On the Narrow Gauge:
Narrow Gauge Railways & the Lincolnshire Area of the
Narrow Gauge Railway Society
Narrow Gauge Railway Society - website
Lincolnshire Area - Facebook page
This page has been 'under construction' for too long. Suffice it to say that I have been involved in narrow gauge railways for many, many years. My first introductions to the narrow gauge were to the gravel pit railway at Burton Fen, near Lincoln and the ironstone tramways at Greetwell, and to the industrial scene at Newsum's joinery works on the Fosse Dyke in Lincoln. In those days, fifty years ago there was also open access to the Docks at Boston, Lincs., and it was on Sunday visits to these that that I first experienced the 'potato railway' at Nocton. Notes on other lines in the 'West End' of Lincoln and 'Newsums' are available. Whilst they are not narrow gauge there are some interesting diagrams of Lincoln's railways in the 1950-59 period, These show the extensive system of 'industrial' lines in the City at that time.
I have worked as a 'Traffic Volunteer' (Guard) on the Talyllyn Railway (Mid-Wales) for over forty years. On my journeys to Tywyn I have often stopped to visit my friends on the Welshpool & Llanfair Railway, and my involvement with the smaller gauges has led to me being Secretary of the Lincolnshire Area of the Narrow Gauge Railway Society. The Lincolnshire Area of the NGRS (generally) meets on the 2nd Wednesday of alternate months at the 'Unison Club', Beaumont Fee, Lincoln, LN1 1UL, with a start time of 7.30pm. We offer a range of events that we hope is of interest to all interested in narrow gauge and minor railways.
Thanks to Rebecca Lockley rebeccajlockle [@] googlemail.com we now have ‘Facebook’ page
I regret to announce the death , on September 23rd, after a long period of ill-health of our member Alex Hurd. Alex has been a member of the Narrow Gauge & Lincoln Railway Societies for close on 30 years. Alex worked for BT for a number of years and on his retirement started a successful business venture producing videotapes and then DVDs, which he had filmed at heritage centres both NG & SG throughout the UK. He mastered the use of technology and used it to full effect, creating products of a high standard. These were sold in great numbers to those running heritage lines, and he gave regulars shows to the Lincolnshire Branch of the NGRS and the LRS. We extend our sympathy to his partner Evelyn and his daughter.
Our current programme (and an idea of the sort of things we get up to) are below.
2007 Programme
February 14th: 'Health & Safety Sahib? No Problem Sahib' 'What is Health & Safety' - 23 years in India & Nepal :Tim Hudson
April 11th 'Cuba' :Lawson Little
June 14th :'A Week of N.G. days out'. Alan Bowler
August 8th.'Compressed Air Locomotives': Nick Kelly
October 10th: 'A - Z of Narrow Gauge Railways in Britain: from the resources of the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum, Tywyn'. Chris White
December 12th.: AGM & Slideshow
2008 Programme
February 13th: 'Welshpool Topics': Dave Billmore
April 9th: 'Railroading the States - 2006/7: Colorado & Wyoming'. Mick Melbourne & friends
June 11th. 'A - Z of Narrow Gauge Railways in Britain: from the resources of the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum, Tywyn': Part 2. Chris White
August 13th. 'Muscles on Railways': A return visit by ... Nick Kelly
October 1st: Narrow Gauge in Ontario, in the 1860s, 70s and 80s: Rod Clarke
October 8th: 'Ratty Topics': John Taylor
December 10th: AGM & Slideshow - limited to 15 minutes per speaker - 'first timers' go first!
2009 Programme
February 11th: Ironstone Mining from Greetwell to Barkston. Stewart Squires
April 8th: The Great Alex Hurd 2009 Video Show by the one and only ... Alex Hurd
June 10th: Steam on the Cambrian & Talyllyn in the 1960s; (& hopefully) Austrian Narrow Gauge in the 1980s (film by John Smallwood & Ed Lund): John Smallwood
August 12th. The Modern Industrial Railway - Europe, the UK and the USA: Nick Kelly
October 14th: 'When the Wall Came Down'. Graham Lightfoot
December 9th AGM & Slideshow - limited to 15 minutes per speaker - 'first timers' go first! (and, as agreed, in 2009 people with slides and first timers get first go).
2010 Programme
February 10th: Slow Train to Sargan: Tim Lockley
April 14th: Steam in Central & East Africa: David Mitchell
June 9th: Running the Cambrian section. Larry Bridges
August 11th. 2'0" gauge in the British Isles: Fred Pugh
October 13th: Kirby Green Miniature Railway. Stuart Ravell
December 8th. AGM & Slideshow - limited to 15 minutes per speaker (and, as agreed, in 2009 first timers get first go) CANCELLED DUE TO BAD WEATHER.
2011 Programme - As this is the 60th Anniversary of the UK (& World) Preservation movement the talks this year have a ‘nostalgic’ theme.
January 12th: Postponed from December 8th. AGM & Slideshow - limited to 15 minutes per speaker (and, as agreed, in 2009 first timers get first go)
February 9th: Peru & Bolivia - narrow gauge, standard gauge, & Lake Titicaca steamers.Tim Hudson
March 12th & 13th (Saturday & Sunday) - not one of our events but members can often be found at Narrow Gauge North
April 13th : ‘Nostalgia evening’. Members slide night (nothing younger than 20 years old, if possible, and please try and limit yourself to 15 minutes)
June 8th ‘Fifty Years a Talyllyn Volunteer’ - Gordon Rhodes (Due to circumstances beyond his control Gordon has had to cancel. We are looking for a replacement, but the meeting will take place). REPLACED BY ANDREW NEALE - Subject TBA
August 10th; ‘Leeds Built Locomotives around the World’ : Ron Redman
October 12th ‘Colorado - Railroad Heaven’ - Graham Lightfoot
December 14th: AGM & Slideshow - limited to 15 minutes per speaker - 'first timers' go first!
2012 Programme
February 8th : ‘Poland, 2011’ Chris White
April 11th: Not quite a Tim & Mick show, but ‘Indian retrospect’ - DHR, KSR & INRM from 1990 to 2011, with hopefully some DHR material from the 1970s (& Nepal Govt Rly if I can get it copied)
June 13th: ‘Fifty years on the Narrow Gauge - Talyllyn & Brockham’ - Gordon Rhodes
August 8th: ‘Nostalgia evening’. Members slide night (nothing younger than 20 years old, if possible, and please try and limit yourself to 15 minutes)
September 12th :ADDITIONAL MEETING - ‘War Dept Light Railways of World War One’ - Kim Hunter (War Office Locomotive Society) - Possible joint meeting with the Lincolnshire Branch of the Western Front Association.
October 10th : ‘Ratty Engineering’ - Paul Turnill TBC
December 12th : AGM & Slideshow - limited to 15 minutes per speaker - 'first timers' go first!
.Membership of the Lincolnshire Area Group of the NGRS is open to anyone interested in narrow gauge and light or industrial railways - membership of the NGRS is not necessary to attend our meetings. For further details please contact me (ngrs [at] photrek.co.uk) or telephone me on 01522 524672.
© Lincolnshire Area NGRS & Tim Hudson. 1st January, 2012