The Railway Correspondence & Travel Society

Archive And Library Open Day
2025-05-06 11:00 - 16:00 (Europe/London) | RCTS Library, Leatherhead Station Approach, Leatherhead, KT22 7SQ, United Kingdom

WFD Branch - 'Reminiscenses and Thoughts of a Retired Railwayman', by John Noorani, 6th May 2025
2025-05-06 19:00 - 21:30 | WFD Watford, Beechen Grove Baptist Church, Clarendon Road, Watford, WD17 1JJ, United Kingdom
JOHN NOORANI – ‘Reminiscenses and Thoughts of a Retired Railwayman’.
Throughout his schooldays John had been interested in railways, initially as a trainspotter but then an interest in their history and operation. After leaving school he needed a temporary job for about six months and an opportunity to work on the railway presented itself. The anticipated six months fill-in job became a forty year career which spanned both the nationalised and privatised railway in equal measure. John will talk about various incidents which he was involved in as well as reminisce over some of the ways his career developed and the changes he has seen. Further details may be available nearer the date.
Please note this is a physical meeting, doors open from 18:30 for 19:00 commencement of proceedings.

The life and times of Stanier 8F 48773
2025-05-07 19:30 - 21:30 | FLL Carnforth, Royal Station Hotel, Market Street, Carnforth, LA5 9BT, United Kingdom
this loco had had a very illustrious career travelling to Egypt and Iran and featured in several films and is of course now preserved at the Severn Valley Railway,Ian chapman is going to tell us much more about its interesting life

Visit to Ashington
2025-05-13

Cambridge Area Railways, Yesterday & Today (Part 2)
2025-05-13 14:00 - 16:30 | St Marks Church Hall, Hitchin SG5 1UR, St Mark's Close, Lancaster Avenue, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, SG5 1UR
A Hitchin & Welwyn Garden City branch presentation by Dave Scudamore.
Cambridge Area Railways, Yesterday & Today (Part 2) starts back at Cambridge and following another look around the station area heads north to Chesterton Junction where we follow the route of the St Ives line (now misguided busway).
Next we look at the Mildenhall line as far as Fordham & then to Soham. Back at Cambridge our next journey is to Newmarket before returning to Cambridge for a shed visit before, time permitting, heading south via the goods line towards Audley End.
Doors open 13:30 for a 14:00 start.

Chris Booth - By Great Central Railway from Sheffield to Gainsborough.
2025-05-13 19:00 - 21:00 | SFD Sheffield Farm Road Sports & Social Club, Farm Road, Sheffield, S2 2TP, United Kingdom

"Roger Harrison’s East Anglian Railways" by Dave Pearce
2025-05-13 19:30 - 22:00 | CBR Fulbourn, Cambridge, The Swifts, Haggis Gap, Fulbourn, Cambridge, CB21 5HD, United Kingdom
For our final meeting of the 2024/25 season, we are delighted to welcome Dave Pearce who will be presenting ‘Roger Harrison’s East Anglian Railways’.
Roger Harrison was an avid and loyal member of the Norfolk Railway Society from its inception in 1955 until he passed away in 2010. He was extraordinarily generous to the Society in his will, not only with a sizeable donation to Society funds, but also in making a bequest of his LNER photos and negatives to the club’s archive. In 2012 David and his friend and fellow member, Richard Adderson, were asked to compile a book of Roger’s images, funded by his bequest, so that all the then members could benefit from Roger’s generosity. The show is a slightly abridged version of the book, but, nonetheless, illustrates Roger’s eye for detail alongside his ability to capture and record the general scene up to the end of GE steam in 1962. He was, in some ways, fairly parochial in his coverage of East Anglia, favouring a few locations and ignoring many, so it was quite a challenge to create a logical narrative from his somewhat disparate range of images. Nonetheless, the book was well received by the membership and considered to be a worthy tribute to Roger and the memories evoked by his pictures.
David was born in Suffolk, brought up in the East Midlands, went to college in the North East, and spent his working life as an itinerant teacher in Norfolk and Suffolk, ending up dealing with permanently excluded pupils in Norfolk for the local authority. He took early retirement in 2011 but returned to part-time work in late 2015.
He has always had an interest in railways, and photography became equally as absorbing in 1962 when he was given his first camera. Since then, via various cameras, and an embrace of digital photography, he has accumulated a substantial catalogue of his own images. He has also always taken an interest in images from other photographers, particularly those with a shared affinity for locations, aesthetics, and a healthy disregard for convention. This additional collection has become something of an indulgence (wife would say obsession!), aided and abetted, initially, by a collection of negatives left in his care, then by ‘negatives sent on approval’ but, ultimately, by the internet!
David is also presently Chairman of the ‘Bittern Line Community Rail Partnership’ and Co-Chair of Community Rail Norfolk and belongs to two railway photographic circles, together with umpteen railway societies. He has produced several books and articles, especially on the former Great Central London extension. He has four sons, none of whom has the remotest interest in railways or photography!

Croydon & SL Branch AGM and Members’ Images
2025-05-13 19:30 - 22:00 | CSL Croydon, East Croydon United Reformed Church, Addiscombe Grove, Croydon, CR0 5LP, United Kingdom
Our Annual General Meeting, to be followed by Members’ Images. Your chance to speak up and show off!
Since our last AGM a year ago, at which both our long serving Chairman and Secretary stood down, it is fair to say the Branch has had a rather problematic year, struggling to keep going, with only a couple of active committe members. So I would urge you all to attend, to discuss the future of the branch. While the two active committee members – Rob Burridge and Jeremy Harrison – are both willing to continue as Branch officers, subject to your approval, we really need some new blood on the committee to help take the branch forward. As Rob has put it:
PLEASE COME AND SUPPORT THE BRANCH. BRING YOUR IDEAS, AND HELP IT GO FORWARD.
Following the business part of the meeting, there will be a presentation of members’ images – an opportunity for you to contribute, and show off what you have done. Both conventional 35mm slide and digital projectors will be available.

The Barry Dock and Railway Company
2025-05-14 19:00 - 22:00 | SWL Radyr, Cardiff, Old Church Rooms / Hen Ysgoldy'r Eglwys, Park Road, Radyr, Cardiff, CF15 8DF, United Kingdom
Peter Fortune will provide an historical overview of the development and operation of this small but very successful railway company which transformed the coal trade in South wales for three decades in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.
A Great Western Railway 56XX tank brings short freight over the Barry Railway’s iconic Walnut Tree Viaduct in the 1950s.

North East Branch - The Railway over Stainmore Pass
2025-05-15 19:00 - 21:30 | NEA Darlington, Darlington Cricket Club, South Terrace, Darlington, DL1 5JD, United Kingdom
Our last meeting of the 2024-25 season brings Chris Rowley to Darlington to present The Railway over the Stainmore Pass.

Surrey Branch - Future UK Locomotive Strategy
2025-05-15 19:15 - 21:30 | SRY Woking, Woking United Reform Church, White Rose Lane, Woking, GU22 7HA, United Kingdom
Future UK Locomotive Strategy

"12th Colour Rail Journey" by Paul Chancellor
2025-05-15 19:30 - 21:30 | WRD Shipley, Saltaire Methodist Church, Saltaire Road, Shipley, BD18 3HJ, United Kingdom

Archive And Library Open Day - CANCELLED
2025-05-17 11:00 - 16:00, 2025-05-22 11:00 - 16:00, 2025-05-28 11:00 - 16:00, 2025-06-03 11:00 - 16:00 | RCTS Library, Leatherhead Station Approach, Leatherhead, KT22 7SQ, United Kingdom
Network Rail and Govia Thameslink (GTR) have now undertaken additional works which, we hope, will cure the damp problems at the Stationmaster’s House. GTR’s contractors are rectifying the damp areas internally so we are moving some shelving and dust covering all other shelves while that work is undertaken. It is not therefore practical ot open the Archive to visitors on this day.
Our apologies for any inconvenience, please attend at an open day later in the summer.

Railway Advertising & Posters - Michael Willmot
2025-05-19 14:00 - 16:00 | Cheylesmore Community Centre, Poitiers Road, Coventry 5JX, Poitiers Road, Cheylesmore,, Coventry, CV3 5JX
From the earliest days of rail travel, poster advertising was used to encourage people to take the train. Through the artwork of, and captions on, such posters we can catch a glimpse of not just the advances in engineering and in design, but also the contemporary social concerns addressed in the advertising slogans. But if you are not so interested in the history there is much to admire in the work of a glittering array of artists and poster designers stretching over a 200 year period.

The Stainmore Route by Chris Rowley, Northampton Branch Meeting
2025-05-19 19:00 - 21:30 | NHN Northampton – Weston Favell, Weston Favell Parish Hall, Booth Lane South, Northampton, NN3 3EP, United Kingdom
This event is not at the usual time, it is an evening meeting starting at 7pm.

Edward Thompson, Wartime CME
2025-05-19 19:30 - 22:00 | MHD Cox Green, Cox Green Community Centre, Highfield Lane, Cox Green, Maidenhead, SL6 3AX, United Kingdom
The class act of Nigel Gresley to follow – how did Thompson take over and survive?
Further to previous information, this meeting will now be available to join on Zoom as well at Cox Green

The North Eastern Railway from Stockton and Darlington to the ECML
2025-05-19 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.
The history of the NER was made-up of several earlier and smaller individual railways. The Tanfield Railway, originally a wagonway dating from as early as 1725, the iconic Stockton and Darlington Railway, the Clarence Railway, Stanhope & Tyne Railway, Newcastle & Carlisle Railway, the Leeds & Selby and more, made the ultimate NER and the first East Coast Main Line.
The contribution of the latterly-discredited George Hudson, The Railway King, with was his foresight and ambition led to the establishment of that first route. All of the many changes from the first to the current East Coast main line via Doncaster, York, Darlington, Durham and Newcastle to connect with the North British Railway at Berwick-on-Tweed are illustrated.
The NER also set the standard for early electrification, a standard initially adopted by BR, this too is illustrated.

With Lance King in Ireland 1958-1963
2025-05-20 19:00 - 21:30 | TVY Didcot, Didcot Civic Hall, Britwell Road, Didcot, OX11 7JN, United Kingdom
Leslie McAllister offers a first selection of colour photographs taken by the late Lance King in the Republic of Ireland in the last years of steam. Lance was a skilled photographer and left a fine record of steam in the Dublin area and on the fondly remembered branches such as Kenmare, Loughrea, Ballaghadereen, Edenderry, Tullow, Clara and Youghal. Steam and diesel in daily service on the Cork Bandon and South Coast Railway feature, as does the memorable railtour with the last “Bandon tank”. The early days of silver and “black and tan” liveried diesels can be glimpsed along the way. A time of great change.”
This talk was first given to the Irish Railway Record Society in 2019, to whom Lance bequeathed his Irish photographic collection and is one of three talks covering the period from 1957 to 1970, when steam ended in Northern Ireland.

Railtours, Specials and Unusual Workings – Part 1
2025-05-21 19:30 - 22:00 | SOE Eastleigh, Junction Church (formerly Eastleigh Railway Institute), 2 Romsey Road, Eastleigh, SO50 9FE, United Kingdom

Observation Day Swindon Station
2025-05-22 10:00 - 17:00 | Swindon Station
Come and join Brian Arman, Stewart Jolly, and hopefully Arthur Turner for a day of observing the variety of freight and passenger trains to be sen at Swindon Station.

That Was The Year That Was 1972
2025-05-27 14:00 - 16:30 | HTC Welwyn, Digswell Village Church Hall, Welwyn, Hertfordshire, AL6 0DH, United Kingdom
A Hitchin & Welwyn Garden City branch presentation by Geoff Plumb.
Geoff Plumb returns with another of his popular “That Was the Year That Was” series of presentations. With his usual excellent standard of railway photography, this time it’s the turn of 1972 and we can expect the presentation to include more of Geoff’s many days out around and about, including UK scenes in Brighton, Bristol and the London area, among others.
This time the presentation also features West Germany quite strongly, but the main event sees a visit to South Africa, Swaziland and Mozambique for a feast of steam, in repose and in action!
Doors open 13:30 for a 14:00 start.

Russian & Ukraine Steam
2025-05-28 19:15 - 21:30 | CHR Bassil Shippam Centre, Tozer Way, St Pancras, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 7LG, United Kingdom
Ian Wright’s presentation will consist of a slide show of two charters that he took part in – to Russia and Belarus in 1992 and the Ukraine in 2003.

Two Decades Ago ... A Further Selection
2025-05-29 19:30 - 22:00 | Virtual Meeting, Virtual Meeting, United Kingdom
A further look back at what I was photographing in the first decade of this century, now some twenty years ago – so near or so far? A varied mix of steam, diesel and electric, on main, preserved and narrow gauge lines, at home and abroad.
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.

WFD Branch - Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway Visit, 1st June 2025
2025-06-01 09:00 - 17:00 | WFD Watford, Beechen Grove Baptist Church, Clarendon Road, Watford, WD17 1JJ, United Kingdom
Sunday 1st June 2025 – A visit to The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway.
Five days after the end of the Annual Steam Gala, we visit this Heritage Railway where we will travel over all of the line, getting off at most of the stations. We will visit the steam shed and diesel shed at Toddington, Winchcombe and Cheltenham Race Course Signal Boxes, the Carriage & Wagon Works and also, with kind permission of the owners, Gotherington Station where you will be able to ride on the pump trolley up and down the siding – subject to availability. Bacon rolls on the train too.
Meet at Toddington Station, Platform 1, (Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway, Toddington Station, New Town, Cheltenham GL54 5DT) at 09:00.
Email Branch Secretary Rob Davidson at watford@rcts.org.uk to book your place or for more information. The group is usually eligible for a discounted party rate for an all line ticket (normally £28.00) and a donation to the railway is asked for access to the sheds etc.

WFD Branch - '​The Southern End of the WCML, 1930s to Present Day', by Rob Freeman, 3rd June 2025
2025-06-03 19:00 - 21:30 | WFD Watford, Beechen Grove Baptist Church, Clarendon Road, Watford, WD17 1JJ, United Kingdom
ROB FREEMAN – ‘​The Southern End of the WCML 1930s to Present Day’.
From the 1930s to the present, featuring the work of local photographers such as H C Casserley for the steam era and my own work for the modern era, where I will be concentrating on the more unusual of my sightings.
Further details may be available nearer the date.
Please note this is a physical meeting, doors open from 18:30 for 19:00 commencement of proceedings.

Milton Keynes Branch Meeting - British Railway Disasters – Hixon and Ladbroke Grove
2025-06-05 19:30 - 21:30 | MKY Milton Keynes, Network Rail - The Quadrant: MK, Elder Gate, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK9 1EN, United Kingdom
Fraser Pithie presents on two significant accidents in the history of Britain’s railways – Hixon (6th January1968) and Ladbroke Grove (5th October 1999).

Visit to South Wales
2025-06-10
