A still from a Robert Masterman video showing 47601 ‘Windsor Castle’ leading a Northern Belle Newport to Fishguard excursion west of Llanelli in December 2019. Used with many thanks.
COMMENT
There’s a fair bit for your diaries this month and we have dates for some forthcoming stock sales, the club’s 2023 AGM and your Committee elections. Also attached to the e-mail sending this is a copy of the newly-agreed Club policy on new builds to provide guidance for those submitting requests to commence new projects. It’s been good, too, to see interest taken in Richard Hill’s offer of a tree-making workshop, more on that below.
REMINDER - CLUB CHRISTMAS CLOSING
The club never shuts down completely over the Christmas season but we do have notional dates when most choose to stay away. This year, the club’s formal closing will be on the last club Thursday before Christmas, the 21st. of December, with re-opening taking place on Thursday the 4th. January 2024.
It is important that any who choose to visit the club between these dates ensure that they sign the register when they enter and leave and also take great care to turn off all electrical appliances [with the exception of the fridge], make sure that any windows opened are closed and lock up carefully as they leave.
SKILLS WORKSHOPS
Richard Hill has had sufficient interest shown to plan for the start of his tree-making workshop in the New Year. It’s not too late to others to join either, simply speak to Richard in the Club on Thursdays if you are interested. After Christmas, he’ll either post starting-date details on the Club board or contact those interested directly. For those who haven’t seen his creations to date, just pop into ‘Downton Road’ and see them for yourself.
A reminder also that Phil Place is happy to run a weathering workshop in the New Year: he can usually be found lurking in ‘Downton Road’ on Thursdays as well.
COMPETITIONS and A CHRISTMAS MINCE-PIE NIGHT
It’s very much that time of year again! Simon Durrer has already put up notices advising of the forthcoming Christmas modelling competition. This will be judged on the 14th. December
– this Thursday (December 14th) - with the winner chosen by popular vote. A [very] small prize will be given to the winner. The date for this coincides happily with the planned pre-Christmas mince-pie / small buffet night, so get building [and, maybe, baking]. The rules for the December competition have been posted in the club for a while now but if any have questions about it, please speak to Simon directly. Only one entry per member! Time is running out!
The club’s major annual modelling competition will judged on 28th March 2024. The categories have not changed [kit-build, scratch-build or radically altered r-t-r (‘radically’ meaning the most fundamental changes, simply weathering, adding crew or changing buffers for eg. will not be acceptable), diorama and junior section] but the rules have changed and these are being amended to provide greater clarity on what is / is not acceptable for each category. These will be available soon. Remember, the annual competition carries good cash prizes and, each year, the standard has been improving.
Nearly 60 years ago, Bob Masterman captured D54 ‘The Royal Pioneer Corps’ [later to become 45023] passing Cardiff Goods on a service to the North East. Clutter abounds.
STOCK SALES
Members will be pleased to note that we have a number of sales planned for the immediate future: the first will take place on the 21st December [our last night before Christmas], the second on the 18th. January and the third on the 22nd. February. Venues will be announced shortly but the first event will be held in the large room at the end of the top-floor [the ‘Box’ / Cwmfelin’ room].
We have a large and eclectic collection of ‘OO’ stock on offer, including steam and diesel locomotives and coaches from all eras post-1922. Some items are mint and boxed, others are rakes of quite reasonable re-liveries and there are, as usual, prices to suit all pockets.
For those interested in coaches, the sale will include boxed Hornby Hawksworth coaches in a variety of liveries and boxed Hornby Coronation Scot coaches in both blue and crimson.
This is a chance to grab a bargain as these coached can command quite high prices elsewhere.
Also within the collection is a pair of the new Hornby 4-wheel coaches in an early GWR livery . Now over £30 each, new, these have been priced at £10 each as they have been poorly repainted (NOW SOLD). They represent good value however and are of some use to scratch-builders as their chassis are detailed and extremely free-running and their clever
lighting units can be removed quite simply for use elsewhere. Or, for the more adventurous, they can easily be stripped and repainted in any livery desired, The photos show a ‘before and after’. These are easy conversions and present a good opportunity for members to practice their skills. But we only have two, so don’t be put off by their original condition and be quick!
ABANDONED COATS AND JACKETS
At the ‘St. David’s’ end of the top floor is a coat rack. A number of items of clothing appear to have been abandoned on it for some considerable time now. If they belong to current members, please could you arrange for their removal. Any which remain beyond the second week of January 2024 will be disposed of. Thank you.
THE 2023 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
This will take place on Thursday the 29th. February. The venue will be confirmed but it will be, most probably, the old library on the first floor. The AGM performs two important functions which should be of interest to members. First, annual reports from the Chair, the Treasurer and the Auditor are formally presented and provide members with an opportunity to ask questions if they wish. Secondly, the Committee elections for 2024-2025 will be held, enabling any paid-up member to be nominated for a post and so contribute to the continuing management of the Club.
The Committee comprises 8 persons: 4 Officers [the Chair, the Deputy Chair, the Treasurer and the Secretary] and 4 Ordinary Members. All of these posts may be contested at the election and whilst some of the serving Committee members will be applying for re-election themselves [this does not prevent other members from being nominated for those posts], the posts of Secretary and 2 of the Ordinary Members will have become vacant and so not contested by their current post holders.
Nomination forms for the Committee elections will be made available by e-mail to all members during January 2024 together with instructions as to how they should be used and deposited.
CLUB LAYOUT – POLICY FOR NEW BUILDS
As mentioned earlier, the Club now has a policy to guide those who wish to apply to construct a new layout within the Club. A copy is attached with the e-mail sending this newsletter and it will also be found in the Club’s website, with other policy documents, in due course. The only caveat regarding potential applications is that there is a queue currently, with two new layouts under construction and, potentially, two applications awaiting approval.
That’s it folks, and season’s greetings to you with thanks for your support over the year.