Chairman’s Special Award
The strong field of entries had already encouraged us to make a Chairman’s Special Award (an occasional award at the NRHAS), the recipient being the Cholsey & Wallingford Railway for rescuing the broad gauge overtrack canopy that had graced the bay platform at Maidenhead station – one of the last remaining on the main line network and threatened with demolition as part of the electrification scheme – and its rebuilding, fully refurbished, at the Wallingford terminus. This immediately became more appropriate with the death of Theo Steel, our chairman, as recorded in last month’s issue of Railways Illustrated, and the plaque was duly presented to the railway at the awards ceremony by his son Gareth and daughter Hannah Deveson in his memory.