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Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
from the

Slough & Windsor Railway Society

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Slough & Windsor Railway Society
Model Railway Exhibition 2023

Sat 21st and Sun 22nd October – 10:00-16:00

UPDATE!!
Now taking place at Slough Museum and The Manor (SWRS meeting place) with a free vintage bus providing a link between the two!

Further details HERE.

About the SWRS

The Slough & Windsor Railway Society is essentially a social group for anyone interested in rail transport of any kind, especially railways in the area around Slough and Windsor (UK). New members are always welcome (and you don't have to live in Slough or Windsor!).

The Society meets for illustrated talks on Friday nights in a former Great Western Railway building adjacent to Slough railway station, known to us as The Manor.
Non-members are most welcome.

"Friday Nights at The Manor"

22 Mar 2024

Train Ferries of
WW1 + WW2

(and associated railways)

Gordon Adams

7:45pm, at 'The Manor', Slough Station (directions)

A large War Department steam locomotive being unloaded from a WW1 train ferry in 1944.

The talk will look at the introduction of Cross-Channel train ferries towards the end of WW1 to improve shipment of tanks, road vehicles and ambulance trains to France.

In WW2 we will look at the use of train ferries to ship large quantities of locomotives and rolling stock to support D-Day. There will also be a look at improvements to the railways to support the WW2 activities.

This is a welcome return to the Manor for Gordon, who has previously given us several interesting talks about Eastleigh Works and the railways around Southampton.

Photo: "WD loco being unloaded at Dieppe 1944 from WW1 Ferry"

Please note that new heaters have been installed in The Manor, so winter meetings are a lot warmer than they used to be!

Please see the Programme page for more about Friday meetings.

Programme Changes: "Friday Nights at The Manor"

This autumn, several Friday night meetings have had to be re-scheduled due to circumstances beyond our control. Full details may be found on the Programme Page.

Unfortunately, two of our forthcoming speakers are unable to join us this November. Hopefully these evenings can be rescheduled in next year's programme.

Friday,   8th November – Clifton Rocks Railway  – Peter Davey
Friday, 29th November – Transport Miscellaneous – Colin Miell

In their place, Rob Holder will present a Transport Mix evening on 8th November; and on 29th November, Frank Banfield will give us another of his popular evenings of archive ciné film, this time featuring: Railways in the 1950s.

UPDATE – 15th October:
Christian Wolmar has had to postpone his talk from November 24th until early next year, so please note the following additional changes to the programme:

  • 24th Nov – Windsor Link Railway Update – George Bathurst
  • 05th Jan 2018 – My Latest Book – Indian Railways – Christian Wolmar

Our apologies for any inconvenience caused.

If you would like more information or to join the Society, please see the Membership page.

"Slough Estates No. 3"

In addition to holding weekly meetings and other events, the Society is the custodian for Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0ST "Slough Estates Ltd No.3", a 1924-built steam locomotive which operated for 50 years on the Slough Trading Estate Railway.

After a prolonged restoration (read more here), No.3 was finally returned to steam in 2000, and spent a number of years hauling passenger services at the Swindon & Cricklade Railway in Wiltshire.

In 2011, No.3 was relocated to the Middleton Railway in Leeds on long-term loan. This line is close to the site of the Railway Foundry where she was built in 1924. No.3 also closely resembles the last steam loco to work over the railway in NCB days in 1958. It is thus appropriate that she should have 'returned home' to Leeds.

No.3's steam boiler certificate expired in April 2021, so she is now out of traffic until completion of a ten-yearly inspection, which requires complete dismantling of the locomotive. The overhaul will be undertaken at the Middleton Railway. Progress reports may be found on the No.3 News page.

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