Llanelli & District Model Engineers

Saturday 24th March 22:32

Well it’s coming up to the Spring Rallyagain, the weather forecast is looking very good and it will hopefully last until next week end, perhaps they are checking the seaweed on the beach! I don’t mind as long as it’s warm and reasonably sunny, I think that will please most people.

This week the club became a Registered Charity, no 1146472y .

The new loco is due to be delivered this Thursday, and everything appears to be coming together, I’m not superstitious, but, I feel a strong desire to touch wood, and the old adage “never count your chickens until your eggs hatch” keep going through my mind!

However, one must be positive, whatever happens we’ll have to make the best of it

 

Saturday 3rd March 12.05

The Spring Rally this year is not until the March 31^st but it would be too late to wish everyone a Happy St David’s Day, in fact its borderline today! However, I’m doing it anyway. Hope everyone enjoyed Welsh cakes, laver bread and/or cockles, wore something red and a daffodil or a leek, I appreciate these activities are mainly if you live in the principality either way there’s no obligation to do any of the above, but I know that there will be delicious Welsh cakes available at the rally if anyone feels they have missed out!

I recently read that the tradition of wearing leeks arose so that a troop of Welsh soldiers were able to distinguish themselves from a troop of English soldiers who were similarly dressed.

 By the rally the clocks will have gone forward and we will hopefully have some good weather to go with it, those who were at last year’s rally enjoyed truly lovely weather.

 Over the last two years or so we have been working towards becoming a registered charity and this looks like becoming a reality by the end of April or possibly earlier.

 The Thursday Gang have been very busy (as usual) and the steaming bays for the seven & a quarter track are in place, which will make life easier for those visitors who bring those locos, the ground level track points have now been completely overhauled and I’m told, by those who know about these things, that they are very good, the rally is an invitation to come and try them for yourselves………..

 Moving on, the clubhouse has been extended, although, I should say is being extended, as only the external shell is in place until funds are available to complete the inside.

 Funds are low as the club is waiting for the delivery of a loco from Roger Greatrex, which, if all goes to plan, should arrive the week before the rally, but it is a case of watch this space………..

 The club needs this loco as we are taking over the running of the railway from the Local Authority, so volunteers will run the railway during school holidays and on Sundays fromAprilto September.  After the Spring Rally this year members will be staying on to run the railway over Easter, it would be nice to have more people who could help out, perhaps a recruitment drive is called for………….

Looking forward to seeing old friends and making new ones at the Spring Rally and the start of the 2012 season.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday 18th November 23.47

Well a lot has happened since this was last updated, much of it routine but mainly a lot of hard work.

 The 6^th Autumn Rally at the end of September was hard work, but also a lot of fun. We didn’t have our usual good weather as Saturday was damp and drizzly; a lot of tea and coffee was drunk while everyone was in the marquee waiting for the rain to stop! which it did eventually! Sunday was a totally different day and, judging by the smiles and looks of pleasure, a much better time was had by all.

The Vintage open top bus made its first appearance at the rally and it was a great success, hopefully it will become a regular visitor. Some of our long term supporter didn’t make it this year due to health problems, but hopefully they will be back next year.

The seven & a quarter track has been tweaked with improved points and received a lot of TLC. We think the birds ate the grass seed that was sown, who knows, but we have planted bulbs and shrubs so with luck the view from the train will be less like a desert a little more colourful next season that is if the squirrels don’t dig up the bulbs! Perhaps we should have planted cactus

 Wednesday 29th June@ 22.36

The Llanelli & District Model Engineers members in their burgundy shirts were out in force, as is customery when representing the club at rallies, in this instance, Cardiff, on the 11 & 12 June. Every one had a good weekend at the Rally, the weather on Friday & Saturday was good but on Sunday the heavens opened and when it became obvious that there would be no engines running that day, the exodus began,  almost everyone got very wet but went away happy.

The train service in Pembrey park was not run on Sunday 19th  as Beach Break Live was being held in the park.

Sunday the 26th dawned foggy and gloomy, but opened up into a lovely day, Penny Bird finished her training on the Cefn Sidan and is a now fully fledged driver. She was presented with a certificate to show that she has successfully completed the course.  There are now two female drivers, the other being Jayne Sluman, who has been passenger hauling for some time, and although he is a dedicated steam enthusiast, Paul Pavier has also passed his test on the Cefn Sidan, a petrol hydraulic locomotive.

Darran & Robin have also completed their training on the 7 1/4 Steam Loco, affectionately known as “Batman” . Good Luck to everyone.

The Chairman and six other members went to Eccleshall to see a 7.25 petrol hydraulic loco, they had been told should be capable of passenger hauling. feedback has been positive that this is what the club needs.

The next away visit is to Tewksbury on the first weekend in July, Where attending  members will again don burgundy club regalia to represent their club on foreign turf.  After that the next project is The Bristol Show in August.

Monday 6th June @ 22.56

The weeks are flying by again and we find ourselves already in the sixth  month of 2011.

Work has started on the steaming bay for the 7 1/4″ railway, and there is now a large hole in the ground where soon there should be a steaming bay, the rail is in the process of being ordered, and hopefully the plan will come to fruition in the next few months.

The other project is to find a locomotive capable of being used for public running but the costs are prohibitive.

This weekend sees the Cardiff MES Annual Rally and many members will be attending, I’ve no doubt that they will be hoping for good weather at this point in their preperations.

Wednesday 27th April @17.06

Well another Spring Rally has come and gone, but I have to say it was a very good one. the weather is such an important ingredient in what makes a successfull event a great one, and the weather was superb, more like July than April, it was quite balmy.

We had about 12 traction engines and about the same number of locomotives for the 3 1/4 and 5 inch gauge elevated track. There were two 7 1/4 gauge  locos, the reason being that the points are still being worked on. Having said that the general opinion was that things were looking good.

The catering side of things went well, a lot of Lemmon Drizzle cake and Almond slices were eaten, as were hot dogs and beef burgers, and I was glad to know that our vegeterian option had also met with approval.

The Youth Committee who are raising money for a garden railway also had a good result on their plant and Bric a Brac stall

The Easter weekend also went well, with the warm dry weather bringing families out in droves.

Thursday 7th April @21.09

The usual faces were on duty in the park today working to get things in place for the Spring Rally, the club house has had a much needed makeover, not enough to make it unrecognisable unfortunately but it is an improvement!!! it is much fresher and brighter.

The gates have been painted and fitted with the red disks so familier on the old style level crossing gates, so the ground level track is starting to look more like a railway.

We are trying to plant flowers or shrubs aroung the track to provide a little colour to relieve the green of the pine trees, it is difficult as there is little or no topsoil and sand is a poor growing medium, but we are trying to use plants that like soil low in nutrients.

The Points !

The original points on the ground level track had been problematic and after taking advice from Cardiff MES, club members,  Dick Sourbutts and Roy Davies took on the unenviable task of replacing them. Making points is an extremely specialized field and a great deal of painstaking work had gone into the production of the new points. The first set have been in place for a few weeks and have been successful and today the second set was installed for testing with rolling stock. Every thing went very well but as with all things  ”the proof of the pudding will be in the eating” and the Spring Rally will be the acid test.

The club is thinking of obtaining a “Dongle” to make using the internet available in the clubhouse for things such as updating the website and uploading photographs, to name but two needs that we have. However, the signal is poor in the clubhouse and we may have to have a rethink.

 

Tuesday 15th March @11.52

Just a note to say that we will be having a Bits & Pieces meeting after close of business on Wednesday 16th March at tha Boat Club.

We had a very sunny day in the park on Sunday 13th, it was sunny but cold when out of the sun, there were a lot of people about taking advantage of the weather, business on the railway was brisk.

The ladies planted the flowers ready for the season starting with the rally in April.

We were sadden to hear of the passing of Alan Murfin who was a country member for many years, having only lapsed his membership recently due to failing health.  He was always a welcome character, a real gentleman. He will be much missed.

Tuesday 1st March @ 23.54

Just spent a half term in the country park, the weather was not very good but at least it was warm in the main if wet.

The ladies of the club have been busy re-covering and painting chairs and the inside of the clubhouse has had the first undercoat of paint.

A lot more will need to be done by the spring rally, so we will soldier on.

Work on the points was at a stop as both Richard and Roy were away.

Thursday 17th February @ 21.39

We had a very good meeting yesterday, with a lot of positive and lively discussions.

It has been decided to have a “Bits & Pieces” informal ”meeting”  every other month.  Starting  next month,  after the monthly meeting  is closed, members can bring along their model engineering projects to show what they have been working on or need advice on etc.

Work on the points is progressing well and hopefully the track will fully be operational by the Autumn Rally.

The next meeting on 16 March will be the last before the Spring Rally, and there will be a “Bits & Pieces get together” after close of business.

Friday, 4 February 2011 @ 12.15

Visitors who came to the Autumn Rally will see a major change to the club house if they attend the Spring Rally on the 16 & 17 April. We were allocated £34.000 from the Collaboration Fund from Welsh Tourism. The money has been well spent, the old carriage shed along side the club house proper has been replaced, the building has been extended and the roof raised, which will be a relief to the many who have come painfully into contact with old shed roof in the past. The roof on the old building, which will be the Seven & 1/4  Gauge carriage shed, has also been replaced and the building has been rewired and made secure.

The extention to the clubhouse carriage shed has allowed space for a much needed, small office, and the plan now is to extend the other side to accomodate a better kitchen & toilet facilities. The existing carriage section in the back clubhouse will be a workshop, in the fullness of time.

Since last Autumn another change is that Miss Mary Knapman became Mrs Mary Pavier, Mary & Paul Pavier tied the knot in October, I think this is a first marriage we have had where the couple met through the club, there were many familiar steam engine enthusiasts at the ceremony.

The club is investigating whether to change  to charitable status.  Many other clubs have already gone down this road, or should I say track,  it’s hoped that by late spring it could be in place.

Membership numbers are always fluctuating and this year is no different, but the old saying “one door closes and another one opens” is also true and we are already picking up new members who are proving themselves as assets to the club, morale is high and everyone is getting on well, existing members know that there are no vacancies for any Victor Meldrew clones or bad tempered young or old “gits” , new members are vetted in case one tries to get in, but the term “git” is used “in the best possible taste”, of course.

On the food front

As I believe model railways, like armies, march on their stomachs, proverbially speaking, I can say that we will be eating at the Restaurant in the park again in the evening at the April rally, by popular demand,  and that orders for the  Lemon Drizzle Cake and Almond Slices are in the pipeline as well.

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