The Railway Correspondence & Travel Society

My Favourite Moments 1986 to 2019
2023-10-11 19:00 - 22:00 (Europe/London) | SWL Radyr, Cardiff, Old Church Rooms / Hen Ysgoldy'r Eglwys, Park Road, Radyr, Cardiff, CF15 8DF, United Kingdom
Steve Rickett, Branch Treasurer and regular contributor to Right Tracks, the Branch Newsletter will present a series of images celebrating more than 40 years of following and photographing trains across Great Britain

Steve’s image of 710269 working 2J39 10:54 Gospel Oak to Barking Riverside at Barking on 20 May 2023 during a branch observation in London

Farnham & District MRC Exhibition
2023-10-14 10:00 - 17:00, 2023-10-15 10:00 - 16:30 | Alderwood Leisure Centre, Tongham Road, Aldershot, GU12 4AS, Alderwood Leisure Centre, Tongham Road, Aldershot,, GU12 4AS, United Kingdom
Surrey Branch will be attending the Farnham & District MRC Exhibition, with our sales stand, at Alderwood Leisure Centre, Tongham Road, Aldershot, GU12 4AS.
Assistance with manning the stand would be appreciated.

Archive and Library Open Day
2023-10-14 11:00 - 16:00, 2023-10-19 11:00 - 16:00, 2023-10-25 11:00 - 16:00, 2023-10-31 11:00 - 16:00 | RCTS Library, Leatherhead Station Approach, Leatherhead, KT22 7SQ, United Kingdom

Railways in the 1970's
2023-10-14 19:00 - 21:30 | WEN Exeter [Mint Methodist Church], Fore Street, Exeter, EX4 3AT, United Kingdom
For the first meeting of the 2023/24 programme, David Hunt, will provide an evening of nostalgia which will cover the railways of the UK in the corporate rail blue era of the 1970s with its variety of loco classes and variety of freight, the majority of which is long gone. It will be an entertaining evening!

The LMS Patriot Project
2023-10-16 14:00 - 16:00 | Cheylesmore Community Centre, Poitiers Road, Coventry 5JX, Poitiers Road, Cheylesmore,, Coventry, CV3 5JX
The LMS-Patriot Project – Our aims and progress to date
The LMS-Patriot is building a working Patriot class steam locomotive as a National Memorial Engine, recreating a railway heritage and Remembrance link established after the Great War and lost in the 1960s. Inspired by the Great War Centenaries of recent years – Armistice Day and the repatriation of the Unknown Warrior to Westminster Abbey – the locomotive will be named The Unknown Warrior.

Colin Hall, the Project Chairman, will give a presentation and will bring us up to date on the ups and downs of the project to the present day.

British Rail in the early 1980s – The Swansong of Corporate Identity
2023-10-16 19:30 - 22:30 | ESX Shenfield, Shenfield Parish Hall, 60 Hutton Road, Shenfield, CM15 8LB, United Kingdom
Mervyn joined British Rail after university in September 1973 as a Traffic Management Trainee based in the Doncaster Divisional Management Office. His first two roles after training were Traffic Assistant at Shirebrook and then shift manager of freight operations on Tees-side based in Tees Yard. He moved south in 1979, becoming Area Passenger and Parcels Manager at Broxbourne and then Regional Parcels Manager South based at Liverpool Street. In 1983 he became Area Manager Shenfield, then Area Manager Stratford and finally Area Manager North Thameside (based at Southend Central).
He left BR in late 1985 and joined Deloitte Haskins and Sells as a management consultant in logistics, specialising in the defence sector. Merger and acquisition activity saw the firm become Coopers & Lybrand, Price Waterhouse Coopers and finally IBM. He retired in early 2012.

WW1 & WW2 Cross Channel Train Ferries and Associated Railways
2023-10-17 19:00 - 21:30 | TVY Didcot, Didcot Civic Hall, Britwell Road, Didcot, OX11 7JN, United Kingdom
The presentation will initially look at how Cross Channel Train Ferries were first introduced during WW1 to move Railway Equipment to France. We will the look at the use in WW2 following commercial introduction of the Harwich Zeebrugge and Dover Calais Train Ferries between the wars. There will also be coverage of British railway activity associated with movement of rolling stock and troops, and in addition the significant involvement of the US army during WW2.

HSD branch - Yorkshire diesels Part 1 1985-96
2023-10-17 19:30 - 22:00 | HSD Hull, The Highway, Willerby Road, Hull, HU5 5LH, United Kingdom
Yorkshire diesels Part 1 1985-96

Grumpies, Goggles, Vectrons and more
2023-10-18 19:30 - 22:00 | SOE Eastleigh, Junction Church (formerly Eastleigh Railway Institute), 2 Romsey Road, Eastleigh, SO50 9FE, United Kingdom

"Along the Trackside" - Presenter Steve Batty
2023-10-19 14:00 - 16:00 | WRD Shipley, Saltaire Methodist Church, Saltaire Road, Shipley, BD18 3HJ, United Kingdom
Please note this is an afternoon meeting

NEA Railway Roundabout + Branch AGM
2023-10-19 18:30 - 21:00 | NEA Darlington, Darlington Cricket Club, South Terrace, Darlington, DL1 5JD, United Kingdom
19:00 start, but preceded by BRANCH AGM at 18.30 hrs
Members Only at the AGM

76077
2023-10-19 19:00 - 22:00 | CHM Cheltenham, Victory Club, Burlington House, Lypiatt Road, Cheltenham, GL50 2SY, United Kingdom
Ian presents a fascinating look at the development of the Standard class 4 2-6-0s and 76077 in particular. The engine spent almost all of its short life allocated to Sutton Oak depot and Ian explores the engine’s time there, before transferring to Springs Branch when the shed closed. Six months later in December 1967, 76077 was withdrawn along with three sisters, together being the last four members of the class to be withdrawn and moved to Barry scrapyard. The engine’s remarkable rescue and initial restoration work is covered, which was followed by 30 years of inactivity when the engine was largely forgotten. Very rapid progress is now being made in restoration of the engine, aiming for a 2026 steaming. Ian’s presentation is richly illustrated with historic pictures as well as bringing the story completely up to date.

South Western Railway Update
2023-10-19 19:15 - 21:30 | SRY Woking, Woking United Reform Church, White Rose Lane, Woking, GU22 7HA, United Kingdom
South Western Railway Update
This event will be held in person at Woking.

Currently Free
2023-10-23 14:00 - 16:30 | NHN Northampton – Weston Favell, Weston Favell Parish Hall, Booth Lane South, Northampton, NN3 3EP, United Kingdom
An opportunity for Members to put a show together of a selection from photos taken by some of past Members in the Branch’s collection

East Anglia in Transition (1980s to date)
2023-10-23 19:30 - 22:00 | MHD Cox Green, Cox Green Community Centre, Highfield Lane, Cox Green, Maidenhead, SL6 3AX, United Kingdom
John returns to the branch to present his observations of the East Anglian railway scene over the last forty years.

Irish Surprises - Colin Boocock
2023-10-24 19:30 - 21:30 | EMD Nottingham, The New Mechanics, 3 North Sherwood Street, Nottingham, NG1 4EZ, United Kingdom
Colin relates tales of his visits to Ireland

The Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway
2023-10-25 19:15 - 21:30 | CHR Bassil Shippam Centre, Tozer Way, St Pancras, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 7LG, United Kingdom
Simon Bowden traces the history of the railway running through the beautiful mid Wales countryside.
NOTE THIS IS A CHANGE TO OUR PREVIOUSLY ADVERTISED MEETING, AS THE ORIGINAL SPEAKER IS NOT NOW ABLE TO COME TO CHICHESTER ON THIS DATE.

The Last Years of British Steam; and Early Ventures Seeking it Overseas
2023-10-26 19:30 - 22:00 | Virtual Meeting, Virtual Meeting, United Kingdom
In the late 1960s Colin Miell started travelling to take colour slides of steam in its last years on British Rail – including spending 15 guineas on 1T57. And when it was over in Britain, he started venturing overseas in search of more, visiting Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, and Europe (both sides of the iron curtain), and then further afield. Half a century later, he started scanning his slides, and tonight shows the fruits of his labours, including some earlier black and white images from the mid 1960s; while some ‘modern (then!) traction’ and ferries also feature. Those familiar with his photography will know we have a treat in store.
One of the Halle test locos, 18 201, stands at Berlin Lichtenberg Station, having just arrived with a regular passenger working from the north on 8th September 1969. Taken during that year’s very successful LCGB tour of the DDR, just after our arrival from Neubrandenburg. Image Credit: Colin Miell

For this virtual event, you require a ticket, via the ‘Buy Zoom Ticket’ link – there is no need to register with Zoom. RCTS members are free-of-charge, but will be invited to make a £2.50 donation at the checkout. Non-member tickets are £2.50. Or sign up for membership and a ticket at the same time, and benefit from the members’ rate!

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.

"Docker's Umbrella" The Liverpool Overhead Railway. By Keith Hick
2023-10-27 19:30 - 22:00 | LNW Preston, Fulwood Lawn Tennis Club, Watling Street Road, Preston, PR2 8DY, United Kingdom

Officers' Conference 2023
2023-10-28 10:30 - 15:30 | Danum Gallery Library and Museum, Doncaster, Waterdale, Doncaster, DN1 3BZ, United Kingdom

The Severn Valley and The Gloucester & Warwickshire Railways
2023-10-31 14:00 - 16:30 | HTC Welwyn, Digswell Village Church Hall, Welwyn, Hertfordshire, AL6 0DH, United Kingdom
A Hitchin & Welwyn Garden City presentation by Richard Morris.
The Severn Valley Railway was one of the first heritage railways to rise from the ashes of the wholesale closure of branch line railways in the 1960s and has developed into one of the country’s premier heritage railways. It was up and running 6 years or so before the line which now forms the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway was closed by BR! The current fortunes of both are really rather different – we take a look at developments of both railways and bring the story up-to-date.
Doors open 13:30.

SETTLE AND CARLISLE RAILWAY DEVPT CO
2023-11-01 19:30 - 21:30 | United Kingdom
speakers John Moorhouse and Katie Chesworth from the Settle and Carlisle Development Company will make a presentation describing the History of the Line, the setting up of the Development Company following its reprieve from closure and its ongoing work.

The Railway over the Stainmore Pass: Post War Boom & Bust on the North Trans-Pennine
2023-11-02 19:30 - 22:00 | MKY Milton Keynes, Network Rail - The Quadrant: MK, Elder Gate, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK9 1EN, United Kingdom
Chris Rowley (Network Rail Capacity Planning Director) has a particular affection for the Trans Pennine Stainmore route (Bishop Auckland – Kirby Stephen – Penrith) closed in 1962. He has written an authoritative history of the route, England’s highest main line, which is published in November. The talk will cover the history of the line and its operation, the wider financial crisis that engulfed Britain’s Railways in the late 1950s and why Stainmore became the first strategic cross country route to close in 1962. The presentation will share previously unseen images of the route and technology permitting… a short section of rare Super 8 footage of RCTS operations over Stainmore summit in 1962.

That Was The Year That Was 1964
2023-11-03 19:30 - 22:00 | BTL North Filton, St Teresa’s Church Hall, 71 Gloucester Road, North Filton, BS34 7PL, United Kingdom
Geoff Plumb makes a welcome return to the branch to share with us the scenes that he recorded in 1964.

‘The East Coast Main Line from Kings Cross to Edinburgh’ - Part 2, York to Edinburgh, by Stephen Gay
2023-11-07 19:00 - 21:30 | WFD Watford, Beechen Grove Baptist Church, Clarendon Road, Watford, WD17 1JJ, United Kingdom
STEPHEN GAY visits for the ninth time to present his new talk ‘The East Coast Main Line from Kings Cross to Edinburgh’ – Part 2, York to Edinburgh.
This is a physical event, doors open at the venue from around 18:30 for a 19:00 start, there will be a midway break for refreshments, and we aim to finish around 21:30.

SCT Locomotive & Coach liveries Part 2
2023-11-07 19:30 - 21:30 | SCT Edinburgh, Scots Guards Club, 2 Clifton Terrace,, Edinburgh, EH12 5DR, United Kingdom
Locomotive & Coach liveries Part 2
A further selection from Stuart’s archive.
