The Railway Correspondence & Travel Society

Railways at a Junction
2024-07-04 19:30 - 22:00 (Europe/London) | MKY Milton Keynes, Network Rail - The Quadrant: MK, Elder Gate, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK9 1EN, United Kingdom
Fraser Pithie gives a reflection on British Railways, privatisation and a look at where today’s railway is and which route it is likely to take over the next decade.

Observation Day
2024-07-04 11:00 - 16:00 | Nuneaton Station, Nuneaton Station
Observation of railway activiety at Nuneaton Station.

Archive and Library Open Day
2024-07-03 11:00 - 16:00, 2024-06-27 11:00 - 16:00, 2024-06-22 11:00 - 16:00, 2024-06-11 11:00 - 16:00, 2024-06-05 11:00 - 16:00, 2024-05-30 11:00 - 16:00, 2024-05-25 11:00 - 16:00 | RCTS Library, Leatherhead Station Approach, Leatherhead, KT22 7SQ, United Kingdom

'1960s East Midlands Stills and Ciné', by Michael Clemens
2024-07-02 19:00 - 21:30 | WFD Watford, Beechen Grove Baptist Church, Clarendon Road, Watford, WD17 1JJ, United Kingdom
Michael Clemens visits the Watford Branch to give us a presentation on the East Midlands in the 1960s with a mix of ciné film and stills – more details to be added if they become available.
Please note this is a physical meeting to be held at our usual venue at Beechen Grove Baptist Church, doors open from 18:30.

Günter Oczko and friends - Steam Worldwide between 1970 and 2024
2024-06-27 19:30 - 22:00 | Virtual Meeting, Virtual Meeting, United Kingdom
Günter is promising a further selection of excellent Steam photography from around the world, featuring both his own work, and of his friends Bernhard Haseneder and Dirk Hoellerhage. Countries featured include Germany (both West and East), Czechoslovakia, Turkey, India, South Africa and China, over the last half century (and a bit). An event to bring back memories for those who witnessed it themselves, and regrets for those who didn’t.
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.

Volks Railway Brighton - Outdoor Visit
2024-06-26 10:30 - 13:00
Members visit to the Volks Railway, Brighton to include escorted tour of shed and workshops.
You must book this event in advance as numbers are limited.
Further details and bookings at chichester@rcts.org.uk

The History of the 125 High Speed Train 1975-2023
2024-06-25 14:00 - 16:30 | HTC Welwyn, Digswell Village Church Hall, Welwyn, Hertfordshire, AL6 0DH, United Kingdom
A Hitchin & Welwyn Garden City Branch presentation by Richard Morris.
The Inter City 125 High Speed Trains were introduced to the Great British public in 1975 after the Advanced Passenger Train project stalled a bit. The HSTs were intended to be a stop-gap, but ended up forming the core Inter City fleet for Britain’s Railways for more than 40 years, serving the Western Region, Eastern Region and Midland Main line, along with Cross Country services. The programme will take a look back from the early days and bring us up to 2023.
The image is of Great Western’s 43094 – at Casnewydd (otherwise known as Newport, South Wales) on 23rd October 2006. The power car was recently outshopped in the, then, latest FGW livery and had also just been fitted with an MTU 16V4000 power unit.
Doors open 13:30.

Looking Back: An Enthusiast’s Journey Through The Last 60 Years
2024-06-20 19:30 - 22:00
Our annual joint meeting with the Marlow Railway Society, to be held at Bourne End Community Centre.
In this presentation Tim will take us on an autobiographical journey in pictures through 60 years of enthusiasm.
Primarily a ‘loco’ man but with very widespread interests, there will also be photos of other forms of transport, not just trains.
Please visit the Marlow Railway Society’s website, mdrs.org.uk for more details.

"A Colour Rail Journey" - Presenter Paul Chancellor
2024-06-20 19:30 - 21:30 | WRD Shipley, Saltaire Methodist Church, Saltaire Road, Shipley, BD18 3HJ, United Kingdom
Please note this a change of presenter to that previously advertised.

Observation Evening - Reading Station
2024-06-20 17:00 - 20:00 | Reading Station

THE UNKINDEST CUTS OF ALL
2024-06-19 19:00 - 21:30 | SWL Radyr, Cardiff, Old Church Rooms / Hen Ysgoldy'r Eglwys, Park Road, Radyr, Cardiff, CF15 8DF, United Kingdom
BRANCH COMMITTEE MEMBER NIGEL WASSELL WILL DELIVER THE THIRD ROWLAND PITYTARD MEMORIAL LECTURE BY LOOKING AT THE LINES AND STATIONS WHICH WERE CLOSED IN JUNE 1964

Observation Evening
2024-06-19 16:30 - 20:30 | Eastleigh Station, United Kingdom
Observation of railway activity at Eastleigh Station

Who uses the railway?
2024-06-17 19:30 - 22:30 | ESX Shenfield, Shenfield Parish Hall, 60 Hutton Road, Shenfield, CM15 8LB, United Kingdom
Physical meeting at Shenfield Parish Hall also available via Zoom as a Hybrid
Phil’s presentation will begin by describing the Rail Freight Group, it’s role and membership, and remind everyone that we all use the railway in our daily lives by virtue of the homes we live in, the energy we consume and the products we buy as consumers.
It will expand to cover the features of an ideal railway network for freight and considers some of the challenges that lie ahead. What will ‘rail reform’ look like from a freight perspective? What investments are needed to meet the growth target? What does the rail freight industry need to do to contribute to a decarbonised supply chain and what can be done in the field of innovation to improve efficiency and safety?
Phil joined the Rail Freight Group in April 2021, having spent 16 years with Essex County Council’s education service and prior to that in the fertilizer industry.
His passion for transport policy developed through his 39 years as an elected member with Ipswich Borough Council where he drew up the proposal for the Ipswich Freight Chord for the local plan and helped to initiate the East West Rail Consortium of local councils in the 1990s.
Since joining RFG as the Assistant Policy manager in April 2021, Phil has been working with Sub National Transport Bodies in helping them develop their transport strategies and priorities for investment as well as preparing policy responses on behalf of RGF members. He has written articles on Rail Freight for magazines including Modern Railways and the Scotsman. He also works with sub-national transport bodies as well as with Network Rail’s route investment teams.
He is a member of the Railfuture campaign group.

Eastleigh Arlington Works Visit
2024-06-15 09:45 - 12:30 | Arlington Works, Campbell Road, Eastleigh, SO50 5AD, United Kingdom
A visit has been booked for Arlington Works for between 15 and 30 people. Details below, to book and arrange payment, up to 29/05/2024 or until the visit is full, contact
John Godfrey
tel: 07850 220009
email: solent@rcts.org.uk
9 Duddon Close West End Southampton SO18 3QA
The cost is £15 per person. All money goes to the Arlington nominated charity which changes each year. There is a minimum charge of £225 per group.

Tours start at the new entrance gate on Campbell Road promptly at 10:00 with a Safety Briefing from our Lead Guide. Visitors should arrive at least 15 minutes before. Minimum age is 12 and anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult who agrees to take full responsibility for the young person. Our yard has 750V electrified 3rd rail which will be on during the tour. Traffic on site can be busy with many vans and HGVs present. Tours typically last between one and two hours and can involve walking 3 to 4 miles in total.
All visitors should wear stout footwear and a hi viz jacket. The site will be working during the tour and all instructions from our guides must be followed without question. Anyone without a hi viz jacket will be restricted to just the roadways and walking routes. We are unable to supply hi viz jackets.
Anyone with a health condition (Diabetes, heart problems, breathing problems etc.) should notify our guides on the day so they can be aware in case of any problems during the tour.
We aim to show visitors as much of the site as possible but we cannot guarantee access to any particular area or item of rolling stock during the tour. Some of our tenants do not allow visitors to enter their areas so the guide will show the best viewing points to see as much as possible in those areas.
Photography is allowed for the most part and the Safety Briefing at the start will identify any rolling stock or areas where photography is not allowed. All photographs and video taken during the event must be for your own use ONLY and cannot be published in any media, printed or online.
There is no car parking available on site, except for Disabled badge holders. There are plenty of car parks in Eastleigh town centre. Just follow the signs. The nearest ones to the Works are opposite the station and just further down the main road at the Swan Centre. There is also a small pay and display car park just south of the Campbell Road junction, between the main road and the railway line.

A Decade of Change - 2011 Onwards
2024-06-11 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 Branch presentation by Peter Robins.
Following my move to digital photography in 2011, this country-wide presentation takes a look over the following decade, including some steam charters, showing that our railways were still undergoing many changes. The subject matter of many of these “modern” 21st century images is now consigned to history.
The photo shows 1A79, 06:47 Penzance – Paddington with HST power car 43162 leading a full rake of FGW blue liveried trailers passing Langstone Rock, Dawlish on 14/05/2019, four days before the end of full HST working on GWR.
The presentation goes up to 2020 and looking at 2021-2024, there has been just as much change so there may be a part 2.
Doors open 19:00

Observation Day
2024-06-11 11:00 - 17:00 | Eastleigh Station, United Kingdom
Observation of rail activity at Eastleigh Station.

Visit to Cardiff
2024-06-11
Please note change of venue after the abortive visit to South Wales on 14th May.

An evening of 1960’s colour photography
2024-06-06 19:30 - 22:00 | MKY Milton Keynes, Network Rail - The Quadrant: MK, Elder Gate, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK9 1EN, United Kingdom
Peter Brabham from the Monmouthshire Railway Society will present images from Cardiff based photographers John Wiltshire and Derek Chaplin in the 1960s.

'Underground Trains on the Isle of Wight', by Brian Hardy
2024-06-04 19:00 - 21:30 | WFD Watford, Beechen Grove Baptist Church, Clarendon Road, Watford, WD17 1JJ, United Kingdom
London Transport expert Brian Hardy makes a welcome return to the branch, this time looking at the variety of former LT stock that has worked on the Isle of Wight since 1967 and into the present day, carrying on the tradition of second-hand (pre-loved?) motive power and rolling stock used on the island.
Please note this is a physical meeting to be held at our usual venue at Beechen Grove Baptist Church, doors open from 18:45.

My Early Photography, 1959-1966
2024-05-30 19:30 - 22:00 | Virtual Meeting, Virtual Meeting, United Kingdom
Robin Patrick gives a presentation of his early black & white photography, from 1959 to 1966, a period in which he started his railway career at Roade. So 1964 with steam on WCML – the year he would most like to go back to – features strongly. But he also travelled around the country, visiting – and photographing – all six regions of British Railways, as the steam age was giving way to the new order.
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.

Railtours and Specials (Part 2)
2024-05-28 14:00 - 16:30 | HTC Welwyn, Digswell Village Church Hall, Welwyn, Hertfordshire, AL6 0DH, United Kingdom
A Hitchin & Welwyn Garden City branch presentation.
Presenter: John Day.
Following on from the May 2023 presentation “Railtours, Specials and Unusual Workings” this second presentation, on the same theme, looks at archive material that didn’t make the cut last time plus additional new material. A lot seems to have happened in the last year with some interesting Railtours and unusual workings! Hopefully something to enthuse everyone!
doors open 13:30

With Lance King in Ulster - The Great Northern Railway Lines: 1957-1965
2024-05-22 19:15 - 21:30 | CHR Bassil Shippam Centre, Tozer Way, St Pancras, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 7LG, United Kingdom
Leslie McAllister pays a tribute to his late friend Lance King, with a selection of Lance’s colour photography taken in the North of Ireland in the last years of steam traction. Leslie witnessed much of what is included, as a schoolboy!
The 1960s saw a halving of the Province’s railway mileage, but not before Lance faithfully recorded train working on the former Great Northern Railway lines. Both the main line from Dublin, the much-lamented route to Derry (which closed in 1965) and several branches will be covered. Steam hauled both passenger and goods trains and saw extensive use at holiday periods – all faithfully recorded. Even a glimpse of the Sligo Leitrim and Northern Counties Railway and the County Donegal narrow gauge lines.
Lance did not ignore modern traction, which appears from time to time during the presentation. A heady mixture of nostalgia at a time of change!

The North Staffordshire Railway Part 3.
2024-05-21 19:00 - 21:30 | TVY Didcot, Didcot Civic Hall, Britwell Road, Didcot, OX11 7JN, United Kingdom
Brian Sullivan returns to give us Part III of his North Staffs Railway talk, using historic digitised photos taken by “Tommy” Tomalin. This talk covers the lines that ran to Stone and then onwards to Stoke, with a look at the Trentham Gardens branch. We then turn left at Stoke and run to Market Drayton to meet the GWR. Following this, we then return to Leek Brook Junction and follow the line via Milton Junction into Stoke. Finally, we return to Milton Junction and follow the line to Congleton via the Biddulph Valley.
The attached image shows Black Bull station on the Biddulph Valley line. Tommy had managed to get a brake van ride on a Congleton – Stoke freight on 18th February 1967, and this is the view of the remains of the station looking north.

The Great Central Railway
2024-05-20 19:30 - 22:30 | ESX Shenfield, Shenfield Parish Hall, 60 Hutton Road, Shenfield, CM15 8LB, United Kingdom
Physical meeting at Shenfield Parish Hall
