At the March meeting held in the Expanse Hotel, the chairman, John Heaton, welcomed members and also guests from the Driffield Probus Club. He also informed members of a challenge to a match issued by the Quay Scrabble Club via the club’s website! Another poetic grace masterpiece by the club’s chaplain Cyril Dawson preceded an excellent lunch.
The speaker was the club’s own speaker finder and assistant secretary Len Collins. Len began by showing a British Railways holiday poster from the 1950’s of Woolacombe and Mortehoe. This was an introduction to his talk titled “Another Trip on the Slow Train”. The poster had reminded Len of the Flanders and Swann song of that title which included the names of 31 stations of the hundreds proposed for closure by Dr Beeching in his report “The Reshaping of Britain’s Railways” published in 1965.Len then played the song while members saw nostalgic pictures of railway scenes from times past. He then described the fate, with the aid of maps, of some of the 31 stations mentioned in the song. Some like Arram in East Yorkshire and Chester-le-Street in Durham and St Erth in Cornwall survive. Others like Armley in Leeds and Blandford Forum in Hampshire and Mortehoe in Devon were closed. Of the 31 in the song 9 survive and the rest are either derelict and overgrown with brambles, or have become car parks or housing estates. Of the 4300 stations in existence pre 1965 1750 or 41% were closed. Len finally posed the question ....What would the Victorians think of what has been done to their pride and developments?
As might be expected from a group of elderly gentlemen the discussion which followed revealed a feeling of nostalgic regret.
The vote of thanks for an unusual and interesting talk was given by Chris Slingsby, who also thanked Len for all the work he does for the club in organising events and finding speakers and numerous other tasks.
After the meeting a number of members were headed to the Bridlington North Library to have their computing skills updated or upgraded!
The speaker was the club’s own speaker finder and assistant secretary Len Collins. Len began by showing a British Railways holiday poster from the 1950’s of Woolacombe and Mortehoe. This was an introduction to his talk titled “Another Trip on the Slow Train”. The poster had reminded Len of the Flanders and Swann song of that title which included the names of 31 stations of the hundreds proposed for closure by Dr Beeching in his report “The Reshaping of Britain’s Railways” published in 1965.Len then played the song while members saw nostalgic pictures of railway scenes from times past. He then described the fate, with the aid of maps, of some of the 31 stations mentioned in the song. Some like Arram in East Yorkshire and Chester-le-Street in Durham and St Erth in Cornwall survive. Others like Armley in Leeds and Blandford Forum in Hampshire and Mortehoe in Devon were closed. Of the 31 in the song 9 survive and the rest are either derelict and overgrown with brambles, or have become car parks or housing estates. Of the 4300 stations in existence pre 1965 1750 or 41% were closed. Len finally posed the question ....What would the Victorians think of what has been done to their pride and developments?
As might be expected from a group of elderly gentlemen the discussion which followed revealed a feeling of nostalgic regret.
The vote of thanks for an unusual and interesting talk was given by Chris Slingsby, who also thanked Len for all the work he does for the club in organising events and finding speakers and numerous other tasks.
After the meeting a number of members were headed to the Bridlington North Library to have their computing skills updated or upgraded!