Furness, Lakes & Lune [FLL]
The Furness Lakes and Lune Branch draws it members from all parts of Cumbria, North Lancashire and even the Isle of Man. Its home is the renowned railway town of Carnforth and meetings take place on the 1st Wednesday of each month between October and May at the Royal Station Hotel which is conveniently located close to Carnforth Railway Station. Attendances over recent years have varied between 25 and 40 but diminished somewhat after the necessary suspension for Covid. However, having resumed in January 2022, they do appear to be on the rise once again.
The meetings enjoy an active and interesting programme to inform and entertain our members about the past, present and future railway scene, locally, nationally and beyond, ranging from North-West based photographers featuring Local and Regional Lines, Heritage Rail lines, New and Restoration Locomotive builders, Continental railways, historic subjects and other regional transport systems. Indeed, the largest attendance in recent years was for a presentation by the Blackpool Tram Company.
The Branch has traditionally organised a summer outing, most recently to the Stainmore railway at Kirkby Stephen with visits to the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway and the Threlkeld Quarry and Mining railway near Keswick.
For historic reasons, the Branch is run by a small voluntary Committee, and unconventionally, does not have a chairman, preferring to share tasks between members.
Visitors are always welcome to meetings, particularly if they are holidaying in the nearby Lake District.
What's on
Venues
Click the venue name to see more
Contacts
tel: 01524 34840
email: furnesslakesandlune@rcts.org.uk
49 Sefton Drive, Lancaster, LA1 2QD
Chairman
Minutes Secretary and R.O. (and local media) reporter
Treasurer
Assistant Treasurer and Committee Member
Newsletter Editor
Publicity Officer
Outdoor Events Organiser
Meeting reports
On the Right Track
On the Right Track – A Life in Track Renewals Wednesday 6th May 2026 We were entertained by Sean Devaney, a lifelong railwayman who worked with British Rail between 1974…
Steam and diesels in the Northern fells since 2017
The branch welcomed the return of Ian Pilkington who spoke about “Steam & Diesels in the Northern Fells since 2017”. A superb shot of the Sellafield nuclear flask train at…
HIghlights of German Railways
A good-sized audience was entertained by a set of 3 videos from Colin Kennngton’s 2025 trip to various railways in Germany. The 1st video covered railways in Prague including the…
G5 the story of an NER 0 4 4 tank
Wednesday 5th Nov 2025 Our meeting welcomed one of our members Roger Womersley to talk about the class G5 loco which G5 Locomotive Company are designing and constructing from complete…
The glorious railways of India part 2
This followed on from John’s previous presentation which had covered four of the nine administrations into which the railway of India is divided, these having been the Western, Central, Northern,…
Merseyrail
Martyn Hilbert joined us at Carnforth to deliver a presentation on 50 years of Merseyrail that celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2021. Prior to this there had always been a…
Kent’s Bank – a Hidden Gem
Good to see increased numbers again to welcome Dr. Paul Salveson to present Kents Bank a Hidden Gem. He outlined his railway background, Horwich works, management positions in Northern, Arriva…
The glorious railways of India
On a freezing cold night which affected the attendance we welcomed John Sloane to cover Indian railways. He initially outlined the nine Railways into which the system was divided to…
AGM MINUTES
Secretary Report Alan presented the Secretary’s report for the year and highlighted the subjects of the monthly meetings held. The overhang from covid is still being felt with people’s…
Last years of steam in the North West
The December meeting of the Branch featured the AGM and was followed by a presentation from David Fowler of Blackburn who took the small audience through a series of superb…
Flying Scotsman in USA and beyond
After a poor 1st meeting attendance, it was encouraging to have a much larger audience to see Richard Hinchliffe giving a session on “Flying Scotsman in America and beyond” in…
Trains and travel in Thailand
The 1st meeting of the 2024/5 season took place at Carnforth on 2nd October when David Bousfield presented a slide show on the Railway system in Thailand following recent visits…
35mm Gricing, Home & Abroad 1964 – 1972 by Mike Robinson
Wednesday 1st May 2024 At the final meeting of the current season, Mike Robinson, Managing Editor of the Railway Observer entertained the audience with a presentation titled “35mm Gricing, Home…
LMS Patriot Project
A keen audience gathered to witness Janet Elson give us a presentation on the LMS Patriot Project of which she is a trustee and director. Its principal aim is to…
An accidental but joyous career on the railways
Our February 2024 meeting brought Eddie Pollock to our branch with a small but select audience to talk about his long illustrious career on the railways. From Carlisle, he was…
Isle of man and irish peat bog railways
At the 1st meeting of 2024 on 3rd January the small audience enjoyed 2 video presentations by Colin Kennington. A visit to the Isle of Man began with the boat…
2023 AGM
Welcome Alan Sattenstall welcomed members to the meeting Apologies for Absence None reported Acting Chairman/Secretary Report Alan presented the Secretary’s report for the year and…
Members presentations dec 2023
Wednesday 6th December 2023 Following the AGM a Members evening was held featuring a picture Quiz kindly compiled by Will Gibson for the Stephen Machell Trophy. The subjects were mainly…
Video miscellany Germany and the Baltic
As our scheduled speaker could not travel due to the rail strike Colin Kellington kindly provided us with our program for the evening. Our first session covered railways in 1988…
Kirkby stephen trip
Stainmore railway trip Following Mike Thompson’s outstanding presentation on this railway in May 2023, we were offered the opportunity to make a trip to visit them to see their latest…