Mark Richards - Web Site Manager
Chris James - European Publications (Assistant)
Chairman
As Chairman of ICRS, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the first in a series of articles introducing you to Society officials, beginning with…..me!
ICRS has always been an approachable, inclusive and friendly society, and we hope these articles will provide a bit of background to those in the organisation whose names take up most of page 2 of your magazine each month!
I have been a member of ICRS since 1981, with my interest in railways sparked by an impulse purchase of ‘Modern Railways Pictorial’. (I am given to understand that this was probably the result of subliminal programming caused by my Mother who regularly took my brother Gary and I to Acle station in our pram to watch the trains go through between Norwich and Great Yarmouth)
As boys, we subsequently spent many summer Saturdays cycling up to the station to watch the holiday trains go thundering through. We used to go to sleep at night listening to the growl of English Electrics as type 3’s (31’s and 37’s) pulled away from Acle hauling the mainline stock which were used on the late ‘locals’ in order to get the stock to Yarmouth for cleaning and servicing ( in the days before Crown Point depot opened).
In my early days in the Society I regularly took part on the East Anglian branch trips which were then the mainstay of the society.
I’m sure we would all agree that much has changed since then- the variety of locomotive classes, the (relative) ease of getting round a depot on an ‘ask’, and the whole atmosphere that surrounded the railways (mainly due to the smell of steam heating, the clank of loose coupled freights and diesel fumes!).
Certainly the railway today is a totally different animal- and so is ICRS. Throughout the years as a member, magazine sub-editor, branch official, and latterly Chairman, I have been lucky to have worked with some great people, many of whom have become- and remain- friends. Part of the appeal for me is that everyone who works so hard for the Society does so because they want to; a desire to share their enthusiasm for railways with others, and to help them enjoy their chosen pursuit.
As for me- I still enjoy it. I don’t care about being labelled… (well, you know what)… railways still hold a fascination for me, and always will. As regards the current situation with things such as depot visits, well, I’m a great believer in ‘what goes around comes around’. I’m an optimist and firmly believe that the railway in this country has a great future, whatever the political climate happens to be.
Mark RichardsWeb Site Manager
What I do
I am responsible for the day to day running of the web site and ensuring that it is kept regularly updated. There are around 5000 files in the site although fortunately not all of them need updating all at once (!) and we average about 6,500 visitors a month.
As well as making sure the site is up to date and undertaking general maintenance, my other main responsibility is deciding on what content should appear on the site. In addition I have to plan ahead for future growth and how the site should develop, to keep it relevant and interesting to all our visitors.
It’s a big job and I welcome your feedback, so please drop me a mail if you think we could do better or to comment on what you like about the site.
About me
I was born in Portsmouth in 1976 and in 2001 relocated to Milton Keynes with my job. Currently I am a Lending Manager at Abbey at the head office in Milton Keynes.
Railways have been a passion of mine from an early age although it’s only been since my move to Milton Keynes that I have become more actively involved and in 2004 joined the ICRS. Not wanting to be a passive member, I almost immediately volunteered my services in helping out on the web site and thanks to all the support from Jeff Hall (who is mostly responsible for this site); I took over the running on a day to day basis in 2005.
Most weekends, time and other commitments permitting, I like to get out and about, with camera at hand to photograph the railways both locally and further afield. You can see some of my pictures in the gallery.
My other main interests are films, reading (particularly science fiction) and local history.
European Publications (Assistant)
I was born in 1971 at Orsett in Essex and lived in Basildon, Essex, until I was 24 when I moved to my current home in Reedham, Norfolk.
When I left school I was one of the many enticed by the YTS (Youth Training Scheme), and through family contacts, got a placement at a riding school in Benfleet, where I remained for two years. Whilst there I gained BHS (British Horse Society not British Home Stores) certification to allow me to teach and take out hacks along the public highway. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there, and I taught some great people there, both adults and children, but two years trying to survive on £35 per week was enough and a decision was made to leave and join the big wide world.
As my father was a life long employee of British Rail (as was (it was through him that I gained a love of all things ‘railway’)), there was really only one route that my future employment would take, hence it came to pass that on 24th July 1989 I became a signalman at Low Street signalbox (on the LTS, sadly no more) where I stayed for eight months before promotion beckoned to West Thurrock Junction (again no longer in existence). I was there for about twelve months before again being promoted to a GPR (General Purpose Relief) grade 3 based at Southend Central, and whilst in that post I ‘learned’ Shoeburyness, Leigh-on-Sea, Pitsea, Laindon, Tilbury Riverside, and Grays signalboxes before being made redundant following resignalling of the LTS in 1995. I then moved to my current post at Reedham Swingbridge where I have remained for the last eleven years.
I joined the ICRS in 2004, with a bit of coercion from fellow official Bryan King, and was nearly thrust into the role of proof reader for the European publications that Bryan was producing for the ICRS, and in early 2006 I was ‘promoted’ to a compiler in my own right, and to this date have put together the Austrian, Bulgarian, Hungarian and Iberian books.
My current role within the society remains thus; I receive a file from Martin Hall, in Excel format, for a future publication. I then transfer the file into publisher format, setting out the layout of the book in the process (so any complaints or comments/suggestions please send me an email) then the book is sent forward for proof reading by our specialist team for eventual printing and placing on sale.
Amongst my other interests are for a form of road passenger transport beginning with ‘B’ (yes the dreaded bus, sorry Simon) to this end I also produce bus handbooks for HB Publications, I am also on the board of governors for my daughter’s school.