TEAMYAKIMA Posted February 29, 2020 Share Posted February 29, 2020 This is just a plug for Twickenham & District MRC and clubs in general - clubs are great places to meet (face to face) other enthusiasts and gain experience and help in all sorts of ways. I must (yet again) send my thanks to fellow T&DMRC members for their help and support with me somewhat over-ambitious layout project. I won't name names (because everyone would start pestering them!) but two T&DMRC members in particular have made substantial contributions to my personal project - that's what clubs are about, members helping each other! So wherever you live - go and visit your local club and join and gain the benefits of being part of a local community of fellow modellers - and if you live anywhere near West London join Twickenham & District MRC. I emphasise the expression '& District' as we currently have active members in Berlin and Chicago (not to mention Watford!), so visit their website www.tdmrc.org.uk and pay us a visit one Friday! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEAMYAKIMA Posted March 18, 2020 Share Posted March 18, 2020 In the current circumstances it will come as no surprise that Twickenham & District MRC are stopping their Friday night club meetings until further notice. In the meantime do look at our website www.tdmrc.org.uk for what the club offers modellers in all scales and gauges Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve W Posted March 19, 2020 Author Share Posted March 19, 2020 T&D MRC has cancelled all meetings, but we are ready to re-start as soon as we get the signal. Stay safe everyone, we hope to welcome you to the Club later in the year. Steve W. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEAMYAKIMA Posted March 26, 2020 Share Posted March 26, 2020 (edited) Although the club itself is closed, individual members continue to work away on their personal layouts. Paul Stapleton is using his time to add a Faller roadway to his HO layout. Watch how the truck does a little wiggle around the parked estate car ……………... Edited March 26, 2020 by TEAMYAKIMA 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEAMYAKIMA Posted March 26, 2020 Share Posted March 26, 2020 Twickenham MRC are in process of setting up their own dedicated YOUTUBE channel to promote the club by showing its members and groups' activities but if you visit my YOUTUBE channel you will find several old videos which I have on my channel until the new site is up and running. Here is a video showing our 50th Anniversary exhibition in 2011 ……………. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEAMYAKIMA Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 (edited) It's not only old videos that have been reviewed during lockdown, but the printed word as well. Back in the mid-1980's a private group of Twickenham MRC members had an excellent (and very large) 7mm exhibition layout called Clamphill, but the club itself had no O gauge layout. It was suggested at an AGM that the club itself should have a 7mm layout in order to attract O gauge modellers to the club, but it would have to be small, at least to begin with. However, the members who already had (the large) Clamphill were not interested in building a small shunting layout. So, there was an impasse, the club wanted to build a 7mm layout in order to attract new club members, but the club's existing O gaugers already had something bigger and better and so weren't interested. There was only one way forward - and so the club's first tentative venture was a somewhat speculative affair built by 'club-minded' members who didn't actually model in 7mm, but who felt this was a good thing for the club to have. The result was PORT WARREN, which was a huge success and which begat WATERSFIELD which in turn begat ADDISON ROAD. So Twickenham club now has a very large and very well known 7mm layout, but it all sprang from PORT WARREN. Edited May 9, 2022 by TEAMYAKIMA 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEAMYAKIMA Posted May 21, 2020 Share Posted May 21, 2020 (edited) Have been looking through archives and found the photos I took of Port Warren back in the 1980's..... And I've found this photo of a running session - now we know who the two guys are in the background, but who's that young (then!) guy actually running trains? Is that YOU? If that is you, or if you know who he is, please let us know! Edited May 9, 2022 by TEAMYAKIMA 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEAMYAKIMA Posted May 21, 2020 Share Posted May 21, 2020 And here's another one! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEAMYAKIMA Posted September 4, 2020 Share Posted September 4, 2020 (edited) Twickenham & District MRC is keeping the flag flying for modelling in SW London in these difficult times. Regular newsletters, quizes and other activities outside the clubroom continue to entertain/inform/occupy club members despite the clubroom being closed. Obviously, one big disappointment this year has been the cancellation of the club's two big events - our OPEN DAY and our 'pop-up' exhibition in Twickenham Library. These two events help the club in two ways - as an shop window to attract new members and as a fund raising activity to help us run the club. With the loss of these fund-raising events this year we are now relying on selling donated S/H items on ebay to help make ends meet. Do you have any old s/h items you would be prepared to donate to Twickenham MRC? Have you had a sort out in your loft/garage during lockdown and found some old models you don't want any more? Twickenham MRC would love to receive any unwanted models (or toy trains) and we can probably arrange to collect them - assuming they are within striking distance of SW London. Please support a club which is doing its best to support the hobby in these difficult times - with your help we can keep the flag flying for model railways into 2021 and beyond. Edited September 4, 2020 by TEAMYAKIMA Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve W Posted December 17, 2020 Author Share Posted December 17, 2020 (edited) Well, wer'e still closed and club layout activity is as delayed as the Crossrail project. The club continues to function in other ways and we are looking forward to resuming activites as soon as we can. If you are in SW London and want to know more about our merry band, don't hesitate to get in touch. In the meantime, on behalf of the Club may we wish you a Happy Xmas (in whatever form that may take ) Cheers! Steve W. www.tdmrc.org.uk Edited December 17, 2020 by steve W addition 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEAMYAKIMA Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 (edited) In early December Twickenham & District MRC continued its fight back against COVID19 with the launch of a new monthly club magazine. Throughout the various lockdowns and restrictions of 2020 club members had received weekly emails from the committee that gave members the latest news, but from the outset the idea of the new magazine was to go further than just keeping the membership in touch with current events (or lack of them). Membership of Twickenham MRC, or really any model railway club for that matter, goes way beyond just building and operating layouts and so the idea was to encourage friendships and connections between members that go beyond just turning up on club nights. The first edition of our new magazine/newsletter launched on Dec 1st and was very well received. Some members had been concerned that there might not be enough content to justify a monthly magazine but the editorial team managed a highly impressive 21 pages packed with news, background information, comment and humour. In fact the reaction from club members was so positive that the editor was inundated with articles for the second edition which will be sent out in early January and the February edition is already filling up. Soon after the club is able to return to regular weekly meetings we plan to hold a special 'at home' evening and invite potential members to come along and see the club in action in the hope that they will like what they see and will want to join us. As part of that initiative we are offering interested parties a FREE subscription to our new club magazine/newsletter so that they can get a flavour of what the club is like before coming down to meet us in person. So, if you would like a free trial subscription to our new club magazine/newsletter for the next few months until clubroom life returns to normal please email chairman.tdmrc@gmail.com and we will send you the magazine as an attachment in pdf format and a personal invitation to our re-launch evening event whenever that takes place, but hopefully sometime this summer. Edited December 27, 2020 by TEAMYAKIMA Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEAMYAKIMA Posted December 28, 2020 Share Posted December 28, 2020 Wow! The first request for a free trial subscription to our new club newsletter/magazine came in less than one hour after my last post! I've just seen the February issue which will be sent out in a few days and it includes an article by the team at Pendon and what they've been up to during the lockdowns - a T&DMRC exclusive!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEAMYAKIMA Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 (edited) Just to say that issue #2 of our new club magazine was published yesterday and it's being sent out to all the interested parties and potential members who have requested a FREE trial subscription. Now when we say free trial subscription we, in effect, mean free trial membership as the clubrooms are, of course, closed at the moment. So, if you would like an insight into T&DMRC and its members this is a perfect 'toe in the water' opportunity to find out what being a member would be like. Eventually, when our clubrooms are allowed to re-open we will be running an OPEN EVENING to which potential members will be invited and you will be able to meet the people you've already read about in person. To register for this free trial membership magazine subscription please contact chairman.tdmrc@gmail.com. BTW with this latest issue we have introduced a new section 'MY FAVOURITE MODEL' as a light-hearted category to which every member could contribute, but the editor has been forced to tighten the rules as this was the first entry ....... HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! Edited May 7, 2022 by TEAMYAKIMA 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEAMYAKIMA Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 Twickenham & District MRC has just received some very welcome publicity in one of our local online newspapers. It is excellent publicity for the hobby in general and T&DMRC in particular and has given us the chance to plug our FREE TRIAL club magazine subscription offer - have YOU applied yet? Contact chairman.tdmrc@gmail.com for your free trial magazine subscription and invitation to our re-launch Open Evening as/when we are allowed to re-open our clubrooms. https://www.swlondoner.co.uk/life/03012021-on-the-right-track-meet-the-enthusiasts-behind-model-railways-in-south-west-london/ 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEAMYAKIMA Posted January 8, 2021 Share Posted January 8, 2021 On 04/01/2021 at 10:50, TEAMYAKIMA said: Twickenham & District MRC has just received some very welcome publicity in one of our local online newspapers. It is excellent publicity for the hobby in general and T&DMRC in particular and has given us the chance to plug our FREE TRIAL club magazine subscription offer - have YOU applied yet? Contact chairman.tdmrc@gmail.com for your free trial magazine subscription and invitation to our re-launch Open Evening as/when we are allowed to re-open our clubrooms. https://www.swlondoner.co.uk/life/03012021-on-the-right-track-meet-the-enthusiasts-behind-model-railways-in-south-west-london/ We're getting a steady stream of people responding to the article in the SWLondoner and requesting a free magazine subscription - the latest one being from Douglas, Arizona, USA! Well, we do call ourselves Twickenham and District MRC Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEAMYAKIMA Posted January 16, 2021 Share Posted January 16, 2021 In these difficfult times for society in general it's great to be able to announce some GOOD news! Twickenham & District MRC's offer of a FREE subscription to our new club monthly magazine has altready resulted in TWO new members! As our clubrooms are currently closed, this trial club magazine subscription is, in all but name, a FREE trial membership and two subscribers have decided that they liked what they saw and decided to join us full time. It's interesting to note that one lives in Eastbourne and the other lives in Norway, but that shows that our positivity is getting results. For your free trial subscription to our club magazine please email chairman.tdmrc@gmail.com Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEAMYAKIMA Posted February 13, 2021 Share Posted February 13, 2021 There appears to be considerable interest in the modelling media as to how clubs are surviving during lockdown. There is the problem of trying to maintain membership numbers and hence subscription income at a time when clubrooms are closed and exhibitions, a club's annual shop window to attract new members, are banned. In that context Twickenham & District MRC has been very successful - actually increasing membership numbers during lockdown! Model Rail magazine got wind of this and has commissioned an article on how we are bucking the trend - watch out for it in an upcoming edition. Our secret weapon has been our FREE monthly club magazine subscription offer - a way of getting to know the club and its members before making that first move towards meeting us in the flesh once our clubrooms re-open. If you are thinking of joining a club in SW London, whether it be to work on layouts or just to enjoy the company of fellow enthusiasts, why not apply to receive our monthly magazine - and we'll even back-date it to its launch edition back in December 2020. Apply to chairman.tdmrc@gmail.com Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEAMYAKIMA Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 (edited) More positive news from Twickenham & District MRC It has just been announced that we have had a 100% membership renewal - all 59 members - that shows that we're doing something right! Seriously, with nearly 20 potential members taking up our FREE trial membership offer the immediate future is looking very positive for T&DMRC. Edited May 7, 2022 by TEAMYAKIMA 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEAMYAKIMA Posted June 29, 2021 Share Posted June 29, 2021 (edited) As our last two fund-raising open days (2020 & 2021) have had to be cancelled due to COVID the club has been selling donated items on ebay to try to make up the shortfall in income. We have been very successful and in the last year and a bit and we have sold 99.9% of donations, but a few items (mainly Southern region railway books) stubbornly refused to sell and so today they have been reduced in price to help clear the shelves so that we can make a fresh start once a new batch of donations arrive. If you would like to support Twickenham & District MRC please take a look - most book prices are now rock bottom and there are a few OO items as well. We are very happy to do a deal on postal charges if you want to buy more than one item. Here is a link to one sample book.................... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284328768876 Edited June 29, 2021 by TEAMYAKIMA Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEAMYAKIMA Posted September 10, 2021 Share Posted September 10, 2021 (edited) We're back!! Actually, we've been back for a few weeks now, but the first few weeks involved things like tidying the store room and track cleaning - not very exciting! But our flagship layout ADDISON ROAD had its first post-COVID running session last week and here are a few photos ... Let's start with conventional AR stock - nothing more AR than this ..................... Or this ....... Now this is a bit 'left field' .................. And this is just plain silly ..................... and by the way it's NOT an A4! Who's going to be the first to post what that is if it's not an A4? OK, that's all for now, but we'll be back soon with news of a fantastic unique ADDISON ROAD initiative. Edited May 7, 2022 by TEAMYAKIMA 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEAMYAKIMA Posted February 21, 2022 Share Posted February 21, 2022 I just wanted to share with everyone my joy at still maintaining my Twickenham club membership despite now living two hours away from the clubroom by public transport. Whilst forums and Facebook groups do have a place in modern life, nothing beats the companionship and support you can get from being a member of a great MRC and Twickenham & District MRC is just one of those/ I have built a VERY ambitious exhibition layout, but I could not have achieved what I have achieved without the help and technical support I have received from my fellow club members all those miles away. Yes, people you 'meet' on line can give advice but my fellow club members have actually rolled up their sleeves and given me practical, physical help - many thanks guys! I only wish that I could attend the clubroom more often than my annual visit - all can say is that if you live anywhere with easy access to Twickenham, then contact the club and go along and see for yourself what the club can offer you. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Gwiwer Posted February 21, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 21, 2022 6 hours ago, TEAMYAKIMA said: if you live anywhere with easy access to Twickenham, then contact the club and go along and see for yourself what the club can offer you. Echoed here although in my case it is the need to rise very early for work the next day which precludes attendance. They do ask that prospective visitors make contact with the club secretary before arriving as they are still carefully managing numbers and have to respect the comfort levels of those involved. And, in many cases, the age and ongoing vulnerability to the virus which remain very much key issues. secretary.tdmrc@gmail.com Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEAMYAKIMA Posted May 7, 2022 Share Posted May 7, 2022 (edited) Twickenham & District MRC will be reaching out to the local community to attract new members, especially new entrants to the hobby. The club is taking this local community aspect very seriously, and has invested in a new gazebo so it can attend open air events like fetes and fairs. We recently had a test run in the grounds of where we meet. Edited May 7, 2022 by TEAMYAKIMA Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEAMYAKIMA Posted June 3, 2022 Share Posted June 3, 2022 Yet again I wish to thank Twickenham MRC members for their unending support for me and my layout project - even though I now live in Watford! Once again I have received practical, technical (and moral) support from a fellow T&DMRC member who has just spent two FULL days over in Watford giving me the kind of 'hands-on' help I need. This is the real benefit of being a member of a good club like T&DMRC - I'm sure that this holds true for most clubs around the country - but I know from practical experience that it is true of Twickenham MRC. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEAMYAKIMA Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 (edited) Hold on to your hats! Twickenham & District MRC's Open Day is back! Yes, for the first time since 2019 the club is throwing open its doors and welcoming visitors to come and see what the club (and the hobby) has to offer. There will be serious layouts for the serious enthusiast, there will be interactive fun layouts for the young (and young at heart), demonstrations, a s/h stall and refreshments. As regards our s/h stall, if anyone reading this has any old unwanted models - any gauge, any condition - which they would be prepared to donate to the club please contact our Chairman Paul Raven-Hill on chairman.tdmrc@gmail.com This Open Day is the club's only source of outside income - please come and support us! Edited July 25, 2022 by TEAMYAKIMA Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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