Prototype Railway Society View

For over 40 years, the Welsh Railways Research Circle (WRRC) has been bringing together researchers and modellers who are interested not only in the mainline and branch railways of Wales and the Border Counties, but also the tramways, tramroads and the many rail connected industrial locations across the Principality.

Since 1978 the principal purpose of the WRRC has been to provide members with a forum for discussion, facilities to carry out research and to enable contacts to be established with others of similar interests, so going some way to avoid duplication of research effort. To achieve these objectives, the WRRC has a research centre at Rhiwderin, near Newport in South Wales, a regular members’ newsletter, a published journal and offers regular meetings and field excursions.

Welcome to the Great Eastern Railway Society website. We hope visitors will find plenty of interest about the former Great Eastern Railway (GER), its predecessors and its successors, such as the London & North Eastern Railway (LNER), British Railways (BR), Network Rail and the current privatised Train Operating Companies (TOCs) operating in the East Anglia area.

Whether your East Anglian railway interests are architectural, family history, historical, educational, modelling or modern day operations, the Society caters for all tastes, so please browse to see how the Great Eastern Railway Society (GERS) can help you.

The Great Western Study Group began in 1975 as a non-profit making body of enthusiasts sharing an interest in studying a variety of aspects of GWR history and practice, and in promoting research into GWR topics. Bringing together like-minded enthusiasts and helping to source material related to the Great Western Railway are probably the most important functions of the Group, whether you are a modeller, social historian or transport historian, interested in railway or industrial archaeology, or just generally enthused with “God’s Wonderful Railway”. Interests are not confined to prototype practice, but include modelling in various gauges and in maintaining a close interest in current trends in the commercial modelling market.

If you are interested in the railways of north-east England we would like to welcome you as a member. Whether you like history or the present day, models or “the real thing”, loco performance or country railways, we are the right group to join.

Cumbria plays an important role with several strategic routes passing through our territory, both north to south and east to west. At either end of the County, Carlisle and Carnforth are important junctions for these routes. Each winter highlights how interactive ‘our’ railways are for the surrounding network and vice versa. No other geographical area has such diverse types of traffic, with Anglo-Scottish, inter-regional and local services, probably the major scenic route, and the largest number of steam operations of anywhere in the British Isles. Important freight flows pass through and within the area and it has the headquarters of a major freight operator and the principal passenger charter operator.

The GNR Society exists to preserve records and to research the GNR, its staff, its assets and its history. It has a thriving membership with debates via its own active forum, the Great Northern Newsl and meetings. The summer sees the Society host a number of ‘Summer Days Out’, all of which are available to members. 

Becoming a member of the GNRS will give you access to the knowledge of our members – no query is too niche, and every enquiry drives further research and discussion.

The South Western Circle, formed in 1962, is a society for railway historians and enthusiasts interested in the London & South Western Railway (LSWR).

The society has a membership of over 500, and aims to assist and encourage members to enhance their knowledge of the LSWR and its successors with research and quarterly publication of the Circle’s magazine ‘The South Western Circular’

The Group was formed over 40 years ago to study and disseminate information about the Southern Railway, British Railways (Southern Region), its successors and minor railways in southern England. Publications include data sheets, a bi-monthly newsletter, and a quarterly magazine.

The Society was founded in 1973 to promote interest in the South Eastern and Chatham Railway; its two constituent railways, the London Chatham & Dover Railway and the South Eastern Railway; and its successors.

Most members are primarily interested in the pre- 1923 Grouping era and this interest is reflected in its publications. However, in recent years there has been an increase in interest in later periods, particularly the 1950s and 1960s.

The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway
The title ‘Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway’ was adopted by the Manchester & Leeds Railway in July 1847 following its absorption of a number of other local railways.
Serving the industrial heart of the North West of England and forming the critical link to the mineral wealth of Yorkshire, the L&Y rapidly grew into a complex and progressive railway system, with considerable shipping interests on the Irish and North Seas.

The Society is the oldest line society in the UK having been formed in 1950. It became a Registered Charity in 2003.