The John Bearpark Collection

Presenter: Vic Drake

Encouraging consistent numbers continue to attend indoor Branch meetings as once again nearly thirty members and friends met for the November gathering. This was a presentation by branch member Vic Drake who put on show photographs taken by Reverend John Bearpark, who was an active railway photographer from 1946 almost to the end of steam in 1967. As a Yorkshireman and minister from the West Riding plentiful numbers of photographs were taken locally at locations such as Guiseley, Ilkley, Bradford, Bingley plus Manningham shed. All were shown in chronological order and the ever-changing scene was clearly apparent. Naturally, as was to be expected, the majority of motive power on show were derivatives from the Midland and LMS Railways.

Journeying eastward from Yorkshire the Reverend’s pictures told of action at York, Doncaster, Whitby, Sheffield and across Lincolnshire. The breadth of coverage was further enhanced as travels to southern and western territories showed activities in such places as Crewe, Swindon and Oxford.

The closing sequences, all taken in 1967, focussed on detailed images centred around the principal Yorkshire cities of Leeds and Bradford where some of the material recorded the introduction of diesels into the region in the guise of Deltics, Peaks and TransPennine DMU’s.

The entirety of this greatly enjoyed presentation comprised of pictures taken in black and white but which were, however, superbly displayed in sepia fittingly enhancing the atmospheric nature from latter day scenes of steam.