September

General
Club nights have been quieter because of the summer holidays. Activity will increase in the months leading up to Christmas and the Committee are already looking at some options for the winter months.

Hywel Trick has acquired some 3mm and 5mm Foamex plastic sheets from a local company based in Llansamlet. These are offcuts and free of charge. The material is similar to Plastikard but much thicker. It is very easy to cut and bend with a craft knife. Hywel is on 01792 642662 or email – hywel@trickphotography.freeserve.co.uk if you're interested.

Finances
These remain in a satisfactory state. However a large number of layouts have work on going. All will require some sort of financial support. Members are reminded to think through their various projects and to let the Committee know in advance of the cots involved with their various projects. No one has yet been refused financial support but there is sometimes a cavalier attitude towards the Club's reimbursement. It would be a shame if some expenditure is turned down because it hadn't been properly budgeted so please submit a proper plan. It needs to be given to the Secretary, for Committee approval, and not given to me, to say ‘yes' when my defences are down on a Thursday!!

Membership
This remains at 70. Some NWM exhibition visitors have expressed an interest in the Club. Please continue to give a warm welcome to anyone you see in the Club whom you haven't met before. The Club depends on a ready source of interested new members to continue to move forward and the NWM's past exhibitions have proved to be a rich source of new members.

Ieuan Morgan is most unwell at the moment and the Club's thoughts go out to him and also to his family. He has been in hospital for some weeks. If anyone wishes to know more either ask me – I am regularly in touch with his wife, Barbara - or telephone her on 01639 768331.

Excursions
The trip to Severn Valley Railway's Steam Gala is proceeding under Tony Richards' organisation. This promises to be an excellent excursion. About 30 members have signed up for the 19 September full day out. The coach will be leaving the FOYD car park at 6.00 am with a pick-up at Millands Road car park at Neath between 6.15 and 6.20. The journey will take about 3 hours and there is no fixed agenda for anyone during the day - the SVR is spread over 25 miles with various items of interest interspersed over the whole route. The return journey will leave the SVR at 5.00pm. The coach is expected back at about 8.00pm. Refreshments during the day will be down to each individual. The variety of eateries has meant that no advance lunch bookings have been made

  Exhibitions
The NWM's 3 rd exhibition involving the Club on 30 / 31 August was deemed a success and the Club disposed of almost all the surplus stock acquired during the year. Ted Hylton has now taken over the running of the exhibition from 2015 onwards. Please support him with ideas and physical assistance as needed.

Premises
A start will soon be made on clearing the basement of some of the items for storage. This will be followed by the removal of rubbish and other items to enable the premises to be properly assessed for remedial work involving new wiring and decorating. The Club will need some voluntary members' help for the completion of some of this work. I shall let you know more about this as soon as possible.

Lectures
The Club has nothing in the pipeline at the moment.

  Stock Sale
The large 00 collection has resurfaced for sale and the stock will now be offered on 2 consecutive days – Thursday 16 October to members, and then on Friday 17 October both to members and various outside contacts and clubs who have expressed interest. On the Friday Alison John will be providing light refreshments for which there will be no charge. This is an excellent opportunity to add some interesting stock to your collection from a one-off sale. Items include stock made by Wren, Hornby, Bachman, Mainline and others. Members have the benefit of the Thursday exclusive night and / or the Friday when there will be refreshments available.

Layouts
Members frequently ask if they may either store their personal layouts in the Club or build them on our premises from scratch. In the Club's early years members did do private work at the Club. The premises quickly filled up with partly finished layouts and the result was chaos – it became impossible to move around.

We now have some 70 members and the Committee has decided that if one member's request is upheld then everyone who asked should be similarly treated. We simply do not have the space for multiple layout constructions and storage. This is why the 3 requests for the use of the Club's premises for work and storage since Easter have been turned down. Please understand the Club will neither allow any personal layout to be constructed nor stored on either the top floor or in the basement. This is a practical arrangement and is not an attempt to be officious or dictatorial. If you have a personal layout in the Club please remove it.

Rob Pendry and Phil Place are busy on the turntable area of St Davids Wells. The G Scale boys now have their high level circuit in place albeit with temporary supports. Trestles are being prepared by Alan Cosker to put a more permanent solution in place. Work is also continuing on South Dock and the N Gauge layout.

Ixion are able to offer 0 Gauge Fowler and Hudswell Clarke locomotives at lower prices than those normally seen in 7mm. The Telford Guildex Show has brought 2 / 3 Club members into the Gauge for the first time. Points and sidings on the 0 Gauge test tracks will need to be upgraded to accommodate members increased operating interest.

Open Evening
There are no immediate plans for an Open Evening although it is recognised that we haven't had one since January.

FOYD
A new combination lock has replaced the old gate lock. If you are unaware of the combination please let me know. This is something I wouldn't want to put into print.

Cosmo Restaurant
There is nothing further to report on any joint railway venture with this restaurant chain.