THE President, Mary, opened the meeting on October 9 by welcoming all those present.

The minutes of the previous meeting were read, agreed and signed by the President.

The speaker this month was John Boynton, whose subject was The Railways of Worcestershire. He had brought many photographs of local stations and trains and gave a commentary on the slides depicting various trains, stations and parts of the county. One photograph showed the many people employed at Upton Station.

The Severn Valley Railway is known for the Santa Specials and the Diesel Weekends and Steam Weekends.

A tunnel was excavated under the Malvern Hills where the rock is very old and tough, and progress was very slow. The men worked 12-hour shifts with picks and shovels. This tunnel was very straight and was used as a store for ammunition during the war.

The villages of Hagley and Barnt Green existed as a result of the railway and the footbridge over Hagley station was built in 1886. The viaduct south of Kidderminster was originally wooden, but is now brick.

Peggy gave a vote of thanks to the speaker, for a very interesting talk and, while the photographs were studied, everyone enjoyed a delicious tea.