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Remaining Railway Social Clubs?

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Jan Mayen

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Just wondering if such things still exist. I know there was one at Three Bridges, which I went into when I was in the Scouts a few decades ago. That has ling gone.
Are any still in existance?
 
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NSE

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Selhurst still has one. Though it’s open to anyone and not just railway (and makes a good profit on match days I’m told). It’s tucked down an alley way so probably wouldn’t be obvious if you didn’t know it was there.
 
DarloRich

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Darlington Railway Athletic Sports & Social Club are still going strong - not sure they have much connection to the railways now mind!
 
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Gwr12345

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Shildon Railway Institute are still about. Not sure what they get up to railway related, but they did have a banner at this years Durham Miners Gala.
 
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Carlisle

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There’s one at Workington, but don’t know how busy it gets these days.
 
dk1

dk1

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Until July last year I had paid 48 pence each month to what was known as the BRSA. Just like many of my colleagues i have no idea where it was going. Was deducted from my payslip throughout my career which started in September 1984. I have used many of them over the years but they became less and less or were amalgamated with other local social clubs.
 
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Old Walter

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I recall the two in Basingstoke - the Railway Club (which went the way of a standard WMC a long time ago) and the Pullman Club. This was pretty much railway staff only and I got in once as a schoolfriends dad was a BR/SWT guard. It was in a big long white painted wooden shed. Very old school atmosphere and when it went some of the regulars moved to the Queens Arms instead the other side of the line. Can recall chatting to old school guard Ernie Holloway many times there, he sadly passed quite a few years ago.

The Selhurst Rails club (as it was known to the Thornton Heath & District darts league)! Yes, I’ve played (darts) there. Had a good chat with a bloke who had previously worked on the ‘western’ side, the tales of Alaistair Stewart raiding his ex/to Alton train for newspapers still makes me chuckle.
 
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Pegpilot

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And let's not forget the old London Transport clubs. For a decade I paid a monthly sub to the London Electric Railway Athletic Association, to get me into the social club above Camden Town tube station, primary attractions being the cheap beer, full size snooker tables and high pay-out slot machines. I noticed the DD payments stopped in the 1990s when presumably the LER packed up.
 
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LowLevel

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dk1 said:
Until July last year I had paid 48 pence each month to what was known as the BRSA. Just like many of my colleagues i have no idea where it was going. Was deducted from my payslip throughout my career which started in September 1984. I have used many of them over the years but they became less and less or were amalgamated with other local social clubs.
Click to expand...
Funnily enough several colleagues did just that and forgot all about it and when their particular BRSA was wound up the remaining members got a 4 figure windfall each :lol:
 
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Jimini

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Reading is still open on what's now the taxi rank (used to be the bus station).
 
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Old Walter

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Pegpilot said:
And let's not forget the old London Transport clubs. For a decade I paid a monthly sub to the London Electric Railway Athletic Association, to get me into the social club above Camden Town tube station, primary attractions being the cheap beer, full size snooker tables and high pay-out slot machines. I noticed the DD payments stopped in the 1990s when presumably the LER packed up.
Click to expand...

There’s a story about a Central line driver about this - but I’m not sure if it’s a myth (and I’m not sure if he’s retired yet!). The story goes he was a regular in the old institute at White City, but wasn’t on the company. Eventually someone said “if you want to keep coming in here you’ve got to get a job on LT” so he did, just to use the club. 40 odd years later he was still on the job (and the institute was long gone)….
 
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Port Road

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Edinburgh still has one near Haymarket depot, and Dumfries is still going (but with strange opening hours).

Most of the famous (and infamous!) ones have gone sadly; back in the day I had the pleasure of visiting East Croydon (demolished), Waterloo (a gem, but now escalators), Inverness (now derelict), Hounslow (long gone), Old Oak Common (ditto) and York (good to hear it's still going). Brunswick House at Vauxhall is now a posh restaurant. Not sure about Feltham....

Also managed Camden Town and Morden LT Clubs....nice memories(hic)!
 
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davetheguard

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Exmouth railway club, just around the corner from the railway station - with views out over the Exe estuary.

And - in the Good Beer Guide.
 
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