PRC History
Our Vice-President and local railway historian, Bernard Mills provides a short summary of the PRC history.
The Plymouth Railway Circle was directly formed from celebrations to mark the centenary of the main line railway reaching Plymouth, the temporary station at Laira Green opening 5 May 1848. One of the events was a talk by Harry Liddle on the Railways of Plymouth, and this was the catalyst to bring together the local railway enthusiasts of the time. Such was the interest it was clear there would be support for a railway society to meet, bring together the local enthusiasts, share information and arrange suitable outings.
The inaugural meeting was held in November 1948 and thus the Plymouth Railway Circle was born. Harry Liddle was accredited as the Founder Member and was thence known as Member Number One.
It was decided that indoor meetings would be held over the September to May period on alternate Monday evenings. I do not know why Mondays were chosen, but to me Monday has always been Railway Circle night. Meetings were held for many years at Swarthmore Settlement on Mutley Plain and when I joined the circle in 1963 becoming member number 256 these were in Rooms 2 and 3 made in to one, with a mix of ordinary chairs and some former Western National bus seats which could accommodate four people. I always remember Harry Liddle, Bernard Murton (who served as Hon Secretary from the inception of the Circle until November 1963), Larry Crosier, another legend who succeeded him, Chris Soper who owned Millman’s Antiques in Southside Street and Dr Tom Forrest, a Plympton GP, always sat on one of these to the left at the front and to us youngsters of the time were known as the Tory Front Bench!
Other personalities of the early days of the Circle still about then were Roy Sambourne, the Hon Treasurer who was well known in transport circles and equally knowledgeable of trams and buses as well as trains. He was a conductor on Route 46 Plymouth-Dousland-Meavy. His premature death in 1977 came as a shock at the time. Another name from the birth of the Circle was my great friend and mentor Ivor Hocking. Other names from the mid 1960s very active in the Circle were Derek Organ, Ken Holdaway and Alan and Mary Weary.
The Circle continued to meet at Swarthmore for many years, moving in to the larger Room 4 to cater for increased attendances in about 1965 until its warden Donald Bentley, who was well disposed to the Circle, retired and the new management politely sought our exit. This was at first across the road to the upper room of the Hyde Park Hotel, complete with its bar open for business, a facility appreciated by many. Comfortable as it was, the room was just too small for the circle and the move was made to our present venue St Edwards Church Hall.
As well as meetings, there were outdoor activities particularly in the summer months with walks and visits, with permits for railway installations far easier to come by then than they are now. The meetings have been many and plentiful, over the years the mix of members, local speakers and visiting speakers with a variety of subjects covering the whole railway spectrum has proved successful, and this is still the case today. There have been some big names like Cecil J Allen who was sad to say a bit of a disappointment, my friend Derek Cross was memorable, O S Nock who insisted in coming more than once as my late mother's fry ups he considered a treat, Michael Mensing addressed us not long before he passed away and for the last 50 years or so at Christmas the members have had to sit through one individual looking back over the year.
How many of us have enjoyed talks and shows from stalwarts like Maurice Dart and Terry Nicholls, for example? Our late member Peter Gray can only be described as a West Country legend.
It was noticeable in the early 1960s that a good proportion of the membership came from Cornwall, there being at the time no other local railway society they could join. Consequently to cater for these members, meetings were started at Redruth in the autumn of 1963, firstly at the historic Murdoch House. The West Cornwall Group continued to grow and sought independence in 1977 giving birth to our friends, now the Cornwall Railway Society. For a while in the 1970s we also had a London Group, formed mainly of ex-Plymouth enthusiasts exiled to the capital and near area. As support fell away, sadly this went in to decline. We did have some good London weekend trips.
Perhaps best remembered will be some of the rail tours run by the Circle, some jointly with other societies. The first tour I went on was with 30034 on the brake van special to mark the closure of the Turnchapel Branch, 30 September 1961. As steam declined and lines closed, there were some memorable tours run jointly with the Railway Correspondence and Travel Society. A number of us were members of that as well attending their Saturday night meetings in Exeter. The first was 27 April 1963 with 30120, the last T9 from Exeter Central to Padstow and back, 03 May 1964 The Cornubian, the last BR steam working to Penzance and the first appearance of a Bulleid Pacific at the far west terminus, 27 March 1965 The Exmoor Ranger with two Ivatt Tanks on a marvellous itinerary from Exeter to Torrington via Halwill, thence to Ilfracombe and with 3205 back to Exeter via Dulverton and Taunton. The PRC in a couple of rail tours run jointly with the Great Western Society provided special memories. We took D1027 to Kidderminster on 28 March 1971 for a visit to the Severn Valley Railway.
The Plymouth Railway Circle was directly formed from celebrations to mark the centenary of the main line railway reaching Plymouth, the temporary station at Laira Green opening 5 May 1848. One of the events was a talk by Harry Liddle on the Railways of Plymouth, and this was the catalyst to bring together the local railway enthusiasts of the time. Such was the interest it was clear there would be support for a railway society to meet, bring together the local enthusiasts, share information and arrange suitable outings.
The inaugural meeting was held in November 1948 and thus the Plymouth Railway Circle was born. Harry Liddle was accredited as the Founder Member and was thence known as Member Number One.
It was decided that indoor meetings would be held over the September to May period on alternate Monday evenings. I do not know why Mondays were chosen, but to me Monday has always been Railway Circle night. Meetings were held for many years at Swarthmore Settlement on Mutley Plain and when I joined the circle in 1963 becoming member number 256 these were in Rooms 2 and 3 made in to one, with a mix of ordinary chairs and some former Western National bus seats which could accommodate four people. I always remember Harry Liddle, Bernard Murton (who served as Hon Secretary from the inception of the Circle until November 1963), Larry Crosier, another legend who succeeded him, Chris Soper who owned Millman’s Antiques in Southside Street and Dr Tom Forrest, a Plympton GP, always sat on one of these to the left at the front and to us youngsters of the time were known as the Tory Front Bench!
Other personalities of the early days of the Circle still about then were Roy Sambourne, the Hon Treasurer who was well known in transport circles and equally knowledgeable of trams and buses as well as trains. He was a conductor on Route 46 Plymouth-Dousland-Meavy. His premature death in 1977 came as a shock at the time. Another name from the birth of the Circle was my great friend and mentor Ivor Hocking. Other names from the mid 1960s very active in the Circle were Derek Organ, Ken Holdaway and Alan and Mary Weary.
The Circle continued to meet at Swarthmore for many years, moving in to the larger Room 4 to cater for increased attendances in about 1965 until its warden Donald Bentley, who was well disposed to the Circle, retired and the new management politely sought our exit. This was at first across the road to the upper room of the Hyde Park Hotel, complete with its bar open for business, a facility appreciated by many. Comfortable as it was, the room was just too small for the circle and the move was made to our present venue St Edwards Church Hall.
As well as meetings, there were outdoor activities particularly in the summer months with walks and visits, with permits for railway installations far easier to come by then than they are now. The meetings have been many and plentiful, over the years the mix of members, local speakers and visiting speakers with a variety of subjects covering the whole railway spectrum has proved successful, and this is still the case today. There have been some big names like Cecil J Allen who was sad to say a bit of a disappointment, my friend Derek Cross was memorable, O S Nock who insisted in coming more than once as my late mother's fry ups he considered a treat, Michael Mensing addressed us not long before he passed away and for the last 50 years or so at Christmas the members have had to sit through one individual looking back over the year.
How many of us have enjoyed talks and shows from stalwarts like Maurice Dart and Terry Nicholls, for example? Our late member Peter Gray can only be described as a West Country legend.
It was noticeable in the early 1960s that a good proportion of the membership came from Cornwall, there being at the time no other local railway society they could join. Consequently to cater for these members, meetings were started at Redruth in the autumn of 1963, firstly at the historic Murdoch House. The West Cornwall Group continued to grow and sought independence in 1977 giving birth to our friends, now the Cornwall Railway Society. For a while in the 1970s we also had a London Group, formed mainly of ex-Plymouth enthusiasts exiled to the capital and near area. As support fell away, sadly this went in to decline. We did have some good London weekend trips.
Perhaps best remembered will be some of the rail tours run by the Circle, some jointly with other societies. The first tour I went on was with 30034 on the brake van special to mark the closure of the Turnchapel Branch, 30 September 1961. As steam declined and lines closed, there were some memorable tours run jointly with the Railway Correspondence and Travel Society. A number of us were members of that as well attending their Saturday night meetings in Exeter. The first was 27 April 1963 with 30120, the last T9 from Exeter Central to Padstow and back, 03 May 1964 The Cornubian, the last BR steam working to Penzance and the first appearance of a Bulleid Pacific at the far west terminus, 27 March 1965 The Exmoor Ranger with two Ivatt Tanks on a marvellous itinerary from Exeter to Torrington via Halwill, thence to Ilfracombe and with 3205 back to Exeter via Dulverton and Taunton. The PRC in a couple of rail tours run jointly with the Great Western Society provided special memories. We took D1027 to Kidderminster on 28 March 1971 for a visit to the Severn Valley Railway.
The following year the trip to Haywards Heath for the Bluebell Railway was the only rail tour to be ever worked by Warship class diesels as D821 took us to Salisbury and D810 forward to Haywards Heath. How rare was one of these on the Brighton main line? Another notable piece of history was with the Western Sunset run jointly with the Wirral Railway Circle on 29 March 1975 with D1052 and this proved to be the last train to run direct from Cheltenham to Stratford-upon-Avon, part of the route now the Gloucester& Warwickshire Railway. A bit premature was the Farewell to the Class 116 DMU on 26 April 1986, a mere nine years before the class finally bowed out!! The trip is memorable for being the last rail tour to run over the Carbis Wharf branch from Bugle.
There are so many other tours I could mention, 4549 the final train to Yealmpton 29 February 1960 and what was the last train down to Stonehouse Pool with the Plymouth area brake van tour 18 June 1966.
The PRC has achieved much in its 70 year history; the railway which holds our interest has changed greatly everywhere in that time. Thank you to everybody who has contributed in any way to the running and organisation of the Circle, its meetings, its events. We have all made new friends, many of whom now rest in that big engine shed in the sky. The Monday evening meetings continue and are reasonably well supported, and the Circle continues to flourish but to do so we need to recruit more members and seek out some younger blood to ensure its future.
There are so many other tours I could mention, 4549 the final train to Yealmpton 29 February 1960 and what was the last train down to Stonehouse Pool with the Plymouth area brake van tour 18 June 1966.
The PRC has achieved much in its 70 year history; the railway which holds our interest has changed greatly everywhere in that time. Thank you to everybody who has contributed in any way to the running and organisation of the Circle, its meetings, its events. We have all made new friends, many of whom now rest in that big engine shed in the sky. The Monday evening meetings continue and are reasonably well supported, and the Circle continues to flourish but to do so we need to recruit more members and seek out some younger blood to ensure its future.