As the New Year is upon us, it is a good time to look forward to what 2025 holds in store for the Society.
Before we do, however, it is worth a brief look back on the year which is drawing to an end. Sadly, we learned of the passing of several members, each of whom were individually acknowledged in the Newsletter during the year and all will be missed. However, two members of very long standing left us in quick succession and will leave particularly large holes in our collective memories – Dr. Roger Brettle and Professor Ian Howard.
On a much happier note, it is worth shouting from the rooftops that our overall membership rose from 467 at the beginning of the year, crossing the 500 threshold for the first time ever, to a current total of 502. A warm welcome to all those members who joined us during 2024 and we hope you will renew for 2025!
In any context, an increase of 7.5% is notable, but especially so given the apparent headwinds facing pre-grouping railway line societies in general. This achievement is largely due to our increased attendance at model railway shows and our improved offering for modellers – notably in the form of Modelling the Midland. Many thanks, therefore, to the small but highly effective group who organise, attend and – most of all – talk to people, at these events. Not that members whose interests don’t involve modelling are being overlooked, and the broad range of subjects covered in the Society’s Journal under the editorship of Andrew Surry is proof of this.
Which brings us neatly back to the original intention of this piece, to look forward to 2025. Whilst a lot of “TBC” remains at this point in the planning, here is what the Society’s calendar looks like currently…
- Sat 1 March – Gauge 0 Guild Spring Show, Kettering Leisure Village.
- Sat 12 April – MRS AGM Museum of Making, Derby.
- TBC – Spring Members’ Meeting, an online only presentation by Richard Pulleyn “Midland Railway signalling around Leeds”.
- Sat/Sun 10/11 May – ExpoEM Spring, Bracknell Leisure Centre.
- TBC – Railway 200 Spring weekend event at the Museum of Making themed “How the Railway came to Derby”.
- Sat 31 May – Gauge 0 Guild Summer Show, Kempton Park Racecourse.
- TBC – Railway 200 Summer weekend event at the Museum of Making themed “Railway Ancestors and Midland Railway Staff”.
- Fri 13 – Sun 15 June – Members’ weekend visit to the Settle & Carlisle line.
- Sat 1 August – Railway 200 Event at Litchurch Lane Carriage & Wagon Works, Derby.
- Sat/Sun 20/21 September (TBC) – Scaleforum, Cressex School, High Wycombe.
- Sat/Sun 11/12 October – Warley Exhibition at Statfold Barn, Statfold Barn, Tamworth.
- Sat/Sun xx October Great Electric Train Show, MK Dons.
- TBC – Railway 200 Autumn weekend event at the Museum of Making themed “Railways around Derby in the black & white years”.
- Sat/Sun xx November – National Festival of Railway Modelling NEC, Birmingham.
- TBC – Autumn Members’ Meeting. Subject TBC.
You are obviously encouraged to check back here on the website in the coming months for further details. With the exception of the formal business of the AGM, you do not have to be a Midland Railway Society member to attend any of the Society events, but we would love it if you were!
No promises, but if 2025 is a typical year, we may also slip in a few impromptu events as well, so there’s another reason to keep an eye on this website.
Finally, Midland Railway Society member (or perhaps soon-to-be-so), we hope you all have a very good 2025 and beyond.
