'A short version of the long history of automation on the railways' by Felix Schmid
2026-01-07 19:00 - 21:00 (Europe/London) | BIRMINGHAM Think Tank, Birmingham Science Museum,, Curzon Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, B4 7XG
Photo Credit: Benutzer:Bukk
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This is a joint event with Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum
This lecture was originally given as the Presidential Address to the Newcomen Society in London in 2025.
The presentation will commence by introducing very early mechanical systems, including some that were used on waggonways 300 years ago. These were quite primitive but reduced the labour requirement, e.g. by automating passing loops on tramways.
The automatic systems that came about in response to the Regulation of Railways Act 1889, which made the railway much safer and also improved its economy, will be discussed, followed by the origins of the train stop and warning systems that came into operation in the early 20th century. The electronic safety and operational management systems instigated by computerisation, where British Rail had a leading role, will be reviewed.
The presentation will finish with some reflections on fully automated railways and the role of machine learning and what is often termed artificial intelligence. Throughout the talk, the speaker will comment on the importance of including human skill and perception in automated systems for the railway.
About the Speaker
Felix Schmid is an Emeritus Professor of Railway Systems Engineering at the University of Birmingham and, currently, serves as the President of the Newcomen Society.
He has had a long-standing interest in railway systems and, more particularly, the automation of activities necessary for the safe and efficient operation of railways. Some automated systems support the work of people, others are carrying out tasks without regular interactions with humans.

'Before Valves: The Amazing Ingenuity of the "Electricians" before the Thermionic Valve' by Dr John Moyle
2026-02-04 19:00 - 21:00
Photo Credit: Wellcome Collection (1911 – Copyright free)

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This is a joint event with Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum

Man’s ingenuity before the invention of the thermionic valve was amazing!
This lecture will summarize the early methods of wireless transmission and reception & amplification.
About the Speaker
Dr John Moyle is a Chartered Engineer, retired physician & anaesthetist plus historian with a particular interest in telegraphy and medical technology.

'Housing the Great Exhibition in 1851' by Dr. Jim Andrew
2026-03-04 19:00 - 21:00
Image Credit: The Original Crystal Palace in Hyde Park – Painted for H. R. H. Prince Albert by Messrs Nash, Haghe & Roberts R.A.
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The Great Exhibition planned for the summer of 1851 was languishing in a committee until, in June 1850, Joseph Paxton was asked for a design of a building to go in Hyde Park, London.
The temporary building was possibly the largest single constructed building anywhere in the World, yet it was designed within a month and opened in ten months.
About the Speaker
Dr Jim Andrew is a former museum manager at Birmingham Science Museum, and is currently Chairman of Newcomen Midlands.

'150 Years of the Telephone'
2026-04-01 19:00 - 21:00
Photo Credit: United States patents (in public domain)
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This is a joint event with Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum
On 10 March 1876, 150 years ago, Alexander Graham Bell made what is usually considered to be the first telephone call, when he spoke the words “Mr. Watson—Come here—I want to see you” into his experimental apparatus.

To mark this anniversary, Newcomen Midlands, in a change to the usual format of our meetings, will be showing two videos produced by the Connections Musem in Seattle, USA, that describe how Bell submitted his patent, and how his first transmitter (microphone) and receiver (earpiece) worked.
The films show the museum’s attempts to make a working replica of his original apparatus.
