Rails around Sheffield and beyond – Steve Armitage

MEETING REPORT 8^th 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 meeting topic, attracted a very good audience.  Steve started with some personal anecdotes of how his interest in railways started and developed.  Interestingly in his early years in Yorkshire, his local bishop was Eric Treacy!  Various sources had been tapped into for the presentation, including the photos taken by Howard Turner (who was in the audience).  There was an absolute feast of steam in the Sheffield area.  The locations naturally included Sheffield Victoria & Sheffield Midland and their environs.  Many shots were of GCR cl. 8K (LNER O4) 2-8-0’s on various freight duties.  Other GCR locos included LNER D11 4-4-0 ‘Improved Directors’ and LNER J6 0-6-0 ‘Pom Poms’.  Of particular interest were shots of Fowler/MR 1F 0-6-0T’s at Staveley Ironworks, a Fowler/Beyer-Garratt 2-6-6-2T at Chesterfield and a S&DJ Sentinel 0-4-0T at Derby works.  The Midland/LMS was not altogether forgotten with ‘Black 5’s’, Royal Scots and ‘Jubilees’ prominently featured.  Official LNER photos included a 1934 dated, works shot of cl. P2 2-8-2 ‘Cock of the North’.  However, a few of the slides included non-steam locomotives, electric classes LNER/BR EM1 & EM2, diesel/electric classes 28, 31, 40 & 47, the early Ivatt/LMS Co-Co 10001 and the experimental ‘Fell’ 2-D-2 10100, both at Derby works.  A presentation of the highest quality, greatly enjoyed by an appreciative audience.