Comment

Again, this month’s newsletter has been delayed slightly to include a number of recent items which would have been missed had we gone to print at the beginning of the June.

So, what’s in this month’s update ? Well, news about a planned social night away from the club, a big die-cast sale, some important PR opportunities for the club and more....

The FOYD Summer Barbecue

Although FOYD’s customary summer fête has had to be cancelled, the charity is planning a summer barbecue on Saturday the 23rd. July between 1.30pm and 6.00pm It’s free too! If you are interested in going – and it would be good for members to support the charity – please see Ted Hylton for details.

The Club’s wagon commission

A quick note to remind you all that the DAPOL wagon commission has been extremely successful and there are now just 20 ‘OO’ and 20 ‘N’ gauge models left. These will go [and the run will not be repeated by us], so if any of you want some more – or perhaps have yet to decide whether to buy your first one – please see either Noel Blows or Gwion Davies.

The Club’s potential autumn outing and other developments

First of all, Hywel Trick has now taken over from David Williams as trips supremo and we offer many thanks to David for his organising of the recent events.

From conversation with a number of members, there appears to be general interest in a further club outing this year and it is suggested that an event which takes in both Pendon Museum and Didcot Railway Centre is considered. There are a couple of pre-conditions for this however:

➔ the numbers have to work to make it affordable and it is suggested that at least 30 members would need to travel to make coach hire [and so the cost per head] viable, and

➔ to take in a working steam event at Didcot [absolutely the ultimate Great Western centre], the trip would have to coincide with the autumn half-term as this is the only time that Didcot will be operational at that end of the year. A possible date would be Wednesday the 26th. October: steam is in operation that day and it avoids the busy week-ends either side. There is no steam on any other week-days that week.

None of this is fixed in stone however and the date is purely a suggestion at this stage. Hywel will shortly canvass members as to interest and availability and planning will be taken forward from there. Please do remember that future trips will involve a £10 non-refundable deposit.

And on the subject of trips, there are still just a few seats left for the mini-bus trip to the Dean Forest Railway on Saturday the 2nd. July 2016. See Ted Hylton quickly for details if you are interested.

The club’s [excellent!] website

The usual monthly reminder to all to visit our website to see what’s new! You’ll soon see a photographic preview of DAPOL’s ‘O’ gauge 08 diesel shunter [not yet released for sale] – this should be up within a few days. There is also a new kit build in the Members’ Projects section.

Railway Modeller magazine article and another PR opportunity

A reminder that a short article about the club will appear in the October edition of Railway Modeller. The copy has been submitted to the editor and we now just have to be patient!

We also have an opportunity of further free publicity as a result of a film maker from Bay Studios wishing to film in and around the club in the near future. When and in what format the film will be shown is not yet clear [details will follow and you will all be kept abreast] but the filming will definitely take place soon.

Stock sales

The recent event was quite well supported and saw over £750 taken. As this was in part a commission sale for an estate not all will go to the club but the commission, and the takings from the Oxford Diecast / Rail part of the sale, will boost club funds considerably.

And on the subject of Oxford, it would be remiss not to recognise their recent contributions. We are enormously grateful for the extremely generous donation of stock that the company provided. This will greatly benefit both SRMG and FOYD.

There are still some unsold items from the above event, including a rare Trix Class 124 4-car Trans-Pennine unit. The 124 is neither mint nor boxed but works well and is in quite usable condition. These are expensive items normally and this is priced to sell! If any members are interested, please see Noel Blows or Tony Richards. It is priced at £80 ovno.

A number of ‘O’ gauge buildings also remain unsold. It is proposed to consider their potential use within the South Dock and Kingston developments before offering them for sale to a wider audience. This includes the magnificent station building currently housed in the display cabinet in the club room.

A further sale is planned, but this time on a rather different theme.....

➔ Friday July 29th. 2016 – a sale of a large amount of Oxford Diecast lorries, cars, buses and ‘planes in ‘N’, ’OO’, ‘O’ and larger scales. Some are absolutely new and mint, some are in pre-production state and some are very slightly damaged. Again, everything will be priced to sell. The sale will take place in the chapel room on the first floor and may involve a slightly wider customer base. This is an opportunity to buy some now harder-to-get and interesting models at sensible prices. The proceeds from this sale go directly to the club and will support the building of our layouts.

A members’ sale was also discussed recently. It is planned that one will go ahead but now not until the autumn as there is already so much going on during the next few months. Rest assured however, it will happen!

Fire and evacuation procedures for the second floor

This has been mentioned before. Peter Ryan has advised that training for SRMG Fire Marshalls will be organised in the near future. Peter will call for volunteers to fill the Fire Marshall role before-hand so watch the notice board if you are interested in volunteering.

New members

I’m delighted to introduce Bob Spalding of Pontardawe as the club’s newest recruit. Bob is interested in ‘N’ gauge principally. Say ‘hello’ to him when you see him! Adam Tibb’s brother from Bridgend, Chris, has joined recently too and is someone else to greet! We have 90 members currently.

A proposed curry night

The last night out at the Patti Raj [St Helen.s, Swansea] was well attended and thoroughly enjoyed. It was agreed then that another would be planned and a proposed date for the next one is Friday the 22nd. July, again at the Patti Raj. The price per head would be iro £15-20, plus drinks. Watch the club’s notice board for further details confirming the event.

Railway shows in Porthcawl

We’ve heard that two events are being planned in the near future: ➔ Saturday the 23rd July at Trinity Church, and
➔ Sunday the 21st. August at The Grand Pavilion

It’s possible that one or other of the above will enjoy some club layout support and for further details please contact Alan Jenkins at alan@mibmodels.co.uk – or why not visit his shop in Porthcawl!