Member Robert (Bob) Cockcroft

Occupation Retired Market and Consumer Research Consultant.

When did you first become a member of the Irish Railway Record Society in London and why?
I’ve long been interested in Irish Railways since being part of the Merseyside MRS P4 GNR(I) group in the 1970’s and I became a member of the IRRS London Area in 2017.

What is your favourite Irish railway station or location and why? It has to be some of the former Great Northern Railway stations which had a lot of character, though it’s hard to pick one. However, I’m most impressed by the long lines of the Cork, Bandon and South Coast Railway and their corrugated iron structures in West Cork.

What area of railways interests you the most?
Pretty much all of it! I’m probably most interested in rolling stock (including coaches, wagons and locomotives) and the architecture.

If you could take a journey on any railway in the world, which would it be? Or describe it if you’ve already done it!
The North Coast line Coleraine-Derry is pretty good and the Settle-Carlisle is a favourite. More exotically, in Peru the Andean Explorer line from the former capital of the Inca Empire, Cusco to Puno is enjoyable. I’ve never been from Lima to Cusco: it’s supposed to be pretty exciting and you get a chance to acclimatise.

Do you have any other hobbies or interests? 
I enjoy photography, travel, and history, as well as just meeting people.

One unknown fact or claim to fame
In 1955 I travelled on the last day of the Queensbury Lines in West Yorkshire, England that linked Bradford, Halifax and Keighley via Queensbury. All the lines were either solely owned by the Great Northern Railway or jointly between the GNR and the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway.