☆ SWAG Members Day- SUNDAY 28th APRIL 2024☆

[NHY 581]

The South West Area Group Members day for 2024 is scheduled for Sunday 28th April 2024. 

 

 

10AM- 4PM , Sunday 28th April 2024. 

 

Where

 

Staplegrove Village Hall, 

214 Staplegrove Road,

Taunton.

TA2 6AL 

 

Serious stuff. 

 

 

************PLEASE NOTE***********

 

IF TRAVELLING BY CAR, REMEMBER,  THERE IS LIMITED PARKING AT THE HALL ITSELF.

 

 

 

THE VENUE SITS WITHIN A RESIDENTIAL AREA SO PLEASE PARK WITH DUE CONSIDERATION TO LOCAL RESIDENTS..

 

 

 

Fun stuff. 

 

Layouts.  The usual menagerie of wonders has been assembled............as follows.....

 

PAYNESTOWN. N gauge by @Barry Ten

 

 

 

Those with longish memories may recall Al Reynold's 4mm homage to a typical terminus set in the South Wales Valleys. It's still about but under new ownership. Well, Al has revisited the original concept but this time in 2mm. As ever, Al has captured the very essence of the area to provide us with a  wonderful evocation of these rather basic termini so very much at the heart of these tightly knit communities. 

 

RUYTON ROAD. 4mm/P4 by @McC

 

 

 

Another seminal layout from the early days of Model Railway Journal (  Issue No. 75 ). Built by the late John Spencer it is now in the care of  Paul Bannerman who rebuilt the trackwork from the original EM to the current P4. The rest of the layout has been sympathetically restored to provide a lovely insight into the Shropshire and Montgomeryshire Railway from Kinnerley Junction to Ruyton Town, serving a nearby quarry. Fair to say the aim of giving a flavour of a 1920s  Colonel Stephen's light railway has been acheived. 

 

 

OLD PARROCK. 4mm/00 by @PaulR

 

 

Paul's wonderful pre-grouping layout is a personal favourite of mine. Beautifully scratch built buildings are the true stars of this delightful little layout. Another outstanding example of the 'less is more' approach to layout construction and a real visual feast rich in colour and texture. Far too short an article appeared in Model Railway Journal No. 284. 

 

 

LYDBROOK DEAN. 4mm/00 by @wiggoforgold

 

 

 

Alex returns to SWAG having brought his wonderful Yelverton along last year. This time Alex has taken himself off to the Forest of Dean. To quote Alex, 'Set circa 1962, it will be called “Lydbrook Dean”. It will be set on the former Severn and Wye line, and Ben Ashworth’s book “BR Steam in Dean” has given much inspiration'. Well, I think Alex has once again captured his chosen subject and era beautifully. 

 

 

 

 

MIDDLETON TOP. 4mm/00 by @JustinDean

 

 

(Photo by Jay ) 

Jay brings his rather nice slice of the Cromford and High Peak Railway along. Middleton Top features Jay's scratchbuilt structures from the actual location as well as a number of kitbuilt locos and wagons unique to the line. Never exhibited before, this promises to be a real treat. 

 

(Photo by Jay )

 

OSNEY TOWN. 7mm @rcf

 

 

 

Rob's Osney Town is the latest in a line of 7mm cameo layouts, which due to what Rob describes as a severe lack of space aims to provide a snapshot of  a "what  might have been" set somewhere in the sleepy extremities of the Western area of British Railways in the late 50s. If you think uou can't accomodate a 7mm lauout, think agsin as this is just 5ft long and depicts a small station set alongside a babbling brook. Of note are Rob's lovely structures which provide such character. 

 

 

 

KYLE OF LOCHALSH. 2mm Finescale. by @bcnPete

 

 

( Photo by Chris Nevard ) 

 

Pete flys the 2mm finescale flag with his homage to the Kyle of Lochalsh. Pete has captured the very essence of arguably one of the most readily identifiable railway stations. It's also rather well travelled as Kylie was originally built in Barcelona, Spain as a micro layout capable of being transported via boxfiles. It was first exhibited in 2010 and has since had two refurbishments to create a scenic section and fiddleyard. 

 

 

CROPPER STREET SIDINGS

4mm/00 by @Gilbert

 

 

 

Chris is a dab hand at an inglenook and this year he treats us to another excellent example of the genre. They're not everyone's cup of Earl Grey but be prepared to watch and learn. Blue and green diseasals predominate on Cropper Street Sidings which is a small, eminently operable shunting puzzle and is another example of how a usable layout can be accomodated in a small space. For those of you who may not be aware, Chris is a tutor at Missenden Abbey, specifically weathering so rest assured, we'll be treated to some well executed examples of his craft shuffling about on Plopper Street. 

 

 

ST.OSWALDS. 0-16.5 by @TimC

 

 

 

Set in the early 1960s, Tim's delightful St Oswalds depicts a run-down Welsh narrow-gauge railway goods yard in its last days before closure.  The layout and stock have a Welshpool and Llanfair flavour though locomotives and wagons from other railways also creep in to provide occasional variety. 

Have inglenook layouts ever looked so lovely ?

 

 

Demos. 

 

 

 

Once again we have a selection of specialists to entertain and advise on stuff.

 

Jerry @queensquare will once again be beating the 2mm Finescale drum and will have a selection of teeny tiny mechanial wonders and not so teeny tiny buildings and other bits as well as the society publications and information packs. 

 

George, aka @Gedward will be along with a diorama or two. Excellent scenery and a rather nifty hand painted backscene will no doubt elicit many a question from the casual passer by and George is there to answer. 

 

Stu, aka @Stubby47 will be there to discuss your requirements for a bespoke building or two. He'll also be demoing a selection of buildings by SMS  and can offer a custom building service for this lovely range of buildings and accessories. If you struggle to locate him, he'll be under the mound of cake crumbs. 

 

Martyn aka @mulliewill be returning with something small and East Anglian and once again be sharing how he achieves such lovely colouring on his models. 

 

Finally, I'm hoping we shall see Simon aka @Not Jeremy with some proper big boys locos about which I'm sure he be only to pleased to share their secrets. 

 

Catering. 

 

 

Our crack catering team will be on hand to serve up a veritable feast of delights. The usual pasties, scratch built cakeage, cups of tea and coffee along with the occasional biscuit and Welsh cakes. 

 

 

 

All we ask is if possible, please bring your own mug to help keep the amount of washing up to a minimum and prevent the catering team’s little pinkies from drying out. (Costs a fortune in moisturiser for them otherwise)

Profit from all sales on the day will go towards supporting SWAG'25 with the excess being donated to charity. 

 

 

Bring and Buy

 

Once again our highly trained sales team will be on hand to run the Bring and Buy stall. 

 

 

 

Exhibitors and visitors are encouraged to raid those 'roundtoit' shelves and cupboards and offer those little gems for sale. Remember, a percentage of the selling price will be payable to the event. The money raised will go towards supporting SWAG'25 with the excess going to charity. 

 

☆Please note....we will be able to take payment by card at both bring and buy and catering departments*☆

 

 

Traders. 

 

Please give some thought to anything you might want to be able to pick up from the traders on the day. Please consider contacting them prior to the weekend and arrange to collect on the day. 

 

Lord and Butler. 

 

Peter @Lord and Butler Model Railways will be along with a smorgasbord of items from the shop, both new and some previously enjoyed gems. 

 

247 Developments. 

 

Brian @mozzer models is a long time supporter of the event and will have his usual selection of hard to find detailing parts, etched products and his expanding range of 3D prints. 

 

Mudmagnet Models. 

 

 

Richard @mudmagnet brings his ever so massively expanding range of 3D printed items for those exquisitely  crafted extra bits and bobs to add that all important  detailing to our layouts. 

 

 

 

How........................... much ?!!!!!!! 

 

 

FREE.

 

 

YEP. YOU READ THAT RIGHT.............

 

FREE. 

 

This is still a free to enter members day. However, there are running costs associated with the event which are getting increasingly challenging to meet. 

 

To help with this, there'll be suitably labelled receptacles dotted about the hall.

 

 

PLEASE donate a few coins into these at your discretion, you'll be helping to ensure we can do this again in 2025.

 

 

.......To be brutally honest, the capability to hold SWAG in April '25 is wholly dependent on monies raised during the event, by way of the catering, a percentage from the sales in the bring and buy department and , yes,  any donations made by the visitors. 

 

To that end we will still see a post event donation made to charity but the priority this year will be to ensure that we CAN do this in 2025. 

 

SWAG'24 is going ahead due, in no small part, to donations generously made at SWAG'23. 

 

Loud shirts. 

 

 

( photo courtesy of the EM Gauge Society ) 

 

Definately encouraged.

 

So, I think that's about it for now. I've one more layout to confirm ( thankfully quite a small one ) and then it's just a case of fitting it all in.......somehow.

 

 

I thank ewe. 

 

 

Rob.

 

 

 

 

 

 

           

 

 

 

Edited April 15 by NHY 581

[NHY 581]

Details of Cropper Street Siding now added in place of Timmy's Bottom. 

 

Rob

[bcnPete]

For some reason, the photo didn't appear Rob, so here you go...copyright of Chris Nevard@ModelRail

[NHY 581]

10 hours ago, bcnPete said:

For some reason, the photo didn't appear Rob, so here you go...copyright of Chris Nevard@ModelRail

 

 

Hi Pete, 

 

No idea but now added in where appropriate to the OP

 

Rob

[Brinkly]

Very much looking forward to this - thanks for organising the day, Rob.

 

Best wishes,

 

Nick 

[NHY 581]

On 29/03/2024 at 10:04, Brinkly said:

Very much looking forward to this - thanks for organising the day, Rob.

 

Best wishes,

 

Nick 

 

 

Thanks Nick, 

 

For the information of all potential visitors, the most recent updates on on the dedicated SWAG'24 thread in the area group section. 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 31 by NHY 581

[NHY 581]

Morning all, 

 

Further updates are now on the main thread in the Area Groups area. 

 

Full steam remains fully ahead. 

 

Rob. 

[NHY 581]

Afternoon all, 

 

Further updates and banter on the main thread but suffice to say, three weeks from now all will be done and dusted.........

 

Rob. 

[NHY 581]

Morning all, 

 

Eleven days to go.......Don't miss out ! 

 

 

Rob. 

 

 

[Gilbert]

A question for the floor....I am looking at the various bits and bobs I may offer for re-cycling via the B&B at SWAG.

I have a box of weathered 1970s/1980s Easten USA HO freight cars and a few locos - is this likely to be of interest or shall I not bother sorting them out and doing the paperwork!?

Chris H

[NHY 581]

14 hours ago, Gilbert said:

A question for the floor....I am looking at the various bits and bobs I may offer for re-cycling via the B&B at SWAG.

I have a box of weathered 1970s/1980s Easten USA HO freight cars and a few locos - is this likely to be of interest or shall I not bother sorting them out and doing the paperwork!?

Chris H

 

Why not ? 

[NHY 581]

Seven days to go..........

 

 

 

 

 

[NHY 581]