The Railway Correspondence & Travel Society

NEA Railway Roundabout + Branch AGM
2023-10-19 18:30 - 21:00 (Europe/London) | NEA Darlington, Darlington Cricket Club, South Terrace, Darlington, DL1 5JD, United Kingdom
19:00 start, but preceded by BRANCH AGM at 18.30 hrs
Members Only at the AGM

76077
2023-10-19 19:00 - 22:00 | CHM Cheltenham, Victory Club, Burlington House, Lypiatt Road, Cheltenham, GL50 2SY, United Kingdom
Ian presents a fascinating look at the development of the Standard class 4 2-6-0s and 76077 in particular. The engine spent almost all of its short life allocated to Sutton Oak depot and Ian explores the engine’s time there, before transferring to Springs Branch when the shed closed. Six months later in December 1967, 76077 was withdrawn along with three sisters, together being the last four members of the class to be withdrawn and moved to Barry scrapyard. The engine’s remarkable rescue and initial restoration work is covered, which was followed by 30 years of inactivity when the engine was largely forgotten. Very rapid progress is now being made in restoration of the engine, aiming for a 2026 steaming. Ian’s presentation is richly illustrated with historic pictures as well as bringing the story completely up to date.

South Western Railway Update
2023-10-19 19:15 - 21:30 | SRY Woking, Woking United Reform Church, White Rose Lane, Woking, GU22 7HA, United Kingdom
South Western Railway Update
This event will be held in person at Woking.

Currently Free
2023-10-23 14:00 - 16:30 | NHN Northampton – Weston Favell, Weston Favell Parish Hall, Booth Lane South, Northampton, NN3 3EP, United Kingdom
An opportunity for Members to put a show together of a selection from photos taken by some of past Members in the Branch’s collection

East Anglia in Transition (1980s to date)
2023-10-23 19:30 - 22:00 | MHD Cox Green, Cox Green Community Centre, Highfield Lane, Cox Green, Maidenhead, SL6 3AX, United Kingdom
John returns to the branch to present his observations of the East Anglian railway scene over the last forty years.

Irish Surprises - Colin Boocock
2023-10-24 19:30 - 21:30 | EMD Nottingham, The New Mechanics, 3 North Sherwood Street, Nottingham, NG1 4EZ, United Kingdom
Colin relates tales of his visits to Ireland

Archive and Library Open Day
2023-10-25 11:00 - 16:00, 2023-10-31 11:00 - 16:00, 2023-11-11 11:00 - 16:00 | RCTS Library, Leatherhead Station Approach, Leatherhead, KT22 7SQ, United Kingdom

The Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway
2023-10-25 19:15 - 21:30 | CHR Bassil Shippam Centre, Tozer Way, St Pancras, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 7LG, United Kingdom
Simon Bowden traces the history of the railway running through the beautiful mid Wales countryside.
NOTE THIS IS A CHANGE TO OUR PREVIOUSLY ADVERTISED MEETING, AS THE ORIGINAL SPEAKER IS NOT NOW ABLE TO COME TO CHICHESTER ON THIS DATE.

The Last Years of British Steam; and Early Ventures Seeking it Overseas
2023-10-26 19:30 - 22:00 | Virtual Meeting, Virtual Meeting, United Kingdom
In the late 1960s Colin Miell started travelling to take colour slides of steam in its last years on British Rail – including spending 15 guineas on 1T57. And when it was over in Britain, he started venturing overseas in search of more, visiting Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, and Europe (both sides of the iron curtain), and then further afield. Half a century later, he started scanning his slides, and tonight shows the fruits of his labours, including some earlier black and white images from the mid 1960s; while some ‘modern (then!) traction’ and ferries also feature. Those familiar with his photography will know we have a treat in store.
One of the Halle test locos, 18 201, stands at Berlin Lichtenberg Station, having just arrived with a regular passenger working from the north on 8th September 1969. Taken during that year’s very successful LCGB tour of the DDR, just after our arrival from Neubrandenburg. Image Credit: Colin Miell

For this virtual event, you require a ticket, via the ‘Buy Zoom Ticket’ link – there is no need to register with Zoom. RCTS members are free-of-charge, but will be invited to make a £2.50 donation at the checkout. Non-member tickets are £2.50. Or sign up for membership and a ticket at the same time, and benefit from the members’ rate!

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.

"Docker's Umbrella" The Liverpool Overhead Railway. By Keith Hick
2023-10-27 19:30 - 22:00 | LNW Preston, Fulwood Lawn Tennis Club, Watling Street Road, Preston, PR2 8DY, United Kingdom

Officers' Conference 2023
2023-10-28 10:30 - 15:30 | Danum Gallery Library and Museum, Doncaster, Waterdale, Doncaster, DN1 3BZ, United Kingdom

The Severn Valley and The Gloucester & Warwickshire Railways
2023-10-31 14:00 - 16:30 | HTC Welwyn, Digswell Village Church Hall, Welwyn, Hertfordshire, AL6 0DH, United Kingdom
A Hitchin & Welwyn Garden City presentation by Richard Morris.
The Severn Valley Railway was one of the first heritage railways to rise from the ashes of the wholesale closure of branch line railways in the 1960s and has developed into one of the country’s premier heritage railways. It was up and running 6 years or so before the line which now forms the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway was closed by BR! The current fortunes of both are really rather different – we take a look at developments of both railways and bring the story up-to-date.
Doors open 13:30.

SETTLE AND CARLISLE RAILWAY DEVPT CO
2023-11-01 19:30 - 21:30 | United Kingdom
speakers John Moorhouse and Katie Chesworth from the Settle and Carlisle Development Company will make a presentation describing the History of the Line, the setting up of the Development Company following its reprieve from closure and its ongoing work.

The Railway over the Stainmore Pass: Post War Boom & Bust on the North Trans-Pennine
2023-11-02 19:30 - 22:00 | MKY Milton Keynes, Network Rail - The Quadrant: MK, Elder Gate, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK9 1EN, United Kingdom
Chris Rowley (Network Rail Capacity Planning Director) has a particular affection for the Trans Pennine Stainmore route (Bishop Auckland – Kirby Stephen – Penrith) closed in 1962. He has written an authoritative history of the route, England’s highest main line, which is published in November. The talk will cover the history of the line and its operation, the wider financial crisis that engulfed Britain’s Railways in the late 1950s and why Stainmore became the first strategic cross country route to close in 1962. The presentation will share previously unseen images of the route and technology permitting… a short section of rare Super 8 footage of RCTS operations over Stainmore summit in 1962.

That Was The Year That Was 1964
2023-11-03 19:30 - 22:00 | BTL North Filton, St Teresa’s Church Hall, 71 Gloucester Road, North Filton, BS34 7PL, United Kingdom
Geoff Plumb makes a welcome return to the branch to share with us the scenes that he recorded in 1964.

‘The East Coast Main Line from Kings Cross to Edinburgh’ - Part 2, York to Edinburgh, by Stephen Gay
2023-11-07 19:00 - 21:30 | WFD Watford, Beechen Grove Baptist Church, Clarendon Road, Watford, WD17 1JJ, United Kingdom
STEPHEN GAY visits for the ninth time to present his new talk ‘The East Coast Main Line from Kings Cross to Edinburgh’ – Part 2, York to Edinburgh.
This is a physical event, doors open at the venue from around 18:30 for a 19:00 start, there will be a midway break for refreshments, and we aim to finish around 21:30.

SCT Locomotive & Coach liveries Part 2
2023-11-07 19:30 - 21:30 | SCT Edinburgh, Scots Guards Club, 2 Clifton Terrace,, Edinburgh, EH12 5DR, United Kingdom
Locomotive & Coach liveries Part 2
A further selection from Stuart’s archive.

Railways and the Raj [Commonwealth Heritage Forum event]
2023-11-08 18:00 - 19:30 | Virtual Meeting, Virtual Meeting, United Kingdom
Wednesday 8 November, 6pm GMT: Christian Wolmar, ‘Railways and the Raj’, chaired by Pat Green
India joined the railway age late: the first line was not completed until 1853 but, by 1929, 41,000 miles of track served the country. However, the creation of this vast network was not intended to modernise India for the sake of its people but rather was a means for the colonial power to govern the huge country under its control, serving its British economic and military interests. By building India’s railways, Britain radically changed the nation but also unwittingly created the preconditions of independence. The Indian Railways network remains one of the largest in the world, serving over 25 million passengers each day. In this expertly told history, Christian Wolmar reveals the full story of India’s railways, from its very beginnings to the present day, and examines the chequered role they have played in Indian history and the creation of today’s modern state.
Christian Wolmar is an award-winning writer and broadcaster, specialising in transport and is the author of a series of books on railway history. His talk will explore the vast Indian Railways network from its very beginnings to the present day, examining the chequered role they have played in Indian history and the creation of today’s modern state.

In Days of Plenty on the Zafra
2023-11-08 19:00 - 22:00 | SWL Radyr, Cardiff, Old Church Rooms / Hen Ysgoldy'r Eglwys, Park Road, Radyr, Cardiff, CF15 8DF, United Kingdom
Regular visitor Tony Wardrobe makes a welcome return as a presenter with a series of images of railways in Cuba.

Tolworth Showtrain
2023-11-11 10:00 - 17:30, 2023-11-12 10:00 - 16:00 | Tolworth Recreation Centre Fullers Way North, Tolworth, KT6 7LQ., Tolworth Recreation Centre, Fullers Way North, Tolworth, Surrey, KT6 7LQ., United Kingdom
Surrey Branch will be attending Tolworth Showtrain, the exhibition organised by the Hampton Court Model Railway Society.
Assistance with manning our sales stand will be appreciated.

RCTS West of England Branch Meeting Bernard Mills "Waterloo to the West Country - In the Diesel Era"
2023-11-11 19:00 - 21:30 | WEN Exeter [Mint Methodist Church], Fore Street, Exeter, EX4 3AT, United Kingdom
Our November Meeting will feature the return of an old friend of the Branch, Bernard Mills. Bernard will be entertaining us with another of his excellent talks. Based on his forthcoming book for Platform 5 Bernard will be taking us on a journey to the West using his extensive collection of images, which will give a real sense of nostalgia and how things have changed over the last 50 years! You can look forward to a plethora of interesting stories from Bernard and a selection of superb images.

A Life in Railways by Colin Fisher
2023-11-13 14:15 - 16:30 | IPS Ipswich, Greenfinch Church Hall, Greenfinch Avenue, Ipswich, IP2 0SQ, United Kingdom

Keeping the Corporate Memory Alive on GB Rail
2023-11-13 19:30 - 22:00 | Virtual Meeting, Virtual Meeting, United Kingdom
The railway has been learning from accidents and incident since its inception, but in a fluid industry – where staff retire, move on or move in from elsewhere – there is a very real concern that lessons learnt in the more recent past will be forgotten. Author, RCTS member and Operational Feedback Lead at the Rail Safety & Standards Board Greg Morse will describe the railway accidents at Clapham (1988), Ladbroke Grove (1999) and Hatfield (2000), covering their causes and the lessons learnt from them. He will also consider why these lessons remain relevant on today’s railway.
For this virtual event, you 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 join in the same transaction, and 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.

The Waverley Route - Dennis Lovett
2023-11-14 14:00 - 17:00 | EMD Nottingham, The New Mechanics, 3 North Sherwood Street, Nottingham, NG1 4EZ, United Kingdom
Starting at Edinburgh Waverley we follow the route all the way to Carlisle covering all the major stations, infrastructure and depots on both the original line and the reopened Borders Railway which currently terminates at Tweedbank.

Railways in a Cornish landscape part 1 by Steve Gay
2023-11-14 19:30 - 21:30 | SFD Sheffield Farm Road Sports & Social Club, Farm Road, Sheffield, S2 2TP, United Kingdom
In part 1 Steve will be covering the branches and main line heading west from the Gunnislake branch to the Newquay branch

A Tenth Colour-Rail Journey
2023-11-14 19:30 - 22:00 | CSL Croydon, East Croydon United Reformed Church, Addiscombe Grove, Croydon, CR0 5LP, United Kingdom
Ten photographers take us on a journey all around Great Britain, and down through the years from 1955 to the present day, covering all the regions and all forms of motive power, conducted by Paul Chancellor: Mr Colour-Rail (and Society Strategic Planning Officer). The ten photographers, some well known such Roger Siviter and John Spencer-Gilks, others not so well known, and including Emery J Gulash, an American visitor, demonstrate a wide variety of styles, having produced in their various ways excellent images of all aspects of the railway, from steam sheds to bustling stations via fantastic scenic shots of trains in the landscape, promising a splendid evening’s entertainment.
Note: Since the start of this season, we are meeting in the Primary Room at the East Croydon URC (rather than the Small Hall)

"Back Pages" by David Pearce
2023-11-14 19:30 - 22:00 | CBR Fulbourn, Cambridge, The Swifts, Haggis Gap, Fulbourn, Cambridge, CB21 5HD, United Kingdom
A personal history of David’s interest in railway photography illustrated with his own pictures over a period of 11 years from his youthful days up to the age of 21. It divides into two parts 1962 to 1968 and the end of mainline steam, followed by images taken in subsequent years 1969 to 1973.
