A chance to gather with fellow enthusiasts for a natter and an 'Anything Goes' evening on our big screen: video, ciné, projected prints, or slides, presented by SWRS members and featuring transport subjects from Great Britain or further afield. (It's open to all, not just SWRS members!)

If you have films or photos to share, please bring them along on Friday. (And if you contact info@swrs.co.uk in time, we can advertise your contribution in advance.)

A chance to gather with fellow enthusiasts for a natter and an 'Anything Goes' evening on our big screen: video, ciné, projected prints, or slides, presented by SWRS members and featuring transport subjects from Great Britain or further afield. (It's open to all, not just SWRS members!)

If you have films or photos to share, please bring them along on Friday. (And if you contact info@swrs.co.uk in time, we can advertise your contribution in advance.)

Frank Banfield presents another of his very popular evenings with a further selection from his extensive collection of archive 16mm ciné film.

Previous evenings have included documentaries, BTC publicity, vintage adverts, cartoons, and excerpts from home movies. Films mostly feature railway subjects, but trams, buses, canals, docks, heavy road haulage and air travel may also make an appearance.

Yes! It's time for the Annual SWRS Photo Competition.

There is still time to enter. Please submit your photos by Thursday 8th December. See the Photo Competition page for categories and instructions.

There will be party food (please 'bring and share'), and further entertainment if there is time after the Competition.

An 'Anything Goes' evening: big screen video, ciné, projected prints, or slides, presented by SWRS members and featuring transport subjects from Great Britain or further afield. (It's open to all, not just SWRS members!)

If you have films or photos to share with fellow enthusiasts, please bring them along on Friday. (And if you contact info@swrs.co.uk in time, we can advertise your contribution in advance.)

It is also the last day for entering prints for next week's Photo Competition.
See 2017 Photographic Competition for further details.

Programme Change: Due to unexpected political activity, Christian Wolmar is unable to visit us today for "Are Trams Socialist?". Please watch website to see if Christian's talk features in the 2017 programme (third time lucky??)

Peter Groom is returning to continue the story of transport in London, featuring the period when horse-drawn vehicles filled the roads, but were starting to make way for electric trains and the internal combustion engine.

Please Note: Another Programme Change...

2nd Dec – "Are Trams Socialist?" – CANCELLED

Due to unexpected political activity, Christian Wolmar is unable to visit us on Dec 2nd. Check website to see if Christian's talk is in the 2017 programme (third time lucky??)

SWRS will meet as usual. It may be a 'members' evening (where one or more SWRS members show photos, films, etc), or something else, yet to be arranged. Please watch website or our Facebook page for updates.

Experience John Coke's unique style of auctioneering, join in the witty banter, and bag yourself a bargain, or ten... Yes! It's nearly time for the legendary SWRS Auction!! (raising money towards the upkeep of Slough Estates No.3).

So, dig through your cupboards, lofts and shelves for any spare railwayana, unwanted Christmas presents, and all those other things you never use.
Bring it along on the night, for us to sell...
...and don't forget your wallet: we need you to buy things as well!

Further Details: eg what kind of things to bring...

Graham Stacey has given us several entertaining and educational evenings featuring select railway photographs from the historic Ken Nunn collection.

This time Graham will be drawing on his own collection of photographs taken during the 1960s.

India's narrow gauge railways are world-famous. Who has not heard of the railway to Darjeeling? In 1986, Indian Railways operated 2637 miles of 2' and 2'6" lines with 25 different classes of steam locomotive. Many more steam locos worked at industrial locations.

Geoff's talk will take a look at 10 railways that he visited in the 1980's, reflecting the unique diversity and atmosphere of the Indian narrow gauge.

There were over 50 trolleybus systems in Britain, and countless passenger tram networks. A surprising number of trolleybuses have been preserved and there are at least three sites where they may be seen running.

John Laker is making a welcome return visit to The Manor.

The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea; providing an on-call, 24-hour search and rescue service around the UK and Ireland. This evening's talk tells the story of the modern RNLI operations, equipment and training, and will feature video, slides, and sound.

Colin Brown is a life-long boating enthusiast and boat owner, and knowing the RNLI was there should he get into difficulties was always a comfort. Hence it was a natural step, when he retired from a career in aircraft maintenance, to become an RNLI volunteer as an Education Presenter.

Frank Banfield presents another of his very popular evenings with a further selection from his extensive collection of archive 16mm ciné film.

Previous evenings have included documentaries, BTC publicity, vintage adverts, cartoons, and excerpts from home movies. Films mostly feature railway subjects, but trams, buses, canals, docks, heavy road haulage and air travel may also make an appearance.

The Middleton Railway can claim many firsts in the development of rail transport, and traces its origins back to 1758. It was also one of the forerunners of the preservation movement, running its first passenger services in 1960.

Ian Smith, Vice Chairman of the MRT, will be telling us about the early years of this pioneering heritage railway.

SWRS has had close links with the Middleton Railway Trust since 2011, when our loco 'Slough Estates No.3' was moved up to Leeds to haul passenger trains.

In a welcome return visit to The Manor, Michael Bunn, Secretary of the SNCF Society, will be giving us an evening about the many narrow gauge railways that once crossed the countryside of France.

Michael will cover the rise and fall of the vast network of secondary lines, and take a look at the five metre-gauge public service lines, and some of the tourist lines, operating in 2016.

Something a bit different. Tonight's meeting is a chance for members to relate tales and anecdotes from their working life, and give others an insight into life behind-the-scenes, be it railway-related or not.

Well, I presume that's what is planned! Whatever, you'll be among friends and fellow enthusiasts and you're bound to learn something new, even if you can't think of anything to share yourself.

(Due to unforeseen circumstances, Iain Pate is unable to present the advertised evening "Heritage Railways", but is hoping to re-arrange for a new date. Watch website for details.)

Ian Silvester is a keen amateur steam railway and wildlife photographer (see www.dorneyphoto.com) and an Associate of the Royal Photographic Society.

In a welcome return visit to The Manor, this time Ian will be covering several trips to China, between 1988 and 2000. Expect lots of steam set in stunning scenery!

SWRS has significant historical ties with the Swindon & Cricklade Railway. It was the heritage railway where the restoration of Slough Estates No.3 was completed, culminating in its return to steam in 2000. No.3 then gave sterling service as the line's primary steam locomotive for many years; a highlight being top-and-tailing services with the famous GWR loco City of Truro.

Clive Thompson has been, among other things, the Permanent Way Manager and a Director of the S&CR.

On 26th August, our historian Dave Grant will be sharing Tales from the Broad Gauge. These are not personal reminiscences (the broad guage finished in 1892!); Dave is a member of the Great Western Society and has spent a great deal of time researching the broad gauge era of the GWR.

Both Fridays are 'Anything Goes' evenings: big screen video, ciné, projected prints, or slides, presented by SWRS members and featuring transport subjects from Great Britain or further afield. (It's open to all, not just SWRS members!)

If you have films or photos to share with fellow enthusiasts, please bring them on Friday. (And if you contact info@swrs.co.uk in time, we can advertise your contribution too.)

An 'Anything Goes' evening: big screen video, ciné, projected prints, or slides, presented by SWRS members and featuring transport subjects from Great Britain or further afield. (It's open to all, not just SWRS members!)

If you have films or photos to share with fellow enthusiasts, please bring them along on Friday. (And if you contact info@swrs.co.uk in time, we can advertise your contribution in advance.)

A chance to munch on a burger or hot dog in the sunshine, chat to fellow enthusiasts, and watch the trains go by.

The Manor forecourt has a grandstand view of Slough Railway Station and the trains passing on the GW main line – an ideal venue for our annual barbecue.

This year (as long as there are no signal failures!!) it is the last Friday of the Didcot – Oxford – Banbury engineering work blockades which will hopefully see a lot more than usual freight activity, with container trains to and from Southampton passing the Manor.

A trip by vintage bus to the Thames Valley & Great Western Omnibus Trust at Fifield. Visit to include a tour of the vehicle collections, refreshments, and a short presentation about GWR Road Motors and the restoration of the GWR Guy bus.

Meet 19:15, Slough Railway Station, for a 19:30 departure, returning about 22:00.

Suggested (minimum) donation of £10 to the Trust.

Apologies that the Mystery Trip is rather less of a mystery this year, but we needed to know numbers in advance; however, we don't know what vintage bus we'll be using, so it is still (literally) a 'mystery bus' trip!

Rob Holder brings us a varied evening of transport-related subjects including pictures of 'old Slough', Barrow Hill Roundhouse Railway Museum, and featuring unique stories from behind-the-scenes, 'air-side' at Heathrow.

In a change to our scheduled programme, aircraft historian Ken Tilley will be giving us another evening showing slides of aircraft from the local area.

Last time, Ken delighted us with archive photos of classic passenger planes from the 40's, 50's, and 60's, mostly photographed locally; plus a selection of military planes from the same period. So, expect more of the same... and, perhaps, a few surprises!

(The Hurricane photo is because of the local association with its designer, Sir Sidney Camm, who was born in Windsor. The evening may or may not feature a Hurricane ...you'll have to come along to find out!)

A welcome return by Colin Miell, who organises overseas trips for the Locomotive Club of Great Britain (LCGB).

This evening he will be describing some of the club's excursions to China.

Bob Bunyar is a life-long fan of the Somerset & Dorset Railway, having grown up alongside it as a child. Recently he has published a book: 'Somerset and Dorset Swansong – The Last Days of a Steam Railway', detailing the last weeks, days and hours of this long-lamented line.

This evening's meeting will undoubtedly feature the subject of the book, but like Bob's previous talks at The Manor, will also cover other railway lines around the two counties.

Experience John Coke's unique style of auctioneering, join in the witty banter, and bag yourself a bargain, or ten... Yes! It's nearly time for the legendary SWRS Auction!! (raising money towards the upkeep of Slough Estates No.3).

So, dig through your cupboards, lofts and shelves for any spare railwayana, unwanted Christmas presents, and all those other things you never use.
Bring it along on the night, for us to sell...
...and don't forget your wallet: we need you to buy things as well!

Further Details: eg what kind of things to bring...

Graham Bilbe is the Chairman and Engineering Director of the Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft (near Doncaster) – the largest collection of trolleybuses in Europe – and is a published author on the subject.

In a welcome return visit, Graham will be sharing more of his knowledge and photographs of trams and trolleybuses. Being Reading-based, it is likely Graham's talk will include local vehicles such as the Reading Transport trolley in the photo.

An evening all about train spotting? No, not particularly. Tonight's meeting is a chance for members to give a 10-minute talk about their favourite hobby, be it railway-related or not.

So, why not prepare a talk of (up to) ten minutes about your pastime of choice, come to The Manor on Friday, and share your enthusiasm with others in a friendly environment? Or else, just come along and discover the diverse interests of your fellow enthusiasts.

In a late change to our scheduled programme, Ken Tilley will be giving us an evening showing slides of aircraft from the local area.

Ken is associated with White Waltham Airfield, near Maidenhead, which is notable for being the HQ of the Air Transport Auxiliary service during World War 2, and as a testing ground for aircraft made by Fairey and Westland.

(The Hurricane photo is because of the local association with its designer, Sir Sidney Camm, who was born in Windsor. The evening may or may not feature a Hurricane...you'll have to come along to find out!)

An 'Anything Goes' evening: big screen video, ciné, projected prints, or slides, presented by SWRS members and featuring transport subjects from Great Britain or further afield. (It's open to all, not just SWRS members!)

If you have films or photos to share with fellow enthusiasts, please bring them along on Friday. (And if you contact info@swrs.co.uk in time, we can advertise your contribution in advance.)

As organiser of overseas study tours for members of the Locomotive Club of Great Britain (LCGB), Adrian Palmer has an extensive knowledge of railways worldwide.

In this talk, Adrian will be showing us the preserved railway operations in Brazil, mainly those within reach of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo; and in Madagascar, the privately operated Madarail and the state run FCE from Fianarantsoa.

The Permanent Way is not as Permanent as you might think!

The Permanent Way starts to degrade the moment it is laid. Everyone knows it needs maintenance but the question is "where?" and "how much?" Get it wrong and the result can be disaster. This is one of the biggest budget items for every railway in the world.

Bob Crocker has spent almost 40 years monitoring the infrastructure and this talk will describe the huge array of techniques and equipment in use.

Graham Stacey makes a welcome return visit to The Manor to show us more from his extensive collection of archive photographs.

This time, Graham will be drawing from the Ken Nunn Collection (now part of the National Collection), showing us black and white images of railways in Great Britain, Ireland, France, Belgium, and the Isles of Man, Wight, and Jersey. Now digitised, the average age of the original photos is 96 years!

Author and historian Paul Joyce is well known to SWRS members for his talks about canal restoration and the railways around Reading and the south east.

The Wilts and Berks Canal connects the River Thames at Abingdon in Oxfordshire, to Send on the Kennet & Avon Canal in deepest Wiltshire. This evening covers the rural, 56 mile long canal, and the adjacent railways.

John Coke has acquired a large collection of vintage ciné film taken by a railway enthusiast in the 1960s. In the second of two evenings, John will be sharing some more of the treasures he has found.

Join us for a film evening as it used to be, mechanical projector and all (none of your transferring-to-DVD nonsense here!)

An 'Anything Goes' evening: big screen video, ciné, projected prints, or slides, presented by SWRS members and featuring transport subjects from Great Britain or further afield. (It's open to all, not just SWRS members!)

If you have films or photos to share with fellow enthusiasts, please bring them along on Friday. (And if you contact info@swrs.co.uk in time, we can advertise your contribution in advance.)

A change to the advertised programme: Frank Banfield presents another of his very popular evenings with a further selection from his extensive collection of archive 16mm ciné film.

Previous evenings have included documentaries, BTC publicity, vintage adverts, cartoons, and excerpts from home movies. Films mostly feature railway subjects, but trams, buses, canals, docks, heavy road haulage and air travel may also make an appearance.

John Coke has acquired a large collection of vintage ciné film taken by a railway enthusiast in the 1960s. In the first of two evenings, John will be sharing some of the treasures he has found. (The second evening will cover Great Britain.)

Join us for a film evening as it used to be, mechanical projector and all (none of your transferring-to-DVD nonsense here!)

Jim describes a visit to the former Jugoslavia, organised by the RTC, visiting Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Serbia with several steam-hauled excursions.

Jim is not only the Society's 'resident expert' on the railways of eastern Europe, he has also won numerous prizes in the annual Photographic Competition, so we are assured of an evening both entertaining and educational.

An 'Anything Goes' evening: big screen video, ciné, projected prints, or slides, presented by SWRS members and featuring transport subjects from Great Britain or further afield. (It's open to all, not just SWRS members!)

If you have films or photos to share with fellow enthusiasts, please bring them along on Friday. (And if you contact info@swrs.co.uk in time, we can advertise your contribution in advance.)

Author and historian Paul Joyce is well known to SWRS members for his talks about canal restoration and the railways around Reading and the south east.

This evening covers the extensive network of canals and railways of the valleys between Newport and Pontypool, built to carry the vast quantities of coal extracted from the mines of the South Wales coalfields.

A welcome return by Colin Miell, reporting on his travels in North Korea with the Locomotive Club of Great Britain and Juche Travel Services during 2014 and 2015.

The evening will feature a selection of railway and non-railway digital images from both tours, including the first special arrangement to use steam in the DPRK for more than 10 years. Standard and narrow gauge operations will be included, along with trams, trolleybuses, and the Pyongyang Metro.

Our very own John Coke presents an evening of his travels around Great Britain: the places he visited, and the transport he found; plus some sights and sounds of the 'early blue diesel era'.

John is mainly a railway enthusiast, but his transport interest extends to airliners, cruise ships, trams, buses, and other old vehicles, so there should be something for everyone.

As author of THE book on the subject, Jaye is the acknowledged expert on the Slough Trading Estate Railway, its locomotives, and its customers – the numerous household names, such as Citroen and Black & Decker, who used the railway to send and receive goods. SWRS members will not need reminding that this is where 'our' engine (No.3) spent its working life.

Jaye has been connected with Slough & Windsor Railway Society for a very long time, having been the first editor of our Triangle magazine, almost 30 years ago!

Experience John Coke's unique style of auctioneering, join in the witty banter, and bag yourself a bargain, or ten... Yes! It's nearly time for the legendary SWRS Auction!! (raising money towards the upkeep of Slough Estates No.3).

So, dig through your cupboards, lofts and shelves for any spare railwayana, unwanted Christmas presents, and all those other things you never use.
Bring it along on the night, for us to sell...
...and don't forget your wallet: we need you to buy things as well!

Further Details: eg what kind of things to bring...

Through the efforts of its chair, Malcolm Lock, the Friends of Windsor & Royal Borough Museum, successfully applied to the Royal Borough to have a blue plaque erected to mark the bicentenary of Daniel Gooch's birth.

Malcolm, a life long rail enthusiast, will explain what prompted him to undertake the task, the problems experienced, how the site was chosen and the final outcome when the Mayor of RBWM unveiled the plaque last autumn in front of some 30 guests including a number from SWRS.

Jim is our resident expert on industrial railways, Eastern Europe, boilers, and surviving steam-hauled railways worldwide. A frequent winner of the SWRS Photographic Competition, Jim will be sharing stories and (digital!) photos from his travels during the past 12 months.

Frank Banfield presents another of his very popular evenings with a further selection from his extensive collection of archive 16mm ciné film.

Previous evenings have included documentaries, BTC publicity, vintage adverts, cartoons, and excerpts from home movies. Films mostly feature railway subjects, but trams, buses, canals, docks, heavy road haulage and air travel may also make an appearance.

Please Note: Although we try to meet every Friday, there is no SWRS meeting on Christmas Day – that would be stretching family tolerance too far!
But there IS a meeting on New Year's Day...

Start the New Year in style with your SWRS friends, for an evening of transport films at The Manor.