Meeting Reports

Wednesday 9th June 2010
Quiz (including guest teams)

On 9th June we rounded off the 2009–2010 indoor season with our Branch quiz. The challenge for the local teams was to overcome the experts from the Swansea based Railway Club of Wales. Teams were invited to identify locomotive depots from the cryptic clues provided and the locations of 40 pictures plus answering six other rounds of questions. The timespan of these ranged from 1840 – a journey from Euston to Glasgow then included a sea voyage from where to where – to 2009 when the teams were invited to list the stations on the network which opened or reopened in that year. Most other facets of the hobby were also covered in an evening enjoyed by all concerned. Every team did well but none were able to lay a glove on the Railway Club of Wales. The Branch Chairman ended the evening by thanking members and visitors for their fantastic support during the year and looked forward to the next year’s season of meetings.

Wednesday 12th May 2010
Steam on the main line in 2009
Karl Jauncey & Dave Richards (PSOV)

On 12th May Karl Jauncey and Dave Richards presented “Steam on the Main Line in 2009” which comprised a selection of items taken from the full 2 DVD version. By now we know what to expect from Karl and Dave but that in no way diminishes the impact of their work. Once again we saw trains in close up, including a number of on board shots, together with more distant views enabling us to enjoy the many and varied landscapes. Milestones in railway history were also marked including the demise of the Folkestone Harbour Branch and the first ascent of Beattock Bank for 45 years by a Jubilee Class locomotive. There was the usual variety of motive power plus the introduction of Tornado to the main line prefaced by archive shots of various other A1s at work in the 1960s. Familiar locations were interspersed with the less familiar such as the Inverness to Aberdeen line which formed part of the route of the Great Britain 2 tour, and also Coalbrookdale featuring a pair of Great Western Pannier tanks. In addition to producing an enjoyable and entertaining film Karl and Dave are also providing a valuable record of staem operations around the network. We look forward to seeing their record of the events of 2010.

Wednesday 14th April 2010
Syphons in South Wales, the South West and Scotland and stuff
Adrian Kenny

On 14th April Branch member Adrian Kenny’s large format slide presentation was called “Syphons in South Wales, the South West and Scotland and Stuff”. Depending on one’s point of view there was either disappointment or relief that Class 37s did not monopolise proceedings and we saw a wide cross section of the motive power of the last 20 years or so. The areas included in the title featured strongly but we also visited the Berks and Hants line, the Midlands and the North East. Rarities included a pair of Class 37s in Cardiff Bay Station, a freight at Thurso, and bright sunshine in Blaenau Ffestiniog. Much of the second half was themed including the evolution of test trains, large logos and “before and after” in relation to individual locos. But the abiding memory of the evening were the expertly composed and spectacular landscape views that featured throughout, enhanced by the larger format images. Adrian went to a great deal of trouble to obtain many of the photographs in terms of patience, location and time of day and night, and we are grateful to him for sharing them with us.

Wednesday 10th March 2010
Yet more Ameriacan wanderings – the Great Plains Drifter
Gordon Davies

On 10th March our Branch AGM was followed by Gordon Davies with his “Yet more American Wanderings - Great Plains Drifter” presentation. The AGM, postponed from January, heard the Branch Officers report on a successful year in terms of attendance and revenue. The Officers and Committee were re-elected en bloc.

Gordon’s American journey started and finished in Denver but took in Wyoming, Nebraska and North Dakota as well as Colorado. We saw America’s railroads writ large, showing the heavy and frequent freight trains plus the enormous Bailey Yard at North Platte, Nebraska, which deals with 12,000 freight cars per day. These were matched by the industrial infrastructure at the Powder River Basin mines and the huge grain silos dotted around the Prairies. Union Pacific and BNSF (Burlington Northern Santa Fe) motive power predominated but the liveries of companies taken over by them were still well represented in 2008. Vintage motive power ranged from the 600 ton Union Pacific “Big Boy” steam locomotives to smaller machines in museums, preserved railroads and municipal parks. Away from the railroad we saw the itinerary of Buffalo Bill’s 1904 Wild West Show on its rail journey from Nuneaton to Cardiff via North and West Wales, and strangest of all, Carhenge, a replica of Stonehenge using cars instead of stones. Accompanied by Gordon’s entertaining and well informed commentary we enjoyed an excellent evening.

Wednesday 10th February 2010
Out and about in the past year
Hugh Gould

On 10th February a large audience gathered for Hugh Gould’s annual visit to the Branch. Out and about in the past year included journeys to Kingussie and Inverurie and Barcelona, taking in visits to each of the Benelux countries along the way. Inevitably we saw a large number of multiple units but these were in a variety of liveries and Hugh had something interesting to say about most of them. Steam was well represented, both on the main line and heritage railways, notably Hugh’s trip from Harwich to Liverpool Street on the Winton special in September 2009 hauled in great style by Tornado. Also well represented were main line diesel and electric locomotives on everyday passenger and freight workings in five countries. Added interest was provided by a variety of non railway views including buses boats and animals, all of which reminded us that railway journeys provide interesting experiences beyond the immediate railway environment. We are grateful to Hugh for an entertaining and informative evening and look forward to discovering where he and his camera get to in 2010.

Wednesday 9th December 2009
45-year wander around Britain with a camera
David Walker

On 9th December David Walker presented his “45 year wander around Britain with a camera”, a whistle stop round tour from Coventry extending north to Inverness, south to Penzance and a large number of locations in between. Recalling that it was the 60th anniversary of the founding of the (then) Coventry Branch, David started by taking us back to Coventry during the transition from steam to diesel to electric traction. The Coventry area was one of many where we saw “then and now” pictures which served to show how much the railway environment has changed. David’s job involved a lot of travel and many of his pictures were the result of his stopping for 10 minutes or so to see what came along. Consequently we got a good feel for what the ordinary railway was like from the middle 1960s onwards. In amongst 335 slides it was possible to get away from trains to include ships and narrow boats and planes; also railway infrastructure, notable among which were the viaducts at Culloden and Glenoglehead (the latter long after line closure). Together with many anecdotes David gave us an informative and entertaining evening.

Wednesday 11th November 2009
Past to Present
Peter Skelton

Peter Skelton returned on 11th November with his “Past and Present” show. The past was represented by the last years of BR steam in and around Manchester and on the Southern. What followed was a wide range of preserved steam on the main and heritage lines plus trips to East Germany, Czechoslovakia, China and South Africa to see everyday steam operations. In addition to photographing what he travelled to see we also saw what else came by, including diesels, electrics, ships, an aircraft (Concord) and a pair of horses pulling a sledge in Eastern Europe. What was common to all was the excellent composition and definition, particularly effective in the many snow and early evening scenes. Much technical information was provided for the photographers in the audience and all were entertained by the many anecdotes. Particularly impressive was a 1hr50 minute trek on foot to the West Highland line on Rannoch Moor. Our thanks to Peter for an enjoyable evening, we look forward to his next visit.

Wednesday 14th October 2009
More Rovers and Railtours in the 1980s
Paul Udey

Following his first presentation for us in 2008, Paul Udey returned on October 14th with “More Railtours and Rovers in the 1980s”, a photographic record of his many and varied travels throughout Britain from the mid 1980s to 1991. Once again we saw a wide variety of motive power and places including industrial steam and diesels at Sellafield and Long Marston. Special events and trains enabled us to see motive power in unfamiliar locations such as Class 33s in Aylesbury and Penzance and we were reminded that there was a far greater variety of traction to be seen then. A good cross section of normal operations were also featured thanks to All Line and Scottish Railrovers at a time when BR Business Sector liveries were in use. Scotland featured prominently and the evening ended with a scenic journey eastwards from the Kyle of Lochalsh behind a Class 37. It is said that sequels rarely live up to the original but this was equally good and we are most grateful to Paul, not least for bringing forward his visit following postponement of the planned presentation.

Wednesday 9th September 2009
A Diesel Scrapbook in Colour
Derek Short

Derek Short kicked off our new season of indoor meetings on 9th September with his Diesel Scrapbook in Colour. Starting in the early 1970s we saw examples of most of our diesel classes at work. The show was structured in numerical order, from Class 03s in Machen Quarry to Class 67s on postal and special passenger work. About half of the photos were taken within 15 miles or so of Derek’s Newport home on the main and Ebbw and Rhymney Valley lines and it was good to be reminded that such a wide variety of classes worked in the area at one time or another. Further away we enjoyed various photogenic locations along the South Devon Coast and the Scottish Highlands. Some classes never made it beyond BR blue but others were illustrated in their many and varied colour schemes. There was a good mixture of the everyday and less usual workings together with a number of anecdotes. Our thanks to Derek for an entertaining evening and a good start to the new season.