Meeting Reports

Wednesday 26th May 2010
Investigation of Railway Accidents
a personal account by Nick Solti

For the May Meeting, Nick Solti, from Network Rail H.Q. (Safety & Compliance) spoke about Accident Investigation. Nick is a leader in such investigations. Network Rail undertakes its own investigation and reports upon incidents, from the most minor breach of regulations to serious problems, involving damage and, indeed, human cost. [The R.A.I.B., with offices in Derby and Woking, is the U.K. independent investigative operation, founded in 2003.] Misunderstanding in the interpretation of regulations can result in major mishaps. In subsequent investigation, it is important to establish the trail of events leading up to an incident, embracing communication and interpretation. Memories can be at variance with evidence so, when personnel are questioned, the very greatest care has to be taken to establish a rapport that achieves optimum results. Reports, for what may appear to be relatively minor incidents, can take many months to prepare, invariably more than a year in the case of the R.A.I.B. At scenes of incidents, the time taken to restore services is a function of who gets to the scene first. B.T. Police are understanding, their methods an object lesson for local constabularies, where inconvenience to the travelling public does not rank as a high priority.

Wednesday 21st April 2010
A further presentation of historical photography
Brian Stephenson

For the April meeting, Brian Stephenson returned to enthral a packed attendance with his precious archive material. Brian had visited the branch in October 2008, when, regrettably, the PowerPoint equipment had, to our dismay, been inaccessible. Thankfully, all was well this time and Brian screened a veritable galaxy of wonderful images from the cameras of C.R.L.Coles, H.Gordon Tidey, F.R.Hebron, Kenneth Field, G.R.Griggs, O.J.Morris, T.G.Hepburn, David Hepburne-Scott and W.J.Verden Anderson, plus some images from unidentified photographers. That so much railway history and photographic artistry is now available to us as a result of modern electronic wizardry is due to the perseverance and dedication of archivists such as Brian. Our appreciation for his work in this field, quite apart from that for the original photographers themselves, must be placed on the record; it has rightly earned Brian a reputation of great distinction. He concluded the presentation with a spectacular selection taken from his own no less distinguished portfolio, images taking us from 1959 to 2010. His digital records of events since the opening of HS1, to include brilliant snow scenes from the recent winter, were typically vibrant in quality. Brian Stephenson guarantees a great show and this was, most certainly, no exception.

Wednesday 24th March 2010
An evening with Chris Green

For the March meeting, Chris Green came to speak, his subject ‘Beeching to Adonis’. The presentation, PowerPoint assisted, was immaculate in construction and followed Chris’s career in the railway industry from the mid-1960s to the present. Essentially, his message was one of renaissance, following the nadir in 1980, when passenger numbers reached rock bottom. It was a credit of all concerned when, during the 1970s, the HST prototype evolved into perhaps the most successful and celebrated legacy of uncertain times, while other ideas progressed no further than experiments. Money was tight, with the Treasury and the Department of Transport focusing upon motorway expansion. ScotRail permitted Chris to stake out an independent course and, in the process, he put railways back in the public mind. The title, the livery, station improvements, staff loyalty and self-belief combined to make ScotRail an operation with which people were proud to be identified. Sectorization proceeded apace, with similar techniques applied to the freight market and to two other famous names, Network SouthEast and Inter City. Chris masterminded the former from its inception in 1986, an operation that redefined the very meaning of passenger service. From 1992, with Inter City, Chris’s positive approach to railway operation engendered a level of success that could not have been anticipated 15 years earlier. Railways were back on the map. Privatisation then arrived, threatening to dismantle a highly successful sectorized system. Yet, following a difficult transition and teething troubles, Privatisation has seen railway operation go from strength to strength. Railtrack’s tenure was a damaging episode but its successor, Network Rail, has since established a standard of excellence. Chris became associated with Richard Branson and Virgin, guiding the company through the transition to today’s Voyager and Pendolino operations. Most recently, Chris has been associated with the assessment of stations, by invitation from Lord Adonis. His enthusiasm for railways remains undiminished and he is, without question, the railway’s finest ambassador. After the interval, Chris engaged willingly with the audience in a particularly lively question and answer session, enhancing the occasion to everyone's delight. The branch was indeed both delighted and honoured to receive Chris as its guest.

Wednesday 24th February 2010
Bank Manager to Train Driver
Alan Nichols

For the February meeting, we were delighted to welcome Alan Nichols, who took ‘Bank Manger to Train Driver’ as his subject. Alan provided a brief career background before launching into a magnificent extempore account upon the matter of driving electric trains with SWT, based at Woking. The course of training, taking about 16 months, was one of quite bewildering intensity, placing great demands upon trainees to learn and understand the complexities of operation. Alan placed the greatest stress upon communication within the system, without which no other essential requirement for the job could possibly be fulfilled. Safety procedures, technical understanding, route knowledge and emergency action combine to demand a level of responsibility and awareness of which everyday passengers will surely be completely, if blissfully, ignorant. Alan managed, with consummate ease and a generous sense of humour, to leave us in absolutely no doubt that he thoroughly enjoys the job. His description fell largely into three categories, information, experience and entertainment. The information he provided, both technical and operational, was exceptional in its depth, while his experience – since 2002 – brought great authority to the occasion. Alan’s entertaining anecdotes completed an excellent evening, impeccably presented and thoroughly rewarding for all concerned at the well-attended meeting. We are in safe hands.

Wednesday 27th January 2010
Southern Operation
Chris Burchell, Managing Director, Southern

Chris Burchell, managing director of Southern visited the branch in January. Chris’s reputation and that of Southern went before him; it thus came as little surprise that he had his audience very much on side from the outset. PowerPoint assisted, Chris spoke for an hour, in which time he engaged his audience intimately in the daily operation of 2,200 trains, involving roughly 4,000 staff. Sensitivity to disruption is paramount in Chris’s philosophy, with the need to keep passengers well informed. With this in mind, a small team is permanently on hand to liaise with Network Rail etc. to ensure coordination of information and swift communication to the travelling public. South London proposals, with 10-coach trains and platform lengthening, are now well in hand. The acquisition of refurbished Class 313 units for short distance Coastway work, together with remaining Class 442 units for main line work, will release Class 377 units for suburban use. Many other issues were raised in the animated discussion that followed, including Uckfield-Lewes, on-train announcements, stations, ticketing and electrification of gaps. Chris was generous with his time, his expertise and enthusiasm in presenting Southern impeccable. There can be no doubt why Southern is a successful operation: Chris is an inspirational railway manager, who leads from the top. A splendid evening.

Wednesday 16th December 2009
25 Years of Railway Photography in East Anglia
John Day, former Society Secretary

The brief formality of an AGM. preceded the evening's event. With no other nominations, the existing committee continues in office. A short summary of events and finances was presented, with special mention of David Pick, whose tireless efforts in 2007 ensured the launch of the branch.

The speaker, John Day, former secretary to the Society, had come from Ipswich to deliver a most engrossing presentation on the past quarter of a century of railway operation in Suffolk and Norfolk. Considerable care was been taken to explain movements in and around Ipswich and Felixstowe, before turning to a general spread of scenes throughout the entire area, embracing locations from Ely in the west to the East Suffolk line and Great Yarmouth. The coverage of locomotive classes seen in the area was comprehensive, while chosen locations demonstrated the character of the area to the very best effect. From the last sightings of Class 25 through to the most recent appearances of Class 70, the presentation guaranteed audience satisfaction. The quality of material on show was consistently excellent, with sunshine seemingly ever present to ensure a scintillating display. A short, yet memorable, interlude of recent steam specials was included in the evening's programme.

Wednesday 25th November 2009
Railway Earthworks
Graham Birch, Network Rail Earthworks Engineer, Kent, Sussex & Wessex

In November, Graham Birch, Earthwork Engineer for Network Rail Southern Areas, delivered a profoundly fascinating account - PowerPoint assisted. Graham, a geologist by training, described the problems associated with embankments and cuttings, artificial features that serve the needs of railways. He outlined in graphic detail, with geological sections on screen, the complicated nature of the terrain in the southeast, based upon the Weald anticline. Specific features, such as the Brighton main line, were described in great detail, with close-up photographs of problem points travellers just take for granted. The enormous depth of Hooley cuttings near Merstham, with severe angles of slope, present, to this day, a major engineering problem. Further south, the cutting at Copyhold Junction was used to demonstrate the destructive effect of trees, where root structures destabilize, on occasions bringing down materials as well as the trees themselves. Problems associated with seasonal variations were illustrated with meteorological statistics, moisture content varying dramatically between saturation and desiccation. Planned earthworks require a four-year lead, the logistics impressive. Graham’s relaxed style presented an academic subject in an entirely accessible format - splendid. There followed a useful discussion, bringing to a conclusion a thoroughly rewarding and highly enjoyable evening.

Wednesday 28th October 2009
The Peak District
Les Nixon

Les Nixon visited Chichester in October. His reputation going before him, Les’s presentation scarcely requires review. ‘The Peak District’ was his subject, inviting Les to take us into the very soul of his interest; indeed, it was an intensely personal journey of exploration, his knowledge enriching the occasion generously. Though St. Pancras and Manchester Central featured very briefly, the area covered was loosely bounded by Sheffield, Chinley, Woodhead and Ambergate. Scenes ranged from haunting steam-age images to the present decade. Junctions, stations, infrastructure and topography were all explained clearly and with authority, yet at no point did Les depart from his formula, viz. to inform and to entertain. Apart from his own breathtaking portfolio, Les had exhumed scenes from the distant past, transferred to transparencies, bringing life to industrial operations, long since abandoned. Les’s own images qualified as pictures, raising photography to an art form, spectacular scenes in which geography, trees and light placed railway subjects emphatically in context. It was a truly enthralling occasion.

Wednesday 23rd September 2009
20 years of European Trips
David Cable

In September, the branch was very pleased to welcome David Cable for ‘20 years of European trips'. David organized his presentation, very wisely, along alphabetical lines, an objective approach to a subject covering a vast geographical area and a wide variety of motive power and rolling stock. From 'A' for Austria to 'S' for Switzerland, 200 transparencies were screened, taking the audience through 21 different countries. It would be impossible in the space of this review to do credit to the variety of subjects displayed. Suffice to say, the chosen material conveyed a vibrant account. The breadth of motive power impressed but the variety of liveries was astonishing, liveries being one of David's specialist interests. The use of different individual liveries on locomotives of the same class, based in different countries, brought home the extent to which national boundaries are unrecognized in European railway operation. The quality of David's photography impressed, his apparent ability to wander almost anywhere over foreign railway property affording us a most rewarding insight.