OUR speaker on July 4 was John Boynton, who gave us a most interesting talk on the railways of Worcestershire with particular reference to the Birmingham to Gloucester line and the problems of the Lickey Incline.

He described how originally, trains were hauled up double headed but in 1919, after various types of locomotives had been tried, a large banker, known as "Big Bertha" was specially built by the Midland Railway at Derby and which continued to work until it was scrapped in the 1950's.

The line known as the Gloucester Loop opened from Barnt Green to Redditch in 1859 and extended to Evesham in 1868, thus forming a bypass of the Lickey Incline for slower goods traffic. At this time Barnt Green village did not exist, but the Clive family asked for a station and cattle pens to be built to facilitate the transportation of livestock to market.

In the summer, popular excursion trains ran from Birmingham to Barnt Green for 6d return. Mr Boynton also showed slides of Hagley Station, upon which Hornby model trains based their footbridge, the Severn Valley station at Kidderminster built to an 1890 design, the Victoria bridge over the Severn at Bewdley, made at Coalbrookdale, the Kidderminster viaduct, which contains six million bricks, and the viaduct and bridge over the River Severn at Worcester.

Mr Boynton's description of travel in the days of steam evoked memories of sitting on cases in the corridor of holiday specials, string luggage racks above a mirror and sepia photographs of holiday resorts, window blinds and steam heating controlled by a brass knob.

Jill Hitchcock and Barbara Bakewell led the first ramble of the month when 12 members enjoyed the beautiful Cotswold countryside on a nine mile walk from Stanton, calling en route at Hayles Fruit Farm for refreshment.

The evening of July 18 continued our programme of short evening walks. Led by Jean Nokes and Diana Yates we started from Sambourne and walked to Coughton, then via field paths and lanes back to the Green Dragon.

On July 21 on a beautiful summer day, 32 members, led by Jean and Diana, tackled the third stage of the Wychavon Way. Starting at Abberton we enjoyed the scenery as we walked through the Lenches, Fladbury and eventually to Cropthorne where we met the coach after a distance of nine miles.

Mavis Booker and Carol Quick led a shorter walk on July 28, on a very hot day, from Hadley Heath through field paths along the River Salwarpe and back to the Hadley Bowling Green for refreshments.

We are still looking for ex-members of North East Worcestershire YHA group and the Arrow Valley Countryside group for a 50th anniversary reunion next May. Please call Ian on 01527 62427 or Glenys on 01527 527087.