The Cambridge University Railway Club (CURC) was formed in 1911 and is the third oldest railway club in the world, after

The Railway Club The Railway Club was a society for railway enthusiasts, formed in 1899. The club provided regular meetings of general railway interest, and members had access to a club room and library located in London, United Kingdom The United King ...

(1899 - now defunct) and the

Stephenson Locomotive Society The Stephenson Locomotive Society (SLS) was founded in the UK in Autumn 1909 for the study of rail transport and locomotives. More recently, on 1 January 2017, the SLS became a private company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales ...

(1909). It is one of the clubs and societies of the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. The club is engaged closely with the railway industry. The CURC activities include: * Career fairs, promoting career opportunities in the railway industry. * Meetings, where a line of notable speakers have spoken, including Sir

Nigel Gresley Sir Herbert Nigel Gresley (19 June 1876 – 5 April 1941) was a British railway engineer. He was one of Britain's most famous steam locomotive engineers, who rose to become Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London and North Eastern Rai ...

, Keith Williams and Sir Peter Hendy. * Visits, including Steam drives and Brake Van rides. * Annual Photo Competition * Annual dinner at a Cambridge University college or on train The CURC had a good friendship with the

Oxford University Railway Society Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the Un ...

(OURS), with an annual Varsity Quiz. However OURS folded in the late 1990s.

Locomotive and Logo

The CURC has a logo of "Eagle", which is the only locomotive designed and built in Cambridge
Eagle
CURC adopted a Class 08 locomotive 08631 at

Coldham Lane Depot Coldham Lane Depot is a traction maintenance depot located in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England. The depot is situated on the eastern side of the Fen Line and is to the north of Cambridge Station. The depot code was CA. History The depot is ...

in Cambridge until the depot was mothballed for a time in 1996. In 2022, a Class 66 locomotive 66786 was named after the club at Cambridge Railway Station to commemorate its 110 anniversary.

References

External links

Cambridge University Railway ClubScience and Society Picture Library - CURC group photo, 1934

Railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

Railway societies Rail transport in Cambridge {{UCambridge-stub