John Snell

John Bernard Snell (1932-2013) was a contributor of material to numerous publications covering the FR.

Born in Suva, Fiji on 28 March 1932, John Snell was in at the start of railway preservation, working as fireman during the Talyllyn Railway's first preserved season in 1951 between leaving Bryanston School and going up to Oxford. He later worked for London Transport and then British Railways, and was managing director of the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway from 1972 to 1999 continuing as vice-chairman and secretary of the company until his death. He wrote widely on steam and preserved railways throughout the world and filmed and photographed railways extensively. (See: L.T.C. Rolt, Railway Adventure (1953); John Snell, "Pulling the railway round" in Laura Jacques (ed.), Romney Remembered (2002); and J.B. Snell, Mixed Gauges (2007).)

Part of his photographic record of the FR in its dereliction period of the 1950s appears in the Heritage Group Album (1994). For his account of visits to the derelict FR see The Pioneers' Story. He was one of the group that stored 99.3462 on the line.

He died just after Christmas 2013, being found dead at his Dymchurch home on 3 January 2014. His funeral was at Hawkinge Crematorium on 21 January 2014.

See also

• Personalities