Warwickshire Railway Society

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The Warwickshire Railway Society was particularly active in the 1960s. During that decade it organised a number of rail tours and publications.

In 1969, members of the Society and members of the Severn Valley Railway Company jointly formed the 15XX Pannier Tank Fund to purchase and preserve GWR Pannier 1501.[1] 1501 was first steamed on 29 May 1997 "backed by the financial efforts of the Warwickshire Railway Society".[2] It also owned LMS 27218 Third Open.

The Society has no obvious public presence, nor is to be found on social media. From time-to-time references to the Society emerge. Members also arranged international railway travel, a tale of their activities can be found here. On 28 November 2000 Peter RG Kennard of "Warwickshire Railway Society Solihull, West Midlands" wrote to the Guardian newspaper in support of Railtrackprivate sector owner of the national railway system from 1994 until 2002, created as part of the privatisation of British Rail. Succeeded by Network Rail and the train operating companies.[3] In SVRSevern Valley Railway News 205 (Spring 2019) Nigel Cripps thanked the Society for its support in the overhaul of Manning Wardle 0-6-0ST Works No 2047.

Publications

The Society also published a series of books reviewing of the remaining steam locomotives on industrial systems. Detailed information was given of the type and location of every industrial steam locomotive still known to exist in the area.[4] A possibly incomplete list is as follows:

  • Cooke, D.N., Industrial Steam Locomotives of Lancashire, Yorkshire and Cheshire. Photos by R. Monk. Warwickshire Railway Society Publication, 1969 (pb).
  • Cooke, D.N., Industrial Steam Locomotives of North east and North west England. Photos by D. Alexander, R.P. Hickman and R. Monk. Warwickshire Railway Society Publication, 1968 (pb).
  • Cooke, D.N., Industrial Steam Locomotives of Southern England and South Wales. Photos by J. Beechey, M. Beckett, R.P. Hickman and R. Monk.
  • Evans, R.C. (compiler), Industrial Steam Locomotives of Central England (reprinted 1969).[5]

Railtours

A possibly incomplete list of main line tours is as follows:

Date Tour name Route Notes Reference
12 May 1963 Birmingham to Doncaster Six Bells Junction, What Happened to Steam blog
29 September 1963 Birmingham, Crewe and Shrewsbury Six Bells Junction, What Happened to Steam blog
14 June 1964 Birmingham to Crewe Photo of steam banking locomotive at Bromsgrove with BRBritish Rail or British Railways Standard 9FThe British Railways system of classifying steam locomotives by power using a number from 0, least powerful, to 9, most powerful, followed by either F for freight, P for Passenger or MT for Mixed Traffic. No.92230 Six Bells Junction, Dave Hill Photographic Collection, Railways in Worcestershire
16 August 1964 Swindon & Eastleigh tour Sheffield to Swindon and Eastleigh Six Bells Junction
11 October 1964 York and Doncaster Tour Birmingham to York and return Six Bells Junction
28 November 1964 Carlisle Tour Birmingham to Carlisle Featured 70000 Britannia Six Bells Junction
7 February 1965 Britannia tour Birmingham to Crewe Six Bells Junction
3 April 1965 Great Western Steam Tour Birmingham to Swindon Six Bells Junction
8 May 1965 South Yorks & Notts Railtour Birmingham to Doncaster and return Six Bells Junction
23 May 1965 Merchant Navy Locomotive Tour London to Swindon & Eastleigh Six Bells Junction
12 June 1965 Somerset & Dorset Joint & Eastleigh Tour Bath Green Park and Bournemouth Cornwall Railway Society archives, Six Bells Junction, 'Travelling Toper' Flickr
4 September 1965 Pennine Railtour Birmingham to Carlisle Six Bells Junction, Simon Lathlane
5 September 1965 The Hants & Dorset Rail Tour Birmingham to Eastleigh and Weymouth Six Bells Junction
13 November 1965 The Yorkshireman No.1 Birmingham-Manchester-Darlington-Sheffield-Birmingham Six Bells Junction
27 November 1965 Midlander Rail Tour London-Nuneaton-Crewe-Wrexham-London RM Web, Six Bells Junction
11 December 1965 The Waverley Birmingham and Edinburgh RM Web, Six Bells Junction
12 February 1966 Midlander Tour Birmingham and Rugby Six Bells Junction
16 April 1966 Cambrian Tour Birmingham, Aberystwyth and Pwllheli Six Bells Junction
24-26 June 1966 The Aberdonian Six Bells Junction
11 June 1967 Farewell to Steam on the L.S.W.R. Birmingham to Swanage and Weymouth Six Bells Junction
14 October 1967 South Wales Railtour No.1 Around Newport and Cardiff DMUDiesel Multiple Unit Six Bells Junction
6 April 1968 Scarborough Flyer Rail Tour Six Bells Junction
13 April 1968 South Wales Railtour No.2 Around Cardiff DMUDiesel Multiple Unit Six Bells Junction
18 May 1968 North Western Steam Tour Hall Royd Junction
5 October 1968 South Wales Railtour No.3 Around Newport Class 120 DMUDiesel Multiple Unit Six Bells Junction, DMU Railtours
17 November 1968 Central Wales Tour Birmingham and Carmarthenshire branch lines Class 101/120 DMUDiesel Multiple Unit. PSOV, Welsh Byways refers to 27 November 1968. Six Bells Junction

See also

List of preservation groups

References

  1. 1501 Pannier Tank Association website history
  2. Quote from SVRSevern Valley Railway Stock Book Ninth Edition
  3. Guardian letter, 28 November 2000 (Retrieved 22 August 2019)
  4. Secondhand Railway Books (Retrieved 22 August 2019)
  5. Warwickshire Railways: General Bibliography (Retrieved 22 August 2019)