On 29th April in the last meeting of the 2024-25 session, Richard Binding gave an entertaining evening talk about the route and branch lines of the GWR between Penzance and Padstow.…

The talk was billed as Funicular Railways but in reality covered a variety of cable railways, including inclined planes both in industry and on early railways such as the Stockton…

On 25th March our booked speaker cried off so our Secretary Dave Coxon presented one of his talks. The talk encompasses the early days of Nationalisation and looks of the…

On 11th March we welcomed Geoff Plumb and his delightfully reminiscent presentation based upon his own experience and photographs taken in that particular year. He was rather young in 1962…

Unfortunately our booked speaker Brian Arman was taken ill and unable to attend but our chairman Robin Gibbons stepped in to give a detailed and enlightening talk about Chinese steam,…

On 28th January Roger Cragg talked to us about the Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway. The talk was concentrated on the line’s history, its closure and re-birth and the gradual…

On 26th November we welcomed back Stephen Gay with the second part of his journey on the East Coast Main Line – this time from York to Edinburgh. Numerous anecdotes…

On 12th November Ian Mitchell presented a short but very interesting talk about the site which became know as Sheet Stores. It started off life as a coke interchange from…

On 22nd October Phil Lyndsey related the tale of his interesting career in private industry, which included starting out with Brush “on the mechanical side of electronics” for locomotives, which…

On 8th October Grant Cullen spoke to us about the role of Britain’s railways in the Great War, which promised to be rather good. The speaker had approached us some…

On 10th September, in the first meeting of the new session, Colin Brading talked to us about the Liverpool Overhead Railway known as the Dockers’ Umbrella, Colin’s talk was fascinating and comprehensive…

On 23rd April, for the final meeting of the 2023-24 session, David Hanger presented his talk ’20 years of high-speed railways in UK’ to the Branch. David’s talk discussed BR’s…

On 9th April Richard Walsh from the Deltic Preservation Society presented his talk which was divided into three parts The reason why the Deltics came into being; when/how they were…

On 26th March Bob Gellatly presented his talk ‘An A to Z of Great Central locomotives’ The presentation began by looking at the designs of Charles Sacré, Thomas Parker, and Harry…

On 12th March Tom Ingall gave us the remarkable story of San Francisco’s cable cars – 150 years of ‘climbing to the stars’. His talk comprised a look at the…

On 27th February Dave Saunders presented his comprehensive talk about the development of electric traction systems on the world’s railways In a fascinating talk Dave began with examining the benefits…

On 13th February Professor Felix Schmid talked to us about the adhesion between wheel and rail (i.e.friction) and the history of early railways where even the famous Isambard Kingdom Brunel…

On 23rd January Chris Youett was due to present his talk ‘All aboard the Master Cutler’ but unfortunately due to technical issues he was unable to do so In lieu…

On 9th January Kurt presented a fascinating talk about the trams which ran between Nottingham and Ripley between 1913 and 1933 which were known as the Rattlers. Kurt traced the route taken…

On 28th November we welcomed back Robin Mathams from the Sutton Coldfield Railway Society who shared the Moseley photographic collection from of one of their former members. This was a real…

On 14th November at our first afternoon meeting of the session, Dennis Lovett described in detail the route from Edinburgh to Carlisle known universally as ‘The Waverley Route’ which was closed…

Colin presented a talk based on his various visits to both Southern and Northern Ireland from 1956 to the present day In an excellent presentation Colin explained how the railways…

On 10th October we held our first afternoon meeting when John introduced the Project to build a new Patriot class locomotive to be known as The Unknown Warrior’. The reason…

The presentation was part of a project by the Robin Hood Line Community Rail Partnership to celebrate the Midland Railway between Mansfield and Worksop. The talk took a brief look…

Graham kicked off the 2023-24 session with a presentation on Statfold Barn, the attraction near Tamworth, which is now a popular venue for a variety of interests, with an active…

On 14th April Lee Davies presented ’Three decades of changes on the Footplate’. This was a review of his career to date working for the railway in the UK. Starting off…

On 28th March Tom Ingall presented a fascinating talk about the development of the signalling on the GCR over the last 50 years. He explained in animated diagrams the fundamentals…

On 14th March Mike McLoughlin talked to us about derailment investigation starting with the BR Research Division who set up a derailment Investigation team in 1967 when derailments were mounting due…

On 28th February Robin Mathams & Dave Barrett gave a very well researched and detailed talk about the origins of the railway between Rugby and Stafford known as the Trent Valley…

On 14th February Paul Blurton gave a comprehensive talk about the Leek & Manifold Light Railway which recounted the history of the line from its opening in 1904 to its eventual…

On 24th January Stephen Flinders gave a very entertaining talk entitled ‘The first in Derbyshire – the Ilkeston Tramway 1903-1931 System’ The presentation follows the development of the tramways around parts of the world…

On 22nd November Brendan Rice presented a very interesting and thoroughly absorbing talk about Network Rail’s New Measurement Train and the other vehicles in the Infrastructure Monitoring fleet at the RTC.…

On 8th November Frank Bagshaw gave a very interesting talk about the history and development of the Crich Tramway Museum in Derbyshire, which included a detailed history of a large…

On October 25th Colin Boocock talked to us about some of the more controversial aspects of Bulleid’s activities. For example, why did OVB not pursue the ideal of a 2-8-2…

On 13th October David Shirres presented an interesting talk about the history of the numerous railway companies in the Cyde area and their close ties to the Clyde steamers

On 27th September Bob Bramson gave a wide ranging and detailed study of the GNR Atlantic locomotives introduced by the Great Northern Railway The lecture reviewed the events that led to…

For our first meeting of the 2022-23 season on 13 September, Tony Ellershaw, chairman of the Ivatt Diesel Re-creation Society gave us a summary of the original locomotives and their…

On April 26th Hayden Reed presented a talk about the GNR in Nottingham in particular the route between Basford and Colwick. A very interesting and well researched comprehensive talk covered…

On 12th April Robert Mee gave an interesting review of George Bradshaw’s career and his development of the famous guide consisting of early railway timetables. This was followed by an illustrated…

On 22nd March Stephen Gay presented an illustrated talk about the lower part of the ECML by way of a journey from Kings Cross to York. Numerous anecdotes and poetry readings…

On 8th March Paul Long presented a very interesting and informative talk about the various vehicles which are used and operated by NR. From the New Measurement Train HST to…

On 22nd February the Rev Peter Barham gave an excellent talk about the history of carrying the mails by train. But most interesting, and I imagine a subject unknown to most…

On 8th February David Shirres gave an excellent talk about the practicalities of using hydrogen as a fuel for rail vehicles. The idea that hydrogen is the answer to everything was…

Geoff Griffiths was the Royal Train Manager for seven years. On 25th January he gave us an insight into the planning and running of the Royal Train and included many…

On 11th January 2022 Peter Ellis gave a very comprehensive and detailed talk about NR’s two test tracks. Peter explained the background to the establishment of the two Railway Innovation…

On 14th December Michael Bunn delivered a very well researched talk via Zoom, relating the construction of the various railways within Paris including with the peripheral railways (inner and outer). He…

At the live meeting on 23rd November, Trevor Griffin described the many industrial plate ways and gang ways which were built in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire before 1825 and their visible…

On 9th November Geoff Warren gave an interesting talk via Zoom about the little known railways and locomotives in the far reaches of India in the 1980s Geoff’s photography was…