April 2022
This page was originally created when the website upgrade was released during the pandemic to inform members of the society and those who use our services via this website of our current situation. The page will remain and will be occasionally revised when any change in the way we operate occur. see the Latest News page for the most recent news
Shipping Postal Charges
We had to increase our shipping rates for products sold from 1 January 2021 due to increased rates from the carriers. In addition, we have had to raise the price for shipping larger or heavier packages to the European Union because of increased costs after Brexit. This specifically affects some larger books and A0 drawings. And all shipments to the EU are subject to delays due to new export rules. We have so far tried to absorb the 2022 postage rate increase as we do not use first class post.
The Website & General News
This website is a new implementation of the software which retains the features on the old site but adds some new items, We have added more pages about the society and the services we offer but some of these are interim and will be expanded. New features are the addition of our Archives catalogue in a searchable form, enhanced photo and drawing catalogues and the ability to purchase a digital file of a drawing or photo image if we have it. The file would be sent to you by email rather than by direct download. We have added to pages about some items in our collections which will also be developed to bring other aspects of our collections to user’s attention. We have also laid a framework to highlight more about the society's facilities.
We continue to have supply problems with transfers: please see the later note about these. We have received and are scanning several new collections of photographs which are not yet in the site catalogues. We will add these in stages when ready. Access to our Museum & Study Centre is also quite restricted at the present time – see the later paragraph.
SOCIETY MEMBERS MEETINGS:
From Autumn 2021 area groups area groups are generally meeting again in person, and new occasional Zoom meetings will occur. Members remote from a local group can participate in the meeting by letting the organisers know to receive the Zoom code. Please see the ’What’s On’ page for information. We do plan to continue the use of Zoom for the AGMs, hopefully as well as in person meetings for the AGMs after 2022. The next AGM will be in October by Zoom only.
TRUSTEE MEETINGS
The Trustees will also continue to use ZOOM for their meetings and intend to continue with it as it reduces our running costs and expenses as many no longer need to travel to the meetings. Hybrid (Zoom and in Person) meetings may be arranged in 2022 as the situation evolves. So if you are a member and wish to help run the society but are concerned about travel - take note and volunteer!
MUSEUM AND STUDY CENTRE
The M&SC will only be open to the general public on specified HMRS Open Days when the Midland Railway Centre is open. However, HMRS officers use the M&SC to deal with cataloguing and sales. Delays in processing orders are being kept to a minimum. Member and Visitor access is only possible with prior arrangement when the M&SC is attended. If you wish to visit the archives for research or to gain access to a particular book or document – it can be arranged and you should phone 01773 745959 in advance or email ec2@hmrs.org.uk to request a visit. A suitable date and time will be arranged. We will meet you at the site gate and escort you to the building. Please do not turn up on spec.
Phone orders will only be taken if a suitable officer happens to be present. Orders by post are not available.
If you have sent a surface mail item to the site address it may be awaiting collection from the Post Office so do not be surprised if there is a delay. If you are waiting for an item, we apologise but we are a volunteer society and do not have full time or even part time staff waiting to receive every order!
FUTURE
Transfers: We are doing our best to supply the transfers as advertised but we are having serious supply problems as one of the two printers we use is closing down (post pandemic) and the other has limited resources to print using our specialised process. We are seriously and urgently trying to find other printers (and have been for some time) and maybe change to a different process (at a large cost) whilst retaining the ability to produce methfix transfers. This is becoming increasingly difficult and users of the service need to be aware that delays in delivery and out of stock messages will continue for some time. We also have suspended deliveries in the interim to the trade to help individual modellers receive what they need if possible but we do apologise for this situation which is beyond our immediate control
BOOKS: Our newest book is ‘LB&SCR Carriages. Volume 4: Bogie stock, 1879 – 1924, including Pullmans, 1875 – 1922' by Ian M White.
This book is available for purchase on this site. We hope to be able to publish another new title but probably not until 2022.
LB&SCR Carriages.
Volume 4: Bogie stock, 1879 – 1924, including Pullmans, 1875 – 1922
This fourth volume in the series completes 15 years of research and writing by the author on London, Brighton & South Coast Railway carriages. It covers the bogie carriages built from 1906 onward, as well as the electric motors and trailers converted and built for the company's AC electrification schemes.
The LB&SCR was the largest pre-Grouping user of Pullman cars, and all those, both American and British built, associated with the LB&SCR over the years are covered in depth. Many earlier authors have written about the Pullman cars but this is the first comprehensive account of the cars operated by the LB&SCR.
A chapter looks at the contribution of the LB&SCR to First World War ambulance trains and other formations. A supplement gives further information on vehicles described in the earlier volumes. No less than 11 appendices give details of the Diagrams and numbers allocated to the many vehicles built and rebuilt by the company, as well as a list of offical drawings cited. One index covers the four volumes and a second the Pullman cars.
The author has been able to draw extensively on the very large number of LB&SCR and Pullman company drawings held by the HMRS and it has been possible to include drawings of all the designs built or rebuilt by the LB&SCR.
A4 hardback, 296pp, 176 plates, 1 drawing, 120 figures, 112 tables
ISBN 978-0-902835-39-9