:00, 2024-03-19 11:00 - 16:00, 2024-03-13 11:00 - 16:00 (Europe/London) | RCTS Library, Leatherhead Station Approach, Leatherhead, KT22 7SQ, United Kingdom

LMS Patriot project
2024-04-03 19:30 - 21:30
colin hall will give a sesssion on how this remarkeable project is progressing

London Midland Region - Review of the 1950s/1960s
2024-04-03 13:45 - 15:45 | MCN Liverpool, Haig House Social Club, Woolton Road, Garston, Liverpool, L19 5NQ, United Kingdom
Please note that this is a change of subject and speaker because the intended speaker, Paul Shackcloth, is unwell.

Branch AGM, followed by 'The Story of the Travelling Post Office' by Roland Gillott
2024-04-02 18:45 - 21:30 | WFD Watford, Beechen Grove Baptist Church, Clarendon Road, Watford, WD17 1JJ, United Kingdom
The Watford Branch AGM will commence at 18:45 (please note this is earlier than our usual start time) and we hope to conclude that by 19:00. This will be followed by Roland Gillott’s presentation on ‘The Story of the Travelling Post Office’. This includes the inception of the TPO service in 1838 and its continuation until the TPO service was brought to an end in 2004. The talk also includes references to TPOs preserved in the heritage sector and to Mail Rail, the preservation of part of the Post Office Railway as a visitor attraction.
Please note that this is a physical meeting at our usual venue at Beechen Grove Baptist Church.

A 1968 Jet Search for Steam
2024-03-28 19:30 - 22:00 | Virtual Meeting, Virtual Meeting, United Kingdom
The introduction of “Pacesetter” fares for under-26-year-olds in 1968 made international air travel much more affordable, and Frank Stamford – our regular Australian attendee – took advantage of them to make a fifteen-week round the world trip in search of steam, visiting Indonesia, the British Isles, Western Europe (from Portugal to West Germany), and South Africa, at a time when such long distance international travel was something exceptional. His presentation will include some industrial railways as well as public railways. And there will be very few diesel locomotives!

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.

Eastleigh from Railway Junction to Railway Centre
2024-03-27 19:15 - 21:30 | CHR Bassil Shippam Centre, Tozer Way, St Pancras, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 7LG, United Kingdom
The history of the town from the opening of the Railway Station, Carriage Works and Locomotive Works. Following this there will be a look at the combining of the Carriage works and the Loco works in the 1960’s followed by privatisation and closure to the current operations as Arlington Fleet Services.

An A to Z guide to GCR locomotives - Bob Gellatly
2024-03-26 19:30 - 21:30 | EMD Nottingham, The New Mechanics, 3 North Sherwood Street, Nottingham, NG1 4EZ, United Kingdom

Tunnel Vision - The History of the Metropolitan Railway
2024-03-26 14:00 - 16:30 | HTC Welwyn, Digswell Village Church Hall, Welwyn, Hertfordshire, AL6 0DH, United Kingdom
A Hitchin & Welwyn Garden City branch presentation.
Presenter: Colin Brading.
The story of the Metropolitan, the world’s first underground railway. Less than four miles long when it opened – to great acclaim – in January 1863, this ‘little acorn’ grew as a proud independent company to spread many branches and ‘the Met’ has shaped and served London’s metropolis with great distinction and character ever since.
Doors open: 13:30

Building Britain's Most Powerful Steam Locomotive
2024-03-25 19:30 - 22:00 | MHD Cox Green, Cox Green Community Centre, Highfield Lane, Cox Green, Maidenhead, SL6 3AX, United Kingdom
After the success of Tornado, the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust is now working on a new build P2 class locomotive. Chris comes to tell us about the project and its progress

Kings Cross to York by Stephen Gay
2024-03-25 14:00 - 16:30 | NHN Northampton – Weston Favell, Weston Favell Parish Hall, Booth Lane South, Northampton, NN3 3EP, United Kingdom

Members and visitors slides (35mm, no digital please)
2024-03-22 19:30 - 22:00 | LNW Preston, Fulwood Lawn Tennis Club, Watling Street Road, Preston, PR2 8DY, United Kingdom

AGM/Members Presentations
2024-03-21 19:30 - 21:30 | WRD Shipley, Saltaire Methodist Church, Saltaire Road, Shipley, BD18 3HJ, United Kingdom

ERTMS
2024-03-21 19:15 - 21:30 | SRY Woking, Woking United Reform Church, White Rose Lane, Woking, GU22 7HA, United Kingdom
ERTMS – The European Rail Traffic Management System

A Tribute to John Benson
2024-03-21 19:00 - 22:00 | CHM Cheltenham, Victory Club, Burlington House, Lypiatt Road, Cheltenham, GL50 2SY, United Kingdom
Branch members with longer memories will fondly remember Johns Benson and Champion trading stories and photographs, comparing notes of their service in the military, always with camera in hand to record railway scenes wherever they were. John Benson was able, during service with the RAF, and later in life to travel to some countries not many of us would have thought of visiting. Long time friend, Dave Hill, brings a selection of John’s photographs from his travels.

Railway Miscellany
2024-03-20 19:30 - 22:00 | SOE Eastleigh, Junction Church (formerly Eastleigh Railway Institute), 2 Romsey Road, Eastleigh, SO50 9FE, United Kingdom
Tony Storey returns with more gems from his collection

HSD branch - Steam and Steel + AGM
2024-03-19 19:30 - 22:00
Steam and Steel
This meeting will also include the Branch AGM.

Over The Mendips
2024-03-19 19:00 - 21:30 | TVY Didcot, Didcot Civic Hall, Britwell Road, Didcot, OX11 7JN, United Kingdom
The Somerset & Dorset Railway originally ran from Burnham-on-Sea to Wimborne,
linking the Bristol and English Channels. In 1874 an extension opened from
Evercreech Junction over the Mendip Hills to link with the Midland Railway at Bath
which immediately became the main line. Passenger trains included through
expresses from the Midlands and North to the South Coast until 1962, freight saw
coal and stone from the Mendip collieries and quarries, before finally closing as a
through route in 1966. This illustrated talk marks 150 years since the Bath
extension’s opening and contains a selection of historic pictures showing the
construction, doubling and operation of the line from the archives of the Somerset &
Dorset Railway Trust as well as images of the infrastructure still remaining along the
route.
The presenter, Mike Beale is descended from 3 generations of S&D railwaymen, was
born in Bath and has worked for British Rail and an international railway consultant.
He has been a member of the Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust since 1974, was
chairman from 1985 to 1991 and a Trustee from 1999 until 2016.

A London Brighton and South Coast Railway Miscellany, 1862-1923
2024-03-19 14:00 - 16:30 | CSL Redhill, Redhill Methodist Church, Gloucester Road, Redhill, RH1 1BP, United Kingdom
A selection of images of the London Brighton and South Coast Railway from Victorian days to the grouping, now over a hundred years ago. Views of our local railway, but not as we know it today.

AGM and Members Slides
2024-03-18 19:30 - 22:30 | ESX Shenfield, Shenfield Parish Hall, 60 Hutton Road, Shenfield, CM15 8LB, United Kingdom
Physical/Hybrid meeting at Shenfield Parish Hall with the AGM portion and Digital Images available on Zoom

Colour Rail - 11th Journey : 1964
2024-03-18 19:30 - 21:45 | MCN Bromborough, The Bromborough Suite. The Merebrook, Greenfields Avenue, Bromborough, Wirral, Merseyside, CH62 6DD, United Kingdom

The John Wells Collection - Part 2 - Presented by Bryan Acford
2024-03-18 14:00 - 16:00 | Cheylesmore Community Centre, Poitiers Road, Coventry 5JX, Poitiers Road, Cheylesmore,, Coventry, CV3 5JX
On Monday 26th September 2022 our guest speakers, Chris Berridge and Bryan Acford presented Part 1 of the John Wells Collection. Since that date we have sadly lost our Branch Member, Chris Berridge. Part 2 of the excellent John Wells Collection will be presented by his colleague, Bryan Acford. This black and white collection was scanned and restored by Bryan and Part 2 covers the period Jan 1959 – 1964. Images from the lines to the London terminii include Waterloo, Paddington, Kings Cross, Euston and St. Pancras. These will be followed by images taken on Shap and Beattock as well as Cambrian and Highland lines and will include more freight activity than illustrated in Part 1.

The Great Train Robbery 1963 : The Story
2024-03-13 19:00 - 22:00
The in-depth story of the planning and execution of the Great Train Robbery
bu Ian Boskett

Branch AGM + The Son of a Rail Enthusiast
2024-03-12 19:30 - 22:00 | HTC Hitchin, St Mark's Church, St Mark's Close, Lancaster Avenue, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, SG5 1UR, United Kingdom
A Hitchin & Welwyn Garden City Event.
The branch AGM – followed by a presentation given by Richard Cole, son of David Cole who was the founder of the branch and a Vice President of the RCTS. Richard will be looking through some of his dad’s slides and explaining how his passion for railways influenced his life. He will review his 41 years on the railway, touching on various parts of BR such as Red Star Parcels, Railfreight/Channel Tunnel through to the Intercity Express Programme, Transport for Wales and MetroWest schemes.
The AGM will start at 19:30 and the presentation will follow immediately (estimated 20:00)
Papers for the AGM appear as a supplement to the February issue of “Railway Ramblings” (The branch newsletter).
Doors open: 19:00

A Lifetime of Railway Photography
2024-03-12 19:30 - 22:00 | CSL Croydon, East Croydon United Reformed Church, Addiscombe Grove, Croydon, CR0 5LP, United Kingdom
Not quite a lifetime, John took his first picture at the age of nine using his mother’s rather ancient folding camera. He was already interested in railways as most boys of his generation were, where the passion came from for recording what he saw on film is lost in the mists of time but it’s been continuous ever since he acquired a simple Ilford camera for his twelfth birthday. He began to realise that the steam railway that he was privileged to grow up with was fast disappearing giving him greater impetus to carry on, the only limiting factor was finance as it all had to be funded from pocket money and the proceeds of a paper round. Later when he started work he acquired more sophisticated equipment and recorded the end of steam on the Southern and in the NW and following that the preservation scene right up to the present day. He hopes there will be something of interest to everyone. If you remember his previous presentation to the branch, you will very much make this a date for your diary.

“Cambridge Area Railways Yesterday and Today (Part 3)” by David Scudamore
2024-03-12 19:30 - 22:00 | CBR Fulbourn, Cambridge, The Swifts, Haggis Gap, Fulbourn, Cambridge, CB21 5HD, United Kingdom
This third talk in David’s popular series on railways around Cambridge, from their opening to today, begins with the line from Cambridge to Audley End and then eastwards via Saffron Walden to Bartlow Junction. The route back towards Cambridge is followed as far as Shepreth Branch Junction where we take the Kings Cross line to Hitchin, calling in on the Barrington Light Railway. The presentation concludes with an examination of the former LNWR line from Cambridge to Oxford as far as Sandy on the GNR mainline.

Keith Marshall: A day return from Settle to Carlisle with preserved steam and BR diesels
2024-03-12 19:30 - 21:30 | SFD Sheffield Farm Road Sports & Social Club, Farm Road, Sheffield, S2 2TP, United Kingdom
Note this is a change from the previously advertised speaker

San Francisco cable cars - Tom Ingall
2024-03-12 19:30 - 21:30 | EMD Nottingham, The New Mechanics, 3 North Sherwood Street, Nottingham, NG1 4EZ, United Kingdom
