This issue of Cumbrian Railways will be the first one of our fifteenth volume. The publication has grown from a twelve-page ‘Cumbrian Railways Circular’, that appeared in the summer of 1976, through sixteen pages until the current forty-eight pages per issue. At one time, we thought that sixteen pages were at the ultimate limit, considering the specialist subjects we covered. Fast forward to today, even the current page count is still not enough for all the material produced by our members, but we must draw a line somewhere. A quick check on the number of pages we have published over this period gives us a staggering total of 4,894 pages. We are fortunate to be able to produce this content of record, only possible through the diligent work of a number of members.

However, there is one significant change for the future. The current incumbent of the John Peel nom-de-plume wishes to retire after this issue. He has been reporting on the current railways for some fifteen years and, in this time, has kept us up to date with all the current affairs on the railways of Cumbria. I’m sure that all of us wish Andrew Naylor, for that is who John Peel has been during this period, our gratitude and thanks for his regular features within these pages, and wish him well in his retirement. However, Andrew’s contributions will not end completely, as he will to continue to provide photographs of the current railway scene for publication in Cumbrian Railways. We are fortunate in being able to have someone willing to step into John Peel’s shoes, so the reports will continue without interruption.

Our November Members’ Meeting was held at a new location, the Hundith Hill Hotel, and our Editorial Elves were left with the task of finding a suitable logo to use on the report of the meeting in this issue. Stepping up to the rescue was Graham Worsnop, who provided the Elves with a very nice photograph of the roadside marker for the hotel to use. Our thanks to Graham for helping us out.