The Railway Correspondence & Travel Society

InterCity 125 High Speed Trains – an enthusiast's perspective
2025-10-09 19:00 - 21:30 (Europe/London) | PBR Peterborough, St Luke’s Church, Mayor's Walk, Peterborough, PE3 6EZ, United Kingdom
Society Secretary Richard Morris visits us to look at the operations of the InterCity 125, or High Speed Train, from the point of view of the enthusiast.
Expect lots of variety of liveries and locations in Richard’s new presentation.

Scottish Rails in Camera - 1964-2025
2025-10-09 14:30 - 16:30 | SCT Edinburgh, Scots Guards Club, 2 Clifton Terrace,, Edinburgh, EH12 5DR, United Kingdom
Our original speaker, Norman Turnbull, has had to withdraw for health reasons but, in his place, we are delighted to welcome Mike Robinson, a Society Trustee and Managing Editor of The Railway Observer, who will be presenting a selection of his wonderful images, depicting Scotland’s railways over several decades.

Archive And Library Open Day - CANCELLED
2025-10-09 11:00 - 16:00, 2025-10-04 11:00 - 16:00 | RCTS Library, Leatherhead Station Approach, Leatherhead, KT22 7SQ, United Kingdom
Archive And Library Open Day
Cancelled due to us STILL awaiting completion of the interior works by GTR.

Transforming The Transport for Wales Fleet
2025-10-08 19:00 - 22:00 | SWL Radyr, Cardiff, Old Church Rooms / Hen Ysgoldy'r Eglwys, Park Road, Radyr, Cardiff, CF15 8DF, United Kingdom
A talk by Andrew Gainsbury with photography by Jeremy Segrott

WFD Branch - 'The Forgotten Standard', by Ian Crowder, 7th October 2025
2025-10-07 19:00 - 21:30 | WFD Watford, Beechen Grove Baptist Church, Clarendon Road, Watford, WD17 1JJ, United Kingdom
IAN CROWDER – “The Forgotten Standard”. Ian Crowder is Marketing Director of Toddington Standard Locomotive Ltd (TSLL), owners of Standard Class 4 2-6-0 No. 76077 and which is nearing the end of its restoration for use on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway. In this two-part lavishly-illustrated presentation, he firstly describes the development of the Standard Class 4 2-6-0s and 76077 in particular; its delivery to Sutton Oak (8G) depot and its typical use until withdrawn in December 1967 and subsequent transfer to Barry scrapyard. The second part explains its rescue by Chris Hinton and long term storage at Toddington, when the locomotive became almost forgotten. Acquired by TSLL in 2018, it has undergone very rapid restoration, funded thanks to a vigorous marketing campaign, with a number of technical challenges overcome along the way. The progress is brought completely up-to-date including the current overhaul of the boiler at Leaky Finders in Devon.
Please note this is a physical meeting, doors open from 18:30 for 19:00 commencement of proceedings.

Bristol Meeting - 'The Advanced Passenger Train' by Kit Spackman
2025-10-03 19:30 - 22:00 | BTL North Filton, St Teresa’s Church Hall, 71 Gloucester Road, North Filton, BS34 7PL, United Kingdom
Kit Spackman, who was the Tilt System Development Engineer on the APT-E programme, will explain the fascinating story of the whole APT Programme.

Milton Keynes Branch Meeting - ‘West Midlands Trains – Our Challenges & Opportunities for the Future’
2025-10-02 19:30 - 21:30 | MKY Milton Keynes, Network Rail - The Quadrant: MK, Elder Gate, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK9 1EN, United Kingdom
Geoff Grant, Stakeholder Manager for West Midlands Trains, gives an overview of the key priorities facing the company in terms of their fleet, customer experience, accessibility and innovation.

The Last Days of Steam on Merseyside and in the North West (The Ted Baxendale Collection) by Philip Parker
2025-10-01 13:30 - 15:45 | MCN Liverpool, Haig House Social Club, Woolton Road, Garston, Liverpool, L19 5NQ, United Kingdom

SOUTH WALES BRANCH OUTDOOR EVENT - WALKING OLD RAILWAY LINES
2025-10-01 10:30 - 13:30 | Potters Public House, 22-24 Upper Dock St, Newport, Gwent, NP20 1DL, United Kingdom
On Wednesday 1st October Ian Reese will be leading a walk along the west bank of the River Usk and into the Pillgwenlly area of Newport to show us the almost entirely disappeared railway scene of years gone by. There were many railway lines crowding the west bank, bringing coal down from the valleys for loading onto ships, amongst other activities, by the Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Co. and successor companies. We will walk along the river bank to visit the site of an old railway station, a locomotive engine shed and a mishap which befell a ship on the river, amongst other locations. Ian will bring some folders of photographs from the past of the locations we will visit. The walk will be about two to three miles long on flat surfaces, with frequent stops. We could ‘replenish our tanks’ with ‘coal and water’, back to the town centre after the walk, at a suitable ‘refuelling point’.If you would to join us please meet Ian in the bus station at the rear of the Potters public house in Newport town centre at 10.30 am on Wednesday 1st October. Parking is available at the Friars’ Walk car park (payment required) next door to the meeting point. Address ; John Frost Square, Newport, Gwent, NP20 1EA. The meeting point is 5 to 10 minutes’ walk from the Railway Station. (NB. There are two bus stations in Newport ; make sure you go to the one by the Potters public house).
Mill Street, Newport

The Doncaster Rover
2025-09-30 14:00 - 16:30 | HTC Welwyn, Digswell Village Church Hall, Welwyn, Hertfordshire, AL6 0DH, United Kingdom
A Hitchin & Welwyn Garden City branch presentation by Stephen Gay.
Travelling from Frickley to Finningly, Mexborough to Moorends and Bentley, Bessacarr to Bawtry. This is a railway journey which criss-crosses the Doncaster borough. Using Stephen’s slides taken over the last 40 years, the presentation will also look at waterways and historic buildings. We will also take a bus journey, helping to locate lost lines and stations!
(Information provided by Stephen Gay)
Doors open 13:30 for a 14:00 start.

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.

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.

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

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.

Archive And Library Open Day - CANCELLED
2025-09-23 11:00 - 16:00, 2025-09-17 11:00 - 16:00, 2025-09-11 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.

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

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

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.

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

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)

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

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.

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

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.

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 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

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).
