Welcome to the Cambridge Branch of the RCTS. We meet once a month from September to May (inclusive), usually on the second Tuesday, at The Swifts in Fulbourn.
Our meetings generally take the form of slide shows, movies or talks with lively discussions on all aspects of railway history and operational practice.
We also have a wonderful selection of hundreds of railway books available at each meeting at bargain prices.
All are welcome to join us and to share their interest!
Cambridge Branch Travels
A selection of recent photographs and videos from Cambridge Branch members and friends:
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- At Offord, to the South of Huntingdon, the River Great Ouse runs very close to the East Coast Main Line and only a few feet lower. Battle of Britain Class 4-6-2 No. 34062 ‘Tangmere’ heads along to Down Slow and will shortly stop at Huntingdon for water on Saturday 14th February 2026 with 1Z45, 07.13 Kings Cross to York excursion. Photo: Michael Smyth.
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- Bulleid Battle of Britain Class 4-6-2 No. 34062 ‘Tangmere’ makes a spectacular departure from Huntingdon after stopping for water on Saturday 14th February 2026 with 1Z45, 07.13 Kings Cross to York excursion. Photo: Michael Smyth.
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- The ‘S’ bend at Offord is seen to good effect in this view of LNER Azuma No. 801208 on Saturday 14th February 2026, whilst working 1S14, 11.30 Kings Cross to Edinburgh. Photo: Michael Smyth.
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- A chance, high speed crossing was captured at Offord level crossing on Saturday 14th February 2026 at LNER Azuma No. 800202 heads North with 1B84, 10.47 Kings Cross to Lincoln and veteran Grand Central Class 180 No. 180105 passes Southbound with 1A61, 08.32 Sunderland to Kings Cross. Grand Central trains from Bradford and Sunderland to Kings Cross tend to have reporting numbers above 1A50, whereas LNER trains from the Leeds area to Kings Cross tend to have reporting numbers below 1A40. Photo: Michael Smyth.
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- Back-lit, high contrast black and white images can be very powerful, as is the case here with LNER Azuma No. 800201 on 1Y82, 10.27 Kings Cross to York, seen passing St. Peter’s Church, Offord D’Arcy on Saturday 14th February 2026. Photo: Michael Smyth.
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- DC Rail Freight Class 60 No. 60099 ‘Ben More Assynt’ made a very welcome sight crossing the Ouse Washes at Manea on Saturday 21st February 2026 with 6M89, 09.11 Middleton Towers to Ravenhead Junction sand train. Ravenhead Junction is in St. Helens at the former Pilkington’s glass works. Photo: Michael Smyth.
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- The heavy rains of February 2026 led to the usual annual flooding in the fens, as can be seen in the high water levels of the Ouse Washes at Manea. DB Class 66 No. 66207 crosses the Washes and the Hundred Foot River on Saturday 21st Febraury 2026 with 4M82, 07.49 Felixstowe North to East Midlands Gateway. Photo: Michael Smyth.
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- On Saturday 21st February 2026, East Midlands Class 158 No. 158889 crosses the Ouse Washes with 1L06, 08.41 Sheffield to Norwich. Photo: Michael Smyth.
What's On
Venue
CBR Fulbourn, Cambridge
Contacts
Chairman
Robert Bartlett OBE
Fixtures Secretary
Michael Smyth
Branch Secretary
Tony Field
Sales Officer
Keith Crossley
Hundreds of books for sale at each meeting and by mail order.
Please contact Keith on 01223 515296 or by the Contacts Form below for details.
Contact the RCTS Cambridge Branch:
RCTS Cambridge Branch Gallery
The RCTS Cambridge Branch Gallery aims to capture the diversity of railway operation over an area roughly corresponding to the coverage of the former 31A Cambridge Shed, which includes Cambridge, St Ives, Huntingdon, Ely, March, Wisbech, Kings Lynn, South Lynn, Hunstanton, Bury St Edmunds and Saffron Walden
To reflect the interests and travels of our members, we also show images from further afield.
Our aim is to share the fascination of railway operation with as many people as possible. Images are drawn from a wide range of sources and where known each is acknowledged.
Any comments on the gallery, including offers of images, should be sent to cambridgeweb at rcts.org.uk
Please note that all images in the gallery are the copyright of the identified author and permission for re-use must be obtained via the RCTS Cambridge Branch at the above address.
We hope you enjoy the gallery!
Cambridge Area
Further Afield
Meeting reports
12th May 2026 “Railways of Humberside and North Lincolnshire Re-visited” by Dick Crane
14th April 2026 “The Soham Disaster” by Richard Munns
10th March 2026 “That Was The Year That Was – 1972” by Geoff Plumb
10th February 2026 “A Virtual Tour of the M25” by David Cross
13th January 2026 “Bilston and Wolverhampton from Steam Days to Tramway” by Mike Page and Michael Smyth
9th December 2025 Branch AGM and Members’ Contributions
11th November 2025 “Modern Railway Signalling” by Clive Feather
14th October 2025 “Sheffield and South Yorkshire in the 80s” by Alan Jones
9th September 2025 “Deltics – Worthy Successors to the A4s?” by Michael Smyth
13th May 2025 “Roger Harrison’s East Anglian Railways” by Dave Pearce
8th April 2025 “Cambridge Area Railways Yesterday and Today (Part 4)” by David Scudamore


