In a change to the program as previously issued to members, Terry McCarthy will be our host for the October meeting, and will ask us to consider the impact of the Second World War on the railways of south Wales. Areas of scrutiny will include the effects of air raids, new traffic flows, coping with the war effort, the D-Day landings and the effects of a debilitating war on the railways and that which followed.

In the centenary year of Eastleigh Works, Colin Boocock makes a first visit to the M.R.S. in November, to discuss in some detail the pro's and con's of arguably one of O.V.S. Bulleid's finest designs, that of his 4-6-2 'Pacific' locomotives. Having been time served at Eastleigh in the 1950s/60s, Colin is well positioned to explain where it went right and where it may have gone not so right.

We welcome back Tony Bowles in December, after a few years absence. Tony brings with him a large slice of the Paul Riley archive, covering the period 1961 - 1966. More a way of life rather than a hobby, Paul pioneered the use of long-focus lenses in his photography, to portray the steam locomotive in its most dynamic form and must rank as one of the most forward-thinking photographers of his day. His determined efforts to produce the 'Master Shot' are legendary. We'll be in LL1 for a viewing on the big screen. Paul Riley died in tragic circumstances in August 1976, falling from the Severn Valley Railway's Victoria Bridge while waiting to take photographs.

** The Jan/10 meeting was cancelled due to the prevailing weather conditions (The first time in over 20 years we've had to do that) ** When UK mainline steam finished in August 1968, Stan Brown looked for active steam around the industrial by-ways of S.Wales. In January/10, we'll see a selection of his slides and get a feel for what was left in the area for the decade that followed steam's finale on the big railway. In the 30 years hence, Stan's record of what there was to be seen, has itself been consigned to history.

After a break of two years, Chris Plaister was scheduled to make a return in February with a selection of films from his transport film archive. However, as the day neared, work commitments meant that Chris would be unable to come along so we'll be rescheduling Chris' visit to later in the Society's programme calendar and putting on an alternative film show in it's place.

Mike Clemmens is one of our most popular speakers, bringing along a selection of his Late father's photos and video, mainly taken in the 1960s. In a similar fashion to that of last year, our March 2010 show will be played entirely from digital format, the vast majority of the Jim Clemmens collection being accessable through the 'new' technology. The old 8mm films are now brighter than ever, compensation for poorer light having been accounted for in the conversion process. One of our evenings, then, 'not to be missed'.

Details of talks thereafter will be posted here at a later date.