Club Update - October 2020

COMMENT

Our recent, brief re-opening sadly proved to be something of a false dawn although it was good to see so many of you attend for that week at least. The return of a near lock-down, and the impact of the burglary, meant that once again club life went back into hibernation. However, developments continue apace and more on those below.

The damage caused by the recent burglary has yet to be fully repaired and we are in discussion with The Gordon Moore Centre over our insurance claim. The burglar, who was apprehended shortly after leaving the building, pleaded guilty and appeared at Swansea Crown Court very recently. I am awaiting information about his sentence although, given that it was a Crown Court matter, you can all draw your own conclusions from that. I shall update on this in due course.

Another of Robert Masterman’s atmospheric photos, this time from within

Llanelli Shed in late August 1964 and showing Stanier 8F 48735 at rest.

STOCK SALE

A large amount of OO stock from two estates had been stored in the club pending a stock sale which should have taken place in March this year. Some of the items had been in store since December 2019 and the executors of both estates were becoming somewhat impatient over our difficulty in arranging a sale. In reality, there was little we could do however, until that time when it would become safe again for large numbers of members to attend such an event.

The recent burglary brought the storing of stock into a sharper focus however and whilst none of it had been found by the culprit, we became increasingly more concerned about both club security and our potential liability. Consequently, to avoid further risk whilst the club was unattended, arrangements were made for a dealer to purchase the entire lot and so allow us to pay off the executors: they were pleased with their payments [one was very large] and the club was able to take its commission.

However, in spite of the above, we have been able to arrange a stock sale! A further estate lot has been taken in, the large N gauge collection belonging to the late Bob Lovitt, which we are selling on behalf of Bob’s wife. Noel Blows contacted all members by e-mail recently to offer an opportunity to purchase some of this large lot. The sale, which must be socially-distanced, will take place on Saturday the 17th. October at 10.00am. The stock will be available to view in the club car park or, if the weather is poor, in the first floor Chapel. This will be a ‘first-come first-served’ event for members only and, to clear the sale, the remaining stock will then be purchased by a dealer.

IF YOU ATTEND, PLEASE BE CERTAIN TO WEAR YOUR MASK

TICKETS PLEASE

The charming Taff Vale Railway line from Grangetown, via Penarth, to Cadoxton, ran through the delightful rural and seaside setting of the Bristol Channel coast to the east of Barry. If ever a line could have been preserved, this would have been one of the finest anywhere and would have benefitted from fine sea views, many small stations and halts and main line connections at both ends.

This GWR ticket, originating from Sully, was issued at a station which also boasted a camping coach for many years. Quite why however is difficult to fathom, although it would have enjoyed invigorating views of the nearby chemical works!

THE LIBRARY

Sadly this cannot be accessed at present, but I’m delighted to announce that the estate of Bob Lovitt has kindly donated to us his collection of books. This gift of well over 100 volumes contains many high quality editions including a large number of albums covering defunct south-Wales branch lines [including the Afan, Rhondda and Eastern valleys], an excellent text on GWR goods stock [the bible, in fact], a similar comprehensive volume on GWR Pannier tanks and much, much more. Ted Hylton, in concert with Bob Cotton, has kindly agreed to re-catalogue the entire library collection and, by the time that we reopen, these books will be available for loan.

This should bring back a few memories.

British Railways’ Scammel Scarabs captured by Robert Masterman in 1965 at the Goods Depot in Davis St., Cardiff. They do seem to have led rather a hard life….

THE 2021 WAGON COMMISSION

Covid-19 or not, we are not standing still! It is time to start thinking about next year’s commission, the 2020 products having sold so well. One or two ideas are in the melting pot but members’ views are sought also. If you have an idea for an interesting, commercial model that we could ask Dapol to produce, please let either myself or Noel Blows know. Remember though, it has to be capable of production in O, OO and N and the tooling has to be available from within Dapol’s current inventory. Give it some thought.

YOU MAY WELL HAVE SEEN THE PROTOTYPE OF THIS AT THE CLUB BEFORE LOCK-DOWN

We don’t usually promote commercial products but this, for obvious reasons, is an exception to the rule. Longtime club member Gwion Rhys Davies recently started up his own modelling accessories company, ‘MODELTECH’. Designing his own products and arranging for their manufacture in China, his first release is the ‘ProTrack Rail Aligner’, a snappy bit of kit designed to eliminate the poor connection and alignment of track at joins. Gwion told me recently that his product, which is available in O, OO and N, has been nominated for an Innovation of the Year award by Hornby Magazine linked here.

The photograph shows how it works and its simplicity is commendable. The joiner has been reviewed in the major railway modelling magazines and Gwion tells me that sales are going well.

If club members are interested in purchasing this product, they should visit the website [modeltech.uk]. Club members quoting the discount coupon code ‘SRMGMember’ will receive a 10% discount.

Gwions adds that other products are in the pipeline!

AND FINALLY

I’ll keep producing the monthly newsletter but articles for inclusion would be appreciated to ease the load. Similarly, any photographs you’d like to share of modelling you’ve recently undertaken would be welcome also. Simply e-mail me with your offerings.

Keep well all.

Tony