1293

2362] BLS 2016 AGM - Part 2; East Kent Railway (EKR) Sat 5 Nov 2016: Our local Kent organiser
(Darren Garnon) had unsuccessfully attempted to arrange a fixture at the EKR in 2015, but traction
difficulties had resulted in a frustrating delay. However, with the Society's 2016 Kent AGM weekend in

full swing, it was the perfect opportunity to make an
overdue visit to this rapidly evolving railway. Around
100 participants congregated on Shepherds Well
(EKR) platform on a bright but chilly morning in early
November. There were 40 booked on all three days
of the AGM fixtures and the extra number on the EKR
was due to the AGM held later in the day and (not-
coincidentally) the first passenger running of 08676,
recently acquired by the EKR. This fixture was run
with our friends at PLEG (many are BLS members!)
reconfirming the 'track & traction' winning formula.

The plan was to allow PLEG to benefit from haulage by three locos in quick succession, while BLS
members enjoyed rare track at the other end of the line. The day began with breakfast rolls and hot
drinks (included in the fare) kindly provided by the EKR. Shortly after 08.00, everyone left Shepherds
Well in a three car 'Thumper' unit hauled in top and tail formation by two Class 01 locomotives, 01543
and 01546. At Eythorne about 72 BLS members alighted and split into three groups ready for their rare
track adventure, while the PLEG contingent travelled back to Shepherds Well to collect 08676.

Now with a single loco and brake van, participants enjoyed some very rare track, scooping not just the
bay platform at Eythorne, but the additional siding before heading up to Wigmore Lane, normally
used only on special occasions and where the removal of a bridge over Wigmore Lane (TR 2855 5006)
itself prevents further progress. Here a long parked tank wagon together with associated vegetation
had been removed the previous day, allowing members to reach the end of the line for the first time in
several decades. (Beyond here the last train from Tilmanstone Colliery had run on 1 Mar 1984.)

Returning to Eythorne the BLS group now had to wait for the return of the 'Thumper' stock used by
the PLEG members. Our AGM was due to start at 12.00 back at Shepherdswell (sic). However, a points
failure further down the line seriously disrupted proceedings. Normal service would resume as soon as
possible! Meanwhile another railtour was in far more
trouble as reports came in of UK Railtours 'Andover
Fist' railtour unfortunately derailing in Southampton
Eastern Docks. Quite a few members who dutifully
attended the EKR and our AGM were later able to do
the successful UKRT 8 Apr 2017 re-run of this tour.

With noon arriving and passing without any sign of
the ECS, committee members began to disperse using
alternative road transport to prepare for the AGM.
The organiser's career as a BLS Fixture's organiser was
'on the line' but the stock eventually arrived in the care of 08676. We would be late arriving but by
only about 10 minutes. 72 members then attended the delayed AGM, held just a short walk from the
EKR station at the delightful Shepherdswell Village Hall. It was completed in record time and members
made their way back to the EKR, splitting into three groups. One group enjoyed brake van rides in the
care of one of the 01s over the rare sidings, loop and non-platform road at Shepherds Well (also to the
NR boundary). The other two groups dispersed across the two miniature railways with a very
comprehensive 'knees-up' tour of the Knees Woodland Miniature Railway (MR p19) (7¼" gauge) in
the 350 year old Knees Wood owned by the EKR. The third group did the interesting 5" gauge line, with
extra track (of course!). The three groups rotated until everyone had covered everything they wanted.

Dusk had fallen but this action packed day was still
not over. In exactly the same way as at the Epping
Ongar Railway (BLN 1283.1330) in Mk 2 RFO No1214,
the day before, our group boarded the Mk 2 RFO
No1215 stabled at Shepherds Well platform buffer
stops. Shunter duly attached, members were able to
mark off a few final yards of valuable track to (more
precisely from) the buffer stops. Back at the EKR café
42 members then enjoyed an excellent and extensive
very well illustrated presentation from our Treasurer,
Ian Mortimer, (well known for his photos in e-BLN) on
the theme of 'Travelling non-passenger lines in the 1970s and 1980s without the aid of railtours!' (The
organiser thought that this included a disproportionate number of Class 47s.) This was accompanied
by a lavish interval buffet thanks to the keen EKR volunteers who had done us proud and worked very
hard throughout the whole day. However, our AGM weekend was still not over …. (Darren Garnon)

Editor's Note: Some pictures of our day at the East Kent Railway will follow in e-BLN 1294.

2363] Heaton Park Tramway, Sat 21 Oct: By Rod Miebs. I had not been to this location before and the
timings were such that I would have the opportunity to do something on National Rail or Manchester
Metrolink before and after the visit. An e-mail from Jill Everitt the previous day confirmed that the
Tramway did not think the forecast storm 'Brian' would cause any difficulties with the visit. The 'Life of
Brian' became apparent as I arrived; the wind and rain worsened as the tour progressed but caused no
problems. As for the walk back to Bowker Vale tram stop after, that was something else!

ABOVE: Two trams in the headshunt outside Heaton Park Museum (off picture left), the line off to the
right is the original 200yd of 1905 vintage tramway in its original location. (Rod Miebs 21 Oct 2017)

There was a bonus before the start; the usual Jim Sellens' souvenir ticket came in an envelope with a
£5 cash refund reducing the members' fare to only £15.The tramway did very well financially too!
This was because the number attending (44) was pleasingly far more than expected. The first tram
used was Hull Corporation Tramways '96'. Small tram, large party. It was very cosy, shades of rush
hour Victoria Line with the rolling stock and wider headway of old. After loading outside the Museum
we ran forward, then set back into the Museum building itself, doing this twice to the specially cleared
end of the single line, the trolley pole leading on the way out. The Americans and Australians have a
word for this. The former 'back poling', the latter 'spear poling'. Some of their systems used terminus
Wyes*. The Americans went one better, there is a town 'Wyeville' in Wisconsin. It is named because of
a Wye on the Union Pacific nearby. [*From 'Ys' but essential a triangular junction for turning.]

The tram then went to the Middleton Road park
entrance gates using the famous 200yd of the track
that is original 1905 vintage in its original location
(said to be the only such example in the World).
The right hand line was taken in direction of travel to
the line end (an immovable planter box on the track).
All the reversals on '96' involved passengers on the
rear platform changing ends so that the driver had
the leading platform to himself.

[BLN 1293]
The tram then returned past the Museum towards Lakeside, shunting twice again en-route, for full
measure, into the short stub at the pre-Lakeside terminus at the Boating Lake. This is not wired, the
pole continued at an angle on the adjacent running line wire. Our tour ran into the right hand road, in
the direction of travel, of the new (since our last visit of 7 Sep 2013, four years ago) Lakeside tram shed
as far as the rear wall, again twice! Participants then left No96 and transferred across to Manchester
Corporation '765'. This was luxury, more room and even a wooden seat.

This tram returned to the Museum, reversing at the headshunt end of line twice, as had become the
norm, and out to the other (left side) stub at Middleton Rd, (PREVIOUS PAGE: Rod Miebs) twice of
course, via the other adjacent original 200yd of tramway. A staff member held the pole rope loosely
when the tram speared to re-wire if needed (it was not). After a photo stop it was back to the Museum
for hot drinks, biscuits, a good natter with other members and a look round the interesting Museum
and shop. This was the forecast finishing time so I left to reach downtown Manchester in time for my
booked train back to Euston.

As a child I travelled on London trams on family visits, but these were on conduit and plough routes.
I did do a pole ride at the last gasp, Sat 5 Jul 1952 (final day of London Trams), Lee Green to Woolwich
and back. It was my 8th birthday; Dad enjoyed it as much as I and the tickets are still in my possession!

As to future tramway development 'Manchester's second tram system' - the Heaton Park Tramway -
received a large donation of used tram rail and fittings, spares from Metrolink's Second City Crossing in
February. It was from the single track bidirectional section used during the St Peter's Square work.
Heaton Park Tramway has previously been extended three times and is now about a kilometre long.

BELOW: London Passenger Transport Board last tram in Westminster on the last day, Sat 5 Jul 1952.
(Ian McDougall, with thanks to Angus McDougall)

ABOVE: London Passenger Transport Board tram tickets with a souvenir ticket from Jul 1952 (Angus McDougall).

2364] A Rhys-sent Report, Ashover Light Railway (ALR) Walks, Wed 25 Oct: 10 adults and 2 children
(it was half-term) met at the delightful Derbyshire village of Ashover in the lovely Amber Valley for the
first of two walks to explore most of the two sections of the ALR not flooded by the Ogston reservoir.
Supplied by the River Amber, holding 1.3bn gallon and covering 200 acres, it was created in 1958 to
supply Avenue Coking Plant just south of Chesterfield, flooding Hurst Lane and Wolley station sites.

The morning was an enhanced version of our 19 Apr 2017 walk (report BLN 1281.1102; line history
BLN 1274.249 with map) and included the site of Ashover Butts station and coal siding, Butts Quarry
and the triangle used for turning whole passenger trains in the absence of a run round loop at that end
of the 1' 11½" gauge 7¼ mile long line. Walking through superb countryside on a bright and sunny day
past former river bridge abutments, the site of Salter Lane station was reached. More convenient for
Ashover village it still required a steep descent down an old cartway into the valley to reach it -
although BLS members undoubtedly would have gone to Butts station at the end of line! Then it was
off to the Miners Arms level crossing where the pub was adjacent to the line so that train crew could
pause and be served their pints over the wall. Milltown and Fallgate station sites followed; at the
latter the original station building and some original ALR tracks set in concrete at the quarry were
seen. Incredibly, some 67 years after closure, part of the bridge remained over the River Amber once a
short branch to Fall Mill and Power House, now carrying pipes. This was the first time our organiser
had seen this feature! Elsewhere former Ashover rails were noted in use on cattle grids, fencing and
supporting signs. Circular walk completed, participants drove to Clay Cross for a short lunch break.

Another four joined for the afternoon walk from the Clay Cross end of the ALR (where there was
another triangle but the station had a run-round loop), exploring to Stretton. The ex-Midland Railway
(MR) Clay Cross Tunnel ventilation shafts 5-8 (of 8), or 'pepper pots', were seen before descending the
hill to the site once occupied by Clay Cross & Egstow ALR station, loco shed and ancillary buildings of
which no sign remained. This large brownfield site is in the early stages of major redevelopment.

As at the other locations, participants were able to envisage how things had been from photos that the
organiser and a participant had kindly brought. An extension of the ALR carrying minerals once crossed
the main road into the Clay Cross Company's works, a site to be occupied by a modern housing estate.

Our group were taken along a muddy path to see the castellated north portal of Clay Cross MR tunnel -
in a deep cutting on this busy railway (many passenger trains and even some freight workings were
seen or heard during the afternoon). The path continued to the site of the now vanished Clay Cross
MR station (which was poorly sited for the town and at a serious disadvantage when bus services
became well established in the 1920s). Only the goods shed remains, it is now the off-site store
(strictly no admittance!) for Crich National Tramway Museum. A steep ex-MR freight branch ascended
to Clay Cross Town Goods, CG 7 Oct 1963, (SK 392 634) through what is now Tesco by the bus station.

The party followed ascending footpaths to look down on the ALR site with Clay Cross Tunnel beyond,
then made its way round to the site of Chesterfield Road station. A red brick abutment is extant west
of that road (A61) where the station (no remains) was on the south side of the embankment. The east
abutment and ALR trackbed that side have gone with open cast coal extraction. A footpath took us to
the overgrown site of Hilltop Loop, then most walked back along what was clearly ALR trackbed (wide
enough for standard gauge as originally intended) in a cutting then an embankment to Chesterfield
Road station site and bridge abutment. Original narrow gauge rails were found in the undergrowth.

A deviation away from the trackbed was then required through a housing estate to reach Holmgate
station site, south of which the abutments of a substantial bridge over Smithy Brook were visited.
Further pedestrian progress across grassland and through housing alleyways (our local guides were
invaluable here) brought the party to the sites of Springfields and Clay Lane stations which were close
to each other. Heading south, the broad route of ALR was followed (at times on the trackbed) to
Stretton station which was the passenger interchange point with the mainline. Although close and
parallel, the ALR was high above the latter which emerged from the 1,784yd Clay Cross Tunnel in to
another deep cutting to Stretton station north of the B6014 (Stretton to Matlock road). The MR
station house (now a private residence) survives but the station has gone; NR uses the Down entrance
slope for access. The ALR station was south of a level crossing - although regrading has made this hard
to envisage - over this now busy road (no public transport!); an overgrown embankment heads south.

It was time to return to Clay Cross via a different route back to Clay Lane station site then view tunnel
ventilation shafts 1-4; of note was the variation in size, construction and appearance of the eight
'pepper pots'. A small generic monument to the local coal mining industry was also seen; two roadside
narrow gauge mine tubs lettered 'Clay Cross' chained (unfortunately!) to some narrow gauge track.

The most interesting and enjoyable walks (probably about 15 miles in total) concluded at dusk.
Particular praise and thanks to our local born and bred member Neil Lewis who had prepared very
useful, detailed and interesting information packs for both walks for each participant with old and
modern map extracts, facsimile ALR ticket reproductions (duly clipped on request by two of his
children, assistant guides, Ruby and Archie), posters, timetables etc. A superbly researched and well
organised very full day; it was surprising how much still remains to be seen (the line CA 31 Mar 1950).
From the walks it was also evident why the ALR had to adopt such a circuitous route. A substantial
tunnel would have been required out of the Amber Valley to create a more direct line to Clay Cross.
Although, for a light railway, the ALR did have some significant embankments, cuttings and bridges.

The Ashover Light Railway Society http://alrs.org.uk/ 165 Longedge Lane, Wingerworth, Chesterfield,
S42 6PR, is actively looking at two sections near each end with a view to restoring one as a heritage
line, 'The Peggy Line' - named after one of the six Baldwin 4-6-0Ts bought by the Clay Cross Co for the
line. They were named after the children of Col Jackson, the Co manager; the others were Bridget,
Guy, Joan, Georgie & Hummy (for Humphrey). So, if you need the track why not join…? (Rhys Ab Elis)

NEXT PAGE BELOW: Some of the participants recovering resting opposite to Clay Lane station,
far left is Archie and rear right is Ruby, two of our guides and both BLS members. (Neil Lewis)

Details must be checked 1293 CONNECTIONS (Paul Stewart) [email protected] Please mention BLN

2365] The Christmas Cheshireman, Sat 25 Nov: Bristol TM (07.00/22.35), Filton Abbey Wood (07.15/
22.25), Cwmbran & Abergavenny (10.15/19.40) to Chester (13.15/17.00), via Maindee Curve in both
directions, Hereford Up Relief and (on return) Craven Arms Down Goods Loop (watering 17.58/18.35)
and Hereford Down Relief. From £109; Railway Touring Co https://goo.gl/tcP2Dk 01553 661 500.

2366] Greater Anglia Club 50: Similar to the ScotRail scheme (Abellio is the common factor), it might be
useful for those age 50-59 who don't qualify for other railcards. £20 per year; join at https://goo.gl/P9zcMP
immediately. 20% online discount (or 10% at stations) off Greater Anglia services & Stansted Express (latter
online only) not other TOCs. Off-Peak (after 10.00 SSuX, all weekends and Bank Holidays) or Anytime fares
if no Off-Peak is available (then can be used anytime!), also Advance fares. Proof of age must be carried.

2367] TRACKAtlas of Mainland Britain NEW 3rd Edition - Nov 2017:
Edited by Mike Bridge. RRP £27.95, hardback, 192 A4 pages, (158 in
colour) 104 main maps of the national system fully updated, with
18 inset maps of London and 32 of other complex areas at larger scale.
Includes passenger and freight routes, track formations, connections,
crossovers and primary sidings. It also shows stations, signal boxes,
junctions and tunnels including their names and railway mileages.
Level crossings that affect signalling are included with their type.
Electrified lines are shown in colour. There are separate national and
London area index maps, a key and list of abbreviations. It now has 50
heritage lines; 19 new pages cover 9 main Light Rail/Metro systems on
OS street map backgrounds. It is fully indexed (10,000 entries), sitting
between Baker and TRACKmaps (Quail), is geographic unlike the latter
but does not show all sidings. Described by one as 'Baker on Steroids'.

2368] An Introduction to Cumbrian Railways: £9.95 by David Joy, a well known railway writer and
historian (published by the Cumbrian Railway Association). 96 pages fully illustrated about railway
history and development in what is now Cumbria; the 1830s to the present; railway pioneers to rail
privatisation/preservation. 150+ colour/B&W photos with over 20 specially created colour maps.

X.172] The Grand Farewell, Sun 17 Dec: Firstly, on Sat 16 Dec Pathfinder Tours have kindly agreed to
an extra Tamworth set down at about 19.30 on their 'Jolly Grid' tour to assist those who wish to
participate in this tour as well. The strikingly liveried 6-car Grand Central HSTs are going off lease soon.
To mark the occasion and also the TOCs 10th anniversary (on 18 Dec 2017), we are running a track and
traction charity tour supporting the Railway Benefit Fund and Railway Children. Please help to fill it.
Newcastle (PU 08.05) - Sunderland (PU 08.28) - Hartlepool (PU 08.52) - Norton East - West Jn -
Ferryhill South Jn UGL (rev) - Darlington Up Main - York (PU 10.19) - Hambleton Curve - Selby Canal
Curve - Doncaster (PU 10.59) - Sand Bank Jn (rev) - Down Hexthorpe Goods (rev) - Roberts Road Depot
No7 Siding (rev) - Barrow Hill Up & Dn Staveley Goods (rev) - Woodhouse Jn - Sheffield (break/leg
stretch) - Hope Valley - Hazel Grove - Stockport Dn Main - Denton - Baguley Fold Jn - Brewery Jn -
Rochdale - Halifax P1 - Bradford Interchange P2 (rev) - Whitehall Curve - Milford Jn - Gascoigne Wood
Down Goods Loop (rev) - Church Fenton - York P3 (SD 18.02) - Northallerton - Norton East Jn -
Hartlepool (SD 19.06) - Ryhope Grange Jn - Sunderland (SD 19.55) - Up Pelaw Loop - Newcastle (SD
20.32). Standard Class £70, Standard Plus* in a declassified first class coach with hot drink voucher
£85, First Class* with at seat service of a hot breakfast roll and porridge; lunch of soup and sandwiches
and an afternoon cream tea, also tea, coffee, fruit juice, water and snacks throughout the day £110
(*each 48 seats), under 18s (only if accompanied by an adult) £5 reduction. WEBSITE BOOKINGS
AVAILABLE which we encourage to assist your volunteer Society. For cheques (now banked on
receipt), a booking form can be printed off our website or please send an SAE to Jill Everitt for one.
Please note that to save significant printing costs we will not be sending paper booking forms out.

2369] High Peak Explorer, Sat 17 Mar 2018: Carnforth (06.45/21.20), Preston (07.40/20.25), Blackburn
08.30 (PU only), Manchester Victoria (07.40 service train to Blackburn/19.45) & Buxton (12.25/14.15).
Todmorden Curve - Brewery Jn - Phillips Park West Jn - Ashton Moss North Jn - Denton station (stop) -
Heaton Norris Jn - Hazel Grove - Chinley North - Peak Forest - Buxton 'XYZ' Sidings - Buxton (break) -
Hindlow branch (rev), then as outward to Phillips Park West Jn - Manchester Vic - Preston - Carnforth.
Steam locos top & tail; from £109 Adult. Railway Touring Co https://goo.gl/PemGSV 01553 661 500.

X.173] Hidden London: More tickets go on sale Tue 21 Nov at 10.00 for subscribers to London
Transport Museum's (free) electronic newsletter and for London Transport Museum Friends Society
members. The Jan-Mar 2018 tours include: 55 Broadway (London's first skyscraper), Clapham South
subterranean film screenings - a 70 minute London Transport bespoke film about being a Londoner in
WWII, Clapham South subterranean shelter tours, Euston lost tunnels and Euston photography tours.

X.174] Virgin Trains 23 (00.01) - 27 Nov: Five day seat sale up to 53% discount on 250,000 advance
purchase tickets on West Coast routes. Examples: London - Birmingham £5 (First Class £17),
Manchester £11 (First £30), Glasgow £18 (First £37). Book at website not valid 22, 23 or 27 December.

●Fixtures Secretary: Kev Adlam, 53 Kemble Close, Wistaston, CREWE CW2 6XN. @BLSGeneralSec [email protected]
●Bookings Officer: Jill Everitt, 4 Barnside Way, Moulton, NORTHWICH, CW9 8PT. [email protected]
●Iain Scotchman (Finland railtour) 102 Shenfield Place, BRENTWOOD, CM15 9AJ. [email protected]
●Paper BLN Problems: Dave Monger, 6 Underhill Close, GODALMING, GU7 1NU. [email protected] or text/ring Editor
● General Secretary: Tim Wallis, 10 Sandringham Road, Stoke Gifford, BS34 8NP. [email protected]
●Editor/Head Lines: Paul Stewart, 4 Clarence Close, MALVERN, WR14 3HX. 01684562862 07790652351 [email protected]
●MAPS: By permission of the National Library of Scotland http://maps.nls.uk/index.html
●Unaccredited photos are out of copyright.
Published by the Branch Line Society, 10 Sandringham Road, Stoke Gifford, BS34 8NP. ISSN 1354-0947

BELOW: The late Jerry Holmes, a tribute appears on our last page. (Sue Stronach)

2370] Jeremy John James Holmes 14 February 1949 - 8 October 2017: Jerry was born in Liverpool and
went to the same school as John Lennon but was rather more academic! He cut his teeth on the
Southport Miniature and Pier Railways going on to attend Manchester University from 1967 until 1970,
initially studied Maths. He switched to Computer Science in the first year, and became Society member
362 in early 1969, one of a significant group from Manchester University who joined around then.
His insistence on doing routes in both directions (even single lines) led to the introduction of the term
'jerrying' for this particular facet of his railway interests. At and after university he was a volunteer
fireman on the K&WVR and was later a Patron of the Princess Royal Class Locomotive Trust for many
years, travelling on many trips behind their 'Duchess of Sutherland'. Jerry was an LMS fan even though
the driving experience course (picture overleaf), on the West Somerset Railway, was on a GWR loco!

Being a mathematician various people referred to him as 'J Cubed' with his distinctive 'JJJ' initials and he
used that as part of his email address for a while. Jerry spent his working life in IT (with a spell in the USA
from Aug 1978 until Feb 1981). His last job was with an American chemical and biotechnology company,
Sigma-Aldrich, at its UK base in Gillingham (Dorset), which became his home. He was very pleased that
our 7 Nov 2015 SWT DMU tour called there and did the loop in the rare direction! Following retirement
in 2014 he bought a narrow boat and spent most of each summer gricing England's inland waterways
with Sue (who advises that this quite often meant taking disused branches, clearing the weed hatch
every few yards, fighting through overhanging bushes with a very tight turning space at the end).

Jerry was a serial volunteer, undoubtedly holding more different posts than anyone else in our 62 year
history and would readily turn his hand to anything that needed doing. He was first co-opted to the
Committee in August 1973 to operate the Society's Addressograph used for BLN envelopes and was
Assistant Production Officer until August 1978 when he went to the USA. On his return further posts
followed, including Auditor for the 1983 and 1984 Society Years (and Accounts Examiner for 2012); 1988
-1993 Assistant Distribution Officer and, from 1994, also General Secretary to 1996. In August 1992 he
started 'Topical Changes' in BLN, becoming 'Front Page' Sub-Editor until May 1997 - a direct ancestor of
'Head Lines'. By way of a change he was Membership Secretary from 1999 to 2002, then Publications
officer from 2003 to 2009 as well as Publicity Officer from 2007 to 2009. During the 2008 Society Year he
finally scored a hat trick by adding BLN Editor to his Publications and Publicity portfolios. Jerry helped out
in many other ways too, for example leading a special working party into the future of BLN in November
1993. Most recently he coordinated regular updates for our production 'Railway Rights-of-Way' with the
author, Rhys Ab Elis, and produced a BLN Pictorial about Cornwall's China Clay Lines in June 2016.

Jerry enjoyed a game of Bridge - Geoff Strawbridge and Peter Deacon always tried to sit next to him on
tours in a bay, or, better still, at a table, and on the first non-vital bits, out would come the cards for a
game once a fourth person had been recruited - often Dave Wilkinson or, occasionally, Chris Tennant.
Jerry, who was active in his local church and edited the parish magazine, also shared a much more active
passion with Geoff: campanology (bell-ringing!). It was fascinating, if incomprehensible to everyone else,
to listen to them exchanging recollections of recent peals, the more complex the better! Peter Deacon,
proud to be one of Jerry's regular BLS proof readers, recalls that Jerry was one of the few BLS members
with whom he could have a learned discussion on his most 'religiously followed' sport - Rugby Union.
On our 28 Mar 1992 'Kineton Pullman' tour approaching the MoD base, JJJ came on the tannoy to inform
us that under no circumstances must anyone look through the windows, resulting in howls of laughter!

Dave and Helen Cromarty represented the Society at Jerry's funeral in Gillingham on 27 October; his
coffin was adorned with a very nice picture of a GW 'King' with a train of red and cream coaches.
The service betrayed his sense of humour, with the first hymn to the tune of 'See The Conquering Hero
Comes' (the railway connection*) and the last 'For Those In Peril On The Sea' (the canal connection). In
between, the choir complied with his request to sing a series of hymns to the 'wrong' tunes (those from
different hymns); referred to as I'm sorry I haven't a clue! Donations went to The Princess Royal Class
Locomotive Trust and the Masonic Charitable Foundation (he was a member of at least 4 Lodges). Those
at his funeral were asked to wear something red, not for his Princess Royal links but as a strong lifelong
supporter of Liverpool Football Club. Our sympathy goes to all of Jerry's family and Sue, his partner.
[*The tune invariably played by brass bands at the opening of new railways.] (PAS, DSC, AGW & PHD.)