2025
Thursday 16th January 2025 - 7pm start G. Nichols Memories of Steam in Devon and Cornwall.
(A. Jarvis & M. Warburton collection).
Following his Welsh-themed talks, Gerry Nichols returns with colour and monochrome images of Devon & Cornwall, including T9's on the Whithered Arm. As before, Jarvis & Wharburton images feature but will also get support from other sources recently scanned.
Thursday 13th February 2025 - 7pm start MRS Video Films
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Thursday 13th March 2025 - 7pm start Ken Mumford Brecon & Merthyr Railway Pt1 (Brecon - Pontsticill)
M.R.S member of 60 plus years, Ken Mumford, was born and bred in the shadow of the Brecon & Merthyr line and begins a south-bound journey along the route when he brings along Part 1 of his presentation in March.
Thursday 17th April 2025 - 7pm start Paul Chancellor Colour Rail Evening
Selected 2025 additions. Paul Chancellor has announced he is retiring from going ‘on the road’ with Colour Rail after 2025, hence getting him back with the year’s additions on the only spare date in the programme. So come along in April before Paul ‘retires’!
Thursday 15th May 2025 - 7pm start although Roy Kethro has had to postpone we have a great guest for tonight
Roy Kethro has had to POSTPONE his visit and will be booked for next year
Roy Kethro The Rise and Fall of Bristol Bath Road Diesel Depot
Roy Kethro tells the story of Bristol Bath Road, one of the Western Region's main diesel depots created as part of the modernisation programme, through to its demise as the age of privatisation approached. He started working there as an apprentice fitter, then witnessing the many reorganisations, ultimately being aligned with the Inter-City under sectorisation and succumbing to the transition to wards the fixed formation passenger train.
Stepping in a short notice is David Postle
Thursday 15th May 2025 - 7pm start David Postle British railways on plate glass negatives Part 2
Stepping in at short notice due to our original speaker having to postpone, we are most grateful to Kidderminster Rly. Museum's curator David Postle agreeing to bring along Part 2 of this very popular talk with railway clubs and societies. Dating from late Victorian times through to just after WW2, this is another dip into KRM's plate glass negative archive, renowned for the detail they captured due to the sheer size of the plates. A fascinating look at railways of yesteryear awaits.
Thursday 12th June 2025 - 7pm start Ray Viney The Sirhowy Valley
Continuing the railways in the valleys theme, our Journal Editor Ray Viney makes his regular appearance in June to present a talk on the Sirhowy Valley. The evening will feature images from a host of resources recalling the route from Nantybwch to Risca together with the industries and services lost pre-dating the Beeching era.
Thursday 18th September 2025 - 7pm start AGM followed by films Admission free
Thursday 16th October 2025 - 7pm start Rev. Cannon B. Arman A Broad Gauge Journey, Swindon to South Wales
Rev. Canon Brian Arman makes a welcome return in October with a broad gauge journey from Swindon to Swindon via Gloucester, the South Wales Railway and Vale of Neath. One of the stories to be told is how our section of broad gauge was changed over to standard gauge in 1872 over a number of weekends, never having gone through the process of dual gauging, like the south west route.
Thursday 13th November 2025 - 7pm start Ian Boskett A Trip Down Memory Lane 60s 70s 80s UK Railways
Following on from his Great Train Robbery talk last year, Ian Boskett returns in November. In his own inimitable style, Ian’s "trip down memory lane" includes scenes from the sixties, seventies and eighties, with a mix of his own images and others acquired over the years. Steam, locosheds and early diesels feature.
Thursday 4th December 2025 - 7pm start Peter Brabham The end of Steam in N. England and Scotland (Wiltshire & Chaplin collection)
Peter Brabham makes another visit in December with another dip into the superb Chaplin & Wiltshire collection. This adventure takes us to the North East and Scotland for quality images around and after the end of steam, some of which lasted nearly 2 years after Western steam had disappeared.
2026
Thursday 15th January 2026 - 7pm start The Festiniog Railway Pt 1 – Up To Closure (1946)
In January 2026, Friends of the Festiniog & Welsh Highland Railway make their inaugural visit to the Society with Part 1 of a talk covering the history of the world’s oldest independent railway, from the beginnings of the Festiniog, up to closure in 1946 . We’ll look to slot Part 2 into our programme during 2027.
Thursday 12th February 2025 - 7pm start MRS Video Films
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