User menu

Thames Valley - February Newsletter

Thames Valley Newsletter

No sooner had we entered 2019 than members of the L&B Thames Valley Group were out and about telling everyone of the joys of ‘our railway’! The very first weekend in January, the TVG stand could be found in Exeter Hall, Kidlington – one of the exhibits at Scoutrail Model Railway Exhibition. We must thank Roger Beazer, Colin Smith, John Elvin and Alan Pearce for manning the stand that weekend.

We had then been invited to take the stand to Alton Model Railway Exhibition which was held on the first weekend in February. Unfortunately the weather intervened and we had to pull out of that event. You perhaps saw pictures on the news of snowbound and gridlocked Basingstoke.

We are hoping for better weather for the weekend of 9th – 10th March when we are due to take the stand to Basingstoke MRE – click HERE for more details. If you do visit the show please say hello to the folk manning the L&B stand – it is always good to meet other L&B enthusiasts. 

2019 promises to be yet another milestone year for the resurgent Lynton and Barnstaple Railway. The recent magazine and newsletter tell us that work is due to start within the next few weeks to rebuild or suitably strengthen bridges 54 and 55 between Wistlandpound and Blackmoor. How good it will be to see such tangible evidence that the long awaited extension of the railway is not just a pipe-dream – it is actually coming to pass!


Much preparatory work has already been done by the L&B’s Construction Design Team – a group of experienced Civil and Structural Engineers. Chris Duffell - a member of the Construction Design Team - will be giving an illustrated talk at the forthcoming meeting of the L&B Thames Valley Group on Saturday 27th April in our usual venue, the hall of Newbury Baptist Church in Cheap Street - more details including a map and the postcode will be found HERE.

Admission is free and will start at 2.00 pm and continue until 4.30 pm. Also, the meeting is not restricted to L&B members, so please feel free to invite family and friends who might be interested in the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway. By the end of the afternoon they might even decide to become members!

The bus station and railway station are just a few minutes walk from the Church and there are several public car parks nearby.

Please do not use the Church car park as it is now managed by an external company who will impose a fine on the owner of any unauthorised vehicle.

L&B books and other L&B items will be available to buy, so please do remember to bring some money with you.

If you wish to pre-order specific items to collect at the meeting then please send me an email before 31st March.

If you don't really know Newbury then you might find this website useful to find somewhere to eat before or after the meeting.

I look forward to seeing you at the Newbury meeting on Saturday 27th April for what promises to be a most interesting and informative presentation.

Regards

Mike Pearce
Leader of the Thames Valley Area Group of the Lynton & Barnstaple

Corporate Supporters - Where to Stay

The Denes Fox and Goose Highfield House Lynton Cottage Moorlands North Cliff Sinai House