VOLUME 35 No.10 October 2007 - Intercity Railway Society

Society Notice Board
Editor’s Comments:
I can’t take it…having returned from a hot South-east, a very pleasant sunny and warm West Country
(excepting one brief storm) and a reasonable stop-over in the Midlands, summer has finally arrived in the
north of Scotland, the besst weather since April…not bad as it’s now October !! Apologies if the mag has
arrived late, but difficult to stay indoors on computer…so had a few very late nights to catch up. This
month has been made more difficult, though I must say pleasurable, as articles / photos have been
submitted by several members…but that’s my fault for going away. Hopefully the trend will continue for
more articles to be submitted of trips etc. Just bear with me on when they will appear, as I fit them in.
Sorry Peter...Calais will appear eventually !!
It appears TOCs are scrabbling for rolling stock and all HST power cars and ex-west coast hauled MkIIIs
are now spoken for, as are any spare off-lease DMUs with the exception of FGWs Adelantes it doesn’t
want. It was interesting to compare firsthand the new high backed seating in the refurbished FGW HSTs
with the older comfy lower seating still in some GNER sets. I feel they have sacrificed the advantage of
the view along the length of the HST MkIII on marginal safety grounds… ‘backside protection’. The loss
of the forward view over the seating and with more rows of airline style seats makes for a more
claustrophobic feel…apart from which when entering the carriage to spot that all important forward facing
window seat, you can’t see which seats are occupied. I noticed holiday makers struggling with bags
having to go backwards and forwards. It will be a shame if all MkIIIs end up so refurbished.
Unfortunately from this month, colour will no longer be part of the magazine, Due to escalating costs, it
has no longer become viable to justify the extra expense without raising the membership rate to cover it.
Magazine:
Any information / article on any railway related item will always be most welcome for inclusion in part or
as a whole in the magazine. Your travel stories / anecdotes about far flung parts of the railway network,
past or present can give pleasure to others or inform of places to visit. This railway hobby of ours is
made all that more enjoyable by the sharing of information, so please consider sharing your knowledge
and experiences.
Please note that contributions for Out and About Sightings only should be sent to James Holloway,
items for European News (and Sightings) to Robert Brown and for Wagon Corner and Light Rail &
Metro News to Martin Hall. All other items should be sent to Trevor Roots / Peter Britcliffe. (All
addresses are on Page 2)
Neatly typed submissions are perfectly acceptable, but if you have a PC with Microsoft Word or Excel,
then a document on CD is a bonus or better still e-mail them to the appropriate official. Good quality
photographs are always welcome for inclusion in the magazine – colour or black and white clear prints of
any railway subject will be considered but preferably digital photographs via e-mail. To credit members
correctly please include your name with any submissions. Some items may be placed on our excellent
website if we have insufficient space in the magazine,
The latest date for articles / info for the next magazine is Friday 26 th October 2007. Items for Out and
About Sightings should be sent in to James a few days earlier if possible please.
Errata: Photos of 20119, page 9 and 47832, page 23 were incorrectly attributed to John Barton and
should have been John Palin, apologies .
ICRS Magazine Back Issues: A former member for 17 years, Tony Leone, has complete
issues of the Society Magazine to dispose of, from Vol 4 No9 to Vol 28 No6. If any member would like
them, then please contact Tony direct on 01603 867913 (Norwich). They can either be collected or
posted, postage to be paid by member.
Contributors: Thanks to John Palin, Mark Wallace, Dennis Dey, KE Allen, Mike Rumens, Brian
Broughton, Paul Tarrant, Mike Pinder, Derek Sneddon, Nigel Hoskins, Michael Hillier, Keith Beanlands,
Bryan King & Trevor Roots. We are sorry if anyone has been missed. We now post some contributions
direct to our Web Site. All photos by Trevor Roots unless shown otherwise.
Membership Matters:
Membership Rates: Annual: £15.00 Five Year Rate: £70.00 (discounted during 2007)
New Members: The following new members have joined this month: Eric Belton, Andrew Bull, Barry
Cooper, Jeff Norton, John Tromans - A warm welcome to you all.