The Railway Magazine January 2017 preview

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Magazine

BRITAIN’S BEST-SELLING RAIL TITLE 1897 January 2017

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2017

First British-built IEP completed

B R I T S A B R OA D

The FULL and exclusive story of British locos in Europe

TWO HEADS ARE BETTER THAN ONE

THAMES VALLEY BRANCHES

WINTER PANORAMA SPECIAL ■ DB CLASS 103 FAREWELL

Contents

January 2017. No. 1,390. Vol 163. A journal of record since 1897.

Headline News

On the cover

MAIN IMAGE: Sweeping through the reverse curves at Marlands, GWR-liveried Nos. 43188 and 43187 work the 08.44 PenzancePaddington on June 3, 2016. STEPHEN GINN

INSET 1: Bulgarian Class 87 prepares to move dead Class 86s at Razdelna.

TONY SAYER - see p26.

Vivarail No. 230001 at Leamington on December 6 – p6.

No end in sight as Southern strikes continue; Tyseley offers Clun Castle sponsorship scheme; first British-built 'IEP' emerges; Stadler wins £460million Merseyrail contract; Severn Valley share issue tops £500,000; Hythe Pier Railway under threat; Robertsbridge connected; Chiltern begins direct Oxford to London services; main line testing begins for Vivarail No. 230001.

INSET 2: A Stanier '4MT' tank and 'Britannia' double-head at Hayfell.

DEREK CROSS - see p14.

9 waits it to t depart d tH l INSET 3: Class 165 No. 165119 Henley-onThames with a service for Twyford on September 24, 2016.

STUART WARR - see p19.

Track Record The Railway Magazine’s monthly news digest 62 Steam & Heritage

Steam returns for Severn Valley 'Pannier', 92 Squadron and Dartmouth's Braveheart; lottery success for Colne Valley Railway; 'B1' and 'Crab' for Worth Valley gala; Foxcote Manor for Kent visit; 'Caley' No. 828 steams.

67 Industrial Steam 68 Steam Portfolio 70 Narrow Gauge

GWR livery for Rheidol trio; first steam for Southwold revival; IoMSR Fenella to hit the road.

72 Network

Edinburgh Gateway station opens; museum for Cardiff Bute Road station; Calder Valley upgrade complete.

74 Classic Traction

Dartmoor visit for 'Peak' Sherwood Forester; radiator lift for Repulse; GCR diesel brake tender nears completion.

78 Railtours 80 Traction & Stock

Hornsey depot ready for new trains; Colas names Class 37 after model railway pioneer; Class 321 'Renatus' takes to the rails; more Eurostar sets scrapped.

83 Traction Portfolio

92 Squadron returns at Nene Valley - p66.

84 Stock Update 86 Irish News 89 Metro 92 Miniature 93 World 97 Operations Our round-up of news from the train- and freight- operating companies.

Regulars 12 Multiple Aspects 12 Railways in Parliament 34 Subscription Offer

56 Readers’ Platform

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Railways in the snow is the subject of our special Winter Panorama - p57.

Your thoughts on the topics that matter to you.

102 Meetings

57 Winter Panorama

Railway society meetings near you – all the details.

Our monthly gallery of the best railway photography.

104 Heritage Diary

60 From The RM Archives

Details of when heritage railways and centres are open.

What The RM was reporting 20, 50 and 100 years ago.

114 Prize Crossword and Where Is It?

Call 01507 529529 or see page 34 for our latest offers Like us facebook.com/ TheRailwayMagazine Follow us @railwaymagazine

THE Railway Touring Company's 'York Yuletude Express' on December 17 saw 'Princess Coronation' No. 46233 Duchess of Sutherland breaking fresh ground by working over the Midland Main Line between Kettering and Leicester. The Stanier Pacific catches a touch of glint at Ulleskelf on the way from Ealing Broadway to York. LES NIXON

Features

14 When two heads are better than one

26 Brits Abroad

For this month's Practice & Performance Keith Farr turns his attention to some of the many impressive double-headed steam workings recorded over the West Coast Main Line at Shap, the Midland Main Line and the Ayr to Stranraer route.

Since 1999, British diesel and electric locomotives have worked in various parts of Europe for a variety of reasons. In this definitve and exclusive feature Anthony Sayer tells the story of what worked where and when – and what locos are still abroad.

19 Regattas, donkeys and royals

36 DB Class 103 Finale

For more than 150 years, the three Thames Valley branch lines have served Windsor, Marlow, Bourne End and Henley-on-Thames. Facing modernisation, Stuart Warr looks at the fascinating history of these branches and what the future holds.

Fourteen years after the official end of regular duties, the main line diagrams of the Deutsche Bahn Class 103 electrics have ended. The RM's new man Ben Jones takes a nostalgic last run behind this iconic class and pays homage to these magnificent machines.

DOUBLEHEADERS: Practice & Performance – p14

BRITS ABROAD: UK locos working overseas – p26

39 Rail Holiday Guide 2017

Our annual guide to railway-themed holidays returns with a round-up of the many home and overseas tours being offered by rail specialists during 2017. From Germany and Japan to Devon and North Wales, there's something for everyone.

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TURN TO PAGE 34

AUF WIEDERSEHEN: DB 103 farewell – p36

January 2017 • The Railway Magazine • 5

BRANCH LINE FOCUS

The branch terminus at Henley-on-Thames hosts Class 165 No. 165119, awaiting passengers on September 24, 2016 with the 16.24 to Twyford. The platform was shortened during the rebuild, but retains a GWR canopy.

ALL PICTURES: STUART WARR UNLESS STATED

Regattas, donkeys and

ROYALS For more than 150 years, the three Thames Valley branch lines have been vital commuter and leisure routes serving Windsor, Marlow, Bourne End and Henley-on-Thames. Facing modernisation, Stuart Warr looks at the fascinating history of these branches and what the future holds.

T

HE Thames Valley branch lines to Henley-on-Thames, Bourne End, Marlow and Windsor are connected to the Great Western main-line at Twyford, Maidenhead and Slough, respectively; to many passengers the junctions are glimpsed as their High Speed Train (HST) races past en route to or from London Paddington, but for those who use the branches they are a lifeline for both commuting and leisure travel, often being speedier than travelling by road.

With the advent of modernisation just around the corner, it is an appropriate time to review the three branches in some detail.

The termini of the three branches are each

in different counties: Oxfordshire (Henleyon-Thames), Buckinghamshire (Marlow) and Royal Berkshire (Windsor) with a tri-point where all three counties meet; one of a number of common denominators is that they are all situated on or very near the River Thames.

Henley-on-Thames branch

The (original) Great Western Railway reached Twyford in 1839, but it was eight years later that an Act was passed to give the power to construct the branch; financial constraints delayed the start of work so much that in 1852, motivated by the risk of incursions into its perceived territory by other railway companies, the GWR sought an

extension of time to complete the work.

Topographically, the branch has no major challenges, the steepest gradient being 1-in-64 for a couple of hundred yards into Twyford and at four miles and 49 chains in length, the branch opened in June 1857 as a single line built to the broad gauge with an intermediate station at Shiplake; the line was changed to standard gauge (in GWR parlance known as narrow-gauge) in March 1876, the work being completed overnight with just two train services cancelled.

The suffix ‘-on-Thames’ was added in 1895 so as not to cause confusion with Henley-inArden, a small town in Warwickshire, where a station was opened in 1894.

January 2017 • The Railway Magazine • 19

BRITS ABROAD Since 1999, British diesel and electric locomotives have worked in various parts of Europe for a variety of reasons. In this definitive and exclusive feature Anthony Sayer tells the story of what worked where and when – and what locos are still abroad.

I

was recently asked the following question: How many British main-line diesel and electric locomotives have worked abroad?

Having made numerous trips into Europe over recent years, I knew that there have been‘quite a few’ but I couldn’t be absolutely specific. So I set about producing a list of such locomotives and, at the same time, tried to understand the reasoning behind their deployment abroad.

Extensive research, combined with personal observations, has uncovered a surprisingly complex subject, in particular the precise scoping of the topic: do you include locomotives which have moved abroad but which have not actually worked in revenueearning service (e.g. spare parts donors, exhibition locomotives, equipment for testing, etc)?; do you

include locomotives built abroad and subsequently imported for use in the UK (eg: Class 56 (56001-30), 59, 66, 67, 68, 70 and 88)?; do you include locomotives built abroad (and, therefore, not technically British) but subsequently exported for use abroad after a period of use in the UK (e.g. Class 66s in France and Poland)?; and, should you include the Class 92s operating between Dollands Moor (UK) and Calais Fréthun (France)?

For the purposes of this article, main-line diesel and electric locomotives which have worked extensively in the UK prior to shipment abroad (and, therefore, considered to have been British assets) are included, irrespective of where they were originally built. Locos sent abroad for spares donor purposes to support the active fleets are also included. However, 2002 (20063) and 2001 (20035) with the daily Saulieu to Cravant-Bazarnes freight consisting predominantly of timber logs on August 13, 1996. The train spent an hour shunting the yard at Avallon before proceeding to Cravant-Bazarnes.

Reporting discs have been removed from the locomotive ends, replaced by new light clusters.

26 • The Railway Magazine • January 2017

Class 92s deployed on Channel Tunnel operations are excluded.

January 1999 has been used as the start point for the statistical analysis on the basis that this year saw the start of volume-usage of British locomotives abroad.

Since the beginning of 1999 no fewer than 277 British main-line locomotives have spent time abroad.

Within this number, 12 have managed to have had operating bases in two European countries. Today there are 182 main-line British locomotives resident abroad (plus one in preservation - Werkgroep 1501’s E27003), with another two Class 92s pending.

Pre-1999 moves

The earliest transfer of a British main-line diesel or electric locomotive abroad was LNER No. 6000 (subsequently E26000 Tommy). This locomotive was loaned to the Dutch railways over the period 1947-52.

Other early transfers of British locomotives abroad represented the isolated sales of redundant assets. For example: seven Class 77 (E27000-6) electric locomotives to the Netherlands in 1969; the unique HS4000 Kestrel to Russia in 1971; and five Class 14 diesel-hydraulic locomotives to Belgium in 1975 (D9505/34) and Spain in 1982 (D9515/48/9).

Class 20s were deployed on Channel Tunnel tracklaying work during 1992/93 and 20 of the class were bought and hired out by RFS for this purpose. The locomotives concerned were Nos. 20001/47/8/56/84/8/95, 20102/5/7/8/13/20/7/ 33/45/59/66/75/94, but there is conflicting evidence as to whether all 20 actually worked from the

Rail Holidayy Guide

Resita 0-8-0T No. 764.421 rounds the curve at Valea Rea on the ViĹ&#x;eu de Sus forestry railway in Romania on October 8, 2016.

The tourism potential of the line is becoming a real driver for the local economy as tour operators tap into the delightful scenery of the region. MELVYN HOPWOOD

2017

Winter Panorama It’s hard to believe that this is preservation-era main line steam as the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland’s 1880-built GSWR ‘J15’ 0-6-0 No. 184 works through the snow at Downs Bog (46th Mile Box) with a ‘Santa Special’ to Kilcock on December 12, 1981.

CHARLES FRIEL

Thick snow and shadow appear to soften the lines of the Cumbrian fells as an unidentified Virgin ‘Voyager’ speeds through Grayrigg beneath a cloudless sky with a Glasgow to Birmingham train on January 6, 2010. TOM MCATEE

January January 2017 2017 •• The The Railway Railway Magazine Magazine •• 57 57

TRACKRECORD The Railway Magazine news digest

ALSO INSIDE:

P62 STEAM

92 Squadron is back

P80 TRACTION & STOCK First Class 707 EMU arrives

P93 WORLD

Steam revival in Greece

P67 INDUSTRIAL P70 NARROW GAUGE P72 NETWORK P74 CLASSIC TRACTION P78 RAILTOURS P86 IRISH P89 METRO P92 MINIATURE P97 OPERATIONS

Steam Portfolio Track Record

Late November and much of December were all about ‘Santa Specials’ on many of our preserved lines, with the East Lancashire Railway’s festive services getting underway on November 26. On that day Bulleid ‘West Country’ No. 34092 City of Wells heads through the trees away from Bury with an ELR ‘Santa Special’. ROBERT FALCONER

68 • The Railway Magazine • January Xxxxxxx2017 2016

Over at the Severn Valley Railway it was Ivatt ‘4MT’ Mogul No. 43106 that was in charge of this ‘Santa Special’ on December 4. The ‘Flying Pig’ passes Northwood Lane with a train for Bewdley and Kidderminster. JOHN TITLOW

Traction Portfolio Track Record

A case of old and new as Class 387 and 317 rub shoulders on the suburban platforms at King's Cross on December 12, with unit Nos. 387110, 317342 and a pair of Class 365s. This was the first date that the 16.17 to Royston was operated by a Class 387.

ALISDAIR ANDERSON

Rail Operations Group Type 3 No. 37884 at Paddington on December 13 with 5Z38, the 12.33 to Reading Traincare Depot. It comprised EMU Nos. 387131 and 387130 for driver training on the recently electrified Reading to Didcot section of the GWML. DR IAIN C. SCOTCHMAN

In its immaculate London Transport livery, Class 20 No. 20142 Sir John Betjaman was used on December 10 to propel new SWT EMU No. 707001 (out of shot) into the carriage shed at Clapham Junction.

See also p80. CHRIS GEORGE

January 2017 • The Railway Magazine • 83

Operations Track Record COMPILED BY

ASHLEY BUTLIN

Call: 01507 529589

email: railway @mortons.co.uk

Your reports and pictures are most welcome.

Highly competitive rates are paid, especially if exclusive to The RM.

RHTT

NOTED working through Barnetby on October 26 were Class 20 Nos. 20302+20312, followed on November 18 when Nos. 20305 and 20312 were employed.

THE Railhead Treatment season was in full flow during the period under review with the unusual combination of Class 68 No. 68003 and Class 37 No. 37716 being observed on October 29 as they passed Brotherton Fox, near Ferrybridge, on the Sheffield to York line, with the 3S14 11.06 Stocksbridge Works-York Thrall via Hull. This was probably the first time that a Class 68 had appeared on a Railhead Treatment Train in Yorkshire.

THE 3J92 23.32 Toton TMD-West Hampstead North Junction and 3J93 11.53 return has continued to be worked by Class 67 Nos. 67018+67002, with the train being seen on November 1, 2, 3, 7, and 10. When the train was next seen on November 17, No. 67002 had been swapped for No. 67024, and on November 19 it was the turn of No. 67016 to work with No. 67018. When next observed on November 23, the Class 67s had been exchanged for Class 66 Nos. 66170+66144, but the next day the 67s were back with Nos. 67018+67024.

THE Stowmarket-Southend Victoria-Clacton-on-SeaStowmarket Railhead Treatment Train working was observed at Colchester on November 1 topand-tailed by Class 57 Nos. 57003 and 57007. The same working, in similar formation, was seen at Colchester on November 8 powered by Class 66 Nos. 66303 and 66431.

OBSERVED on the South Coast on November 12, Class 73 Nos. 73213

A simply stunning silhouette of DRS Class 37 No. 37402 Stephen Middlemore 23.12.1954 - 8.6.2013 crosssing the River Mite at Ravenglass on November 28 with the 14.37 Barrow-Carlisle train. TOM MCATEE

and 73212 visited Littlehampton on a RHTT service from Tonbridge.

GBRf Class 66 Nos. 66723 and 66728 top-and-tailed the RHTT through Brentwood on the Great Eastern main line on November 15. On November 17 it was top-and-tailed by Class 66 Nos. 66725 and 66720, and on November 21 by Nos. 66728 and 66723, again at Brentwood.

NETWORK Rail MPVs Nos. DR98922 and DR98972 were engaged in railhead treatment work in the Fareham-St DenysEastleigh area on November 18, having worked from Weymouth.

DBC Class 66 Nos. 66238 and 66160 were seen at 12.55 on Saturday, November 19 at Exeter St Davids. They were on a RHTT diagram travelling towards Newton Abbot.

CLASS 66 No. 66104 was in Barton Hill depot, Bristol, on November 22, on a RHTT.

A PAIR of HST power cars – Nos. 43190+43131 – ran light engine from Old Oak Common to Laira on November 11.

CLASS 91 No. 91130 was observed propelling eight coaches plus DVT on the 11.45 Leeds-King’s Cross service on October 27. A fault on the loco brought the train to a halt just north of Doncaster, however the driver and a fitter were able to rectify the fault. Arrival in the capital was 19 minutes late after an extended stay at Doncaster station to allow a non-stop southbound HST to overtake.

IT WAS a case of‘Shut that door’! at Reading West on November 16, as Class 150 pioneer No. 150001 was unable to move for more than half an hour because the crew could not shut the middle carriage’s doors. An engineer attended and the unit eventually moved on to Reading depot before the service was withdrawn.

The result caused knock-on effects to the Reading to Basingstoke shuttle. The unit was back in service the following day.

HIRED-IN East Midlands Trains HST power cars Nos. 43047 and 43059 were seen top-and-tailing a Virgin East Coast train passing South Emsall for Leeds on November 11 at around 12.50. It would seem they were rostered on‘White Rose’ services, having been seen at Leeds on November 15 and 18 on the 13.15 and 14.45 departures, respectively, for King’s Cross.

TWO further new Class 387 units have been delivered to Bletchley prior to moving to FGW following testing on the WCML and south to Brighton. No. 387138 was delivered by FL Class 66 No. 66952 on November 17, being followed on November 29 by No. 387139, hauled to Bletchley by No. 66525.

ON NOVEMBER 13 the 10.19 Virgin HST to London from Aviemore was some 37 minutes late at Aviemore because of ‘slippery rails’on the journey from Inverness.

An unusual working on December 10 saw an East Midlands Trains HST work Nottingham to Peterborough non-stop via Grantham, returning via Stamford as train 1Z43, where the picture was taken.

The working appears to be an unadvertised excursion. PHIL BEVAN

THE 09.46 Chichester-Great Malvern service was worked by FGW Class 150 No. 150202 on November 10, in place of the booked three-car Class 158. This was arguably a long journey in a Class 150, especially as it is usually a well-patronised service.

GREATER Anglia Class 321 units have been making regular runs between Ilford and Hornsey for tyre turning.These include: October 27: No. 321340; November 2: 321353; November 9: 321423/32; November 14: 321333; November 22: 321332; November 23: 321320, 321441; November 24: 321438, 321354.

DVTs have been visiting Bounds Green for tyre turning.

On November 9, No. 82139 was moved from Crown Point by Class 66 No. 66424. It was returned the following day by Class 37 No. 37405. The following week, on November 16, the Class 37 took

No. 82118 south to Bounds Green.

It was returned two days later hauled by Class 68 No. 68024.

A move on November 30 found both Nos. 82133 and 82143 taken from Crown Point to Bounds Green by Class 68 No. 68025.

ON FRIDAY, November 11 the 12.15 Glasgow Shields Road TMD -Doncaster West Yard move of Class 320 No. 320416 was noted in the Carstairs area.

OBSERVED on November 2 and 3, Colas Class 47 No. 47739 Robin of Templecombe was behind Class 66 No. 66739. When observed on November 8 and 9, Class 66 No. 66732 was at the head with the Class 47 in the formation.

On November 14 the sleeper to Inverness had Class 66 No. 66732 leading with ED No. 73969 immediately behind.

CALEDONIAN Sleeper-liveried Class 86 No. 86401 Mons Meg headed north, light engine, through Lancaster on the afternoon of Tuesday, November 15.

CLASS 156 No. 156466 and Class 153 No. 153316 had to miss a November 14 morning turn on the Windermere branch after the badly shaken driver had

January 2017 • The Railway Magazine • 97

Meetings MEETINGS WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Cheshire Lines . The Blossoms Hotel, Stockport.

19.30. ‘Gone But Not Forgotten’: Alf Storey.

Warwickshire Railway Society . Lamp Tavern, Barford Street, Highgate, Birmingham B5 6AH. 19.30. ‘Africa’: Roger Johnstone.

Bradford Railway Circle . Sedbergh Community Centre, Huddersfield Road, Odsal, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD6 1DJ. 19.30.

‘My Australasian Trip’: Keith Preston.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Bath Railway Society . Church Hall, St Mary’s church hall, Bathwick, Bath. 19.30.

‘Vintage USA Main Line Steam’: Dave Peel.

Great Central Railway Society (Sheffield branch) . The Harlequin, 108 Nursery Street, Sheffield S3 8GG. 19.30. ‘The Midland Railway Widening in Sheffield’: Ian Howard.

Lutterworth Railway Society . United Reformed Church, George Street, Lutterworth, Leics LE17 4EF. 19.30. ‘Bank Job’: Lester Hillman.

SLS . St John’s Ambulance Centre, Sandes Avenue, Kendal LA9 4LL. 19.15.

‘South African Railways’: Martin Elson.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Railway Correspondence andTravel Society (RCTS) . St Peter’s church hall, Church Road, Filton, Bristol. 19.30. ‘Swindon Works – the Golden Years’: Brian Arman.

RCTS . Fulwood Lawn Tennis Club, Highgate Avenue, Preston. 19.30. ‘50 Years of Railway Photography – Part 2’: Noel Machell.

RCTS (Furness Lakes and Lune branch) . Station Hotel, Carnforth. 19.30. Open evening - photos and video programme - contributions welcome.

Slough &Windsor Railway Society . The Manor, Brunel Way, Slough SL1 1LW. 19.15.

‘Basingstoke Canal’: Paul Joyce.

MONDAY, JANUARY 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Lincoln Railway Society . St Hugh’s Church, North Hykeham. 19.30. ‘Capturing the Present and Re-creating the Past’: Jason Cross.

RCTS . Christ Church Community Hall, Burney Lane, Ward End, Birmingham. 14.00.

Members’ slides and digital contributions.

RCTS . Small Hall East Croydon United Reformed Church, Addiscombe Grove, Croydon. 19.30.

‘Network SouthEast’: Chris Green.

RCTS . Bridge Ward Club, 68 Austin Street, Ipswich. 19.30. ‘Digital Railway – the Future of Train Control’: Steve Ashling.

RCTS . Weston Favell Parish Hall, Booth Lane South, Weston Favell, Northampton. 19.30.

‘UK Railways in the 21st Century’: David Smith.

RCTS . Sheffield Scout Headquarters, 60-68 Trippett Lane, Sheffield. 14.00.

‘Lincolnshire Branch Lines’: Alf Ludlum and Phil Eldridge.

SLS . Lauriston Hotel, 15 South Crescent Road, Ardrossan KA22 8EA. 19.30.

‘The Fife Coal Roads & Other Things’: J C Black.

York Railway Circle . Archbishop Holgate’s School, Hull Road, York YO10 5ZA (conference room [old library] through main front entrance).

19.30. ‘Mainly Black & White 1960-68’: John Whiteley.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

GreatWestern Society (GWS) . BAWA, 589 Southmead Rd, Filton, Bristol BS34 7RG. 19.45. ‘GW Miscellany – Including Gems from the Soole Collection’: Brian Arman.

Locomotive Club of Great Britain (LCGB) (North London branch) . Wood Green Social Club, 1-3 Stuart Crescent, London N22 3NJ. 14.00.

‘Locomotive-hauled Trains in the Privatisation Era’: Geoff Brockett.

PewseyVale Society . Woodborough Social Club, Smithy Lane Woodborough Pewsey Wilts SN9 5PL. 19.30. Annual meeting and talk by members of the society, RCTS . The Swift, Haggis Gap, Fulbourn, Cambridge. 19.30. TBA.

RCTS . Nottingham Mechanics, 3 North Sherwood Street, Nottingham. 19.30.

‘Steam on the Main Line – Part 2 1991-2004’: Roger Jones.

SLS . Sale United Reformed Church, Montague Road, Sale M33 3BU. 13.00.

Hotpot lunch (& quiz) – donations in aid of the Railway Children charity.

SLS . Scout and Guide Headquarters, Godalming GU7 1HR. 14.30. ‘Railway Camping Coach Holidays in the 1950s’: Hugh Davies.

Wells Railway Fraternity . Wells Town Hall, Wells, Somerset. 19.30. ‘The Strawberry Line – Past, Present and Future’: Lois Brenchley followed by ‘Steam and Diesel’: Paul Burdett.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11 . . . . . . . . . . . .

Bromsgrove Railway Club . St Godwald’s church hall, Aston Fields B60 2EA. 19.30. ‘The Trains I Caught and the Trains I Missed’: Ned Williams.

LCGB (Dorking branch) . Friends’ Meeting House, Butter Hill, South Street, Dorking. 19.30.

‘Railways of Greece’: Donald Wilson.

Oxfordshire Railway Society . Seacourt Day Centre, Seacourt Road, Botley, Oxford OX2 9LD. 19.30. ‘Fifty Years a Railwayman’: Adrian Shooter, former Chiltern Railways chairman.

RCTS . Old Church Rooms, Park Road, Radyr, Cardiff. 19.30. Annual meeting followed by ‘From the Top of Mount Washington to the Bottom of Death Valley’: Jeff Morgan.

Basingstoke & District Railway Society .

Wote St Club, New Road, Basingstoke RG21 7NG. 19.45. ‘The Reopening of the Welsh Highland Railway’: Andy Savage, deputy chairman of WHR. THURSDAY, JANUARY 12 . . . . . . . . . . . . .

AlnValley Railway . Old Waiting Room, Alnwick station, Alnwick. 19.30. ‘Blyth & Tyne Part 2: Newham to Newbiggin and Morpeth’: Ed Orwin.

LCGB (St Albans branch) . Chiswell Green United Reformed Church, Watford Road, St Albans AL2 3HG. 19.30.

‘Strictly Freight Only - Part Two’: Brian Ringer.

Monmouthshire Railway Society . Theatre A09, Univ of South Wales, City Campus, Usk Way, Newport, South Wales NP20 2BP. 19.00.

‘Railways Through the Mountains’: Colin Boocock.

RCTS . The Arts Centre, 67 Westgate Road, Newcastle. 18.30.

‘Constructing the New Built Patriot 45551 The Unknown Warrior’: Richard Sant.

RCTS . St Luke’s Church, Mayors Walk, Peterborough. 19.00.

Annual meeting and members’ evening.

SevernValley Railway (Cheshire branch) .

Queens Hotel, Sunderland Street, Macclesfield SK11 6JW. 19.45.

‘British Steam Before 1968’: Martin Welch.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 13 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Altrincham Electric Railway Preservation Society . Altrincham Methodist Church, Barrington Road, Altrincham, Cheshire WA14 1HF. 19.30.

‘Steam in the North West of England and Scotland in 1965 (Part 2)’: Noel Coates.

Great Central Railway (Leics Area Supporters’ Group) . Church Hall, Church Lane (opposite Quorndon Fox pub), Quorn, Leics. 19.30.

‘From Leicester to Loughborough via Prague’: Jason Cross.

GWS . Lawn Community Centre, Guildford Ave, off Windsor Rd, Lawn, Swindon SN3 1JE. 19.15.

‘Cab Ride Presentation’: Trevor Young & Peter Tough.

SLS . The Mining Institute Lecture Theatre, Neville Hall, Westgate Road, Newcastle-uponTyne. 19.00. ‘The SGR (Standard Gauge Railway) Project in Africa’: Phil Kirkland.

Slough &Windsor Railway Society . The Manor, Brunel Way, Slough SL1 1LW. 19.15.

SWRS v Reading Transport Group quiz.

102 • The Railway Magazine • January 2017

SATURDAY, JANUARY 14 . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Bournemouth Railway Club . Avon Room, Winton Methodist Community Centre, junction of Alma Road and Heron Court Road, Bournemouth. 14.30. ‘Waterloo to Weymouth and other John Snell Vintage Films’: Peter Keat.

Ffestiniog Railway Society (Hants & Sussex area group) . Physic Garden, 16 The High Street, Petersfield, Hampshire GU32 3JJ. 19.00. TBA. RCTS . Conference Room, Great Western Hotel, Exeter St David’s station, Exeter. 19.00.

Annual meeting followed by ‘From Doveholes to Dawlish’: John Beaumont.

SLS . Kidderminster Railway Museum, adjoining SVR station, DY10 1QX. 14.00.

Members’ presentations.

IrwellVale Railway Photographers . Irwell Vale Methodist Church, Milne Street, Irwell Vale BL0 0QP (off the B6257). 19.30.

‘Rail Routes from Leeds’: Steve Armitage.

Marlow & District Railway Society . Bourne End, Community Centre, Bourne End, Bucks SL8 5SX. 20.00. ‘The Lynton and Barnstaple Railway’: Peter Miles.

NorthYorkshire Moors Railway (Northallerton area group) . Northallerton Town Cricket Club, Farndale Avenue, Northallerton DL7 8SN. 14.00.’The Aln Valley Railway’: Roger Jermy.

RCTS . The Coop Education Centre, 11 Fore Street, Ipswich. 14.15. ‘East Anglian Video Miscellany 1990-1996’: David Clough.

RCTS . Darlington Cricket Club, South Terrace, Feethams, Darlington. 19.00.

‘The Bulleid Pacifics’: Colin Boocock.

RCTS . Saltaire Methodist Chapel, Saltaire Road, Shipley. 19.30. ‘Sigh for a Deltic’: David Thomas.

SLS . St John’s United Reformed Church Hall, Mowbray Road, New Barnet, Herts EN5 1RH. 19.30. ‘Railways, The TPO and Philately’: Doug Fairhurst.

MONDAY, JANUARY 16 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Railway and Canal Historical Society (London group) . Rugby Tavern, Rugby Street (off Lamb’s Conduit Street), London WC1N 3ES. 18.30.

‘Broken Links in Britain’s Rail Policy’: Lord (Richard) Faulkner.

RCTS . The Town Crier, City Road/Station Road, Chester (opposite station entrance).

19.30. Annual meeting followed by a slide presentation: John Field.

RCTS . Maudslay Hotel, 190 Allesley Old Road, Coventry. 19.30. Annual meeting followed by members’ presentations.

RCTS . Didcot Civic Hall, Britwell Road, Didcot.

19.30. ‘Island Treasure – Railways of the Isle of Wight’: Colin Brading.

RCTS . Shenfield Parish Hall, 60 Hutton Road, Shenfield. 19.30. ‘Locomotives that never were’: David Couzens Howard.

Wensleydale Railway Association (Trust) (Northallerton branch) . Northallerton Cricket Club, Farndale Avenue, Northallerton DL7 8SN. 19.30. ‘First TransPennine Express’.

FRIDAY JANUARY 20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

GWS . Village Hall, Stoke St Mary, Taunton. 19.30.

‘Steaming in the 1960s:’ Alan Reeve.

Slough &Windsor Railway Society . The Manor, Brunel Way, Slough SL1 1LW. 19.15.

‘Lower Thames Valley’: Paul Joyce.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

RCTS . Victory Club, Burlington House, Lypiatt Road, Cheltenham. 19.30. ‘Electrification of the Great Western Main Line’: Jill Poynton.

RCTS . Upstairs, The Highway Public House, Willerby Road, Hull. 14.00.

‘British Rail in the Blue Era’: Rob Freeman.

SLS . Langdon Square Community Centre, Coulby Newham, Middlesbrough TS8 0TF. 19.00.

‘Living North Eastern’: David Thomas.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18 . . . . . . . . . . . .

Bradford Railway Circle . Sedbergh Community Centre, Huddersfield Road, Odsal, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD6 1DJ. 19.30.

‘West Highland Sleeper’: Julian Halstead.

Horncastle History and Heritage Society .

Admiral Rodney Hotel, Horncastle. 19.30.

‘The Origins, Development and Decline of the East Lincolnshire Railway’: Mike Fowler.

RCTS/Mid Hants Railway . Eastleigh Railway Institute, Romsey Road, Eastleigh 19.30.

‘Railways Around the World’: Mike Clements.

Talking ofTrains . Surbiton Library, Ewell Road, Surbiton KT6 6AG. 19.00.

‘Welcome to 2017 - Likely Developments on Britain’s Railways’: Dick Crane.

Thorncombe Rail Activities Club . Thorncombe Village Hall, Thorncombe, Chard, Somerset TA20 4NE. 19.30. Annual meeting followed by ‘A Bit of Devonshire’: Amyas Crump.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 19 . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Lutterworth Railway Society . United Reformed

Church, George Street, Lutterworth, Leics LE17 4EF. 19.30.

‘Great Western Railway’: Tony Bowles.

LCGBW Branch . The Pied Bull Hotel, High Street, Newton-le-Willows.19.30. ‘Steam and Diesel in the Northern Fells’: Ian Pilkington.

SATURDAY JANUARY 21 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

GWS . Parish Centre, Church End Road, Kingskerswell, Torbay. 18.30. ’A Journey Along the South Devon Coast:’ John Risdon.

RCTS/SRPS . Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh. 14.30.

‘NCB Kinneil Colliery – Bo’ness’: Robert Jardine.

SLS . Friends’ Meeting House, Mount Street, Manchester M2 5NS. 14.00.

Area annual meeting followed by ‘My First 12 Years as a Tour Manager with Great Rail Journeys’: Alan Coltman.

MONDAY, JANUARY 23 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

RCTS . Cox Green Community Centre, Highfield Lane, Cox Green, Maidenhead. 19.30.

‘Loco-hauled Passenger Trains in the Privatisation Era’: Geoff Brockett.

RCTS . Sheffield Scout Headquarters, 60-68 Trippett Lane, Sheffield. 19.00.

‘Railways in the Hope Valley’: Ted Hancock.

RCTS . Weston Favell Parish Hall, Booth Lane South, Weston Favell, Northampton. 14.00.

‘Doncaster Station’: Brian Longbone.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

RCTS . Nottingham Mechanics, 3 North Sherwood Street, Nottingham. 14.00.

‘Swindon Works the Golden Years’: the Rev Canon Brian Arman.

RCTS . Woking United Reform Church, White Rose Lane, Woking. 19.15.

‘Growing the DLR’: Mark Davis

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25 . . . . . . . . . . . .

Ipswich & District HistoricalTransport Society .

Salvation Army Citadel, 558, Woodbridge Road, Ipswich. 19.30.

‘Railways of Durango & Germany’: Graham Austin.

RCTS . Council Meeting Room 2, County Hall, West Street Chichester. 19.30.

‘Mail Rail – the Postal Museum and Underground Railway’: Chris Taft.

Talking of Trains . Surbiton Library, Ewell Road, Surbiton KT6 6AG. 19.00.

‘Railways of North Korea’: Colin Meill.

Basingstoke & District Railway Society .

Wote St Club, New Road, Basingstoke RG21 7NG. 19.45. Annual meeting followed by ‘The Railway of Syria’: Doug Cross.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 26 . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Stevenage Locomotive Society . Community Arts Centre, Roaring Meg Retail Park, Stevenage.

19.30. ‘Mechanical Signalling on BR in the 21st Century’: Michael Rhodes.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

GWS . St Hilda’s Clubroom, Slater St, Latchford, Warrington. 19.30. ’North of Preston:’ Barrie Rushton.