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Milton Keynes MRS to close at Bletchley Park


mkwolf1877

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PRESS RELEASE – 19/06/12

Final opening of the model railway at Bletchley Park

Milton Keynes Model Railway Society is to welcome visitors to its Bletchley Park facilities for the very last time over the weekend of 30th June / 1st July 2012. With extension of the computing and code-breaking exhibits at Bletchley Park and the need for more exhibition space, there is no longer room to accommodate Milton Keynes MRS and we have to vacate the premises. The Society has improved its displays over the years and has only recently seen the completion of its multi-gauge outdoor layout. Work was also underway on building a new computer operated layout using the latest Digital Command Control system produced by Hornby, using software developed for them by a Milton Keynes company and which is now being marketed worldwide.

Last year the Society welcomed almost 30,000 visitors to its clubrooms and since opening to the public in 1994, our ongoing visitor count reveals that over 233,000 people have visited the attraction. We have also been an integral part of the schools educational visits programme, teaching pupils the important role played by the railways in World War 2 in respect of evacuation and movement of troops and foodstuffs.

MKMRS, founded in 1969, has around 70 members and has had just three homes during its 43 years’ existence. The Club was invited to join the fledgling Bletchley Park museum complex seventeen years ago and has been an integral part of the Park ever since, opening at weekends and during the school holidays operated by club members on a voluntary basis. The Club is well known throughout the country having exhibited as far afield as Cornwall and County Durham and just about everywhere else in between. One of our layouts, Milton Quays, will be attending the Warley National Model Railway Exhibition at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham shortly before we have to leave Bletchley Park on 1 December 2012. MKMRS layouts have also appeared in the model railway press and a number of members have served as officers in national model railway organisations.

Vice – Chairman Chris Hughes said:

“We are now faced with finding alternative accommodation and club members are keen that we can locate suitable premises and carry on. We are naturally disappointed that all our time and effort for the next six months will have to be channelled into removing everything we have installed since we took over what was a semi-derelict building in 1994. Our 2013 exhibition will however go ahead in February and we hope to bounce-back from what is a very worrying situation.â€

Chairman, Dennis Lovett, who has been a member since joining the club as a junior on its formation in 1969 said today:

“In addition to relocating our exhibits within the building, most of which are fortunately portable, we have the recently installed garden railway to remove and full size railway signalling equipment to find a home for. The search for new premises has now begun and I do not want to contemplate what will happen to us if we are unable to find somewhere suitable and affordable. It would be the end of another chapter in the area’s rich railway history – one that we have been proud to explain to visitors to Bletchley Park for almost two decades. We are determined to ensure that this is not the end of the line for Milton Keynes Model Railway Society.â€

MKMRS had been informed that it would have to vacate its current location as the Park developed but was expecting to be relocated within the Bletchley Park complex as originally envisaged.

-ends-

 

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Thanks Mark,

 

Unfortunately I wasn't around yesterday when Dennis sent me the release. I'll certainly try and get down for the open day and also suggest that anyone who owns property in the MK area who may be able to offer a low-cost solution to get in touch!

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Sad news for our near neighbours, I will talk to our committee here at Banbury to see if there is anything we can do to help, in the meantime we wish MK all the best for the future

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mkwolf1877 hope your final w/e goes well. In the meantime if you or any of your members get 'train running withdrawal syndrome' and are in the area Banbury has public open days the next of which are 8th July and 12th August. We welcome you along and will supply tea, biscuits and a chin wag with enthusiasts. We have 3/4 O gauge tracks and 2/3 OO gauge tracks all of which are +/- 60' running length. See our website for details. And of course we hope you find a new permanent club premises and are up and running soon.

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I was there on Saturday, running a couple of trains on the '00' DCC test track.

It's a crying shame as we were much appreciated by the families that visited.

The club will survive, but I doubt that we'll ever get the space that we had

at Bletchley Park.

Don't think my garage will accommodate 60 members at a time !!

 

Dad-1

 

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I Must admit I'm amazed at there not being space, when I lived on Bletchley Park there, were a lot of huts brick and wooden, have they been demolished or are they just not available?

and since I'm not there ot find out, these days whats being done with the old accomodation building I lived in? ( the big long one between the huts and the pond)

thanks for any info

The Q

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Hi Q,

 

There are political and financial reasons behind our eviction.

At the moment It's better these are not aired in public. However you are correct in saying there are loads of derlect buildings still on the site and will probably remain that way for at least another 10 years or more. I wouldn't be surprised to see more land around the edges of the Park sold off. Over the last 20 years housing developments have been closing in on all sides !

 

Dad-1

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  • 4 months later...

Good news. We have a new home. We have secured an industrial unit right behind the West Coast Main Line, still in Bletchley.

A great deal of stuff has already been moved, now for the final push to vacate Bletchley Park before 1st December.

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Yes I noticed there were a large number of derelict huts and standard MOD brick built buildings, and also how close in the housing is to the site on my visits earlier this year. However, the Bletchley Park site is well worth a visit for the other attractions and is perhaps finally achieving a National status as a museum.

 

It's very sad when the eviction notice comes, however, it's an opportunity as well for the club to maybe move into more suitable premises.

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Yes I noticed there were a large number of derelict huts and standard MOD brick built buildings, and also how close in the housing is to the site on my visits earlier this year. However, the Bletchley Park site is well worth a visit for the other attractions and is perhaps finally achieving a National status as a museum.

 

It's very sad when the eviction notice comes, however, it's an opportunity as well for the club to maybe move into more suitable premises.

There won't be much there when they've got rid of all the other attractions, certainly no appeal for families! Hey ho, onwards & upwards, we've had 17 good years there.

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There won't be much there when they've got rid of all the other attractions, certainly no appeal for families! Hey ho, onwards & upwards, we've had 17 good years there.

The Amateur Radio Club is due to leave site by the year end, again a resident for over 17 years.

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