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Visit's to your model club


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43 minutes ago, Pete the Elaner said:

You shared the same hobby. That sounds like something quite significant in common.

How would you know what they were really like if you only went once or twice?

 

The second statement makes you sound like you have a low opinion of yourself.

 

Methinks it's a joke.

 

Groucho Marx I believe.

 

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I sent the club a wire stating, "PLEASE ACCEPT MY RESIGNATION. I DON'T WANT TO BELONG TO ANY CLUB THAT WILL ACCEPT PEOPLE LIKE ME AS A MEMBER".

 

 

 

Jason

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1 hour ago, Pete the Elaner said:

You shared the same hobby. That sounds like something quite significant in common.

How would you know what they were really like if you only went once or twice?

 

The second statement makes you sound like you have a low opinion of yourself.

 

The second statement makes you sound like you neither know your quotes nor have a great sense of irony.  

 

As for the first, a few evenings of smalltalk with people I shared little in common with - in terms of railways (Me: young and into modern image.  Them: older, mainly steam) and in terms of other interests - so in general seemed like more hard work than it was worth, and as someone who is not great at chatting to random people, I found it very uncomfortable.  A few of them were engrossed in building a piece of copperclad pointwork - no doubt of use and interest to them, but not to me, and they seemed to have little interest in anyone/anything outside their little bubble.  There was no "club layout" set up, so I couldn't take stock along to run, and most of the time seemed to be spent drinking tea.  Without being disrespectful to them, as a student in my early twenties, sitting in a hut drinking tea with middle-aged-and-older men didn't really appeal to me.  I didn't realise I was going to have to justify why I didn't like it or decide not to keep going when I wrote the earlier post - and deliberately kept it vague and short to avoid risking offending anyone.  

 

I also share the "same" hobby as a lots of other photographers, but put me in a room with someone who shoots sports events and we'd have very little to talk about either, railways are no different.  It's a broad church.  

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4 minutes ago, JDW said:

 

The second statement makes you sound like you neither know your quotes nor have a great sense of irony.  

 

As for the first, a few evenings of smalltalk with people I shared little in common with - in terms of railways (Me: young and into modern image.  Them: older, mainly steam) - and in terms of other interests - so in general seemed like more hard work than it was worth, and as someone who is not great at chatting to random people, I found it very uncomfortable.  A few of them were engrossed in building a piece of copperclad pointwork - no doubt of use and interest to them, but not to me, and they seemed to have little interest in anyone/anything outside their little bubble.  There was no "club layout" set up, so I couldn't take stock along to run, and most of the time seemed to be spent drinking tea.  Without being disrespectful to them, as a student in my early twenties, sitting in a hut drinking tea with middle-aged-and-older men didn't really appeal to me.  I didn't realise I was going to have to justify why I didn't like it or decide not to keep going when I wrote the earlier post - and deliberately kept it vague and short to avoid risking offending anyone.  

 

I also share the "same" hobby as a lots of other photographers, but put me in a room with someone who shoots sports events and we'd have very little to talk about either, railways are no different.  It's a broad church.  

That doesn't sound like a very welcoming club. I can understand you being put off by it.

My first club was in a station building & as part of the rent, the club were tasked with keeping the station tidy, so all they ever seemed to do was gardening. I didn't stay there very long.

& we wonder why the hobby seems to be full of ageing people with fewer younger modellers being encouraged. :(

 

Thankfully not all clubs are like that.

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Until I moved here <------ , I never belonged to a club, in fact I'd never been to a model railway club. It was by chance that a while after being here in the sticks, I met someone that I had known some years before who had a huuuuuge layout and let me know of an model railway exhibition nearby (30 miles away is 'nearby' here). I went. I was quite surprised at the quality of the modelling for a place in the middle of nowhere.

 

Cut to the chase, I joined the 'local' club and within 2 months I became the treasurer :blink: (no one else wanted to do it - so I did). They naturally model SNCF in HO, but being a good bunch (50:50 mix of old:young) they let me run my OO British outline on their layout (runs on the left anyway :) ). They're always asking what new stuff I'm going to bring next - and to be frank I consider the quality of UK models to be a cut above the continental offerings. Whilst like many above, its mostly a place for us old'uns to chat and drink (coffee, not tea here), they are always busy doing a module, or making bridges or buildings - though it seems that ballasting has become my forte - my fault as I was always complaining that what they were using was round and the size of budgie grit. 'Go on, show us' - I did - serves me right.

 

Although I never particularly wanted to join a club that would have ME as a member, I am glad I did, as I have been able to have been of use to them and I have also learnt from them too.

 

Just my personal experience,

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

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On ‎02‎/‎04‎/‎2019 at 14:12, crompton 33 said:

Some members have been talking about a OO brake away group. If things don't change before the sub's are due and one of them is on the committee .  It's just a shame things get like this in some clubs. 

 

Gondola, Queen Mary or Pillbox?

 

Hat, coat, door!

 

Bill

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The one club I used to attend had a fantastic layout, about 30x 10, all code 75.

 

But, the politics! Stay out of the politics! One pair of fellows only went to wind up each others efforts, to the detriment of the social ambience. Other commitments took me out of area, so I don't see most of my friends anymore. Sadly Anno Domini and Natural Span wastage has seen off quite a few of them, but those left are still going strong. New members still join every year, so it's hope for the future.

 

But, Stay out of politics! I'd guess that for every 2 exhibition layouts, about 5 will have bitten the dust, all down to (quite frankly, petty) politics.

 

Have a great weekend,

 

Ian. 

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I have just moved to deepest darkest North Herts and started my “last great project”, a 3.3m x 2.9m OO terminus style layout. That layout is not my sole interest, it has to sit alongside golf, photography and being a grandparent. It will take a couple of years to get to something worth sharing. I am not a particularly gregarious person and don’t generally partake of “small-talk”. There is a model railway club some 10 miles away. What I have seen of that club’s layouts suggests that my era and location would not be in keeping with theirs. As a consequence, I find that the club that is RMWeb offers me much advice, encouragement and camaraderie and I also don’t need to travel!

 

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Theres x6 of us who look after our Merseyside model railway club,here on the Wirral.

Our club is open twice week without fail,only time I miss the club if away on holidays...

 

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Further to my previous  remarks, my club, Broadland model railway club, is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,  as full members get the keys,  prospective members can visit 3 times before joining. 

 

We have in the club room,

 

  Oma park,  n gauge, british/ japanese modern, with a change of buildings, finished, lives boxed up on big shelving. 

 

Broad oak,  00, 1968, West Midlands , nearing completion. 

 

Castle broad,  009, preservation era date indeterminate,  nearing completion 

 

Herrington, n gauge, old East Anglian ex. Fishing town, can be run any era post 1950s just being extended

 

Shadbolts wharf, O gauge ww2 ish, members layout, hand made track, north bank of Thames industrial early stage of construction.

 

South Repps, O-16.5, fictional north Norfolk,  farming  and coastal layout, boards just constructed.

 

Tiree / Scarinish  fictional, the layout was originally built on Tiree,  N gauge highlands and Islands,  1963, being rebuilt and extended,  only 2 of 6 boards at the club at one time. My exhibition layout once finished, I'll join in on the club layouts.. 

 

Test track hinged off the wall in the tea bar.. 

 

 

There are two other members completed  layouts that appear at the club occasionally  for work, 

 

Port St Arbor, BR diesel early harbour layout. 

 

Broadfield TMD, London western region diesel. 

 

A Survey of club members, going on at the moment for next layout, though it won't be constructed for some time. 

 

We are always trying to recruit new members,  so 3 years ago we started club open days,  sadly our club rooms are unsuitable  to allow the public en-mass  in, so we have to hire village halls in the area. 

The next one is at Hoveton  (the village most tourists think is Wroxham)  village hall, NR12 8DU.   It is on Sunday May 26th 10:30 to 15:30. We have unfortunately to charge £3 or £2 for concessions  as hiring halls is expensive.. 

Most of the above layouts will be there, along with our second hand stall and a tea bar.. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Pretty much every Thursday night. My club is quite large with 80+ members but generally only 30-35 attend on Thursdays (it’s open on other days too). The premises are quite large and there is pretty much something for everyone - either building club layouts (5), running stock on 2 others or using the large test-track area. We also run regular stock sales and outings, as well as an annual show and a modelling competition.

 

There is a Committee, elected annually, but it strives to keep bureaucracy to an absolute minimum and club politics is pretty much absent: for such a large group of extremely diverse individuals it is a very friendly, welcoming  social place.

 

Two things in particular have contributed to our success (quite apart from the quality of our premises): those often disparagingly described as ‘box-openers’ are encouraged to join, are as welcome as fine-scale modellers and are not disregarded for that (after all, they pay their subs and if we ever forget that we are a broad church then we’re done for) and our website, increasingly, is good at attracting new members.

 

I’m surprised: I’m not normally that clubable, but I’ve been there for 15 or so years.

 

Tony

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TheQ  Looks like a nice club . Good mix of layouts. The club i'm a member of is the same open 24 hours.  They give you a code after you been there a while so you can get in when you like .  I went over to the club for the first time this year a week ago . No change only a few members sitting talking they all went home by 9 o'clock.

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