Here you will find the most recent reports which have featured in the O Gauge Guild Gazette's 'Guild News' section. The reports are reproduced here in full. For space reasons, the Guild News often
finds it necessary to shorten the reports that are submitted. Photographs from those reports will not be found here. Some of them may be found in the Photogallery. Although the reports are submitted about a month in advance of the Gazette landing on people's doormats, they are not posted on here until after their publication in the Gazette.
Preston O Gauge Group Report Winter 2010
2010 got off to a flying start for the Preston group with a record attendance of 73 for the January Open Day, yet again plenty of new faces to be seen. And what a feast there was for them, not to mention the legendary pies which continue to be very popular. (There is no truth in the rumour that an Online Pie Booking Service is about to be launched, our IT skills not being quite up to it.) Our man Jack brought his latest creation for its maiden run, a little mundane for him being a humble Jinty but being Jack it was different in being constructed almost entirely of plasticard. LMS 4-6-0s seemed to be in the majority, several Scots, Patriots and Jubilees being noted, along with the inevitable Black Fives. No prizes for guessing who brought the rake of maroon ex-LNER stock to be hauled by a variety of locos ranging from an A1 to a B17 (I’m guessing there, I was confused because it was named after a Hall but didn’t have a copper capped chimney.) Bob Whitby’s beautiful LMS rake, complete with both 6 and 8 wheeled sausage vans, provided a challenge for visitors. At one point I noted it being hauled by a pair of unpainted V2s, one of them unusually sporting a double chimney. At around lunchtime the club was invaded by a group from the ill-fated Cotton Mill Express which had, sadly, been terminated in Preston due to some technical faults. Several other visitors had spent some fruitless hours shivering in cold fields awaiting its passage.
Late in the afternoon shafts of sunlight lit up one side of the layout and the sound equipped diesels chuntered away at the back of the room as it came to time to pack locos and stock and begin the homeward trudge. Yes, another highly successful and most enjoyable Open Day had come to an end.
Highlights for February were a virtual takeover by BR Standard locos, probably the first ever sighting of a Gladstone 2.4.0., and the Class 40 that whistled beguilingly on the DCC layout.
On the weekend of the 20/21st February Norman and Peter took the new Exhibition display to the rearranged Workington Show whilst other members acted as stewards at the Bolton Show -opened by our Chairman David Taylor. Earlier in the month we had our AGM with the major item of discussion being the purchase of another pie warmer to cope with the overwhelming demand at our Open Days. Needless to say the members of the Managing Committee were re-elected un-opposed – surprise, surprise. A proposal to have occasional Themed Open Days was discussed, watch this space ! I’ve been asked to remind readers that there are also Sunday Open Days most months, for details see the website. These Open Days are not generally as crowded as the Saturday ones but still very popular.Finally, the last Saturday in March almost became the Day of the Diesels with a major Heljan takeover, especially the newly released 20s. A valiant rearguard action was fought by a whole stud of LNER 4-6-0s in Apple Green with a beautiful rake of GCR ‘Matchboard’ stock. Attendance was slightly down on recent months, there was even one pie left over ! The quarter ended, as is the custom in Spring, with the Annual Modelling Competition when everyone tries to be nice to everyone else
Winter 2009
Being on Exhibition duty with Sykes Bridge I missed the first Open Day of the quarter but our award winning O Gauge Megastar Bob Whitby took a few notes: “There were a number of new faces amongst the large contingent of visitors at the 31st October Open Day and as always there was a wide variety of locomotives for them to see although on this occasion the GWR was not particularly well represented with only one with a name “Packwood Hall”. Again, there were no Southern locos but the LNER was there in force with the usual types but also a number of Atlantics and new to the Club two Clayton and one Sentinel steam rail cars. Not to be outdone, the LMS fielded one Duchess, several Scots, a Patriot, a Jubilee, and of course a variety of Black Fives and several ex LNWR and L&Y locos.
On this occasion the Club had provided a wide variety of stock with which the visitors could test their locos’ pulling power. On the outside fast lines, Bob had assembled a 50 wagon part fitted freight train whilst on the new inner goods line there was a 40 wagon coal train (winter is coming) and, for the passengers, our regular visitor from York had assembled a 10 coach rake of teaks. As always there were the smaller trains to pull on the other lines. The Club now boasts five main line running lines as well as the branch and a new DCC end-to-end line.
There is always a friendly welcome at Preston and if you have not got any locos just bring your Ian Allen spotter’s books – you never know-you might just cop that missing one.”
On Saturday November 7th two groups from the club had the great pleasure of visiting Pete Waterman’s Leamington Spa. Your reporter’s jaw almost hit the floor at the sight of all those gleaming copper-capped chimneys lined up for action. He can (just) remember flashing through the Spa behind Castles and Kings in his boyhood years so to see it in the process of being modelled in 7mm was quite nostalgic, to say the least. Many thanks indeed to PW for his time and hospitality.
Sadly, Brewery Lane did not attend the Workington show for pretty obvious reasons, even though it had been safely stowed in Norman’s van. Fortunately, the decision to cancel was taken before anyone hit the M6 northwards. The club, however, is hoping to have a presence at the show which is being rearranged early in 2010. The club Xmas meal took place towards the end of November, no-one disgraced themselves but we did notice one ex-Lostock Hall driver who couldn’t find his car in the car park afterwards.
The November Open Day was notable for the fact that Stef’s yard was turned into a very good representation of Nine Elms or Stewart’s Lane. I counted about ten Southern Region locos, all of them (correctly) wearing smoke deflectors. A couple more King Arthurs and a Malachite Green Spamcan also put in appearances. To run behind this plethora of Southern-ness was a very nice rake of BR Southern Region green coaches. They may have been a mixture of Maunsell and Bulleids but I forgot to ask. Not to be outdone, Dave’s chocolate and cream rake was turned out to please the copper capped brigade, as well as a beautiful rake of LNWR stock, the lining of which must have taken months to do. And of course, Bob provided a shortened LMS rake for those of that persuasion to run behind sundry Scots, Jubilees and a BR Black streamlined Duchess ‘City of Lancaster’. The club’s rake of blue-and-grey Mark Ones looked very much at home behind 50021 Rodney. And on the new freight circuit a variety of locos were put to the test on the sharp curves, ranging from a chunky LNER J39 which was only one of two representatives of that ilk that I spotted all day. BR Standards were thin on the ground, one 78000 being all I noted, and there were a few diesels in attendance, most notably TWO of the original DELTIC which we resisted the temptation to double head ! I particularly liked Albert’s green Heljan 37 which ran around on Keith’s superbly weathered rake of 16 tonners, pushing a BR brake tender in front of it. Several visitors needed explanations as to what it was…..
And finally, a snowy last Open Day before Xmas saw Dave Taylor on early morning gritting duties in the car park before any visitors arrived. It takes the combined efforts of more than a few of the group’s heroic stalwarts to ensure a successful Open Day. Modelling-wise, the day seemed to be dominated by a combination of LMS original Patriots, no less than three of them running round at one time, more diesels than we’ve ever seen at an Open Day before, and Great Central locos, all in black some of which were allowed to haul the LNER Tourist Stock around Hawksbridge. Please don’t ask me what classes they belonged to-haven’t a clue, apologies. Not a single representative of any of the Southern constituent railways was spotted, though, mercifully, those with copper-capped tendencies did have a gentle sprinkling of locos, including a pair of very scruffy Pannier tanks. A rare visitor to the club was a BR Clan, less rare were the two Britannias and the 75000 that represented Mr. Riddles’ efforts. It’s a treat to see that more and more of the younger element are accompanying parents (and/or grandparents) to our Open days. Even if they don’t have a loco of their own there’s always someone willing to let them have a drive of their’s. Get ‘em hooked young !
It’s been another excellent and memorable year for the POGGIES, much progress on the new layout, plenty of new faces through the door, and several new members, it all bodes well for 2010.
Autumn 2009
The quarter began with the July Open day which was quieter in terms of attendance but much noisier in terms of volume since the DCC gang and their ‘Modern Image’ layout (more of a ‘work in progess’ than a layout….yet) were up and running, the clubroom resounding to two-tone diesel horns and the sound of idling Sulzers. I have to say that I was quite impressed, especially on climbing the steps to the clubhouse and wondering what on earth a real 25 was doing in the station.
The lengths that people are going to in order to star in these reports was illustrated by one of the regular visiting Morecambe crew who had built a freelance Railmotor labelled ‘Morecambe and Heysham MRC’ trailing a ‘We’re Off to Preston’ streamer behind it. And with a ‘Flying Ferret Headboard on the front…….Apart from that, not one single LNER Pacific was to be seen but no less than four Duchesses were spotted-46247 being seen twice ! Meanwhile, the 25s burbled on at the back of the room. And then there were the Men in Shorts………….
Some Hawksbridge layout news: The Wednesday gang has been busy and thanks to some clever new trackwork, and a new opening in an overbridge, a fifth circuit has been added on the inside of the layout by extending one of the sidings in the goods yard and joining it to the inner goods loops. Some of the curves are a bit tight, I don’t think many 9Fs will be traversing the new track. Work is also going on to improve the power supply to the points on Hawksbridge, some of which are not as reliable as they once were.
The August Open Day saw a good turnout and was notable for the complete absence of Pacifics but the presence of more Black Fives than ever seen under one roof before. The aforementioned new goods circuit saw plenty of action, though there was a slight issue in one direction with a double slip where wagons seemed to choose one route with their leading wheels and one with their trailing ones. Recipe for disaster ! This problem has since been ironed out and full bi-directional goods working is now feasible. Most unusual Visitor of the Month was Dave Halliwell’s scratchbuilt model of GT3 which raised quite a few eyebrows, as did Jack’s striking 3 car LMS DMU in crimson and cream.
The final Open Day of the quarter played to yet another packed house. Highlight of the day has to be shared between a stunning rake of ten Pullman cars and an equally stunning rake of nine LNWR liveried coaches, the lining on each coach must have taken ages to do. These rakes were hauled by a variety of locos ranging from an unpainted LNER C7 to the prototype ‘DELTIC’. Plenty of GWR power was on display, from a diminutive 1361 saddle tank right up to ‘The Great Bear’, whose owner contemplated running it with a banner proclaiming ‘Britain’s First Pacific’ but who chickened out. Another time maybe ? Several LMS Pacifics were noted, unusually, they were all in green livery. Final piece of news for the quarter: the club’s branch line layout ‘Brewery Lane’ will be appearing at the Workington Model Railway show on the weekend of November 20/21. Well worth a look.
Summer 2009
The last quarter ended with the Group Modelling Competition, this quarter began with the results. I seem to remember that Bob Whitby took nearly all the awards….in fact, he has to leave the Trophy at the clubroom because his better half will no longer tolerate it in the house !
A quiet start to the quarter, the first Open Day, that of April 25th, having a slightly lower attendance than the previous two or three. Highlights included a pair of Patriots double heading the chocolate and cream set and a ‘set piece’ made up of a green Heljan 37 towing, in order, a fitted 13 ton coal wagon, a very scruffy 75013, an even more scruffy 90313 and a brake van, all travelling very slowly along the Inner Slow. Keith, who had this cameo brainwave, was a bit miffed that the owner of the two Standards wouldn’t let him a) cut through the coupling rods and b) break the glass in the windows. You can take realism too far you know ! A positive fleet of Heljan 47s was spotted, one club member now only needs another 509 to own the entire class.
A new trend has been detected amongst some of the members who own locos which they name after themselves: so far, David Taylor has ‘Saint David’ and Rod Morgan has ‘Rodney’ (Class 50 for those who wondered….) Maybe John Burnett will come up with ‘King John’ ?
At the beginning of May some of the group took ‘Brewery Lane’ to the Stockport Model Railway Show, flying a lone flag for O Gauge and where it seemed to be very well received. A very enjoyable weekend but hard work, especially for Norman and his van.
More and more new faces continue to visit the club, many with their own tale of being part way through building their first O Gauge effort. Hopefully we can enrol some of these as active members.
The last Saturday of May dawned burning hot but attendance was well up to usual standards. Dukedogs proliferated, no less than four being spotted, along with City of Truro, truly a GWR outside framed day. We even re-enacted the Llangollen Railway’s Steam Steel and Stars 2 by double heading 3440 with a black 9017. Heaven on earth ! Also of note was that Stef’s Yard was full of LNER Pacifics for the first time in a while, along with a shining interloper in the shape of the prototype ‘Deltic’ which looked simply stunning. An appropriate loco for the layout since a lot of work on the real prototype was done in Preston. Unusual model of the month award ? A tie between Dave’s Fell 4-4-4-4 diesel which looks simply comical in motion with its outside cranks flailing away, and Jack’s (who else ?) LMS Road/Rail bus.
Progress continues at a steady pace on the group’s Diesel Depot layout, it is hoped that this will eventually be switchable between DC and DCC. Watch this space.
And finally, the last Open Day of this quarter saw but one diesel, Geoff’s modified Heljan 37025 ‘Inverness TMD’ in very fetching weathered Large Logo Livery. I remember the real one very well. Bizarrely, a newly built JLRT Diesel Brake Tender trailed round in a goods train behind a Black Five. Other highlights I spotted included a Furness Railway tank loco, I think it was a 4-4-2, which ran in and out of Brewery Lane terminus a few times. As did a GWR 72xx 2-8-2T which looked a bit uncomfortable in such rural settings. LNER Pacifics abounded, brought by you-know-who. Most notable amongst these was a little known Raven 4-6-2 which appeared to have the longest boiler and shortest firebox ever seen on a big loco. Attendance seemed slightly down, maybe modellers preferred to watch ladies in short skirts play tennis on TV or perhaps they were in mourning for a recently departed musical megastar ? Who knows ? A great time was had by all, much chatting and exchanging of advice and information took place (if I had space I could tell you all about GWR Mogul boiler cradles……….). And so ends another action-packed-fun-filled quarter in the life of the POGGies. Come and check us out.
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