The Railway Correspondence & Travel Society

RCTS WEN Branch Meeting : Bob Bradley : A Ray Shinn Retrospective
2024-11-16 19:00 - 21:30 (Europe/London) | WEN Exeter [Mint Methodist Church], Fore Street, Exeter, EX4 3AT, United Kingdom
***Please note the change of date to the third Saturday in November***
Many members of the branch will remember Ray Shinn, who sadly is no longer with us, and as custodian of his photo collection Bob has now digitised it and will present an evening of Rays photographic exploits. It promises to be a evening of nostalgia.

Nostalgic 16MM Cine from 1920s to 2003 - Chris Pratt
2024-11-18 14:00 - 16:00 | Cheylesmore Community Centre, Poitiers Road, Coventry 5JX, Poitiers Road, Cheylesmore,, Coventry, CV3 5JX
In 1966, the last year of the GCR in Rugby Class 5 4-6-0 No.44872 is seen crossing the ‘Birdcage’ bridge over the WCML. On the right of the picture is the Rugby Testing Station.
Our good friend Chris Pratt is returning to visit us after a long break to present an excellent selection of 16mm films. These will include :-
Leamington Spa in the 1920s / 1930s.
Great Central from Rugby to Nottingham in the 1960s.
A selection of interesting railtours in the late 1990s.
A One hour LMS film from the 1930s.
Altogether a very interesting selection.

An Indian Adventure - Part I by Simon Starr
2024-11-18 19:30 - 21:45 | MCN Bromborough, The Bromborough Suite. The Merebrook, Greenfields Avenue, Bromborough, Wirral, Merseyside, CH62 6DD, United Kingdom
Please note the change of subject and speaker

And Now for Something Completely Different - From Austria to Zimbabwe
2024-11-18 19:30 - 22:30 | ESX Shenfield, Shenfield Parish Hall, 60 Hutton Road, Shenfield, CM15 8LB, United Kingdom
Physical meeting at Shenfield Parish Hall with presentation also available on Zoom as a Hybrid Meeting
This presentation is a variety of images with a general transport but mainly railway theme. Steam, diesel and electric traction at work in Britain and abroad are included as well as some buses and trams. There are also some more unusual and interesting transport related images which could be considered “completely different”.

The Railways of Northern Ontario, Canada in the 1980's
2024-11-19 19:00 - 21:30 | TVY Didcot, Didcot Civic Hall, Britwell Road, Didcot, OX11 7JN, United Kingdom
We travel in Northern Ontario from Marstay and Sudbury to Chelmsford via Azilda, looking at
Canadian railways over the past 40 years.

HSD branch - Railways East of Wakefield incl. our area
2024-11-19 19:30 - 22:00 | HSD Hull, The Highway, Willerby Road, Hull, HU5 5LH, United Kingdom
Roger Hepworth – “Railways East of Wakefield incl. our area”

Archive & Library Open Day
2024-11-20 11:00 - 16:00, 2024-11-26 11:00 - 16:00, 2024-12-07 11:00 - 16:00 | RCTS Library, Leatherhead Station Approach, Leatherhead, KT22 7SQ, United Kingdom

Railways in the UK
2024-11-20 19:30 - 22:00 | SOE Eastleigh, Junction Church (formerly Eastleigh Railway Institute), 2 Romsey Road, Eastleigh, SO50 9FE, United Kingdom
A Video Presentation

CHM Branch - Preservation Western Style
2024-11-21 19:00 - 22:00 | CHM Cheltenham, Victory Club, Burlington House, Lypiatt Road, Cheltenham, GL50 2SY, United Kingdom
The story of the iconic Class 52 Western diesel hydraulic locomotives and the efforts of the Western Locomotive Association in keeping the legend alive. We look forward to welcoming Paul Finch and the team from the WLA for a return visit with more stories of the preservation of three of these iconic locomotives.

SRY Branch - Railway Bridge Disasters and Mishaps
2024-11-21 19:15 - 21:30 | SRY Woking, Woking United Reform Church, White Rose Lane, Woking, GU22 7HA, United Kingdom
Railway Bridge Disasters and Mishaps
By Alan Hayward.
The Dee Bridge collapse plus references to the Tay Bridge accident, plus the Lewisham train crash and the Clapham train crash.

"Saltburn to Scarborough" by Austin Hughes
2024-11-21 19:30 - 21:30 | WRD Shipley, Saltaire Methodist Church, Saltaire Road, Shipley, BD18 3HJ, United Kingdom

The Tommy Tomalin Collection - Part 2, by Brian Sullivan
2024-11-25 14:00 - 16:30 | NHN Northampton – Weston Favell, Weston Favell Parish Hall, Booth Lane South, Northampton, NN3 3EP, United Kingdom

Severn Valley Railway History and Current Operation
2024-11-25 19:30 - 22:00 | MHD Cox Green, Cox Green Community Centre, Highfield Lane, Cox Green, Maidenhead, SL6 3AX, United Kingdom
Our Society Secretary Rich visits us with a presentation looking at the history and its move from the national network to one of the country’s foremost heritage railways

Colchester in the Age of Steam
2024-11-26 14:00 - 16:30 | HTC Welwyn, Digswell Village Church Hall, Welwyn, Hertfordshire, AL6 0DH, United Kingdom
A Hitchin & Welwyn Garden City branch presentation by Dave Goodyear.
Colchester has much to interest the railway enthusiast and historian. Within its original borough boundaries it had a major junction, three stations and associated goods yards, a motive power depot and a quay tramway. Passenger traffic included large numbers of holiday trains to the Norfolk and Essex coasts, and boat trains to Parkeston Quay in addition to the regular services. Local industries and the quay at Hythe provided for significant goods traffic. In the period up to the end of steam in September 1962 the area underwent major changes, with the rapid introduction of diesel traction, the first application by BR of 25kV AC electrification and a major station rebuild with associated track layout changes.
Doors open 13:30 for a 14:00 start.

East Coast main Line part 2 - North from York - Stephen Gay
2024-11-26 14:00 - 16:30 | EMD Nottingham, The New Mechanics, 3 North Sherwood Street, Nottingham, NG1 4EZ, United Kingdom
We welcome back Stephen Gay who will present an illustrated talk about the northern part of the ECML by way of a journey from York to Edinburgh. Numerous anecdotes and poetry readings will enhance the trip which includes station shots as well as lineside, level crossings and some period shots too.

Railway Roundabout Miscellany
2024-11-27 19:15 - 21:30 | United Kingdom
Following an address to our AGM, as RCTS President, Brian takes us on a slide show mystery tour, which will surely not disappoint.

Railways before the War – that’s the Great War! (Part 1)
2024-11-28 19:30 - 22:00 | Virtual Meeting, Virtual Meeting, United Kingdom
A presentation of Black and White images, drawn from the Ken Nunn collection and scanned from glass plates, illustrating railways in Britain before the Great War. Tonight’s is the first of three parts, starting with a few images from before the Great Boer War (as it was known at the time), and then featuring Eastern England, Scotland and Ireland. The Ken Nunn collection was acquired by the LCGB after Ken’s death, and although it has now been transferred to the NRM, ‘showing rights’ to the scanned images were retained, and Jeremy Harrison is making this presentation wearing his LCGB hat.
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.

Branch AGM followed by "Six states three gauges my Australian rail travels Summer 2022/2023 by Russell Moorhouse.
2024-11-29 19:30 - 22:00 | Fulwood Lawn Tennis club Highgate Ave Preston PR2 8DY, Highgate Ave, Preston, Lancashire, PR2 8DY

WFD Branch - ‘Members’ Presentations’, plus Lizzie’s Mince Pies and Sausage Rolls! 3rd December 2024
2024-12-03 19:00 - 21:30 | WFD Watford, Beechen Grove Baptist Church, Clarendon Road, Watford, WD17 1JJ, United Kingdom
Another chance for Watford Branch members to show off your prowess with a camera (but don’t worry about the quality, feel the width!) – stills or videos, film or digital *. Please bring along some 35mm slides or image files on a memory stick or DVD disc and we’ll endeavour to treat everyone to your photographic efforts – any railway related subjects welcome! Branch members will be given priority, visitors are welcome to bring material as well. Festive refreshments will be available at the half-time break.
Please note this is a physical meeting, doors open from 18:30 for 19:00 commencement of proceedings.
* Unfortunately we are not able to present ciné film.

Merseyside Area Connections in the 1970s by Brian Roberts
2024-12-04 13:30 - 15:45 | MCN Liverpool, Haig House Social Club, Woolton Road, Garston, Liverpool, L19 5NQ, United Kingdom

AGM and years of steam in the NW
2024-12-04 19:30 - 21:30
this session will cover the last years of steam in the nw given by david fowler and promises to be another excellent event

Milton Keynes Branch AGM followed by members presentations
2024-12-05 19:30 - 21:30 | MKY Milton Keynes, Network Rail - The Quadrant: MK, Elder Gate, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK9 1EN, United Kingdom
Milton Keynes Branch AGM followed by members presentations.

'The Widow's Frontier Railways' by Richard Pelham.
2024-12-06 19:30 - 22:00 | BTL North Filton, St Teresa’s Church Hall, 71 Gloucester Road, North Filton, BS34 7PL, United Kingdom
Travel to British India with Richard Pelham to learn about ‘The Widow’s Frontier Railways’.

AGM followed by Southern Steam in the 1960s by Graham Ford.
2024-12-09 14:15 - 16:30 | Greenfinch Hall,Greenfinch Avenue Ipswich IP2 0SQ

Testing and Commissioning the IC225s
2024-12-09 19:30 - 22:00 | Virtual Meeting, Virtual Meeting, United Kingdom
Dave Coxon started work for British Railways at the Loco Works in Derby in 1964. During his long career Dave has worked for the LM CM&EE, the DM&EE and R&DD, for Serco and latterly for Bombardier in Derby. Dave was part of the Commissioning Section at the RTC Derby who were involved with testing and commissioning the IC225s in 1988-89.
Dave’s talk will cover the delivery of the first 10 locomotives and their testing and mileage gathering. It also covers the trials and tribulations of the late delivery of the Mk4 coaches and DVTs and the need to enter service on the promised date with Mk3 rolling stock and surrogate DVTs. His talk also describes the extensive testing of the Mk4 coach bogies and the transit of a locomotive to Hamburg for an exhibition in June 1988.

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.

Visit to Stafford
2024-12-10

HSD branch - Dan Longbottom-“The highlights so far, and more”
2024-12-10 13:30 - 16:00
Dan Longbottom -“The highlights so far, and more”

Anthony Hicks – “Something for everyone” 1964 to 2024
2024-12-10 19:00 - 21:00 | SFD Sheffield Farm Road Sports & Social Club, Farm Road, Sheffield, S2 2TP, United Kingdom
