The South Bedfordshire Loco Club, (SBLC)

I’m sure i am not alone in being constantly nagged by the other half to “get rid of that crapp”. The “crapp” is a serious collection of timetables, magazines, tickets, moves books, spotting books and umpteen photo albums amongst other treasures amassed from my early days starting the hobby in 1969 right through to 2023.

Uncovering one shoe box marked for “relocation” saw at the bottom, neatly protected in a plastic wallet were 6 SBLC Journals dating from 1972-1974. Tidying up finished! I engrossed myself in the feast of early 70s gen, an interesting mix of local and not so local information. I was a member of the SBLC for a few years in the early 70s doing a good few of the SBLC depot tours by coach and train. In the 60’s the SBLC had run 1 or 2 classic Railtours each year using power and track long confined to history by 1972.

The tours were brilliantly arranged by messrs Brian Lockey and Jim Dennis using their brilliant local knowledge to get a big Tricentrol coach to the likes of lonely Westhouses or the delights of Frodingham in the depths of winter. The SBLC had veterans, middle aged, older kids and us kids, a good mixture which gelled well with our common passion for the railways. The top man Brian Lockey probably didnt get any cops on a multi depot tour of South Yorkshire but this didnt dent his enthusiasm , i got over 100 Cops! On one trip Brian found a tenner in the street, ( a tenner was a lot of money in 1973) and he bought the whole tour party (of 30) a soft drink to celebrate!

Two members of the SBLC Brian Ashby and our leader Brian Lockey became well involved with the Class 45’1 Preservation Society’s early days, as did Jim Dennis’s son Peter. Sadly Brian died in 2015 and the class 45’1’s preserved 45133 was renamed Brian Lockey for a good while in 2016 as a tribute to all that Brian had done in securing 45133 for the group and us all.