CIRENCESTER

RAILWAY SOCIETY

ARCHIVE OF RECENT MEETINGS

2022 – 2025 Autumn & Winter Programme

CONTACT

• Chairman: Mike Smith
• Secretary: Rick Martin
• Treasurer: JohnTiffney

• Home page

• Friday 3rd January 2025 

Howard Parker “Trials and Tribulations of Creating a Heritage Railway in the 21st Century” 

It has been many years since we last had a talk from someone for the Vale of Berkeley Railway. VoBR Chairman Howard Parker told us something about the history of the railways of Sharpness, the VoBR achievements to date and their plans for the future. 

• Friday 7th February, 2025

Alan Price "Barry Docks, the Barry Railway and Woodham's Scrapyard" 

Alan has been a volunteer at Didcot Railway Centre for many years. 

Part 1 covered the history of Baedrry Docks and the Barry Railway. 

Part 2 covered the history of Woodham Brothers Ltd scrapyard at Barry Docks, and the preservation careers of many of the locomotives rescued from there. 

• Friday 7th March 2025

Mark Bladwell "The Lynton & Barnstaple Railway - 1979 to date " 

The Lynton and Barnstaple Railway closed on 29th September 1935. The following day a wreath of bronze chrysanthemums was laid on the Barnstaple Town Station stop block. It bore a black-edged, hand-written card on which was written: “To Barnstaple & Lynton Railway, with regret and sorrow from a constant user and admirer. Perchance it is not dead but sleepeth”. 

The Lynton and Barnstaple Railway Trust was formed in 1979 and in 2004 a short section was reopened to passengers. Much has happened since then and Mark Bradwell told us what has been achieved since 1979.  

• Sunday 9th March 

Visit to Statfold Barn Railway: Spectacle of steam

• Friday 4th April

Paul Chancellor “A Spotter's life- a 12th Colour-Rail Journey” 

Paul visited us last season with an excellent selection of pictures from the Colour-Rail archive. He has threatened to stop giving shows to societies like ours, so he should be invited to speak to us one more time. Certainly one to look forward to. 

• Friday 5th January 2024 – Mike Smith
"Steam in India, 1993"

The first part of the show featured Mike’s visit to northern India in January and February 1993. Plenty of steam on both metre gauge and broad gauge, plus visits to industrial locations and a trip on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. The second part covered more recent railway adventures, mainly in England and Wales.

• Friday 2nd February 2024 – Ralph Ward
“A Winter’s Tale”

A welcome return by respected railway photographer Ralph Ward. “A Winter’s Tale” featured preserved British steam on both the mainline and heritage railways during the winter months, November to February.

• Friday 1st March 2024 – Ian Crowder
"76077 and the BR class 4MT 2-6-0s"

76077 is currently under restoration for use on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway. The aim is to return the loco to steam in time for its 70th Birthday in 2026. We learnt much about the restoration of and future plans for76077, as well as the history of the BR class 4MT 2-6-0s.

• Friday 5th April 2024 – Peter Bamber
“Western Locomotive Association”

The Western Locomotive Association was formally launched in January 1974 to save a member of the BR Western Region’s “Western” diesel hydraulic locomotives. In October 1976 the Association successfully purchased D1062 Western Courier and had restored the locomotive to full operational condition in original maroon livery by May 1977.

Meanwhile Richard Holdsworth, a businessman and WLA member, had privately purchased D1013 Western Ranger and this locomotive joined D1062 in the care of the Association. During 2023, locomotive D1048 Western Lady was gifted to the WLA so the Association now has three Westerns in its care.

To celebrate 50 years since the founding of the Association, the WLA is holding an anniversary celebration at STEAM Museum, Swindon from 1pm to 9pm on Saturday, 27th January. For further information, follow this link to the WLA’s website: 
https://westernlocomotives.com/product-category/wla-50th

• Visit to Fawley Railway Museum - Sunday 9th June 2024

The Society had  been allocated 20 places for a day at Lord Macalpine's private railway and Museum near Maidenhead.. There was no entry charge, we just needed to arrange transport - either coach or car sharing.

It has catering facilities and static displays and brake van rides. It hosts the most comprehensive Museum of railway memorabilia John has ever seen. Details on www.fawleymuseum.org

• Friday 1st December - Douglas Butler
"The Future of HS2"

Douglas looked at the origins of the decision to build HS2, then considered the amazing engineering challenges that are being met. The entire project is in the hands of the politicians, of course, and the hope is that after all the truncation there still is a useful railway being built.

• Friday 3rd November - Chris Smith
"Cheltenham to Swindon 2 Routes by Train"

Chris is and ex-BR fireman and driver on the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway. Chris uses a mixture of his own photographs and those of other photographers to present a slide show of picture taken between the 1920s and the 1960s.

• Friday 6th October - Paul Chancellor
“Gems from the Archives”

Paul from Colour Rail, will give us a 2 hour presentation from his extensive library of photographs. Colour-Rail is probably the largest supplier of archive railway photographs in the UK This is the tenth Colour-Rail Journey and looks at the photographic styles of ten competent railway photographers, but with different interpretations of the scene, with views from the 1950s to the present day.

Brian’s father was one of the prisoners of war who built the “Death Railway” between Ban Pong in Thailand and Thanbyuzayat in Burma. Brian has visited us before and as a lifelong railway enthusiast, the family connection meant it was inevitable he would research this infamous railway.

Tonight Jo will tell us how the GWSR rebuilt Broadway station, the trials and tribulations and eventual reopening to traffic. This meeting was originally scheduled for April 2020 but unfortunately had to be postponed because of the Covid pandemic.

Friday 3rd February - Mike Dodd
"Biscuit Tin Discoveries - Photos of Frank Sanders"

Mike has visited us before and gave us two excellent shows of his late father’s photographs taken in the 1950s and 1960s, but Mike is also a member of the Toddington-based “Restoration and Archiving Trust”. One of the aims of the Trust is to create a database of railway photographs from private collections and other sources to ensure they are available for research in the future and don’t disappear without trace. A biscuit tin full of negatives was given to the trust.

Friday 6th January - Richard Gunner
"Cirencester Community Railway Project"

Richard is Chairman of Cirencester Community Railway Project. Tonight he will tell us about their plans to reinstate the rail link between Kemble and Cirencester using ultra light rail and ulttra light rail vehicles.

Friday 2nd December - Paul Woollard
“South Wales Railways Around the Millennium”

By the 1990s, the inexorable decline of the railway network in South Wales meant that rail borne freight was a shadow of its former self. What remained however, certainly in the 1990s and early 2000s, was a variety of flows in the hands of Class 56s, 60s and, of course, the venerable Class 37s.

Paul’s show features a selection of superb photographs, often in colourful sector liveries, set in the striking rural and industrial landscapes that typify South Wales. The title of tonight’s show is taken from Paul’s book, “South Wales Railways Around the Millennium”, published by Amberley Publishing in 2019.

Friday 4th November - Pete Evans
“A Lad with a Camera”

Pete visited us in 2019 to present his excellent British Industrial Steam show. Tonight’s show features Pete’s “end of BR steam” photographs.

Friday 14th October - Mike Smith
“General Meeting and The Stroud Gasworks Tramway”

Our Chairman, John Thomas, and our Treasurer, John Head have decided to retire as Officers of the Society so the first part of the meeting was to be a General Meeting to elect a new committee. The Society needs a new Treasurer and John Tiffney has offered to take over from John Head. Mike Smith is happy to continue in his role as organiser of meetings and Rick Martin is happy to continue as Secretary. John Head always looked after library bookings and John Tiffney is happy to take on that role, too. John Head also took on the very important role of providing refreshments during the break.

To summarise, then, we need a new Chairman and a new Catering Manager and confirmation the membership is happy to elect John Tiffney, Mike Smith and Rick Martin as Officers of the Society. The new Chairman can be one of the existing Officers, of course.

Following the completion of the formal business of the General Meeting, Mike Smith will give an illustrated talk on the Stroud Gasworks Tramway. This was a 2 foot gauge railway that linked Stroud’s gas works to the Midland railway’s branch from Dudbridge Junction to Stroud.

If there is sufficient time, Mike will also give a short talk on a May 2022 visit to DB’s Toton depot and another on a June 2019 visit to Darlington to see the new P2 2-8-2 locomotive “Prince of Wales” under construction.