Historical Line Societies
Q4 2026
October to December 2026
Note this calendar is based on information provided as at 24 September 2026. As full details of meetings are not always published a full quarter in advance, up-dates to this calendar will occur periodically. Note Societies often change their events, often on little notice.
- Brighton Circle
Tri-annual Journal ’The Brighton Circular’ (Winter 2026) due out soon
Caledonian Railway Association
Quarterly Journal ’True Lines’ (October 2026) due out soon
Saturday 3 October
Society is attending ‘The Scottish Railway History Conference’
Organised by the Forum of Scottish Line Societies and the Scottish Railway Museum
Venue: AK Bell Library, 2 - 8 York Place, Perth, PH2 8EP
Starts at 11am and finishes at 5pm.
- Cumbrian Railways Association
Quarterly Magazine ‘Cumbrian Railways Journal’ (November 2026) due out soon
Saturday 14th November
‘Autumn Meeting ‘
Venue: Station Hotel, Court Square Carlisle, CA1 1QY.
- Friends of Stockton and Darlington Railway
Tri-annual Journal ’The Globe’ (August 2026) now out (next edition December)
Saturday 14 November: AGM
Friends of the S&DR AGM: from 10am to 3.30pm a the Georgian Theatre in Stockton.
Thursday 3 December
Member’s Meeting and Christmas Social
Venue: The Railway Tavern, Darlington High Northgate, Darlington
Time: 7pm to 9pm
- Glasgow and South Western Railway Association
Annual Journal, ‘Sou’ West Journal’ is now out
Saturday 3 October
Society is attending ‘The Scottish Railway History Conference’
Organised by the Forum of Scottish Line Societies and the Scottish Railway Museum
Venue: AK Bell Library, 2 - 8 York Place, Perth, PH2 8EP
Starts at 11am and finishes at 5pm
Saturday 14 November
’Railway Miscellany’
Presented by David Coddington
Venue: The Panel Room, Paisley Abbey
- Great Central Railway Society
Quarterly Journal ’Forward’ (September 2026) now out
Saturday 17 October
‘The Grantham Special’
Venue: Grantham Railway Social Club, Huntingtower Road, Grantham NG31 7AU.
10:30 - Doors open with sales and displays.
11:00 - The Railways of Grantham' by John Clayson
12:30 - Following time for lunch, during which John Clayson will give a tour of Grantham station to view historical features and the displays in the waiting rooms.
14:00 - 'My Life in Railway Modelling' by Tony Wright.
GCRS Sheffield Branch
(Venue for all Talks and Events: Farm Road Sports & Social Club, Farm Road, Sheffield)
(Starts 7.30pm)
Thursday 1 October:
Talk: ‘King's Cross to York'
Presented by Stephen Gay
Thursday 5 November:
Talk: ‘A Ticket to Ryde'
Presented by David Hanger
Thursday 3 December:
Quiz and Review of the Year
- Great Eastern Railway Society
Quarterly Magazine ‘Great Eastern Journal’ (Autumn 2026) now out
Quarterly Newsletter ‘Great Eastern News’ (Autumn 2026) now out
Zoom meetings for members also held periodically
- Great North of Scotland Railway Association
Quarterly Journal ’The Great North Review’ (November 2026) due out soon
Saturday 3 October
Society is attending ‘The Scottish Railway History Conference’
Organised by the Forum of Scottish Line Societies and the Scottish Railway Museum
Venue: AK Bell Library, 2 - 8 York Place, Perth, PH2 8EP on
Starts at 11am and finishes at 5pm.
Saturday 7 November
Annual General Meeting
Venue: Station Hotel, Aberdeen
- Great Northern Railway Society
Newsletter: ’Great Northern News’ (September/ October 2026) now out
Saturday 24 October:
Annual General Meeting, followed by Social Meeting
Venue: Grantham Railway Club, Huntingtower Road, Grantham NG31 7AU
Duration: 10.30am to 3.30pm
- Great Western Society
Society Quarterly Magazine ‘Great Western Echo’ (Autumn 2026) due out soon
Saturday 17 October: AGM
The GWS Annual General Meeting 2026
Venue: Didcot Railway Centre, from 10am
Great Western Society -Bristol Local Group
(Venue for all Bristol Talks: BAWA, 589 Southmead Road, Filton, Bristol, starts 7.45pm)
Tuesday 13 October
Talk: ‘Last Southern & Scottish Steam: Covering the period from 1960-1967’
Presented by Chris Baldwin
Tuesday 10 November
Talk: ‘Cirencester Community Rail Project’
Presented by Richard Gunner
Tuesday 8 December
‘Western Locomotive Association’
Presented by Paul Finch
- Great Western Society - Taunton Local Group
Venue for all meetings: Stoke St Mary Village Hall, near Taunton TA3 5BY, starts 7.30pm
Friday 16 October
Talk: ‘Diesels in Devon’
Presented by Amyas Crump
Friday 20 November
Talk: ‘More Railway Tales’
Presented by David Hartland
Friday 18 December
Talk: Video Transport Highlights 2016
Presented by David Brabner
- Great Western Study Group
- Highland Railway Society
Quarterly magazine ‘Highland Railway Journal’ (Autumn 2026) is now out
- Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Society
Quarterly journal ‘Magazine’ (Autumn 2026) is now due out
- The LNER Society
Quarterly magazine ‘The LNER Society ‘Journal’ (Autumn 2026) now out
- London & North Western Railway Society
Quarterly magazine ‘LNWR Society Journal’ (September 2026) is now out
Open Days: Usually on Wednesdays and one Saturday a month
Venue: Study Centre Building, 35 Vine Street, Coventry CV1 5NH
Saturday 10 October:
Event: LNWRS Open Day
Booking essential. 10am to 4pm
Saturday 14 November:
Event: LNWRS Open Day
Booking essential. 10am to 4pm
Saturday 5 December:
Event: LNWRS Open Day
Booking essential. 10am to 4pm
- London Underground Railway Society
Monthly magazine ‘Underground News’ (October 2026) is now due out
Tuesday 3 November
'Supporting & maintaining Heritage on a modern rail network'
Presented by Gareth Leslie (Customer Experience Manager (Design, Heritage & Planning) LU Customer Insight, Strategy & Experience)
Venue: Gallery at Alan Baxter, 77 Cowcross Street, London, starts 6.30pm
- M&GN Circle
Monthly Newsletter ‘The Bulletin’ (September 2026) is now out
- Midland Railway Society
Tri-annual magazine ‘Midland Railway Society Journal’ now due out
Saturday 21 November
STUDY DAY - 'Railways: 200 Years That Transformed Britain'
To mark the bicentenary of the birth of the railway (1825), and the 150th anniversary of the Midland Railway's new main line from London to Scotland via the Settle and Carlisle, the Regional Heritage Centre (Lancaster University) and the Midland Railway Society are co-hosting this event.
Programme:
9.00 -9.45 Registration (tea/coffee is served at beginning of the day during registration)
9.45 – 10.00 Welcome remarks – Dr Sophie Ambler
10.00 – 11.00 Professor Ian Gregory: 'Railways and Population Change in England & Wales, 1851-1911: A Digital Analysis'
11.00 – 11.45 Coffee/tea & biscuits, PG poster session
11.45 – 12.45 Professor Michael Greaney,'"Nobody’s Fault": Railway Accidents in Victorian Fiction'
12.45 – 14.00 Lunch
14.00 – 15.00 Professor James Taylor, 'The Railway King on Trial: George Hudson and the Limits of Criminal Law in Victorian Britain'
15.00 – 15.45 Tea/coffee & biscuits, PG poster session
15.45 – 16.45 Dr Michael Brown and Professor Joanne Begiato, 'Railway hands: moving through modernity in Britain 1850-1960'
Venue: Lancaster University Management School Lecture Theatre 1 (this on Floor B of the Management School, accessed from the building’s main entrance on South Drive)
Ticket Price: Standard ticket £40 (includes lunch and coffee/tea/biscuit breaks) Current Friends & Patrons of the RHC £36 (includes lunch and coffee/tea/biscuit breaks) Current Students with ID or Online Only £20 (no lunch included)
- Monmouthshire Railway Society
Bi-annual magazine ‘Journal’ (September 2026) now out
Thursday 15 October
Richard Heacock ‘The Seventeen Railways of Colonel H.F. Stephens’
Venue: Lysaght Institute, Orb Drive, Newport NP19 0RA, starts 7pm
Thursday 12 November
Mike Hogg ‘Coping With a Soggy Railway’
Venue: Lysaght Institute, Orb Drive, Newport NP19 0RA, starts 7pm
Thursday 3 December
Peter Brabham ‘Swansea, West Wales and Southern Region in the 1960’s’
Venue: Lysaght Institute, Orb Drive, Newport NP19 0RA, starts 7pm
- North British Railway Study Group
Tri-annual magazine ‘Journal’ (November 2026) due out soon
Saturday 3 October
Society is attending ‘The Scottish Railway History Conference’
Organised by the Forum of Scottish Line Societies and the Scottish Railway Museum
Venue: AK Bell Library, 2 - 8 York Place, Perth, PH2 8EP
Starts at 11am and finishes at 5pm.
- North Eastern Railway Association
Quarterly magazine ‘North Eastern Express’ (November 2026) due out soon
Saturday 17 October
York Meeting (Sir Nigel Gresley Day)
Venue: The Bar Convent Living Heritage Centre, York
10am to 4pm
- North Staffordshire Railway Study Group
Bi-annual magazine ‘Journal’ now out
Quarterly Newsletter ‘Loop Lines’ (October 2026) due out soon
- Somerset and Dorset Railway Trust
Quarterly Magazine ‘Pines Express’ (Autumn 2026) now out
- South Eastern & Chatham Railway Society
Bi-annual Magazine ‘Invicta’ now out
- South Western Circle
Quarterly Magazine ‘South Western Circular’ (October 2026) due out soon
Saturday 18 October
‘Accidents in the Guildford area’
Presented by Geoff Burch and David Rose
Venue: West Byfleet venue (Cornerstone Centre, Camphill Road, West Byfleet, Surrey, KT14 6EH)
Starts 2pm
- Southern Railways Group
Quarterly newsletter ‘Southern Notebook’ (Autumn 2026) now due out
- Welsh Railways Research Circle
Bi-annual magazine ‘Welsh Railways Archive’ (October 2026) due out soon
Tuesday 20 October
Archiving Day at Rhiwderin Community Centre, Rhiwderin, Newport NP10 8RL
Tuesday 24 November
Archiving Day at Rhiwderin Community Centre, Rhiwderin, Newport NP10 8RL