An unmistakeable location on the banks of the Tawe. Close to Vivien’s No 1 Shed, their Garrett locomotive [V&S No10] – the first standard gauge Garrett in Britain – awaits a turn of duty. Put into service during the early-‘20s, the loco gave good service until moving onto British Copper and then ICI, before scrapping in 1949.
COMMENT
Yes, I know, there was no newsletter for June. Annual leave, life and other distractions simply got in the way. But even had they not, there was very little news to justify the time spent preparing one and so, as has happened occasionally before, I decided to wait until July, when there should have been more copy. There isn’t though, apart from some updates and general information, and so this section is going to be rather longer and more reflective than before.
The club as a whole is always far greater than the sum of its individual members and it’s easy to see why when you look at our achievements: the Library, the Downton, Box, Kingston and Cwmfelin layouts, the annual Dapol commission, the exhibition and so on. If you need a modelling analogy, it’s rather like assembling a kit from a box containing half a dozen sprues or etches and maybe 50 or 60 parts. Slowly, as each part is added, something much bigger and more impressive starts to appear.
But – but – every so often a member comes along who, through sheer character and personality, stands alone and is memorable, at least to those who knew him. One such member is the late John Rogers, a clever and witty man with an interesting history that took him way beyond the club. But as well as taking great delight in other members’ achievements, and always there with an encouraging word or suggestion, John was also a remarkably good modeller himself and one whose passion took him into entirely scratch-built territory, the 5ft 3in gauge railways of Northern Ireland, an interest he developed when he served his National Service in the RAF in that part of the world.
But why mention John now? Well, although John died in 2018, he is still very much part of the club today and will be for the future. It was John’s great generosity that enabled Pennard Halt to be established on the First Floor as his unexpected and substantial bequest enabled those rooms to be taken on, completely renovated and Pennard Halt then given the home which it deserves. There’s a plaque commemorating him on the door outside Pennard Halt, in the corridor. You may even have stopped to read it and wondered why it was there, but plaque or not, John will never be forgotten.
THE 2023 CARDIFF MODEL RAILWAY EXHIBITION
A reminder that the Cardiff club has its annual show on the 21st and 22nd October this year at the Sophia Gardens Cricket Ground.
The Signal Box at Downton Road, a joint effort and now newly installed. The interior is fully detailed and just awaits lighting.
A COUPLE OF ISSUES CONCERNING ‘THE FAR END’
• The recent leak. A pipe-burst in the roof void saw a significant amount of water flood through the ceiling into the centre of this area. Very luckily, neither Box nor Downton were damaged but the carpet was soaked through and, clearly, ceiling repairs will need to be undertaken. The immediate area has been cordoned off and following inspection, advice and recommendations have been sought. We are liaising with FOYD with regard to financing the remedial work.
• Box itself has now been stored on its new racking, freeing up more space for activities once the ceiling has been repaired.
• Work has commenced to clear further space under the eaves and a number of the smaller diorama layouts have been moved into the clock tower space.
THE RECENT BARRY AND PENARTH MRC EXHIBITION
SRMG put in an appearance at this recent event in Penarth and the photo below shows Richard Grigg running Ashburton alongside Rob Pendry with his O Gauge shunting layout.
Special thanks to Malcolm Shore for the use of his van and also to Martin Evans, Colin Moore, Dan and Mike Thomas and Alfie Davies for assisting over the weekend. It’s great that the club is now beginning to make an appearance at shows.
PENNARD HALT
A quick note to ask all who use this wonderful layout to please take care with housekeeping matters. Rubbish and dirty cups must not be left lying around at the end of play and food should not be consumed in there [particularly brought-in fast food]. I’m sure that the reasons for this request can be understood and that you can all accept this request in the spirit with which it is given. Many thanks.
CLUB MEMBERS’ SURVEY
This was mentioned in the last newsletter and Gwion Davies has now provided some more details. He writes:
‘…The club survey is now up and running and it can be filled out at https://forms.gle/bVxNs54H8CKPXCgw9 . The purpose of the survey is to try and gauge what members want out of the club. The more responses we get, the more informed the committee will be in making future decisions. I will also try and have something down the club library on Thursday evenings so members can fill out the survey there…’.
Please try to take time to complete the survey as it will be of great help in terms of future planning. I completed my copy tonight and it took less than five minutes.
Photographs of the turntable alongside High Street station are exceedingly rare and with the two posted in earlier newsletters, this third one is the only other I’ve seen. Probably taken from a magazine – hence the poor reproduction - it shows the turntable being constructed. The large building behind is The Elysium.
THE CLUB’S 2023 SHOW
A couple of important requests…..
Planning for this important early September event is now very well advanced with all layouts and traders now booked – see the club’s website for full details of who’s coming.
We now need to recruit club members to help run the event over the Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday. Not just marshalls, but also heavy lifters for set-up and close-down, some who can help mark out the floor, others who can direct exhibitors and traders to their locations and yet more for tasks I’ve haven’t considered ! Remember please, this is your show and its success is dependent upon all of us being involved in one way or another. A note will go up on the club notice board very shortly asking for volunteers, please do respond positively and work with the exhibition team make this a show to remember. Thank you.
We also need members to distribute show leaflets within their home area, work places or other regularly visited locations. Why not stick one in your car window, too? Leaflets are available from the club – ask Gwion Davies for a handful!
THE MUMBLES RAILWAY TRAIL
The Mumbles Development Trust [MDT} has recently commissioned a poster of the Mumbles Railway which they’re selling them for £4 each. Rob Pendry has bought one and will put it in a suitable frame to put up on the wall in SRMG.
If any members would like a copy of this, please contact Robin Bonham of the MDT. Further details may be sought directly from Rob Pendry.
The MDT are building up an audio and photographic library of Mumbles Railway memories and memorabilia and would be delighted to hear from anyone who has personal memories and/or photos of memorabilia that they could use in their archive, which will be available to all to view.
That’s it for now!
Best wishes.