April 2010

Ian Wright– “Commemorations & Celebrations” – April 6th 2010

Ian visited the Society for the first time on April 6th to share with us an excellent selection of slides taken over the last thirty five years. A former science teacher and a volunteer steam loco driver on both the West Somerset and Bluebell Railways, Ian recalled his  experiences traveling to a number of major railway celebrations since 1975, largely traveling as part of a locomotive support crew from the Bluebell Railway or with other former SR steam locos.
Ian recalled some personal “inside” stories from the footplate and support crew at Shildon in 1975, and Rainhill in 1980, commemorating the Stockton & Darlington, plus Lancashire & Yorkshire Railways respectively. We saw photos of steam locos and liveries long since lost from the limelight in the respective cavalcades of locos which drew massive crowds from across the country.
As Ian followed on with more recent celebrations, his strong allegiance to Southern locos came through, as did his strong views on different types of locos. His honest but firmly-held personal views on these weren’t always necessarily shared by all present, but it was a fascinating and entertaining account of some of the goings on behind the scenes at these events, in places where the public weren’t able to access.
Our thanks go to Ian for sharing his experiences and slides and we hope he’ll return to entertain us in the future with another show.

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