Coryton Station, on the old Cardiff Railway line. A sunny day in 1966 see a 3-car DMU arriving from its departure point at Cardiff Bute Road.
Another fine Robert Masterman photo, used as ever with many thanks.

COMMENT

It has been good to note that club-life has begun to show a return to more-normal times and Thursdays are becoming quite busy once again, certainly last Thursday showed maximum use of the Test Tracks for the first time in a while and teams at work on our layout builds.

Of course, life hasn’t returned completely to normal just yet and, sadly, a number of planned events have had to be postponed. These are covered below but do note that we do now have a date for the Club’s annual dinner [and at no extra cost!].

First of all however, condolences to Simon Durrer following the recent passing of his mother. I know that all will wish to join me in offering sympathy at this sad time. Simon has said that

he might not be around for a little while, but he will return soon. Our thoughts are with you in the meantime, Simon.

THE 2022 SHOW

The decision about whether our big show will proceed has been a difficult one for obvious reasons. Following lengthy discussion however, it has been decided that it will not proceed as planned [ie. a large event held in Pentrehafod school] but will be replaced by a smaller event instead, held on FOYD premises and as an Open Day to showcase club and local layouts, members’ projects and, possibly, a small number of traders will attend [space permitting].

The date for this event remains the same, Sunday the 18th. September 2022. A Sunday was chosen to allow for the greatest available parking space within the immediate area of the club. The Open Day will be managed by Gwion Davies and expect further updates as planning develops. If you have a project or portable layout that you’d like to exhibit, please contact Gwion directly.

THE CLUB’S ANNUAL DINNER

This is another event that has been difficult to re-manage! It was due to take place on the 29th. January 2022 at Norton House. Unfortunately however, a decision had to be taken to postpone it until later in the year as simply too many uncertainties crept into the equation at that time to be sure that it could go ahead. We now have a date for it!

The dinner will be held at the same venue on Friday the 10th. June 2022. There has been no increase in charges for members’ partners and everything else [food choices and timings] remains the same. The Swansea Ukulele Big Band will be there to entertain us and overnight accommodation will still be available for those who wish to stay over [see Noel Blows for details]. A small number of additional places may still be available for those who have yet to book [but time is genuinely running out].

THE STOCK SALE AND THE SALE OF DIECAST MODELS

This was due to take place on the 15th. January but It, too, has had to be postponed. A new date has yet to be arranged but it may be possible to sell items to individual members on Thursday nights if there is sufficient interest. Some members have already taken advantage of this arrangement and if you are interested, please speak to Noel Blows, Gwion Davies or Tony Richards. It will not be possible to display all that is in store but an idea can be given about the highlights and prices.

THE DAPOL COMMISSION

The OO component of the Thomas T Pascoe commission has already been completed but final delivery will await the completion of the N and O gauge wagons. We anticipate that these should all be with us by late February. Photographs of all three will appear in the March newsletter.

The commission is selling well already and Noel Blows advises that to date, 149 of the anticipated 330 wagons have been reserved – and that’s without even having them in hand yet! Although an advert has already appeared in the Welsh Railways Research Council journal, wider press advertising will follow once photographs of the finished products are available.

And on the subject of the WRRC, the club is a member of that organisation and receives its quarterly newsletter and journal. These are always an interesting read and are placed in the club library. The current edition includes an additional ‘special’ about the building of Cardiff General Station.

PROPOSED CLUB OUTING[S]

The first, to Pendon Museum, has been mentioned earlier but, as yet, this is still the subject of discussion and so further news may follow.

The second, to the DAPOL factory in Chirk, is definitely on as long as sufficient members wish to travel. The details are as follows:

• The trip is proposed for Thursday the 17th March 2022. The bus will leave FOYD at 7.00am and return at around 6.30/7.00pm.

• A minibus with a driver has been booked to avoid the need for any member to undertake the c.four hour drive each way themselves.

• The bus has a capacity of 16 and, if 16 travel, the cost will be £37 a head. To maintain this cost, maximum occupancy will be required. Clearly, however, if insufficient wish to travel, the visit may not be financially viable.

• DAPOL will provide a complimentary buffet lunch for those travelling and have offered a discount to members on any purchases made in their factory shop.

• John Allnutt is organising this event and he needs to know who will be travelling by the 28th February at the latest [for bus and DAPOL confirmation]. John can be contacted in the club on Thursdays or by phone [0781 3453944] or e-mail [johnallnutt@yahoo.co.uk].

John has asked me to stress that the driver hire is a major part of the cost of the bus, but it obviates the need for any one member to undertake the task themselves. Should only a few members come forward, the only alternative would be for them to travel by car, splitting the fuel costs between them accordingly. A car journey is likely to be quicker than travelling by bus but it is still a major commitment for the driver.

John will shortly place a form on the club’s notice board for those who are interested in travelling to register their names. Having visited the DAPOL factory twice already, it is an interesting excursion and a shop discount does make it attractive.

CLOCK TOWER STORAGE SPACE

A reminder that space will be available for members to store stock, etc [reasonable sizes only please!] in the Clock Tower cupboard from the 15th. February 2022. Steve Rodwell will be managing this project and all enquiries should be directed to him. The rental for space is a very reasonable £1 per week, paid three months in advance [ie £12]. Items stored will need to be at owner’s risk. The lighting in the cupboard area has been improved in advance of anticipated use.

A number of suggestions have been received recently concerning enlarging the opening to the cupboard. This has been raised a number of times historically and we all recognise that access, although quite possible, is not ideal. Unfortunately, when asked some time ago, FOYD indicated that they were not prepared for us to undertake any improvements in this area.

SUBSCRIPTIONS

This item has been raised on a number of occasions before. It would be greatly appreciated if all members who pay by cash, and who are able to, set up standing orders to pay their subscriptions. The Treasurer spends an inordinate amount of time chasing up some of the few who still pay by cash and it frequently involves him in having to second-guess which days these members attend and also, on some occasions, visiting them at home to receive payment.

It is understood that for one or two there may be a genuine reason for not setting up a standing order but for the others, cooperating with this request will make the Treasurer’s life rather easier and the management of subscriptions far more efficient.

A MAJ Models Collett Full Brake. A fifty year-old kit bought from a recent club stock-sale and recently completed. The branding [Railtech transfers] says ‘Paddington and Cardiff’ and ‘Parcels Train Brake Van’.

FINALLY, SOME ‘ANY OTHER BUSINESS’…..

• The donated Pennard Halt layout re-build is now very close to completion and we are hoping to celebrate its full return to use through some more-open event during the summer. Box, Downton Rd and Cwmfelin are progressing also, and thanks to all who have been involved in these builds. It’s really nice to see almost as many members building layouts now as are involved with the test tracks.

• A date for the club’s Annual General Meeting will be announced shortly. The AGM has been deferred for a number of years because of pandemic restrictions and this year’s will cover those periods also.

• A quick request on behalf of the Librarian: would members please remember to sign the borrowing book every time they take a book from the library. Also, please return all books to the box provided on the desk so that Bob Cotton can replace them in their correct position on the shelves. Keeping the library in order is a bit of a Forth Bridge job and Bob needs all of us to assist with this. Finally, a reminder [please] not to use the Library for storing items that appear not to have a home elsewhere! Many thanks.

That’s it for this month!

Best wishes all.