Sheffield [SFD]

May 10 2006 Sheffield station. After waiting in one of the centre roads for over 30 mins the EWS company train consisting of DVT 82146 + coaches 10546 + 10211 +11039 was propelled north at 17:00 by 67029. Image Credit : Enid Vincent
May 10 2006 Sheffield station. After waiting in one of the centre roads for over 30 mins the EWS company train consisting of DVT 82146 + coaches 10546 + 10211 +11039 was propelled north at 17:00 by 67029. Image Credit : Enid Vincent

Formed in March 1950 the geographical area covered by the Branch includes the Hope Valley, Chesterfield, Retford, Doncaster and Barnsley.

We meet at the Farm Road Sports and Social Club; 600 yards from Sheffield Station and 300 yards from Granville Road tram stop. There is free onsite parking and disabled access. Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of the month from October to May apart from January which is a virtual meeting on the second Wednesday.

Evening meetings start at 19.00 and afternoon meetings start at 14.00. Doors open 15 mins earlier.

Donations are currently £3.00 for members and guests who are always welcome £4.00.

 

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                                                                                  Branch News

Howard Turner (4620), co-founder of RCTS Sheffield branch, died on 16 December, aged 90. His funeral was held on 15 January at Grenoside in Sheffield and was attended by more than 100 family and friends, including many local RCTS members. Howard Turner was born on 9 March 1933 and grew up in the Frecheville area of Sheffield, often being taken to Darnall station to view trains passing through as a child. After a short stint in the RAF, on returning to civilian life he went to work for Thomas Cook travel agents in Sheffield, eventually becoming branch manager. One of his jobs was looking after business clients, organising business trips for big companies. It was the perfect job combining his love of travel to many countries and of various modes of transport.

In 1950 he co-founded RCTS Sheffield branch with Derek Plumb. In 1965 he married June and a few years later she gave birth to their daughter. Howard gave many hundreds of talks to local clubs and societies on transport or Sheffield history, often enhanced with some of his own superb photos - his enthusiasm for his subject was always captivating. He was also a very skilled painter. Despite a major operation in 2021, Howard was still driving at the age of 90, and the RCTS Sheffield committee took Howard out for a superb 90th birthday lunch at a local pub of his choice in March 2023. However, after a stroke that autumn Howard’s health deteriorated and he spent a stint of several months in hospital, before being returned home where he was under the care of June and carers until his death in December.

Howard Turner poses next to newly named Grand Central 43484 “Peter Fox” at Sheffield station on 15 May 2011. Peter’s widow, Doreen, is seen to the right. Robert Pritchard

Howard Turner poses next to newly named Grand Central 43484 “Peter Fox” at Sheffield station on 15 May 2011. Peter’s widow, Doreen, is seen to the right. Robert Pritchard

Contacts

Chairman
Derek Stuckey
email: sheffieldchair@rcts.org.uk

Secretary

Jim Bryant
email: sheffieldsec@rcts.org.uk

Treasurer

Alan Hardman
email: sheffieldtreasurer@rcts.org.uk
Book Sales
Position Vacant

Fixtures Secretary

Robert Pritchard
email: sheffieldfixtures@rcts.org.uk

Web Coordinator

Phil Lockwood

 

Meeting reports

Colin Boocock – Railway photography through the decades 1947 to 1979

16 Nov 2024

MEETING REPORT 12.11.24 Colin Boocock was practically born with a camera in his hand and a sharp eye for distinctive and telling railway photographs.  From the very first image that…

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Railways in the Cornish Landscape – part 2. by Stephen Gay

12 Oct 2024

MEETING REPORT 08.10.24 The vista of the Cornish landscape and its associated railways have always been a very appealing one.  Our local guest presenter, Stephen Gay with his inimitable style…

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Sheffield Branch : Observation at Chesterfield

27 Aug 2024

The 14th August saw a number of branch members on observation at Chesterfield station for a busy high-summer session from around 11.30, with a number of interesting freight workings and…

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Andy Barclay: More slides from the Alan Lovecy collection.

21 May 2024

MEETING REPORT 14.05.24 The late Alan Lovecy had been the Sheffield branch chairman and also a senior manager at Sheffield Tinsley depot.  Upon his retirement he had retained his ‘anywhere’…

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John Day “East Anglian Railways in Transition”.

19 Apr 2024

MEETING REPORT 09.04.2024 Our April meeting was a cartographer’s dream, as far as East Anglian lines was concerned.  John Day, who was making his debut visit to the branch but…

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Keith Marshall: A day return from Settle to Carlisle with preserved steam and BR diesels

19 Apr 2024

MEETING REPORT 12.03.24 At our March meeting, local RCTS member Keith Marshall stepped in for Gavin Morrison, who had to pull out of his planned presentation owing to continuing poor…

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Sheffield Branch AGM + Robert Pritchard “Behind the Scenes”

27 Feb 2024

MEETING REPORT 13.02.24 Our February meeting commenced with the Branch AGM and a review of the past year.  Activities had followed the usual pattern with the successful addition of a…

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Out and about in the UK and Europe 2023 by Robert Pritchard

17 Jan 2024

MEETING REPORT 10.01.24 Robert Pritchard’s annual review of the calendar year just ended has become a bit of a tradition for the Sheffield branch.  Robert’s Zoom presentation ‘Out and about…

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Sheffield Branch Christmas Social

15 Dec 2023

MEETING REPORT 12.12.23 Our December afternoon meeting was very disappointing in terms of the numbers attending.  Traffic issues in the city and perhaps the intensity of Christmas shopping will have…

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Railways in a Cornish landscape part 1 by Steve Gay

17 Nov 2023

MEETING REPORT 14.11.23 Our November meeting attracted a good attendance for the presentation by the well-known local speaker – Stephen Gay.  The presentation was entitled ‘Railways in a Cornish Landscape’. …

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‘Seventy Years of Railway Photography’ by Colin Boocock

13 Oct 2023

MEETING REPORT 10.10.23 Our new season of meetings commenced with a splendid show from Colin Boocock titled ‘Seventy Years of Railway Photography’ based upon his eponymous book.  The first image…

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Observation at Chesterfield

06 Sep 2023

On Wednesday 16 August a number of RCTS Sheffield branch members gathered on Chesterfield station for a busy high-summer observation session from around 11.30, with a number of interesting freight…

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Diesels in the Peak District – Phil Lockwood & Enid Vincent

19 May 2023

MEETING REPORT 10th May 2023     For our final meeting of the season in May, we welcomed back branch stalwarts Phil Lockwood & Enid Vincent, with their presentation ‘Diesels…

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43 years on the railway – Robin Skinner

21 Apr 2023

MEETING REPORT 12th April 2023 Robin Skinner was the speaker at our April meeting: what a remarkable career he was able to describe in a talk titled ’43 years on…

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Annual General Meeting followed by More gems from the archive – Mick Brownhill

08 Apr 2023

MEETING REPORT 8th MARCH 2023 Our March meeting, in a temporary venue in a room at “Rutland Arms” on Brown Street before we settle into new premises at Farm Road…

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Rails around Sheffield and beyond – Steve Armitage

16 Feb 2023

MEETING REPORT 8th FEBRUARY 2023 Our February afternoon meeting welcomed back Steve Armitage, with an extensive set of slides entitled ‘Rails around Sheffield and beyond’.  The timing of, and the…

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Out and about post the pandemic – Robert Pritchard

13 Jan 2023

MEETING REPORT 11th JANUARY 2023 The Sheffield branch hosted its only Zoom meeting of the season on 11th January: it was a great success with an excellent presentation, ‘Out and…

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Christmas Social Evening

17 Dec 2022

MEETING REPORT 14th DECEMBER 2022 Our December meeting was planned to be the attended, traditional Christmas social.  However, the inclement weather in Sheffield and elsewhere precluded this, so we reverted…

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Let’s go round again! – Anthony Hicks

06 Dec 2022

MEETING REPORT 9th NOVEMBER 2022 Sheffield branch offered a warm welcome back to Anthony Hicks for our November meeting. Anthony made the journey down from West Yorkshire and gave us…

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10 years of rail travel in UK and Europe – Alan Yearsley

16 Oct 2022

MEETING REPORT 12th OCTOBER 2022 Alan Yearsley was our speaker for October:  he’s been a regular attendee at branch meetings but had not previously given us a presentation, so we…

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Wait and see – Andrew Barclay

24 Sep 2022

MEETING REPORT 14th SEPTEMBER 2022 Our September meeting (the first of the 2022/2023 season) was very disappointing in terms of the numbers attending.  However, this did not detract from the…

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Diverted! Swinton to Chesterfield via Rotherham, Barnsley & Sheffield

13 May 2022

MEETING REPORT 11th MAY 2022.  For our final meeting of the 2021/22 season we welcomed the return of Phil Lockwood and Enid Vincent with the fourth instalment of their epic…

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“1992” – A tour around the UK with a collection of images bringing back memories from 30 years ago

22 Apr 2022

MEETING REPORT 13th APRIL 2022 Our guest presenter for the April meeting was long-time branch supporter Keith Marshall. Keith had gamely stepped in when the planned speaker became unavailable. The…

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Sheffield Branch AGM followed by Mike Brownhill: ColourRail gems.

12 Mar 2022

MEETING REPORT  9th MARCH 2022 The March meeting combined the annual general meeting with a slide presentation. Upon completion of the usual preliminaries and reports, the existing committee were re-elected…

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The North Notts and Lincs Community Rail Partnership

09 Feb 2022

It was a special pleasure to enjoy a face-to-face meeting of the Sheffield Branch on a sunny afternoon in early (9th) February and to see again the familiar faces of…

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Out and about in the UK and Europe 2019/2021

20 Jan 2022

On 12th January 2022 the Sheffield Branch welcomed in the New Year with a “Zoom” presentation by Robert Pritchard, editor of Today’s Railways entitled “Out and about in UK and…

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CHRISTMAS SOCIAL

20 Jan 2022

On 8th December 2021 the branch held its traditional Christmas social. The evening opened with a presentation of various slides provided by the members. A topical quiz followed, which proved…

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All things Northern Trains

18 Jan 2022

  10 November 2021 Our Chairman Derek Stuckey started our meeting on 10 November with the shocking news that friend of the branch Paul Abell, who had presented our October…

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Sentinel shunters and railcars

13 Oct 2021

Presenter: Paul Abell For our second attended meeting of 2021/22 season, we were delighted to welcome Paul Abell back to Sheffield, with his presentation on Sentinel shunters and railcars. Pleasingly,…

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The Slides of Alan Lovecy

29 Sep 2021

Presenter: Andy Barclay Well, it was good to be back! The face-to-face meetings programme of the Sheffield Branch resumed on Wednesday 29th September after a break of around 18 months…

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8th June 2021 · ‘From Railways to Royalty’

08 Jun 2021

Presenter: Jack Boskett For our final Zoom meeting of the summer season, we welcomed renowned professional photographer, Jack Boskett from Tewkesbury for his talk ‘From Railways to Royalty’ with 44…

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11th May 2021 · ‘The Railways of Scotland over the last ten years (2010-2020)’

11 May 2021

Presenter: Stuart Fowler We welcomed 61 participants to our May virtual meeting to hear Stuart Fowler talking about ‘The Railways of Scotland over the last 10 years (2010-2020)’. His full-time…

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13th April 2021 · ‘I didn’t waste 2020’

13 Apr 2021

Presenter: Stuart Hicks On 13 April Stuart Hicks, Thames Valley Branch Secretary, presented ‘I Didn’t Waste 2020’ via Zoom with 44 participants. Despite the restrictions caused by Covid lockdowns etc,…

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9th March 2021 · ‘The new fleet for Merseyrail’

09 Mar 2021

Presenter: David Powell There were 54 virtual attendees for this talk by David Powell, who was involved in developing the tram systems of Nottingham, Manchester Metrolink and Edinburgh, is now…

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9th February 2021 · ‘Steam Trams – locomotives on the streets’

09 Feb 2021

Presenter: Paul Abell On 9 February we were joined by 44 Zoomers to hear Paul Abell’s presentation “Steam Trams – Locomotives on the Streets”. Paul started by explaining that the…

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12th January 2021 · ‘2020 – What a year that was’

12 Jan 2021

Presenter: Robert Pritchard On 12 January, via Zoom, we held our AGM when Derek Stuckey, who has recently retired, was able to accept the post of Chairman. Jim Bryant, former…

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8th December 2020 · ‘The Photographic Artistry of Railway Cameramen’

08 Dec 2020

Presenter: John Hillier On 8 December we held our 3rd virtual meeting when John Hillier of Rutland presented “The Photographic Artistry of Railway Cameramen” – and what a draw it…

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10th November 2020 · ‘Railways in and around Chesterfield’

10 Nov 2020

Presenter: Glynn Waite We held our second Zoom meeting on Tuesday, 10 November with David Jackman as technical support and with 33 participants. We welcomed Glynn Waite who, despite suffering…

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13th October 2020 · ‘A to Z of Great Central Locomotives’

13 Oct 2020

Presenter: Bob Gellatly Our first virtual meeting using Zoom took place on Tuesday, 13 October with 32 participants (and our cat) when Bob Gellatly, Journal Editor of the Great Central…

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9th March 2020 · ‘Memories of a Sheffield Trainspotter’

09 Mar 2020

Presenter: Ted Parker A night of nostalgia was promised when Ted Parker of Yarm visited on 9 March with his presentation ‘Memories of a Sheffield Trainspotter’. Ted, born in Sheffield…

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24th February 2020 · ‘The Dukeries Route’

24 Feb 2020

Presenter: Chris Booth We eventually had a superb presentation by professional railwayman, Chris Booth on ‘The Dukeries Route’ – LD and EC Rly, covering completed route and branches. An author…

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10th February 2020 · ‘ A Taste of Japan’

10 Feb 2020

Presenter: Gordon Davies I don’t know if it was the aftermath of Storm Ciara but the attendance was very poor for the excellent presentation ‘A Taste of Japan’ by our…

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27th January 2020 · ‘The L & Y in LMS Days’

27 Jan 2020

Presenter: Noel Coates For our first evening meeting of the year on Monday, 27th January, we welcomed back Noel Coates from Burnley with his talk – the L & Y…

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13th January 2020 · Disused Stations

13 Jan 2020

Presenter: Alan Young Many members will be familiar with the disused station website (disused-stations.org.uk) and so it was with eager anticipation that those attending our first meeting of 2020 waited…

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25th November 2019 · ‘An Eighth Colour Rail Journey’

25 Nov 2019

Presenter: Paul Chancellor Our last speaker for the autumn season was Paul Chancellor who presented his Eighth Colour-Rail journey. It had been some years since we last welcomed Paul to…

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11th November 2019 · ‘Sheffield and South Yorkshire – Past and Present’

11 Nov 2019

Presenter: Michael Eggenton On 11 November Michael Eggenton made a welcome return to the Branch with a special programme tailored for our local audience. Taking us around Sheffield and South…

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28th October 2019 · ‘The 125 Group – Preserving the HST’

28 Oct 2019

Presenter: John Zabernik At our second meeting in October we had a most interesting presentation by John Zabernik of the 125 Group. John, a nominee for the prestigious Train Driver…

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14th October 2019 · Audience Selection

14 Oct 2019

Presenter: Gavin Morrison Our meeting on 14 October opened with the sad and unexpected news that Alan Lovecy, our Branch Chairman (since 2014) and longtime Secretary had died suddenly the…

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23rd September 2019 · ‘The Peter Fox Collection – Steam, Diesel and Electric Traction through the Decades’

23 Sep 2019

Presenter: Andrew Barclay The first meeting of the 2019/20 session on Monday 23rd September was rather poorly attended by past standards. However Andrew Barclay’s presentation of 200 more slides from…

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25th April 2019 · ‘Tram Operations of SYPTE’

25 Apr 2019

Presenter: Christopher Hopkinson For the final meeting of the 2018/19 session, 20 members and guests assembled for a presentation from Christopher Hopkinson the SYPTE Tram Concession Manager on the Sheffield…

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8th April 2019 · ‘A trainspotter’s Odyssey’

08 Apr 2019

Presenter: Brian Arman – RCTS President An excellent end to the indoor meeting session. On 8th April, the branch was pleased to welcome the Society President Brian Arman who came…

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11th March 2019 · ‘Ex BR Shunting Locomotives at Home and Abroad’

11 Mar 2019

Presenter: John Wade Many thanks to Brian for making the long journey to Sheffield to provide an excellent evening’s entertainment of nostalgia covering an area not too familiar to the…

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