East Midlands
Meeting Reports
Tuesday 24th January 2012
From Bar Lad (Cleaner) to Instructor
Bernard Willis
In a change of programme we welcomed Bernard Willis on 24th January. Bernard spent all his working life on the railway starting as a Bar Lad and finishing as a driver instructor.
His first day was at Nottingham aged 14, during the War. His tasks included firebox cleaning and changing the bars in the grates – hence “Bar Lad”. Plus cleaning engines during Wartime black outs.
Soon, Bernard was on the footplate – officially and unofficially. When a passed Fireman duties were explained which were more than shovelling coal. Bernard met many characters. Anecdotes were mentioned including a driver who could “swear for 10 minutes without repeating himself”. Bernard became secretary of the local MIC - a mutual improvement society.
By 1960, Bernard was a driver. He described his route knowledge and mishaps – including a “runaway” on a freight train.
As an instructor Bernard kept his hand in as a driver. Duties included giving talks in schools and passing new drivers.
On retirement, his final turn was to drive “The Robin Hood” from St Pancras to Nottingham. He was accompanied by The Sheriff of Nottingham along with Richard Brown, then regional manger. On arrival at Nottingham, a male voice choir was on the platform and television cameras. Everyone knew about this – except Bernard!
Those not present at this missed a real treat appreciated by a substantial audience.
Tuesday 10th January 2012
Rail, Tram etc. developments around Nottingham
Chris Carter, Transport Strategy Manager, Nottingham City Council
Our speaker on 10th January Chris Carter, Transport Strategy Manager at Nottingham City Council started with overview of tram rail and road developments in the Nottingham area. He outlined the city’s position in respect of transport use and needs in comparison to other large conurbations and the effects of the current economic climate. The extension to the tramway system to provide lines to the southwest and west is proceeding to be completed by autumn 2014. A large “park and ride” car park is to be provided at each terminus being adjacent to trunk roads leading from motorway junctions.
Turning to the major redevelopment at Nottingham railway station he gave details of the proposed rail/tram interchange to built over the existing station platform buildings. The track layout at the west end is to be significantly remodelled to improve the flow of trains to and from the station. The majority of the work is to be completed during a 39-day blockade during July and August 2013 although the station will not be closed for the whole of that period.
After a short break Chris then took a large number of questions from those present to round off a very informative evening.
Tuesday 13th December 2011
Steam in 2011
Graham Briggs
Graham Briggs of GB Production Videos gave his annual presentation to the branch on 13th December covering steam on the main line and heritage railways during 2011.
Part 1 covered main line specials including the Fife Circular, Scarborough Flyer and Great Britain IV. His annual visit to Scotland for the Jacobite included scenes from new locations.
Part 2 covered a “whirlwind” tour of heritage lines including several visited for the first time this year.
The standard of photography and particular the choice of location was of the very high standard that the branch has become accustomed from Graham. The members present enjoyed the impressive sounds of locomotives working hard. Like the performance of a LMS class 5 ascending Shap a cracking display.
Tuesday 6th December 2011
How we got to where we are and more
Neil Ferguson-Lee, Director, Ecclesbourne Valley Railway
The subject for our meeting on Dec 6th was the Ecclesborne Valley railway when we welcomed Director Neil Fergusson-Lee. The railway runs between the Derbyshire towns of Wirksworth and Duffield. Regular passengers services ceased in 1947 with closure to all traffic in 1989. The main traffic was lime stone, which declined with the steel industry – especially flows to Corby steel works.
Wyvern Rail was formed in 1992, the company which owns the line and looks after the operating responsibilities. Wyvern Rail was soon taken seriously and could possibly have run the Matlock branch as a Micro Franchise.
Before and after pictures revealed the substantial task of clearing the line and the degree of infrastructure renewal. Serious work began in 2000 and 2002 saw issuing of shares to raise £750K which sold quickly. From the early days, the railway raised money from rail testing and filming. The BBC’s “Casualty” used Wirksworth station.
Opening of the Ravenstor branch was a pivotal for the railway. Duffield was reached in April 2011 and has been hugely successful. Through tickets to Wirksworth are available from ticket offices throughout the country. East Midlands Trains have been particularly helpful.
The future will be to improve the facilities – including passing loops and watering facilities for steam engines. The lucrative test facilities will also be enhanced
Tuesday 22nd November 2011
A1 Society Developments
John Rawlinson, A1 Society
The project to build A1 class 60163 Tornado as a main line locomotive and fill the gap of LNER Pacific classes represented in preservation was the topic covered by John Rawlinson of the A1 Society on 22nd November.
John explained in detail the difficulties that had to be overcome starting with completing a full set of drawings in the right format to enable the various organisations to manufacture the multitude of parts large and small. Tornado required a complex electrical system to cope with modern equipment needed for main line running.
A mountain of paperwork was required to comply with current regulatory requirements and a late change in loading gauge meant that the height had to be reduced by 1 inch.
Once completed, tests were carried out on the GCR at Quorn and on the main line from York. With all tests satisfactorily passed members saw images of various special trains.
John then described the repairs that were necessary which kept the locomotive out of action and then more images after its return to work. We were left in no doubt that such a project requires the patience, skill and finance of very dedicated people to bring to fruition.
Tuesday 8th November 2011
The GC Reunification Project
Nigel Harris, Chair GCR Development Co. & Managing Editor RAIL
Nigel Harris, Chair GCR Development Co. and Managing Editor RAIL gave a presentation on 8th November entitled “The GC Reunification Project”. He explained step-by-step details of the work involved including the various level of difficulty in accomplishing the project aided by photographs of each part of the locations involved.
The anticipated cost is large for what is a 500yard gap between the two preserved railways but he was confident that finance could be raised in view of the many benefits that would accrue to an extended main line railway with a connection to the national network. This includes the reconstruction of the former GC Mountsorrel branch, already in progress, which would provide an additional outlet for the nearby quarries including a new east to north curve. The quarries could then increase production currently restricted to daily time limits on the use of the conveyor system from the quarries to the sidings beside the MR main line and the congestion caused with trains entering and leaving the sidings having to cross the fast lines.
Nigel finished with a question and answer session much appreciated by the largest audience of the current season.
Tuesday 25th October 2011
Members evening
The branch held the AGM on 25th October and the chairman’s report thanked two volunteers who joined the committee in the early summer to resolve the earlier crisis. Additional help was sought from members to assist with the running of the branch.
The committee: - Rodney Allen (chairman and web correspondent), Paul Clark (vice-chairman and fixtures secretary), Chris Bush (branch secretary and publication sales), Michael Smith (treasurer), Michael Poole (assistant treasurer) and David Wright (assistant secretary) were elected en bloc.
Members discussed a limited reintroduction of afternoon indoor meetings in early 2013 subject to room availability, ideas for speakers and subjects at indoor meetings and suggestions for summer outdoor fixtures.
It was disappointing that only 18 members attended the AGM but the discussion on future meetings and activities proved that an extended meeting was worthwhile and appreciated by all present.
Four members then showed slides ranging from a visit to the Glasgow Underground in 1975 including the workshop, Southern steam on the Bournemouth line, diesel locos on depot including many less successful classes and finally, steam on shed at various locations in the Midlands and Scotland in 1961-3.
Tuesday 11th October 2011
J. G. Robinson, another railway artist (and GCR CME) – Part 1
Ken Grainger
Ken Grainger returned to the branch on 11th October to present his talk entitled “J. G. Robinson, another railway artist”. Members soon realised that we were being treated to the artistry of locomotive design by a succession of locomotive engineers and not just Robinson from Ken’s favoured railway the Great Central.
Ken described his approach to aesthetics of locomotive appearance and a description of what was preferred and what was not. He started with graceful designs from S. W. Johnson and derided later rebuilds by Deeley before moving to other engineers, notably Stroudley and Dugald Drummond who both worked for more than one railway taking versions of their designs with them.
He declared that “graceful” or “elegant” should be used to describe a locomotive but not “pretty”. Some are ugly and some members considered the Metropolitan 4-4-0T’s were certainly in that category. The design of chimneys either improved or ruined the look of many classes.
Having compared designs from many engineers and railways Ken gave us an insight into what will be in part 2 of his talk which the members present look forward to seeing in the next meeting season.
Tuesday 27th September 2011
Trains at work and play
John Foreman
John Foreman was our guest on 27th September. He started by explaining that his interest in railways began in 1945 with visits to Hull Dairycoats shed with his father. This inquisitiveness was enhanced by observing the operation of the many fish trains and the various industrial locomotives in the area.
When John became an engineering student at The University of Nottingham he joined an organisation called the RCTS which had a branch locally. Visits to local sheds featured highly as did branch tours.
On completion of his studies, John began his career at the Scunthorpe Steel works where among other things he became involved with the signalling and the working of the railway together with the industrial locomotives.
This later enabled John to visit German and French railway installations both professionally and as an interest. Signal boxes were visited and the different signalling systems there were described.
In the early 1980s with the opening of the Humber road bridge, John was instrumental in forming the RCTS Humberside branch which has involved him with ever since.
The evening ended with a description of French Diesel locomotives and John introduced his interest in model railways by showing models of the full sized locomotives described.
Afterwards John took questions which resulted in interesting discussions.
Thank you John for an informative evening.
Tuesday 13th September 2011
Welsh Narrow Gauge Railways (1950s & 60s)
Sydney Leleux
For our first meeting of the 2011/12 season on 13th September we welcomed Sydney Leleux who gave an illustrated talk entitled “Welsh Narrow Gauge Railways”. The talk was in fact more embracing than this as it featured the workings’ of many of the quarries served. Our speaker home processed many of the pictures shown.
We began with the Vale of Rheidol Railway and pictures of the shed at Aberystwyth and the exchange sidings with standard gauge. Also the old formation into station and the onward route was briefly described.
Next, north to The Talyllyn Railway and we were treated to photographs along the line and in the museum at Towyn. The museum contains much of interest including unusual locomotive used at the Guinness Brewery in Dublin.
Then the Fairbourne Railway, where we witnessed stock and locomotives including three steam engines residing in the shed.
To Porthmadog and the Ffestiniog Railway during the early days of the preservation. Unique disc signals were shown and a track bed walk beyond Tan-y-Bwlch was very interesting to see. Slate workings at Blaenau Ffestiniog were revealed and described in some detail. A similar walk along the Welsh Highland track bed followed. A detailed description of the partly built but unused lines around Beddgelert was given. Towards the north end of the line we diverted along the Bryngwyn branch into quarries around Rhostryfan. Here a fascinating system called “blondins” was described allowing the wagons to be lifted out of the quarry. A brief excursion to Llanberis for the 4’ Padarn railway was undertaken. We then went to the enormous Dinorwig Quarry and were shown pictures, which included slates being shaped and cut.
The last port of call was to the Penrynn Quarry where we were treated to pictures of “Blanche” working in the quarry there. This engine was of course modified by the Ffestiniog railway and has worked on that line ever since.
Thank you Sydney for a very well researched and delivered talk.
Tuesday 22nd March 2011
35 years of diesels in the Peak District
Phil Lockwood & Enid Vincent
“Diesels in the Peak District” was the topic for our meeting on 22nd March when Enid Vincent and Phil Lockwood were our guests. We began at the west end of Totley Tunnel. Representatives of most classes of Diesels locomotives were shown plus a variety of DMUs photographed along the line as we travelled westwards along the Hope Valley line. “Foreign” examples were seen on excursion trains. Sidings and former inclines were pointed out along the way. A trip down the branch into the Hope Valley cement works saw the locomotives which operate(d) there and on the branch. Trips were made to the quarries around Peak Forest Junction with pictures of diesel hauled freight trains in some very scenic locations. We were also shown workings around Buxton and the Hindlow branch on the former closed LNWR railway to Ashbourne.
The presentation was further enhanced by the interjection of historic facts concerning various features seen in the pictures including for example the number of locomotives built in each class to the age of viaducts. Our thanks to Enid and Phil for an entertaining evening.
Before the presentation began, it was announced that Geoffrey Kingscott who had been our guest on 11th January had passed away. (See March RO page 124). Although not an RCTS member, but in view of the fact that he had spoken to us so recently and had made a huge effort to do so despite his serious illness the audience stood for one minute in silence as a mark of respect.
Tuesday 8th March 2011
A Grinder to Town
Martin Bromley
Retired local driver Martin Bromley made a return visit to the branch on 8th March to give us an illustrated talk on the driver’s view entitled “A Grinder to Town”. He explained the meaning of the title referring to the railway terminology for a “driver from Sheffield going to London” which described the route that he was about to take.
Starting with Sheffield to Trent via Derby we went back to Clay Cross for the Erewash valley line to Nottingham and Trent and then continuing down the main line to our destination at London St. Pancras (not International as the modern edifice was not covered). The photographs were a good mix of steam and earlier diesel although one or two more modern shots were included. The steam covered most of the classes seen on the line including a fair number of LMS Garratts and Compound 4-4-0s. A number of locomotive sheds were covered including roofless Hasland and Westhouses.
The talk was punctuated with humour and anecdotes that we have become accustomed from Martin and surprisingly arrived at the destination a couple of minutes early, unusual for a Central Trains driver!
Tuesday 22nd February 2011
Cromford & High Peak Rly. + Big Boys & Challengers
Matlock Rly. Soc.
Matlock Railway Club were our guests for a well attended meeting on 22nd February. They showed two films about the Cromford and High Peak railway.
The first film described the 33 mile route from Whaley Bridge to High Peak Junction at the Cromford end. Inclines were described in some detail and how they were worked including both horse and steam operation. Well researched archive film illustrated these procedures. Unique track as initially laid was also described. After rising to 1300 feet the line entered a relatively flat plateau before tackling another set of inclines towards the Cromford end. The railway was built very much like a Canal where the inclines are the equivalent of flights of locks.
Then the second film shown was predominantly about how the line was worked throughout the years and featured some of the characters who worked on the line. Some amusing stories were told about a driver who was good at playing practical jokes. This included stopping a train and asking some workmen if they knew where a brick works was they were trying find. The driver was told to make sure he turned left at Parsley Hay otherwise he would end up in Ashbourne! Oh we don’t want that came the reply.
A most entertaining evening which additionally enhanced the knowledge of the railway for all those present. Our thanks to Matlock Railway Club.
Tuesday 8th February 2011
Railway Photo Miscellany
John Bagshaw
On 8th February the branch was entertained by John Bagshaw and two colleagues with a digital presentation in five sections. He started with an audio visual piece of preserved steam and mainline diesels taken on digital cameras in 2008. This was followed by images scanned in from slides taken from the early 90’s until five or six years ago commencing with various steam specials on the Settle& Carlisle, North Wales coast, Devon, Cambrian coast and Lincolnshire. Another audio visual of steam on the main line in 2010 was followed by images captured on digital cameras with preserved Deltics and other diesels. We then, finally, had another audio visual of digital images taken at night. Clearly digital photography and presentation is now the preferred method although John having confessed to using “Photo Shop” on one or two images was quizzed regarding his success with rainbows. Despite some purists doubting the use of this technique it can be useful in improving an old slide image when converted to digital, particularly helpful with over or under exposed images. The 30+ members present thoroughly enjoyed a feast of steam.
last updated: 25/01/12