CHR Bassil Shippam Centre

The talk covers the development of the Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) by the Southern Region, the link between them and the Mid Hants route (1957 to 1973), and the history of our (Watercress Line) own unit 1125 which worked some of the services on the last day of BR operation.

Leslie McAllister pays a tribute to his late friend Lance King, with a selection of Lance’s colour photography taken in the North of Ireland in the last years of steam traction. Leslie witnessed much of what is included, as a schoolboy! The 1960s saw a halving of the Province’s railway mileage, but not before Lance…

In this dreadful accident a huge articulated transporter lorry, carrying a 120-ton transformer slowly over the automatic level crossing at Hixon, was hit by a 500-ton express train travelling at about 75mph.  It was truly a dramatic case of an irresistible force meeting an immovable object. The terrific impact not only destroyed the electric locomotive,…

The history of the town from the opening of the Railway Station, Carriage Works and Locomotive Works. Following this there will be a look at the combining of the Carriage works and the Loco works in the 1960’s followed by privatisation and closure to the current operations as Arlington Fleet Services.

Colonel Stephens and the economical railway While the ‘Colonel Stephens Railways’ have gained a reputation for being somewhat esoteric, down at heel and decrepit, this caricature is perhaps a bit unfair. The Victorian entrepreneur Lt-Colonel Holman Fred Stephens (1868-1931) was a great believer in the potential of low-cost railways, and was involved in upwards of…

The talk will cover the idea of building the London & Southampton Railway and its subsequent construction with a link to Portsmouth (Gosport), the proposal and subsequent extensions from Woking through Guilford to Havant and the rival fighting with the LB&SCR from the east. It also covers subsequent extensions westwards including Castleman’s Corkscrew.

Simon Bowden traces the history of the railway running through the beautiful mid Wales countryside. NOTE THIS IS A CHANGE TO OUR PREVIOUSLY ADVERTISED MEETING, AS THE ORIGINAL SPEAKER IS NOT NOW ABLE TO COME TO CHICHESTER ON THIS DATE.

John's talk will look at railway operations across the USA from the East Coast across to Chicago, the Mid-West to the rocky mountains. North to the Canadian border and south through the Sierra Nevada's, the high desert to the Californian Tehachapi range to San Francisco and through the Cajon mountains towards Los Angeles. Featuring long…