CHM Cheltenham branch

tonight we welcome Colin Hall to report on progress with the LMS Patriot Project, the scheme to re-create a locomotive from a class which did not survive into preservation. 5551 The Unknown Warrior is the chosen number and name of the new build loco.  

This is our Branch Annual General Meeting - to receive reports on activities and finances from the past year. Following the, hopefully brief, business meeting we will see images of what our members have been up to in the past year or so.

We are looking forward to the weather playing nicely for Malcolm Garner to come with a digital presentation on his time chasing steam around the Southern Region in the 1960s. Malcolm was due to come in December last year, but heavy snow put that plan in the bin!

Ian presents a fascinating look at the development of the Standard class 4 2-6-0s and 76077 in particular.  The engine spent almost all of its short life allocated to Sutton Oak depot and Ian explores the engine’s time there, before transferring to Springs Branch when the shed closed.  Six months later in December 1967, 76077…

There's more to the system than bullet-trains and cramming commuters onto suburban trains. Old bogie tramcars running on the streets of many cities, tilting and double-deck trains on the 3ft 6ins, childish trains, ugly trains, pay-as-you-leave single-unit diesel railcars, even scheduled steam operation. All will be revealed. And of course legendary cleanliness, punctuality, and politeness.

How many of us have rare or interesting photographs and excerpts stored in a biscuit tin for later reminiscences? Mike Dodd has unearthed some real gems and presents a show of what he has discovered.

We will conduct our Branch Annual Business Meeting, receive reports from the Committee and elect officers to serve for the 2024/5 period. We will endeavour to keep this bit of the meeting short! - because: - Following this John Dagley-Morris will present Cheltenham St. James to Broadway. This will be a journey along the line…