“Looking Back”

Presenter: Bill Jagger

Due to unforeseen circumstances the programmed speaker for the meeting in May was unable to attend and Branch Chairman Bill Jagger stepped in to present the second part of his “Looking Back” series of photographs, that took the audience back through the annals of his many railway travels.  Pictures taken on local territory illustrated action on the Worth Valley Railway alongside modern day scenes of the newly opened station at Kirk Sandall, plus action along the Eastern coast of Yorkshire at the rarely seen photographic locations of Bridlington and Goole.  Interest from North Eastern territory centred around the Tyne and Wear Metro, the museums at Beamish, Bowes and the South Tynedale Railway.  Visitations to the South and West were to focus on the preserved GWR locomotives and artefacts at both Swindon and Didcot.  More from the South West was to be seen in the shape of the canal at Torrington plus the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway combined with scenes of local railway interest around Lynmouth, Wadebridge and Minehead, - not forgetting the funicular railway.  Modern day Sothern EMU activity was to be seen around Lewes, Tonbridge and Gatwick alongside steam traction on the Bluebell Railway.  Closure of the U.K. sections brought in depth detailed photographs telling of all that was to be seen around the Isle of Man.

In expanding the scope of the presentation, a visit to the USA featured images from Colorado and Wyoming which, in the main, focussed on Cheyenne where the steam depot maintains the huge Union Pacific Big Boy and Challenger locomotives.  Lineside action concentrated on the vast quantity of coal trains that travel over the Powder River lines of Wyoming.  European interest centred around the German Schwebebahn overhead monorail system operating around the city of Wuppertal to be then followed by a visit to the museum at Mulhouse in France where the motive power exhibits, via ingenious lighting, were superbly displayed.

This wide ranging and most interesting presentation was greatly appreciated by the attending members.