Bristol Branch

5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe on the up Bristolian at Bristol Parkway in 2010.  Image credit  Paul Udey
5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe on the up Bristolian at Bristol Parkway in 2010. Image credit Paul Udey

Welcome to the Bristol Branch page of the RCTS website.

We meet once a month from September to May, on the first Friday, at St. Teresa’s Church Hall, 71 Gloucester Road North, Filton, BS34 7PL, next to Esso Tesco.

Our meetings generally take the form of slide shows, videos or talks with lively discussion on all aspects of railway history and operational practice.

Our members' interests range from the pioneering years of the railway through to the present day, in the UK and overseas.

 

 

 

 

We have an extensive selection of new and second-hand railway books on sale at every meeting, at bargain prices.

 

Our current programme is detailed below. All are welcome to join us and to share their interest.

 

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What's on

Venues

Click the venue name to see more

Contacts

Chairman
Brian Arman

 

Secretary

Paul Udey
tel: 01225 427779
email: bristol@rcts.org.uk
18 Hensley Road, Bath, BA2 2DR

Other Events and Local News

Branch Observation Day at Swindon

On 22nd May, several members of the Bristol Branch gathered at Swindon station to enjoy each other’s company and watch the trains go by…

Meeting reports

7 March 2025, ‘LOCOMOTION and Stockton & Darlington Railway 200’ by SLS President Dr Michael Bailey MBE.

By BTL Bristol | 2025-03-18

On the 27th of September 1825 the first steam hauled railway opened. The purpose of the line was to transport coal from the West Durham coal mines to be shipped…

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7 February 2025, ‘To Scotland for Steam’, by Branch Chairman Brian Arman.

By BTL Bristol | 2025-03-18

After a short AGM Brian Arman presented part two of his talk ‘To Scotland for Steam’. The presentation started with the Highland Line in Eastern Scotland at Keith and following…

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3 January 2025 ‘Steam in Cornwall’ by SLS Librarian Gerry Nichols

By BTL Bristol | 2025-01-15

Gerry started his presentation by showing several photos of Brunel’s Royal Albert Bridge seen through the ages, the earliest showing a flotilla of Naval ships just beyond the bridge and…

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20 December Christmas Buffet and Members Evening

By BTL Bristol | 2025-01-15

There were three digital presentations prior to the buffet, and three slide presentations afterwards, finishing at about 10pm. The digital presentations were: Dale Robertson – Heritage Railway Quiz. A ‘Where…

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6 December 2024 ‘The widows Frontier Railways’ by Richard Pelham

By BTL Bristol | 2024-12-23

The presentation began with one of Rudyard Kipling’s Barrack Room Ballads with a list of wars fought on the sub-continent between 1824 and 1919. Three countries were covered however, most…

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8 November 2024 ‘That Was The Year That Was 1965’ by Geoff Plumb

By BTL Bristol | 2024-12-23

On the 8th November Geoff Plumb started his presentation with a photo of his new camera, a Voigtlander, which was used to take the photos that he showed. A great…

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4 October 2024 ‘The View From The North’ by Steve Batty

By BTL Bristol | 2024-12-23

We were treated to a ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ of trains in the Yorkshire countryside where the sky is blue, and the sun is always shining. Starting from picturesque Selby we…

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6 September 2024 ‘End of Steam on British Railways 1966-67’ by Michael Smyth.

By BTL Bristol | 2024-09-17

At our first meeting of the 2024-25 season on 6th September, we were pleased to welcome Michael Smyth of the Cambridge Branch to present The End of Steam on British…

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‘Railway Holidays in the West Country – Devon & Somerset’ with Stuart Warr.

By BTL Bristol | 2024-05-29

For our final meeting before the summer break, it was appropriate that Stuart Warr returned to present ‘Railway Holidays in the West Country’ featuring images taken in Devon & Somerset…

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‘East Coast Main Line part 2 – North from York’ presented by Stephen Gay.

By BTL Bristol | 2024-05-29

Our April meeting saw Stephen Gay return to continue his ECML journey from York to Edinburgh. The first photo was of the halfway point sign between London and Edinburgh, near…

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