South Wales / De Cymru
Meeting Reports
Wednesday 11th January 2012
Around the Branch Lines of Wales and the Marches –from the Colour Rail Catalogue
Nigel Wassell
At the Branch AGM on 11th January the Branch Chairman was able to report that the Branch remains solvent and could look back on a successful year during which average attendance at meetings had risen from 31 to 35 year on year. The Branch Committee and Officers were re-elected, but as the Branch Secretary is to retire in January 2013 the Chairman asked that a potential replacement volunteered his or her services sooner rather than later.
“Around the Branch Lines of Wales and the Marches” was the evening’s presentation by Nigel Wassall. Seeing mostly commercial slides we started in Amlwch and ended at the Severn Bridge, but along the way were reminded how many byways and backwaters were served by rail in industrial and rural areas well into the 1960s. The slate of Bethesda and the Nantlle Valley made an interesting contrast to the coal mining areas around Wrexham and throughout the South Wales coalfield. Not forgotten or neglected were the industries in rural Wales which provided traffic for the railway, in some cases well into the diesel era. Nigel’s definition of a branch line ensured a virtual absence of large engines and the well chosen slides were backed up by his entertaining and expert commentary.
Wednesday 14th December 2011
Railways - Past and Present
Peter Skelton
On 14th December Peter Skelton presented “Railways Past and Present”. The “past” was the mid 1960s and we saw various classes in the state of neglect typical of that time juxtaposed with examples of the same classes at work nowadays on main line and heritage railways. The 1970s and 1980s were also well represented and it was interesting to note the locomotives running on the on the main line then which no longer do so. A family visit to Poland in the early 1970s rekindled Peter’s interest in railway photography following the demise of steam in Great Britain and this led to his travelling widely to photograph steam on everyday work. Some of the locomotives we saw in China and South Africa provided a graphic contrast to the 2-4-0WTs in Cornwall! Nor was the evening confined to steam or railways. Diesels and electrics that came along while Peter was waiting for the steam train were photographed as were the MV Jumbo Warrior in Newport and Concorde. Common to all was their excellence, enhanced by the medium slide format. The Branch Chairman rightly drew our attention to Peter’s expertise as an image maker in the Branch Newsletter. Our thanks to him for an excellent evening.
Wednesday 9th November 2011
Images of Steam in the West Country (including the Somerset and Dorset)
Terry Nicholls
On 9th November Terry Nicholls presented “Images of Steam in the West Country” comprising five films shot in the mid 1960s. Two were of the Somerset and Dorset Railway, the first showing normal operations in 1964 and 1965, the second illustrating the various specials run in January and March 1966 to commemorate the planned and actual closure of much of the line. Another showed normal operations on the Southern in and around Exeter before the route to London was downgraded. The remainder concentrated on specials in what was to be known as the Withered Arm in Devon and Cornwall and on the various workings of the last of the Great Western Castles. Terry’s ability to film effectively from the train on which he was travelling allowed us to enjoy much of the Somerset and Dorset Railway network including many less familiar locations. One circular tour from Exeter via Halwill Junction, Torrington and Ilfracombe took us through unfamiliar territory in Devon. The sense of nostalgia was heightened by seeing the original 1960s film. They constitute an important historical record (and, happily, are available commercially) as well as providing first class entertainment and we are grateful to Terry for an excellent evening.
Wednesday 12th October 2011
Railtour of Wales
John Spencer Gilks
On 12th October John Spencer Gilks presented his Railtour of Wales. He and a couple of friends travelled around the UK in the 1950s and 1960s to watch, photograph and ride on the myriad of lines scheduled for closure. Consequently, our clockwise journey around the whole of Wales from Cardiff included a large number of rural and industrial locations which are no longer on the network but which were full of railway interest. Landscape views mingled with reminders of the interesting railway infrastructure of the time. We also saw most of the lines which are still open together with the changing motive power and traffic since the late 1950s. Todays railway is undoubtedly more efficient but John’s pictures graphically demonstrated how much of the railway’s character has been lost. As part of his coverage of the lines radiating from Brecon we dwelt at Torpantau Station in 1960 to hear a contemporaneous recording of a passenger train leaving for Newport followed by a northbound freight. John is an excellent raconteur and the pictures were enhanced by numerous interesting and amusing anecdotes. Our thanks to him for an excellent evening enjoyed by a record equalling attendance.
Wednesday 14th September 2011
Scottish Railrovering in the 1970s and 1980s
Stephen Miles
On 14th September Stephen Miles presented his “Scottish Railroving in the 1970s and 1980s”. He travelled widely – including one coastal tour on a hired Eastern Scottish open top double decker bus – and presented the results in route rather than chronological order. In addition to the expected locations we visited a number of Glasgow suburban stations and various collieries around Edinburgh and in Fife where working steam was still to be seen in the early 1970s. We were reminded of the wide range of diesel locomotive and unit types at work in Scotland in the pre sprinter era with the notable exception of the Clayton Class 17s which were parked out of use by the time of Stephens’ visits. We were reminded, too, that in the 1970s many goods yards remained intact, if not all still in business. To complete the review Stephen visited the closed and derelict stations at Callander and along the Waverley route. One or two of the latter have a future but will lack the elegance of their predecessors. The photographs were excellent and gave us a good mix of landscape and closer views of the railway. Our thanks to Stephen for an excellent start to our new indoor season.
Saturday 16th July 2011
Station observation at Didcot and/or visit to Railway Centre.
On 16th July members of the South Wales Branch and Swansea based Railway Club of Wales visited the Didcot Railway Centre. There we were joined by members of the Windsor and Maidenhead Branch, whose Allan Machon and Brian Clark acted as our guides. By the time of our tour torrential rain had given way to sunshine and showers, which enabled us to take our time and take advantage of our guides’ expert knowledge of the Centre and all things Great Western. We were disappointed to learn that the Steam Railmotor was due to have been steamed; instead Mogul No. 5322 was in steam as it had been booked for an evening function. That did not prevent us admiring the superb restoration work undertaken on the railmotor as it was shunted about the site by the resident Cl08. There are, of course, a multitude of other exhibits to see and admire at Didcot and, thanks to Allan and Brian, everyone came away a lot wiser. Those interested in watching operations on the modern railway were rewarded by the sight of 56311 passing on an eastbound train. All in all an enjoyable and successful day out.
Wednesday 8th June 2011
East Anglia in the 1980s
John Day
On 8th June John Day brought our indoor season to an end with his “East Anglia in the 1980s” presentation. Starting at Ipswich we were taken on an anticlockwise tour via the Felixstowe Branch and the East Suffolk line to Norwich, Ely, Kings Lynn and Peterborough before returning to Ipswich via Bury St. Edmunds; thence to London and the Great Eastern route towards Cambridge. The 1980s saw the transition from diesel to electricity on the main line and from the BR blue era to sectorisation, with its associated decline of loco hauled passenger trains in favour of the new generation of DMUs away from the main line. All of this was reflected in the excellent and interesting photographs together with an explanation of their context. We saw examples of all the types of motive power that were based in or visited East Anglia on everyday and special workings, including two former Class 77 locomotives returning home from the Netherlands through Harwich. John brought much knowledge and humour to his presentation and gave us a very effective chronicle of the evolution of the railway network in an interesting part of the country. A large audience enjoyed a fine end to a successful year.
Wednesday 11th May 2011
Steam on the Main Line in 2010
a DVD presentation by Karl Jauncey and Dave Richards
On 11th May Karl Jauncey and Dave Richards made their annual visit to present “Steam on the Main Line 2010”. Their show is one of the highlights of our programme and the large audience was not disappointed. With 4 ½ hours of material shot during the year we could only see a selection but there was more than enough to enjoy. 2010 was the 175th anniversary of the Great Western Railway and we saw the specials including Castle “The Earl of Mount Edgcumbe” recreating the great days of The Bristolian. It was also good to see trains being banked up the Lickey and Old Hill Banks by a pannier tank. Further away we saw the Great Britain III tour in various locations in Scotland including The Great Marquess heading for the Kyle of Lochalsh despite having a cracked inside cylinder. Both routes over the Northern Fells featured prominently and our attention was drawn to the better hill climbing performance of the Duchess of Sutherland compared to Princess Elizabeth, built only a handful of years earlier. Less familiar locations such as Wrawby Junction in Lincolnshire also featured together with archive film of Birmingham, Upwey Bank, and Scarborough. We look forward to their visit next year.
Wednesday 13th April 2011
Capturing the Present and Recreating the Past
Jason Cross
On 13th April Jason Cross from Leicester presented his “Capturing the Present and Recreating the Past”. He is a relatively recent convert to railway photography, but has made up for the lack of time in the quality of his work including arranging “photoshoots” at heritage railways, often after dark and especially lit. His digital presentation included a wide ranging survey of today’s network and traffic including the London Underground, the Isle of Wight line to Shanklin and each of the light rail systems in England. It seemed strange to be reminded that the Wrexham and Shropshire and Fastline names are already history. We were reminded, too, what a colourful network we have to enjoy in terms of liveries. The past was recreated by views of heritage steam, diesel and electric traction on the main and various heritage lines. In the latter case a number of trains were posed so that they represented “typical” trains going back over each decade from the 1960s to 1990s. It was good to see that some heritage railways are providing “freight” trains for the benefit of photographers. The ability to manipulate digital images was shown to amusing effect to round off an excellent evening’s entertainment.
Wednesday 9th March 2011
USA Wanderings in 2009/10 - Digital
Gordon Davies
On 9th March Gordon Davies presented his “American Wanderings in 2009 and 2010” show. It involved two photographic journeys, the first from Colorado to California by way of New Mexico and Arizona, the second from Oregon and Washington back to Denver via Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and Utah. Freight operations ranged from long haul double stack container and bulk cargo trains, one hauled by 12 locomotives, to short line feeder railroads often operated by second hand traction and to local pick up freights, one comprising two locomotives hauling one wagon. Along the way we also saw modern commuter trains, trams, and a monorail system. The past was recalled by a journey along a heritage railway using steam traction, a number of extant station buildings no longer serving their original purpose and steam and diesel locomotives on static display in a number of towns. Gordon literally went out of his way to find good photographic locations and we enjoyed panoramic views of trains in desert landscapes in the south and along the Columbia River further north. Together with an entertaining narrative of his experiences as he went along Gordon treated us to another enjoyable and informative evening.
Wednesday 9th February 2011
More Travellers Tales, the West Country
Stuart Warr
Hugh Gould was unable to visit the Branch on 9th February due to a family bereavement. Instead Stuart Warr presented his excellent “More Travellers Tales, the West Country”, this being the Branch “modern image” standby show. We started in Avonmouth and finished in Penzance and along the way saw examples of all there was to see traction-wise between 1974 and 2008. Stuart took full advantage of the attractive landscapes, and boats prominently featured in the coastal railway shots. We saw the branch and heritage lines at work as well as the main line which, taken together, made for a comprehensive survey of the region plus its motive power and rolling stock. Perhaps the most incongruous picture was the preserved 13t china clay hood wagon on its plinth at St. Blazey; in pristine condition, it bears no resemblance to its appearance during its working life. Freight in Cornwall is a hit and miss phenomenon and we are grateful to Stuart (and his wife Jenny) for their patience in waiting for hours for some of the trains to come along. We were disappointed, as was Hugh, that he couldn’t come but we look forward to seeing what we missed as part of his presentation in February 2012.
last updated: 15/01/12