S.T.R.P.S. Sunderland Group Meetings and Transport Enthusiasts’ Bazaars - A historical review

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The information shown on this page has been compiled by Daniel McIntyre from archive South Tynedale Railway Preservation Society, Sunderland Group Committee documents and from articles in past issues of Tynedalesman magazine.

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Sunderland Group Meetings

The Sunderland Group of the South Tynedale Railway Preservation Society held its first meeting at the Experiment in Leisure premises in Stockton Road, Sunderland on 12th August 1975. Although the attendance at that first meeting was only five, it was decided to arrange a further meeting four weeks later, which proved more successful. This was the beginning of the Sunderland Group meetings which were held regularly, usually every four weeks until July 1992.

Between 1977 and 1980 the meetings were held in the Thompson Memorial Hall, in Sunderland, the later meetings which were held between 1980 and July 1992 these were held at St. Mary’s Church Hall, Bridge Street, in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear. Guest speakers or members were invited to give talks, film or slide shows about transport or on railway related subjects to S.T.R.P.S. members who were invited to attend, mainly those who lived in Sunderland and the surrounding area at that time.

Also during that time, there were two other local groups of the South Tynedale Railway Preservation Society. One of these was based in Carlisle, Cumbria and other was based in Newcastle upon Tyne. The latter group held regular meetings in a room at Tyne Tees Television Studios, in City Road, Newcastle upon Tyne. Both of these groups also invited either guest speakers or members to give talks, slide shows or film shows about railway or transport related subjects and meetings were normally held once a month. Local S.T.R.P.S. members were also welcome to attend any of these meetings.

An increase in the amount of fees for the hire of the room, which was used in St. Mary’s Church Hall at Bridge Street, Sunderland, forced the Sunderland Group to disband and to abandon the meetings after 9th July 1992. Since then the other groups based in Carlisle and Newcastle upon Tyne have also disbanded and the South Tynedale Railway Preservation Society decided to concentrate its resources into operating trains and carrying out maintenance work on the narrow gauge South Tynedale Railway, at Alston in Cumbria.

A List of Sunderland Group Meetings
held between 1982 and July 1992.

A listing of the Sunderland Group Meetings, which were held at St. Mary’s Church Hall, Bridge Street, Sunderland, between 1982 and July 1992 is shown below, where details are known. The meetings were held on Thursday evenings every four weeks:-

• 4th February 1982 - Railway Quiz. Compiled by Mr. P. Spence and Mr. I. Malaugh.
• 4th March 1982 - “Railways of the Isle of Man” by Mr. D. W. Smith.
• 1st April 1982 - “Wylam - Where Railways Were Born” by Mr. R. P. B. Brooks.
• 29th April 1982 - “The Tyne and Wear Metro” by Mr. T. Dodds.
• 27th May 1982 - “Railways - Home and Abroad” by Mr. G. C. W. Wheeler.
• 24th June 1982 - “The Tanfield Story” by Messrs. A. Thompson and I. Hodgson.
• 22nd July 1982 - Annual General Meeting and Members Slide Show.
• 19th August 1982 - “Railway Films”.
• 16th September 1982 - “National Railway Museum and Its Collections” by Mr. J. Wilks.
• 14th October 1982 - Photographic Competition - Judge: Mr. R. Delap. Plus “Alston Review” by Mr. S. G. Dyke.
• 11th November 1982 - “Railway Films”.
• 9th December 1982 - Christmas Social Evening. (Joint meeting with S.T.R.P.S. Newcastle-upon-Tyne Group).
• 6th January 1983 - “Great British Diesels - Part 2” by Messrs. I. Malaugh and K. T. Wilson.
• 3rd February 1983 - “Adventures In Latin America” by Mr. C. Garrett.
• 3rd March 1983 - “South Tynedale Travel Excursions” by Mr. C. R. McIntyre.
• 31st March 1983 - “Weardale Railways” by Mr. K. Fairless.
• 28th April 1983 - “Railways Around Sunderland” by Mr. N. T. Sinclair.
• 26th May 1983 - “Welshpool & Llanfair Railway” by Mr. J. Garrett.
• 23rd June 1983 - “British Rail, Teesside and Blyth” by Messrs. C. D. Dickinson and R. G. Chapman.
• 21st July 1983 - Annual General Meeting and Members Slide Show.
• 18th August 1983 - “Beamish Museum” by Mr. R. Clarke.
• 15th September 1983 - “Beware of Engines” by Mr. J. Hunt.
• 13th October 1983 - “Consett Railways” by Mr. L. Abram.
• 10th November 1983 - “The Alston Line - Old and New” by Mr. S. G. Dyke.
• 15th December 1983 - Christmas Social Evening.
• 12th January 1984 - “The Deltics” by Mr. K. W. Kitching of the Deltic Preservation Society.
• 9th February 1984 - “Steam on British Railways - The Last 25 Years” by Mr. P. A. Talbot.
• 8th March 1984 - “Hull and Barnsley Railway” by P. W. Gray.
• 5th April 1984 - “Railway Films” by Mr. P. G. Spence.
• 3rd May 1984 - Members Slide Show.
• Additional meeting: Monday 14th May 1984 -“The Last Years of the Consett Line” by Mr L. Abram.
• 31st May 1984 - “The Heritage Line” by Messrs. P. Crabtree and R. Goad.
• 28th June 1984 - “Railways in the Beginning” by Mr. J. Middleton.
• 26th July 1984 - Annual General Meeting and Members Slide Show.
• 23rd August 1984 - “East Coast Main Line Electrification” by Mr. R. K. Taylor.
• 20th September 1984 - “Railway Nostalgia” by Mr. D. Tyreman.
• 18th October 1984 - “North Yorkshire Moors Railway” by Mr. D. Hanson.
• 15th November 1984 - “Railways and Signalling” by Mr. C. J. Woolstenholmes.
• 13th December 1984 - Christmas Social Evening.
• 10th January 1985 - “Historical British Tramway Medley” by Mr. J. Humphrey.
• 7th February 1985 - “The Timothy Hackworth Museum” by Messrs. D. Baker and W. Nunn.
• 7th March 1985 - “Railway Kaleidoscope” by Mr. K. T. Wilson.
• 4th April 1985 - “Steam on the Settle and Carlisle Line” by Mr. M. Burns.
• 2nd May 1985 - “The Hetton Railway” by Mr. J. R. Cook.
• 30th May 1985 - “The Alnwick to Cornhill Railway Branch Line” by Mrs. A. Steel.
• 27th June 1985 - “Independent Buses of North East England” by Mr. J. A. Taylor.
• 26th July 1985 - Annual General Meeting.
• 22nd August 1985 - “Ten Years of the Sunderland Group” by Mr. S. G. Dyke.
• 19th September 1985 - “North Eastern Revival” by Mr. J. R. P. Hunt.
• 17th October 1985 - “The Whitburn Colliery Railway” by Mr. J. Wilks.
• 14th November 1985 - “Steam on the Tyne Valley Line and Beyond” by Mr. W. Horsman.
• 12th December 1985 - Christmas Social Evening.
• 9th January 1986 - “Welsh Narrow Gauge Lines” - Talyllyn Railway films.
• 6th February 1986 - “Blackpool Trams” by Mr. P. Vout.
• 6th March 1986 - “The Magic of Steam” by Mr. R. A. Rourke.
• 3rd April 1986 - “Wylam - Where Railways Were Born” by Mr. P. R. B. Brooks.
• 1st May 1986 - “The Lambton Locomotive Depot” by Mr. M. Pitt.
• 29th May 1986 - “The Monkwearmouth Station Museum Association” by Mr. P. A. Talbot.
• 28th June 1986 - “The Tanfield Railway” by Messrs. A. Thompson and I. Hodgson.
• 24th July 1986 - Annual General Meeting followed by a selection of railway slides by Mr. A. Hoseason.
• 21st August 1986 - “An Excursion Around Cumbria” by Mr. L. Paul.
• 18th September 1986 - “East Coast Main Line Electrification - An Update” by Mr. R. K. Taylor.
• 16th October 1986 - “The John Sinclair Railway Museum” by Messrs. J. Riley and J. Sinclair.
• 13th November 1986 - “Railway Scene 1965” by Mr. C. A. Davies.
• 11th December 1986 - Christmas Social Evening followed by “Themes” of railway and non-railway subjects by Mr. D. Banns.
• 8th January 1987 - “The Ffestiniog Railway” by Mr. D. Charlton.
• 5th February 1987 - “Railways Abroad” by Mr. A. Short.
• 5th March 1987 - “The Bowes Railway” by Messrs. P. Norman and G. Bainbridge.
• 2nd April 1987 - “North East Bus Preservation” by Mr. I. Findlay.
• 30th April 1987 - “Two Decades of Railway Photographs, Part 1 ” by Mr. C. J. Woolstenholmes.
• 28th May 1987 - “The Railways of Australia” by Mr. P. Kirkland.
• 25th June 1987 - “Local Railfreight” by Mr. R. G. Dennis, British Rail Coal Sector Manager.
• 23rd July 1987 - Annual General Meeting plus Slide Show by Mr. K. T. Wilson.
• 20th August 1987 - “The Railway Development Society” by Mr. J. Bourn.
• 17th September 1987 - “Tramways and Railways - From Easington Lane to Grangetown” by Mr. K. Richardson.
• 15th October 1987 - “The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway” by Mr. P. Van Zeller.
• 12th November 1987 - “Railway Scene 1965, Part 2” by Mr. C. A. Davies.
• 17th December 1987 - Christmas Social Evening.
• 14th January 1988 - “Welsh Narrow Gauge Slate Railways” by Mr. R. Ellam.
• 11th February 1988 - “Darlington Railway Centre and Museum” by Mr. S. G. Dyke.
• 10th March 1988 - “Railway Films” by Mr. R. Rourke.
• 7th April 1988 - “The Railways of India and Pakistan” by Mr. J. Hunt.
• 5th May 1988 - “British Rail Diesel and Electric Locomotives” by Mr. J. Benson of the Diesel and Electric Group.
• 2nd June 1988 - “Stockton and Darlington Railway Anniversaries” by Mr. S. G. Dyke.
• 30th June 1988 - “Two Decades of Railway Photographs, Part 2” by Mr. C. Woolstenholmes.
• 28th July 1988 - Annual General Meeting, plus “South Tynedale Railway Update” by Mr. K. T. Wilson.
• 25th August 1988 - “Colour Rail Slides, from 1965 to 1985 and Steam Special Films” by Mr. P. Spence.
• 22nd September 1988 - “Railways Remembered 1920 to 1980” by Mr. B. Gibb.
• 20th October 1988 - “Many Happy Returns” by Mr. G. Hall.
• 17th November 1988 - “Steam Scene, 1964 to 1968” by Mr. C. Davies.
• 15th December 1988 - Christmas Social Evening.
• 12th January 1989 - “Aerial Photography” by Mr. L. Paul.
• 9th February 1989 - “A Seventies Selection” by Mr. S. G. Dyke.
• 9th March 1989 - “The Restoration of Canals” by Mrs. Stearman of the Inland Waterways Association.
• 6th April 1989 - “Videos of the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway, South Tynedale Railway and the Tyne Valley Line” by Mr. S. G. Dyke.
• 4th May 1989 - “British Industrial Steam from the 1960s to the 1980s” by Mr. R. Pritchard.
• 1st June 1989 - “The Trans Siberian Railway” by Mr. A. Stobbs.
• 29th June 1989 - “A Selection of Outings” by Mr. S. G. Dyke.
• 27th July 1989 - Annual General Meeting, plus Members Slides by Messrs. N. Johnson and S. G. Dyke.
• 24th August 1989 - “Welsh Railways and Other Travels” by Mr. A. Hoseason.
• 21st September 1989 - “Swiss, Italian and French Narrow Gauge Travels” by Dr. T. Bell.
• 19th October 1989 - “Local Railway Developments & East Coast Main Line Electrification Progress” by Mr. C. D. Dickinson, British Rail Area Manager, Newcastle upon Tyne.
• 16th November 1989 - “North East Steam from 1937 to 1967” by Mr. C. Davies.
• 14th December 1989 - Christmas Social Evening.
• 11th January 1990 - A Railway Slide Show by Mr. S. G. Dyke.
• 8th February 1990 - “An Excursion in Cumbria, Part 2” by Mr. L. Paul.
• 8th March 1990 - “The Settle and Carlisle Line - From Obscruity to Security” by Mr. G. Hall.
• 5th April 1990 - “Walking Disused Railways” by Mr. M. Ellison.
• 3rd May 1990 - “From Newcastle to Carlisle” by Mr. R. Rourke.
• 31st May 1990 - “Maintaining a Cross-Country Railway” by Mr. P. Kirkland.
• 28th June 1990 - “The Lesser Known Railways of Canada” by Mr. A. Stobbs.
• 2nd August 1990 - Annual General Meeting, plus Slide Show by Mr. K. T. Wilson.
• 23rd August 1990 - “A Visit to the Railways of Japan” by Mr. R. Taylor.
• 20th September 1990 - “Films of Narrow Gauge Railways in North America” by Mr. M. Wheeler.
• 18th October 1990 - A Selection of Slides by Mr. S. G. Dyke.
• 15th November 1990 - “The Settle and Carlisle Railway” by Mr. C. Davies.
• 13th December 1990 - Christmas Social Evening, plus Slides of York by Mr. A. Palfreyman.
• 10th January 1991 - “Trans-Pennine Trains” by Mr. S. G. Dyke.
• 14th February 1991 - “Preserved Main Line and Narrow Gauge Steam” by Mr. B. Gibb.
• 14th March 1991 - “The Peat Bog Narrow Gauge Railways of the British Isles” by Mr. R. N. Forsythe.
• 11th April 1991 - “The Railways of New Zealand” by Mr. P. Kirkland.
• 9th May 1991 - “The Railways of South Shields” by Mr. N. Sinclair.
• 13th June 1991 - “The Tyne and Wear Metro”.
• 11th July 1991 - Annual General Meeting and Members Slides.
• August 1991 - Meeting (details not confirmed).
• September 1991 - Meeting (details not confirmed).
• 10th October 1991 - Railway Films by Mr. R. Rourk.
• 14th November 1991 - Railway Slide Show by Mr. C. Davies.
• 12th December 1991 - Christmas Social Evening.
• 9th January 1992 - Railway Videos by Mr. K. T. Wilson.
• 13th February 1992 - “Stockton and Darlington Railway 1925 and 1975 Anniversary Celebrations by Mr. S. G. Dyke.
• 12th March 1992 - “The Waverley Line Revisited” - A slide show by Mr. K. T. Wilson.
• 9th April 1992 - Meeting (details not confirmed).
• 14th May 1992 - Meeting (details not confirmed).
• 11th June 1992 - Meeting (details not confirmed).
• 9th July 1992 - Annual General Meeting and Members Slides.

No further Sunderland Group meetings took place after 9th July 1992.

Other Sunderland Group Activities

In addition to holding the above meetings, the S.T.R.P.S. Sunderland Group Committee members often arranged to gave slide shows or talks to local Women’s Institute meetings about railways or the South Tynedale Railway at Alston. A sales or publicity stall was also taken to many local events and model railway exhibitions, especially to Darlington Model Railway Exhibition which was held during a weekend December for many years, from 1983 onwards.

Other activities included sponsored walks, which were often staged to raise money for the South Tynedale Railway at Alston during the 1980’s. A walk from Weathergill to Westgate in Weardale, County Durham was staged on Saturday 15th September 1984. Unfortunately one three members turned up to take part.

Several members of the Sunderland Group provided the staff for a sales stall for the South Tynedale Railway Preservation Society at many events over previous years, here is a list of just a few of them:-

• At the North East Austin Motor Club Auto Jumble event at Gosforth Park, Newcastle-upon-Tyne on Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th September 1983.
• Several members also staffed a sales stand was present at Hexham station on 9th March 1985 for 150th Anniversary of the Hexham to Blaydon part, of the Newcastle to Carlisle railway and provided refreshments for visitors. The Hunslet diesel locomotive No. 2 Ayle from the South Tynedale Railway at that time, was also present on display on a transporter wagon.
• Two members also manned the sales stall at the Dumfries Model Railway Exhibition on Saturday 19th October 1985.
• Also members helped run the sales stall at Oxclose Model Railway Exhibition, Washington, Tyne and Wear on Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd March 1986.
• Several members helped with sales and publicity stands at the Border Railway Society’s model railway exhibition at Carlisle City Hall and at the Open Weekend at British Rail’s Upperby Depot, in Carlisle on Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th July 1986.

Transport Enthusiasts’ Bazaars

Also during the above period, either a model railway exhibition or Transport Enthusiasts’ Bazaar was held in Sunderland, once per year.

The Transport Enthusiasts’ Bazaar consisted of various traders with sales stalls available for all kinds of items of interest to transport enthusiasts and collectors, for example, books, magazines, maps, photos, models, kits, postcards, badges, relics, paintings, timetables, tickets, etc., etc. The types of transport covered could be rail, road, air or sea. In order to buy, sell or exchange relevant items as above.

The Transport Enthusiasts’ Bazaars, were also held at St. Mary’s Church Hall in Bridge Street, Sunderland. Various exhibitors and traders were invited and had stalls at these events over the years, these included the following organisations and businesses:-

Aycliffe Bus Preservation Society, Bowes Railway, Class 45/1 Preservation Society, Contikits, Darlington Railway Preservation Society, Deltic Preservation Society, East Pennine Transport Group, Ffestiniog Railway Society - Northumbria Group, Go-Ahead Northern, Highways and Railways, North East Bus Preservation Society, North East Club for Pre-War Austins, North Yorkshire Moors Railway, Parkington Books, Past and Present, Provincial Bus Promotions, Tanfield Railway, Townfoot Models and several other smaller specialist traders.

Transport Enthusiasts’ Bazaars held
between March 1984 and March 1992.

Transport Enthusiasts’ Bazaars were held at St. Mary’s Hall, Bridge Street, Sunderland, on the following dates:-

• Saturday 3rd March 1984;
• Saturday 2nd March 1985;
• Saturday 1st March 1986;
• Saturday 7th March 1987;
• Saturday 27th February 1988;
• Saturday 18th March 1989;
• Saturday 17th March 1990;
• Saturday 16th March 1991
• and Saturday 14th March 1992, which was the last one held.

Model Railway Exhibitions and Autumn Fair

The Sunderland Group of the South Tynedale Railway Preservation Society also staged model railway exhibitions in Sunderland during the late 1970s and early 1980s.

The first two model railway exhibitions that were organised by the S.T.R.P.S. Sunderland Group, were held at the Thompson Memorial Hall in Sunderland, the first one was held there on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th November 1978. The fourth model railway exhibition was held at St. Mary’s Hall, Bridge Street, Sunderland on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th June 1982. A selection of model railway layouts and traders took part, with refreshments and a tombola.

An Autumn Fair event was held at St. Mary’s Church Hall, Bridge Street, Sunderland on Saturday 27th November 1982 and included book and model railway stalls, a tombola, model locomotive display, railwayania and other trade stalls.

Newcastle and Carlisle Railway
150th Anniversary Meetings in 1985

During 1985, members of the South Tynedale Railway Preservation Society were invited to attend the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway 150th Anniversary meetings to commemorate the 150 years since building the line in 1835 to 1985.

The meetings arranged by the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway 150 Committee, were advertised as 150th Anniversary Lecture Series, under the “ Railways For Pleasure” heading, were as follows:-

• Wednesday 2nd October 1985 - “An Excursion in Cumbria”. A slide show by Mr. L. C. Paul. Held at Blaydon Library, Wesley Court, Blaydon at 7.15 p.m..
• Wednesday 16th October 1985 - “The Magic of Steam”. A film evening presented by Mr. R. Rourke. Held at The Moot Hall, Hexham at 7.30 p.m..
• Wednesday 30th October 1985 - “Railways on Film”. An evening of 16mm films from commercial organisations. Held at Wylam Institute, Church Road, Wylam at 7.30 p.m..
• Wednesday 13th November 1985 - “Railways through the Lens”. An evening of colour slides from Messrs. G. Hall and M. Paul. Held at Gateshead Central Library, Prince Consort Road, Gateshead at 7.15 p.m..
• Wednesday 27th November 1985 - “A Journey Along the Newcastle & Carlisle Railway” by Mr. R. Durack and “Recent views of the Newcastle & Carlisle Railway” by the “150 Commitee”. Held at the Moot Hall, Hexham at 7.30 p.m..
• Wednesday 11th December 1985 - “ The Railways of Canada”. A slide illustrated talk by Mr. P. Kirkland. Held at Wylam Institute, Church Road, Wylam at 7.30 p.m..

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For more information about the South Tynedale Railway, please contact:-

THE SOUTH TYNEDALE RAILWAY PRESERVATION SOCIETY,
Registered Office Address:-
The Railway Station, Alston, Cumbria, CA9 3JB.
Telephone 01434 381696.
Talking timetable - Telephone 01434 382828.
Registered Charity No. 514939.
Limited by Guarantee: Company Registration No. 1850832 (England).

E-mail enquiries - please click on links below:
South Tynedale Railway information - Send e-mail to South Tynedale Railway
STRPS membership information only - Send e-mail to Kathy Aveyard
Tynedalesman information only - Send e-mail to Tynedalesman compilers

This page was last updated on 27th June 2007.
© South Tynedale Railway Preservation Society 2007.

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