British Section Newsletter

Vol.15 No.1 Autumn 2010

European Association of Railway Personnel

Association Européenne des Cheminots (AISBL)
International Association (A.R. 4.2.1985)
International Non-governmental Organisation with advisory status to the Council of Europe (6.4.1977)
International Non-governmental Organisation with consultative status to the UN (decision E/ 2002/ of 22.07.2002) and member of the
United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
Registered address: A.E.C (AISBL). - 25 Square de Meeus 1000 Brussels, Belgium.

 

Contents

Editorial
Recruitment
Committee
People
European Days and Other European Events
European Days in Italy, Spring 2011
European days in Romania, Autumn 2011
Ipswich Dock Branch
Trapped in the Anglosphere
Recent Events …
… and Things to Come
Association Ties and Badges

Timetables
And for the future?
Summary of Dates

A separate membership application form,
showing the new subscription rate is enclosed
with this issue.

The European web page is at: http://www.A-E-C.net
AEC France is at www.aecfrance.eu/)
AEC Italy is at www.aecitalia.org
AEC Latvia is at www.ldz.lv/biedriba/
AEC Spain is at http://www.aec-es.net/ (NEW)
Poland is at www.aecpl.republika.pl (Private site, not officially recognised.)
AEC Austria is at www.aec-oesterreich.at.tf
AEC Romania is at www.aecaferom.xhost.ro

The British Section Website is at http://www.aec-europe.org.uk. You can also find the British Section Newsletter on line at the French and European websites by clicking on to the labelled link.

Some of the above websites are in need of updating.

Editorial: A note from the President.

Bill Andrews has been surfing the web. More particularly he has been looking at the various AEC websites. What he found was not a pretty picture. It is true he was at the time unaware that the Spanish section had a new website (see page two); but he found that a number of the others (including ours, I am ashamed to say) had not been updated for some time. I know that the French section is very keen on its site and they have someone in Claudius Rivel who is keen on these things and eager to keep the site up to date. Our own webmaster would like to be able to do the same; but when family commitments interfere… Enough said! I guess you are all aware of my reservations about the internet. Some of you will be fed up by now with my wittering on about the dangers of Facebook. To that I can now add LinkedIn. I have received unwelcome invitations to join both these following what I can only assume have been unauthorised invasions of my address book, which, incidentally, has 677 entries; so my apologies if these insinuating organisations have also got at you, my e-mail correspondents. You may all wish to take note that, because of the persistence with which they have tried to recruit me, I have decided to block all e-mails from these organisations; and all e-mails making mention of them.
At the end of last month, I helped host a twinning visit of people from Normandy. To get an E.U. grant, the visit was themed on ‘The Work of Volunteers in European Organisations’. I had been asked to speak about A.E.C. and used Philip Penaluna’s PowerPoint presentation (see below), expanded to be bilingual, French/English, with illustrations of recent European Days, to get our message across. I am pleased to report that the presentation was well received.
As I was preparing this issue, I read an interesting article in the Guardian, which I decided to reprint– you will find it later on in this edition. I think it goes some way to explain the general apathy of the British towards their continental neighbours. You may wish to comment – particularly those of you in Europe, who may have some ideas as to how we can combat the problem of the ‘Anglosphere’.

Philip Worsfold and the production team.

Recruitment

Bright ideas should be discussed with Bob Clark. Philip Penaluna has produced a ‘PowerPoint’ presentation to aid recruitment. This can be multilingual, within limits, for use by any national section, if required. Should members wish to use it as an aid to recruiting new members, please let me know and it can be forwarded as an e-mail attachment.
Enquiries about membership should be addressed to Bill Andrews.
Their addresses and phone numbers are given below.

There is a separate membership application form with this edition of the newsletter. It shows correctly the new subscription rate. If you still have old copies of the application form, or those issued with the last (June) edition, please destroy them and use the new form if you are able to recruit a new member. Recruit seven members and get your next year’s subscription free!

 

COMMITTEE

The new committee is as follows:

Honorary President:
Theo Steel (Retiring Project Director ONE Railway)

Past Honorary President:
Malcolm Southgate OBE (formerly Deputy Director, Eurostar)

Honorary Vice-president:
Colin Charman, MCIT,
Operations Safety & Standards Manager, Eurostar UK Ltd,
E-mail: colin.charman@eurostar.co.uk

Caretaker President:
Philip Worsfold, B.Sc., C.Eng., M.I.C.E.,
E-mail: wors@8bwhi.eclipse.co.uk

Vice-president:
Patrick Rigby,
E-mail: patrickrigby@bun.com

Secretary:
Gerry Atkin M.I.L.T,
E-mail: gandeatkin@aol.com

Assistant Secretary:
Peter Davies,
E-mail: 24foxglove@tiscali.co.uk

Visits Secretary:
John Woods,
E-mail: jauwoods@googlemail.com

Treasurer and Membership Secretary:
Bill Andrews,
E-mail: fam.Andrews@ntlworld.com

Recruitment Secretary:
Bob Clark,
E-mail: bobclark_aec@yahoo.ie

Auditor:
Mike Hill

PEOPLE

 

We welcome new members, Graham Burges, Richard Pittman, Barry Stephenson, Jim Wheeler, Chris Woods and Donald Heath.

EUROPEAN DAYS AND OTHER EVENTS.

European Days currently planned are:

27.05.- 01.06.2011 Italy; European Days in the Lake Garda – Verona – Venice region. – Provisional programme in this edition.
19.09.- 24.09.2011 Romania; European Days in Sibiu, Transylvania. – Provisional programme in this edition.

Items from the German section’s calendar are:

08.09.2010 Rostock Abgeordnetensprechstunde Bürgerschaft
02.10.2010 Frankfurt Fahrt im Weinberg: Weck und Worscht
13.10.2010 Rostock Kegeln im Brauereikeller
10.11.2010 Rostock Vortrag Reisebericht Südafrika
13.11.2010 Frankfurt Traditionelles „Gänseessen“
28.11.2010 Rostock Theaterbesuch
28.11.2010 Frankfurt Besuch des Weihnachtsmarktes in Frankfurt
27.11.2010 Hamburg Weihnachtsfeier (evtl. Ratskeller in Stade)
04.12.2010 Rostock Weihnachtsfeier des Regionalverbandes
04.12.2010 Berlin Weihnachtsfeier Gaststätte „ Zur S- Bahn“ am
Bahnhof Kaulsdorf
04.-05.12.2010 Frankfurt Weihnachtsausflug
06.12.2010 Rostock BSW-Weihnachtsfeier im Nordlicht

Europäische Tage
13.09.- 18.09.2010 Polen Europäische Tage Przemysl
Frühjahr 2011 Italien Europäische Tage Sektion Italien Region Garda/Verona/Venedig.
19.09.- 24.09.2011 Rumänien Europäische Tage Sibiu

 

A.E.C. EUROPEAN DAYS IN ITALY: 27TH May – 1st June 2011
50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDATION OF A.E.C.

The provisional programme for European Days in the region of Lake Garda, Verona and Venice –the “Love Triangle” – is as follows:

Thursday 26th May: afternoon
Arrival of members of the European Administrative Council at the hotel.

Friday 27th May: morning
Arrival of all participants and delegates to the General Assembly.
09h00 – 13h00 Meeting of the Administrative Council.
13h00 – 15h30 Lunch

afternoon and evening
15h30 – 19h00 Meeting of the General assembly.
19h45 – Welcome cocktail.
20h15 – Opening of European Days; declaration of election results; Welcoming of participants and gala dinner.

Saturday 28th May:
07h30 – Breakfast in hotel. 09h00 – Depart for visit to Lake Garda beauty spots.
13h00 – Lunch in typical restaurant. 15h00 continuation of the visit and time for shopping in Peschiera del Garda. 19h00 – return journey to the hotel.
20h00 – Dinner in hotel, followed by live music.

Sunday 29th May:
07h00 – Breakfast in Hotel. 08h30 – Depart for Caravaggio (BG), famous for being the birthplace of the painter of that name. 11h00 Celebration of the 50th anniversary of the foundation of A.E.C. in the presence of civic and railway dignitaries.
13h00 – Lunch. 15h00 – tour of the city. 16h30 – return to the hotel for dinner followed by a musical evening.

Monday 30th May:
07h00 – Breakfast in Hotel. 08h00 – depart for Venice – La Serenissima – the world’s most visited city. Guided tour of the city of canals. 13h00 – Lunch in a typical restaurant; shopping. 17h00 depart to return to the hotel. 20h30 – Dinner in the hotel; music.

Tuesday 31st May:
07h30 – Breakfast in Hotel. 08h30 – depart for Verona – the city of Romeo and Juliet (and of the two Gentlemen!) Civic reception.13h00 return to Hotel for Lunch. Afternoon free. 19h30 Gala evening, dinner and closing of European Days.

Wednesday 1st June:
From 07h00 – Breakfast in the Hotel and departure of participants.

The event is arranged by the Italian section of AEC, which is the responsible organiser. At the time of writing we have no details of the hotel where we are staying – or if we stay in different hotels during the event! Nor have details and deadlines for receipt of reservations and making payments yet been announced. But as for previous European Days events, arrangements for booking through the British section will be available and necessary. You are asked to register your intentions in writing NOW, sending a deposit of £50 to enable us to make a rapid payment when required and then seek reimbursement of the balance. The British section does not act as a travel agency and does not make travel arrangements. Neither the British section of AEC, nor any individual officer thereof can accept responsibility for any problems or losses arising. You will be responsible personally for your payments and for any losses that may be incurred. Note that deposits are non-refundable in the event of cancellation of your reservation. You are advised to take out appropriate insurance cover.

 

 

European-days-RomaniaA.E.C. EUROPEAN DAYS IN ROMANIA: 19th - 24th September 2011.

20th Anniversary of the Romanian section (AFEROM) joining A.E.C.
Hotel Continental Forum (4*) in Sibiu.

The 4* hotel has conference facilities, restaurant, snack bar etc.

PROVISIONAL PROGRAMME

Sunday 18th Sept.:
08h00 – 20h00 – Arrival of members of A.E.C. Administrative Council. Transfer from railway station or Sibiu International airport to the hotel. Check in. 20h00 – Dinner.

Monday 19th Sept.:
08h00 – 09h30 – Breakfast. 10h00 – 12h45 – Meeting of the Administrative Council in hotel conference room. 13h00 – 14h45 – Lunch for Council members. 15h00 – continuation of Council meeting.
08h00 – 18h00 – Arrival of other participants in European days. Transfer from railway station or Sibiu International airport to the hotel. Check in for accommodation.
19h00 Official opening of European Days and celebration of the 20th Anniversary of AFEROM joining A.E.C.
20h00 – Gala Dinner and dance in Hotel restaurant.

Tuesday 20th Sept.:
08h00 – 09h30 – Breakfast. 09h45 – Depart by bus for sightseeing tour of Sibiu (Hermannstadt) the European Capital of Culture 2007. The city centre area is a designated UNESCO site. 11h00 – 12h00 – Reception in Sibiu Town Hall.
12h30 – 14h00 – lunch in restaurant Imparatul Romanilor in Sibiu.
14h30 – 18h00 – continuation of tour of Sibiu and its surrounding area.
19h00 – Dinner at the hotel. Music and dancing.

Wednesday 21st Sept.:
08h00 – 09h30 – Breakfast. 09h45 – Depart by bus to Bilea Lake, near Transfagaras (80km) 2034m above sea level. 11h30 – 13h00 Sightseeing in the area.
13h00 – 15h00 Lunch in restaurant at Bilea Lake. 15h00 – Depart for Sibiu.
16h30 – 18h30 – Free time.
19h00 Dinner at the hotel. Music and dancing.

Thursday 22nd Sept.:
08h00 – 09h30 – Breakfast. 09h45 – Depart by bus to Sighisoara, an important medieval site (92km). 11h30 – 13h45 sightseeing at the medieval site.
14h00 – 15h30 – Lunch in a restaurant in Sighisoara. 15h45 – 17h00. Continue sightseeing. 17h15 – Depart for Marginimea Sibiului.
19h00 – Dinner in a restaurant with folk music and traditional dancing.

Friday 23rd Sept.:
08h00 – 09h30 – Breakfast. 10h00 – Visit Wagon museum in Sibiu. 13h00 Lunch in the restaurant of our hotel. Free afternoon.
19h00 – At the Hotel Ramada. Closing of European Days and transfer of the symbols of A.E.C. Gala dinner with music and dancing.

Saturday 24th Sept.:
08h00 – Breakfast. Departure of participants; transfer to railway station or airport.

Estimated costs:
From 18th (dinner) to 20th (breakfast) – 2 nights and Administrative Council of A.E.C.: 150euro.
From 18th (dinner) to 24th (breakfast) – 6 nights: 575euro.
From 19th (dinner) to 24th (breakfast) – 5 nights: 510euro.

The prices include accommodation in Hotel Continental Forum – 4*, full service including drinks; transport by bus; tourist programme with guide; entrance costs at sites visited and transfer to/from railway station or airport.

Registration before 31st March 2011 with a deposit of 250euro per person. Registration must be through your national section only. The balance to be paid before 15th July 2011. There can be no refunds in the event of cancellation of your reservation.

Booking through the British section.
The event is arranged by the Romanian section of AEC, which is the responsible organiser. Payment through the British section is offered and minimises the cost of money transfer. If you wish to take advantage of this offer, a deposit of £240 (sterling) per person is required. Cheques should be made payable to Philip Worsfold, and should reach him before 30th June 2011. The British section does not act as a travel agency and does not make travel arrangements. Neither the British section of AEC, nor any individual officer thereof can accept responsibility for any problems or losses arising. You will be responsible personally for your payments and for any losses that may be incurred. Note that deposits are non-refundable in the event of cancellation of your reservation. You are advised to take out appropriate insurance cover.

 

IPSWICH DOCK BRANCH…IPD - By Lennie Girling

I take a look back at this line when it was in use and the people who used to work on it, and the importance it played in the prosperity it contributed to the town of Ipswich.

This is another one of those now insignificant little branch lines that can only be found in the Sectional Appendix (or Sexual appendix as the staff call it), or in the pages of the Hazard Directory which only railway men read or understood. Yet in its day it was as important as any little line that fed the economy of a town such as Ipswich in its hey day, in fact it was crucial to the town for its prosperity, now though all this has been forgotten by all except by a few people like me.
This line starts at the Top yard in Ipswich and spurs off the sidings and runs down an incline to Ranelagh Road crossing passing along the bottom of private gardens, past two now deserted permanent way huts of the men that used to maintain the line on the up side. Sadly these men are probably all dead now, not even their names are mentioned now and are forgotten, but as a boy and man I knew some of them in a passing sort of way, we cared for the buildings they messed in, we cleaned the gutters, waterproofed the roofs, put washers on taps and repaired the coal stoves that kept


them warm in the winter, that was our contact with them, sharing tea and conversation during mealtimes with them, then they would go to work repairing the lines.
There were two track gangs in Ipswich, number one and number two, number two gang looked after the top and lower yards, IPD was the line that linked the lower and upper yard or top yard as it was known to us locals.
The old Signal box at Ranelagh Road crossing, on the up side, has long been out of use; in fact only the concrete substructure exists now, the top wooden half was pulled down years ago by the Ipswich workshops and a ground frame was put in to work the one remaining signal and wicket gate locks while the main wooden gates were closed to road traffic using a slam bolt.
Goods trains would ride down the incline from the top yard with a Hunslet shunting engine on the front, the shunter would ride on the front of the engine in the area that was provided with pole in hand, the driver tooting the horn as they passed over the crossing with the road traffic being held up in each direction, car engines idling while the train passed by the box wagons clanging and banging being loose coupled behind, then over bridge 249 the bridge over the river Gipping, the tidal water way that once carried horse drawn barges all the way up to Stowmarket with goods – but the railway carried this trade now as it did when it was first built in the 1850’s – and then past the coal yard on the down side and yet more brick buildings, another permanent way mess room and a shunters’ mess room and toilet, and on under Princes street bridge, a two span brick and jack arch structure which has now been reclaimed by nature and druggies. The line is almost overgrown with vegetation now, the land each side being sold off to the local council, the down side for parking and the up side, including the old cattle pens, for recreation and a footpath. Only a council information board tells of the past importance of this area.
The shunters’ mess room was a grubby little place, when not shunting the drivers and the shunters could be found here playing cards and drinking tea with the thick fug of cigarette smoke in the air, there was a plain wooden table with forms each side, a gas cooker that was covered in grease and a tortoise stove used for heating, all these huts had their stash of girlie magazines, no change here.
The toilet next door was a dirty smelly place, usually cold with no heating and smelled of stale urine, but this is not an uncommon odour that was found around railway buildings or on the railway itself; but with a splash of disinfectant it could be masked, as we often did, when working in these place and a flush down with a bucket of water or two and a scrub with a stiff broom would take care of it. The shunters were normally too idle to do this chore. But if we had to work in these places so we had to make them smell a little bit sweeter while we worked in them. Some places did not have proper toilets, just a couple of sheets of corrugated iron with a hole dug in the ground, Saxmundham permanent way hut springs to mind where such a place existed; its odour would increase during the summer moths. This is just one the smells that filled the air on the railway, there was also the smell of diesel, hot oil, smoke from coal fires, burnt toast and fried breakfasts, and creosoted sleepers - probably my favourite smell. It can still be found when walking the line but alas most of these have gone now.
One of my jobs was to replace the old water main to the building, we dug across the line and broke up the mess room floor and dug under the foundations to pull the plastic pipe through, put on a stop valve and connected the service, all that work was done in vain now the building has gone, no trace of it remain and is part of the council car park
There used to be cattle pens on the up side manned by a herdsman called Jock, short fat round and scruffy looking with a red face, his Scots accent was difficult for us to understand; I always found it best to nod and smile when he talked. His office was an old railway carriage with gas lighting, in fact, the yard itself was gas lit and there still is an old rail post that used to have an old Suggs gas lamp on it, we used to have to climb up it to replace the mantle or clean the globe.

The local council has bought this land now and use it as a recreational area and footway for the general public. Some of the old pens remain with their blue brindle brick tiles; the old loading dock brickwork is just visible, partly demolished and overgrown.
The cattle would have to be watered and bedded down when they were put on or taken off the trucks. The trucks were open, the cattle used to stand in them with heads over the sides as the trains ran along the lines. In its heyday, cattle would be driven down Princes Street to the auction yard and on to the abattoir.
Continuing under Prince’s Street Bridge was the lower yard, the wagons would be stabled and shunted into the transit shed where they would be unloaded and put onto yellow three wheeled ‘Scammel’ trucks and delivered around town, all part of the railway service. There were no out of town warehouses then like there are today.
Princes’ street bridge (IPD 251) is a rusty cracked old structure with a 17.5 tonne weight limit on it, twin span with jack arches, bottom flanges well corroded due to poor paintwork and water percolation from the road above. It has been the subject of two detailed examinations carried out by me and is due for another one soon; but this bridge is a favourite haunt of the drunks, druggies and graffiti artists; bottles, needle and spray cans litter the ground, there are even signs of fire having taken place.
We apprentice plumbers and gas fitters used to change the bib taps on the roof of the transit shed that froze and burst over the winter months, this was usually left to us young people, we were more nimble, able to climb easy up and down the roofs with tools and fittings, I suppose we did not worry too much about height, I fact we rather liked it, be able to look down on others from above
There was the National Carriers garage where the railway vehicles were repaired and service; this was also another part of the railway. Lorries filled up with fuel there; there were no such things as fuel cards then. This was great time waster, hours were spent waiting to be fuelled up; now we have a card and fill up en route, so it is much easier and quicker now.
The line continued up to and over Stoke Crossing and then round the dock at Salthouse Street and onto the quayside down to the Shell refinery terminal, passing the old Cobbold’s brewery and the dockers’ canteen on the way.
The line finally ceased working in the 1970’s when Bernard Matthews, of turkey fame – “boo’iful”, cancelled his order for liquid nitrogen to be taken to his factory in Halesworth after the price for delivery was increased.

 

TRAPPED IN THE ANGLOSPHERE, WE’VE LOST SIGHT OF NEXT DOOR
By Martin Kettle.

 

Published in the Guardian, 20th August 2010

It’s great the internet has engaged us in Australian elections and Alaska, but language has cut Europe from our mental maps.

Saul Steinberg’s 1976 New Yorker magazine cover of the world as viewed from New York City still adorns many walls in many homes in many countries. With the Manhattan streets drawn in close detail, the Hudson River in the middle distance and China on the far horizon, Steinberg’s illustration brilliantly captures Big Apple narcissism. It deserves its much-imitated iconic status.
But how would a similar map of the world refracted through the mindset of London’s metropolitan elite look in 2010? The City in the foreground, obviously. Perhaps Kensington eliding into the Cotswolds or the Welsh Marches in the near middle-distance. A strip of ocean with America looming large behind it. And, er, that’s it.


There would be no place for Scotland or Ireland in this map. No surprise there, perhaps. More strikingly – and more surprisingly if compared with the kind of mental map that might have been drawn 20 years ago – there would be no place for continental Europe either. Not France, not Italy even. Certainly not Germany or Scandinavia. As for Russia, forget it. All out of mind. All out of sight.
It is hard to recall a time when the national, not just the London, mind was less informed about or engaged with Europe than it is today. Europe may still be this country’s major export market. Millions may still take holidays there. Our football teams may still battle for the glamour of being “in Europe”. In the larger sense, though, being in Europe has never impinged less.
This is not primarily a question of the rise and fall or marginalisation of the European Union. Clearly the union’s diminished role helps to make Europe a harder sell. If the EU were more dynamic and effective - if it got its act together on common energy policy or with a shared global strategy for European universities, or even, however improbably, on defence or economic policy - then the current sense of Euro-lassitude might be lessened.
But the national mental disengagement with Europe is not primarily political. It has grown independently of any events in Brussels. What we are experiencing is, above all, a cultural change. And it is being driven by our use of - and the commercial priorities of - all forms of new media.
The online information age, which should, in theory, have been expected to facilitate greater mental and cultural pluralism and thus, among other things, greater familiarity with European languages and cultures, has, in practice, had the reverse effect. The power of the English language, at once our global gift and our great curse, discourages us from engaging with those the 93% of the world who speak some other first language than English and the 75% who have no English of any kind - outside the all-conquering online Anglosphere.
In the 20th century, political, cultural and intellectual Europe was a reality. Sometimes a threat, often an opportunity, but always a presence. That’s not true now. In the 21st century, to a degree we seem slow to recognise, let alone think about, our minds have never been more narrowly oriented towards the English-speaking world, above all the US. For us, global vision is increasingly also tunnel vision.
This struck me most recently over the death in a plane crash last week of the former US senator Ted Stevens, of Alaska. Even a decade ago, the death of a former US senator, and especially one from a place like Alaska, which, as the cold and exhausted crow flies, is the best part of 5,000 miles from where most of us are sitting, would barely have registered in the British media. These days, though, anything that is a big story in the US media seamlessly becomes a big story in the wider Anglosphere too. The result is that most people in this country can name more Alaskan politicians than they can name Dutch ones.
And now it is not just America. Tomorrow (21st August) there is a general election in Australia. An interesting event, of course. One of the few centre-left governments of the modern era, and now with a woman leader, battling to withstand a rightwing challenge led by a climate change sceptic. But it is getting far more coverage in Britain than any Australian election in my memory. Why? Not because it is more important, but simply because they speak English.
Don’t get this wrong. It is good that people in Britain are being informed about the politics of Alaska and are getting engaged in the politics of Queensland. It’s just that I want them to be interested in the politics of the Pas de Calais and to be informed about those of Lower Saxony, too. But these bits are simply not happening. Mental fog in the Channel; continent cut off.
This autumn we will be bombarded with news about the US midterm elections. Fair enough. These are significant elections in the world’s most powerful country. But if we are to be intelligent and rounded beings we also need to be well informed about and


engaged with elections in places much nearer to home, and especially those that arguably have more to tell us about the temper of the times in our part of the world - like those in Sweden next month - above all.
But that is not going to happen as long as we are voluntarily imprisoned in the Anglosphere. Yesterday, once again, the latest generation got fewer A-levels in French, German, Russian and Spanish than the generation before. Next week, there will be fewer GCSEs in modern languages too. The trend is inexorable. We are cutting ourselves off from the world. Another New Yorker cartoon, this time by Robert Mankoff, comes irresistibly to mind. A woman is talking to a man at a cocktail party. She asks: “One question: if this is the information age, how come nobody knows anything?”
The answer is simple. They are speaking to us from outside the Anglosphere but we no longer understand them. The internet – on which we all spend so much of our time, as Ofcom reported* this week - is in danger of becoming Britain’s staycation of the mind.

 

martin.kettle@guardian.co.uk

[*apparently we British spend on average seven hours a day using communications media (TV, internet and mobile phones); many sometimes multi-tasking to make it the equivalent of nine hours per day. – Ed.]

 

RECENT EVENTS…

We have continued to meet at the ‘Lord Moon of the Mall’ once a month.
At the end of May, several of our members who didn’t attend European Days enjoyed a visit to the East London Line.
Our visit to Fuller’s Brewery on 30th June proved as popular as ever and the visit to the Blue Cow at South Witham at the end of July also proved to be a great social event, with the added interest of the former Midland Railway link from Saxby Junction to the end on junction with Midland and Great Northern Joint line at the bottom of the garden and the still existing building of the old South Witham station only a few hundred yards away. Our thanks to David Crathorn for making the arrangements and to his son, our host, who laid on the excellent spread and the ale he had brewed.
The visit to the Isle of Wight Railway on 25th August, proved a fine day out for those who were able to attend.

 

…AND THINGS TO COME

Reunions in London continue to take place at the ‘Lord Moon of the Mall’ on the second Thursday of each month, so the dates from now on are 9th September, 14th October, 11th November, 9th December 2010, 13th January and 10th February 2011 etc.
Please remember that, generally, the last Wednesday of the month is earmarked for possible lunchtime talks or visits. We continue our programme of Wednesday events on 29th September with a return visit to the ‘Beer Engine’ at Newton St Cyres, near Exeter to remind us of the taste of the beer brewed there. Travel from London (Paddington) on the 10h06 ‘Cornish Riviera’ to Exeter, due there at 12h09. Others should time their arrivals accordingly. Don’t be tempted by the 10h00 departure from Paddington, which goes via Bristol and takes an extra 46 minutes to get to Exeter. On 27th October a return visit to Stratford is planned to review progress of the work in preparation for the Olympic Games. We propose to travel on


the 11h12 Javelin High speed train from St Pancras to Stratford. John Woods is investigating the possibility of visiting one of the train simulators – either Ashford or Ilford on 24th November and a return visit to Bletchley Park on 26th January 2011 – if you went last year and kept your ticket it will still be valid for this visit. On 23rd February, there will be the annual film show at the Royal Oak in Tabard Street; so if you have some interesting DVD’s… Full details of the later events will appear in the next newsletter but to keep up to date on these and further events you should contact John Woods by e-mail to jauwoods@googlemail.com . To keep abreast of developments it is advisable to contact John regularly, since sometimes events are arranged at short notice and it is not always possible to announce them in these pages.
Please note there will be no event on the last Wednesday in December.

 

 

ASSOCIATION TIES AND BADGES.

In common with other sections, the British section of the Association has a necktie and a badge. Our particular items are common to both the British and Belgian sections. We have produced the ties and the Belgian section, the badges. I am sorry that we do not have a specific item for ladies.
Ties are now available, at £4.50 plus postage, and badges are in stock in small numbers, at £1.50 each, including postage. These items are available from Philip Worsfold. Please contact him first by phone to check availability.

 

 

GREAT BRITAIN ALL LINE TIMETABLE
THOMAS COOK EUROPEAN TIMETABLE

Philip Worsfold holds an up to date copy of The Stationery Office Great Britain All Line Timetable and also Cooks European Rail and Shipping Services timetable (monthly edition). This timetable contains the majority of British services in a succinct, abbreviated form. Train operators produce their own pocket timetables.

 

 

AND FOR THE FUTURE?

We shall endeavour to continue the production of these three-monthly newsletters to get information to you. They will still be mostly information with just the occasional article. So please, put pen to paper. We need to build up a library of articles. Please keep in touch and let us have your information, your views and your ideas. Next copy deadline is 14th November 2010.

SUMMARY OF DATES

London Reunions on the second Thursday of the month at the “Lord Moon of the Mall”, Whitehall, London:
9th September
14th October
11th November
9th December 2010,
13th January
10th February 2011… etc.

Dates reserved for talks or visits on the last Wednesday of the month:
29th September, return visit to the ‘Beer Engine’ at Newton St Cyres, near Exeter.
27th October, a return visit to Stratford to review progress of the work in preparation for the Olympic Games…etc.
24th November, the possibility of visiting one of the train simulators – either Ashford or Ilford.
There will be no event on 29th December 2010.
26th January 2011, a return visit to Bletchley Park – if you went last year and kept your ticket it will still be valid for this visit.
23rd February, there will be the annual film show at the Royal Oak in Tabard Street.

A.E.C. MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms/Other*. Surname:……………………………Initials:…………..

Forename:………………………………………………….

Job Description:……………………………………………

Work Address:……………………………………………………………………….

Town/City:………………………………… Postcode:……………………………

Internal Phone:…………………………… Fax:………………………………….

External Phone:………………………….. Fax:…………………………………..

Micromail Box No:……………………….. E-mail Address:……………………..

ACTIVE / RETIRED *

Home Address:………………………………………………………………………..

Town/City:………………………………… Postcode:……………………………..

Telephone:……………………………….. Include in Directory?: YES/NO *

Mobile:…………………………………….. Include in Directory?: YES/NO *
(*delete as applicable)

Membership of the A.E.C. costs only £7.00 per annum and is open to anyone in the railway industry without qualification. However, if you would like to complete the following statement, please do so. It would be helpful for us to know.
I can speak the following language(s) (state how well, e.g. fluent, fair, a little)

…………………………………………………………………………………………

I should like to join the Association Européenne des Cheminots.

Signature……………………………

Data supplied will be kept on a computer database. Home, where authorised above and Work telephone and Fax numbers and electronic mail addresses can be divulged to other members only.

Please make cheques/PO’s for £7.00 payable to: “A.E.C.”
Send this application to:
Mr W. Andrews, Hon. Treasurer, A.E.C.
32, Greet Road,
LANCING. BN15 9NS
E-mail: fam.andrews@ntlworld.com

If you encourage 7 people to join within your subscription year, the next year’s subscription is free!