WK Nelson
WK Nelson knew the FR in the twenties and thirties and became closely involved with the formation of the FR Society. On seeing his first double-Fairlie he decided that this railway must be twice as good as any other. He was shocked and saddened by the plight of the FR after the war and having had a life-time's experience of accountancy and finance he was for two years Treasurer of the infant Society and in 1954 when it became a Company Limited he was a director and its first Treasurer. There was a Society poster which invited those interested in reopening the FR to send subscriptions of 20/- if an adult or 10/- if a junior to him at his house, "Appleby", Roydon, Harlow, Essex. He criticised the Society's committee's publicity about Alan Pegler's take over of the FR Company at the Society's first General Meeting held in Porthmadog Town Hall in 1955. [1] Bill Broadbent described the meeting thus:
"Undoubtedly the acid eloquence of Mr Nelson in his call for independence and thus rejection of the Pegler package struck some sympathetic ears amongst the meeting and so we went through a rough-and-tumble of motions, counter motions, amendments and so on the like of which the Society seldom suffered again."
He retired from the Society Board in 1960.[2] .[3]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Broadbent W. in Great Railway Eras, Festiniog 1946 - 1955: The Pioneers' Stories (2007) Davies M and Mitchell V, page 18, Middleton Press, Midhurst, West Sussex, GU29 9AZ.
- ^ "Obituary", Ffestiniog Railway Magazine, Issue 092, page(s): 003
- ^ "Portrait", Ffestiniog Railway Magazine, Issue 005, page(s): 003