Archive And Library Open Day
2025-02-06 11:00 - 16:00, 2025-02-12 11:00 - 16:00, 2025-02-18 11:00 - 16:00 (Europe/London) | RCTS Library, Leatherhead Station Approach, Leatherhead, KT22 7SQ, United Kingdom

Milton Keynes Branch Zoom Meeting - ‘Colourful North Bucks’
2025-02-06 19:30 - 21:00 | Virtual Meeting, Virtual Meeting, United Kingdom
Join us for our second meeting of the year on Zoom – Clive Pepper will take us on a look back over the last forty years at some of the railway traffic and operations in North Bucks. Particular emphasis will be on the wide variety of colourful liveries seen on both passenger and freight workings in the area. Register via the Zoom link below to join.

Bristol - AGM followed by 'To Scotland for Steam' by Brian Arman
2025-02-07 19:30 - 22:00 | BTL North Filton, St Teresa’s Church Hall, 71 Gloucester Road, North Filton, BS34 7PL, United Kingdom
After a short AGM Branch Chairman Brian Arman will present part two of ‘To Scotland for Steam’, featuring the HR, CR, and G&SWR lines.

The Waverley Route by Dennis Lovett, Northampton Branch Meeting
2025-02-10 14:00 - 16:30 | NHN Northampton – Weston Favell, Weston Favell Parish Hall, Booth Lane South, Northampton, NN3 3EP, United Kingdom

The Princess Royals 1933-1962 by Jim Connor.
2025-02-10 14:15 - 16:30 | Greenfinch Hall,Greenfinch Avenue Ipswich IP2 0SQ

"Recollections of RCTS branch visits in the 1960s" by Noel Machell.
2025-02-11 13:00 - 16:30 | Fulwood Lawn Tennis club Highgate Ave Preston PR2 8DY, Highgate Ave, Preston, Lancashire, PR2 8DY
Our second afternoon meeting of the season starting at 13.00.

Building new steam locomotives in Sheffield
2025-02-11 14:00 - 16:00 | SFD Sheffield Farm Road Sports & Social Club, Farm Road, Sheffield, S2 2TP, United Kingdom
In a corner of Sheffield two new steam locomotives are being built – find out all about them in this, our first in-person meeting of 2025 – which is Sheffield branch’s 75th anniversary. Chris Jones brings us up to date with the project to build a British Railways Standard “Clan” Class Steam locomotive (72010 “Hengist”) using 21st century engineering and Brian Hall from the B17 Steam Locomotive Trust provides details of the project to build 61673 “Spirit of Sandringham”.

The Last Decade at Hitchin
2025-02-11 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 Richard Allen.
In the presenter’s own words:
I will be presenting Part 2 of recent goings-on at Hitchin, covering the last 11 years or so, where I have tried to record (work commitments, Covid-19 etc permitting!) as much as possible of the happenings on the local railway scene.
Doors open 13:30 for a 14:00 start.

Visit to Nottingham Express transit depot
2025-02-11 14:00 - 17:00 | Nottingham tram depot, Wilkinson Street, Nottingham, NG77NW, United Kingdom
A visit to the tram depot at Wilkinson Street

"Trains in Saudi Arabia, Israel and Jordan" by Iain Scotchman
2025-02-11 19:30 - 22:00 | CBR Fulbourn, Cambridge, The Swifts, Haggis Gap, Fulbourn, Cambridge, CB21 5HD, United Kingdom
We are certain of a fantastic evening on Tuesday, February 11th as our guest speaker, Iain Scotchman, guides us round the railway networks of Saudi Arabia, Israel and Jordan. These networks are rarely visited by enthusiasts, but Iain has toured all three and provides a fascinating insight into their respective operations.

North from Kings Cross – Photos from the RCTS Archive
2025-02-11 19:30 - 22:00 | Virtual Meeting, Virtual Meeting, United Kingdom
A photographic review of the southern ECML, drawn from the Society’s Photographic archive by David Jackman. This features both the steam and diesel eras – while not completely forgetting the electric era – with the odd deviation along the way.

John Spencer Gilks on Tour and John Spencer Gilks' Westerns
2025-02-12 19:00 - 22:00 | SWL Radyr, Cardiff, Old Church Rooms / Hen Ysgoldy'r Eglwys, Park Road, Radyr, Cardiff, CF15 8DF, United Kingdom
Nigel Wassell will present another set of images which he has curated from John’s extensive collection.

Peterborough branch meeting February 2025
2025-02-13 19:00 - 21:30 | PBR Peterborough, St Luke’s Church, Mayor's Walk, Peterborough, PE3 6EZ, United Kingdom
This meeting is being planned and details will be confirmed soon

Members Images + AGM
2025-02-17 14:00 - 16:00 | Cheylesmore Community Centre, Poitiers Road, Coventry 5JX, Poitiers Road, Cheylesmore,, Coventry, CV3 5JX

The Monochrome Model Railway
2025-02-17 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.
Railway photographers often have their step-ladders in the boot of their car to allow them to get a few feet higher in search of the ideal image. Tonight’s presentation promises a more lofty view still. This presentation takes the form of a selection of views of the railways in East London & Essex taken from the Historic England Aerofilms collection. These show the railway from a totally different perspective. The illustrations presented here were taken between the 1920s and the 1950s and some show aspects of the lines not normally seen in photographs.
Our speaker, Nigel Bowdidge, has been interested in railways for as long as he can remember. A detailed interest in the railways of East Anglia and East London began when he discovered the maps and photographs in the Essex Records Office and Chelmsford Borough Library when in his teens. Much photography of trains and stations, both open and closed, ensued thanks to his first full-time job at Ilford Films. Forty years of commuting to the City meant he could keep an eye on developments on the railway. Now semi-retired, he finds there is enough railway information on the internet to keep the mind active!

Remembering my lines
2025-02-18 14:00 - 16:30 | TVY Didcot, Didcot Civic Hall, Britwell Road, Didcot, OX11 7JN, United Kingdom
Colin Brading gives us a very wide-ranging presentation: starting from his early railway interests and lineside haunts to the highlights of a diverse engineering career spanning fifty years, ‘Remembering My Lines’ is an illustrated medley of memories and experiences seasoned with many of the presenter’s own favourites. On this journey ‘from anorak to hi-vis’ we will see infrastructure works, trains and railway scenes of all descriptions, travelling far and wide on gauges broad and narrow.

HSD branch - A further look at Colour-rail
2025-02-18 19:30 - 22:00 | HSD Hull, The Highway, Willerby Road, Hull, HU5 5LH, United Kingdom
Paul Chancellor – “A further look at Colour-rail”

An A-Z of Swiss Railways Part 1
2025-02-19 19:30 - 22:00 | SOE Eastleigh, Junction Church (formerly Eastleigh Railway Institute), 2 Romsey Road, Eastleigh, SO50 9FE, United Kingdom

The Effect of World War II on Britain's Railways
2025-02-20 14:00 - 16:30
“Industrial and Railway historian Richard Marks explores the impact of World War Two upon Britain’s railways. Find out the important role that Britain’s four railway companies had in achieving victory in World War Two. Discover the war work that was undertaken in the railway company works across the country and the impact of Luftwaffe operations upon Britain’s railway network during the war. This talk will also look at how the legacy left by the Victorian railway builders benefitted Britain in World War Two.”

North East Branch - Steam and Diesel in the Northern Fells
2025-02-20 19:00 - 21:30 | NEA Darlington, Darlington Cricket Club, South Terrace, Darlington, DL1 5JD, United Kingdom
Ian Pilkington travels across The Pennines to bring us images of steam and diesel hard at work across the northern fells of England.

CHM Branch - Royal Funeral Trains
2025-02-20 19:00 - 22:00 | CHM Cheltenham, Victory Club, Burlington House, Lypiatt Road, Cheltenham, GL50 2SY, United Kingdom
It is famously said that when HM Queen Victoria travelled to/from Windsor by train, the driver was instructed to “proceed at no more pace than the horses would reach”. Until, that is, the occasion of her funeral when there was a bit of time pressure, so the Great Western crew got a bit of a wriggle on! Nicolas Wheatley returns with more of his research on funeral trains and will be able to confirm or deny this story.

Surrey Branch - Rail Scenes In Germany, Berlin - Brandenburg
2025-02-20 19:15 - 21:30 | SRY Woking, Woking United Reform Church, White Rose Lane, Woking, GU22 7HA, United Kingdom
Unfortunately the previously advertsed speaker, Neil Drury, is unable to attend our meeting. Steve Ollive has steped in at very short notice to give us his presrentaion on Rail Scenes In Germany, Berlin – Brandenburg.

"Swiss Railways" by Peter Mann
2025-02-20 19:30 - 21:30 | WRD Shipley, Saltaire Methodist Church, Saltaire Road, Shipley, BD18 3HJ, United Kingdom

In Edinburgh: "Modern Traction Miscellany" by Ian McInnes
2025-02-22 14:00 - 16:30 | SCT Edinburgh, Scots Guards Club, 2 Clifton Terrace,, Edinburgh, EH12 5DR, United Kingdom
This presentation will examine a variety of diesel and electric locomotives/trains from the BR blue era through to privatisation. Ian will cover a wide range of locations, mainly across England but also a few from Scotland, Wales, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and even some from California.
Note that this is a Saturday afternoon meeting.

Eurostar: Where do we go from here
2025-02-24 19:30 - 22:00 | MHD Cox Green, Cox Green Community Centre, Highfield Lane, Cox Green, Maidenhead, SL6 3AX, United Kingdom
A speed look at what 30 years of Eurostar has done for connecting the UK with Mainland Europe before embarking on a high speed journey into the future.
There will also be a small celebration to mark this milestone meeting for the branch.

China steam in the enthusiast era - Robin Gibbons
2025-02-25 14:00 - 16:30 | EMD Nottingham, The New Mechanics, 3 North Sherwood Street, Nottingham, NG1 4EZ, United Kingdom
In a change to the advertised programme Robin will present his talk
It is an augmented slide show with plenty of images but with a lot of information. It covers mainly the enthusiast era (roughly 1976 – 2012) but with a little bit of more historic information to put things in context.

Remembering my Lines
2025-02-25 14:00 - 16:30 | HTC Welwyn, Digswell Village Church Hall, Welwyn, Hertfordshire, AL6 0DH, United Kingdom
A Hitchin & Welwyn Garden City branch presentation by Colin Brading.
‘Remembering My Lines’ is a personal ‘photographic potpourri’ of many and varied railway themes. On a wide-ranging journey, Colin will share favourite scenes, places and images that span from his early years with notebooks on platforms to the present-day, reflecting a life-long passion for railways and a fifty-year career as a professional railway engineer.
Doors open 13:30 for a 14:00 start.

Railways Remembered in North East England
2025-02-26 19:15 - 22:15 | Virtual Meeting, Virtual Meeting, United Kingdom
Recently published by Crécy is Railways Remembered: North East England. This full colour volume covers the area from the Scottish Border to the Tees, and inland to the North Pennines. All facets of railway operations are covered: steam, diesel and electric; town and country; freight and passenger; BR and industry. One of the co-authors, Charles Roberts, tells how the project came to fruition, illustrating his talk with a series of images and maps, many of which didn’t quite make the cut for the finished product.
