Sheffield [SFD]
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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Meeting reports
Geoff Plumb. That was the year that was: 1962.
MEETING REPORT 8th APRIL 2025 ‘That was the year that was – 1962’. This was the headline of our April presentation by Geoff Plumb. Geoff, is the son of one…
Read MoreRhys Jones. Steam in Scotland
MEETING REPORT 11th MARCH 2025 Our March evening meeting clashed with a football match at nearby Bramall Lane meaning a busier than usual car park, and at least towards the…
Read MoreBuilding new steam locomotives in Sheffield
MEETING REPORT 11th FEBRUARY 2025 The Sheffield branch was treated not just to one but to two presentations at our February meeting. Both were on Sheffield-based new-build projects and both…
Read MoreRobert Pritchard – Out and about in the UK & Europe 2024 : Followed by the branch AGM
MEETING REPORT 8th JANUARY 2025 The Sheffield branch is fortunate in having Robert Pritchard as its fixtures secretary. Robert is very well known in railway circles, as the editor of…
Read MoreAnthony Hicks – “Something for everyone” 1964 to 2024
MEETING REPORT 10th DECEMBER 2024 A small but very appreciative audience gathered at Farm Road on a windy but very mild evening a couple of weeks before Christmas to welcome…
Read MoreColin Boocock – Railway photography through the decades 1947 to 1979
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…
Read MoreRailways in the Cornish Landscape – part 2. by Stephen Gay
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
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…
Read MoreAndy Barclay: More slides from the Alan Lovecy collection.
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’…
Read MoreJohn Day “East Anglian Railways in Transition”.
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…
Read MoreKeith Marshall: A day return from Settle to Carlisle with preserved steam and BR diesels
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…
Read MoreSheffield Branch AGM + Robert Pritchard “Behind the Scenes”
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
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…
Read MoreSheffield Branch Christmas Social
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…
Read MoreRailways in a Cornish landscape part 1 by Steve Gay
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’. …
Read More‘Seventy Years of Railway Photography’ by Colin Boocock
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
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
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…
Read More43 years on the railway – Robin Skinner
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…
Read MoreAnnual General Meeting followed by More gems from the archive – Mick Brownhill
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
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
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
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…
Read MoreLet’s go round again! – Anthony Hicks
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…
Read More10 years of rail travel in UK and Europe – Alan Yearsley
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…
Read MoreWait and see – Andrew Barclay
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
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…
Read More“1992” – A tour around the UK with a collection of images bringing back memories from 30 years ago
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…
Read MoreSheffield Branch AGM followed by Mike Brownhill: ColourRail gems.
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
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
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…
Read MoreCHRISTMAS SOCIAL
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…
Read MoreAll things Northern Trains
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…
Read MoreSentinel shunters and railcars
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,…
Read MoreThe Slides of Alan Lovecy
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…
Read More8th June 2021 · ‘From Railways to Royalty’
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…
Read More11th May 2021 · ‘The Railways of Scotland over the last ten years (2010-2020)’
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…
Read More13th April 2021 · ‘I didn’t waste 2020’
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,…
Read More9th March 2021 · ‘The new fleet for Merseyrail’
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…
Read More9th February 2021 · ‘Steam Trams – locomotives on the streets’
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…
Read More12th January 2021 · ‘2020 – What a year that was’
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…
Read More8th December 2020 · ‘The Photographic Artistry of Railway Cameramen’
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…
Read More10th November 2020 · ‘Railways in and around Chesterfield’
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…
Read More13th October 2020 · ‘A to Z of Great Central Locomotives’
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…
Read More9th March 2020 · ‘Memories of a Sheffield Trainspotter’
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…
Read More24th February 2020 · ‘The Dukeries Route’
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…
Read More10th February 2020 · ‘ A Taste of Japan’
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…
Read More27th January 2020 · ‘The L & Y in LMS Days’
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…
Read More13th January 2020 · Disused Stations
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…
Read More25th November 2019 · ‘An Eighth Colour Rail Journey’
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…
Read More11th November 2019 · ‘Sheffield and South Yorkshire – Past and Present’
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…
Read More28th October 2019 · ‘The 125 Group – Preserving the HST’
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…
Read More14th October 2019 · Audience Selection
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…
Read More23rd September 2019 · ‘The Peter Fox Collection – Steam, Diesel and Electric Traction through the Decades’
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…
Read More25th April 2019 · ‘Tram Operations of SYPTE’
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…
Read More8th April 2019 · ‘A trainspotter’s Odyssey’
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…
Read More11th March 2019 · ‘Ex BR Shunting Locomotives at Home and Abroad’
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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