andykwilkinson

Apparently, our Treasurer John should be appearing on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire's 'Drive Time' show tonight at about 5.25pm to talk about our Exhibition this Saturday. Don't crash your car whilst tuning in! 🙃

Since a number of people have phoned our Secretary to ask, we a pleased to inform that the Club now owns 2 wifi card devices. 🙂 This means contactless credit card payments should (fingers crossed) be possible - not just for entry to our Exhibition on Saturday 21st May but also for purchases from the volunteer run cafe. The cafe will serve a variety of drinks and light snacks such as lovely home made cakes and sandwiches (and possibly some large hot sausage rolls). It should also be possible to make a card transactions for purchases of more expensive items from our Club sales stand too. Of course, many of our Traders will already have card readers should you need to buy some essential modelling supplies at the show...🙂 A full list of traders and all exhibitors attending is on our website.

We got a good piece with (numerous pictures from a few past shows) in The Ely Standard. Not long now! This time next week...😀 https://www.elystandard.co.uk/news/major-model-rail-exhibition-ely-cambs-8959912

Hi Sumo, as you know (but for the benefit tof those that don't) it's very slightly over a mile from Ely station to Ely College. Super frequent train service to Ely from all over the place, thanks to those Railway builders! It's a very pleasant walk, especially if you walk along the river, past The Cutter Inn and The Maltings (we outgrew that venue many years back - truly lovely though it was...it also became way, way too expensive!) Then head up Fore Hill, past The Drayman's Son (Micropub 😎), through the Market Square and head up Chapel or Egremont Street. Then turn into Downham Road for the home straight. Alternatively, a taxi from the station is about £5... If it were me, I'd walk and spend that on beer en-route back to the station after the show! 😀 Other pubs and lovely walking routes in Ely are available...Up through Cherry Hill and through The Porta, then into The Gallery is a super route that takes you past Ely's medieval splendours!

Our popular event returns after a gap of 3 years to Ely College on Saturday 21st May 2022. However, one important person will be missing - Malcolm Hine, a stalwart of the Club and Exhibition Manager for no less than 16 of our previous shows in Ely. Malcolm sadly died last November of COVID. He was a fine modeller and a great friend with many in the hobby, not just in Ely but around the UK. Our new Exhibition team have organised this year’s show as a memorial to him and it’s based primarily on the show Malcolm put together for May 2020 - which of course was cancelled due to the pandemic - as was our 2021 show. But, we’re back! As well as many fine model railway layouts and traders from around the UK, the Exhibition will feature Malcolm’s last scratch built layout, Fullers Wharf. This superb 7mm scale layout features both standard and narrow gauge as well as a canal scene. We will also be awarding a new Malcolm Hine Memorial Trophy to the layout which the public vote as best in show on the day. So why not come along with your fellow modellers to see the wide array of exhibits on show. Doors open at 10.30am and more information on the shows content etc. can be found on our Club’s website www.elymrc.org.uk and our Club’s Facebook page. I've also attached a poster below which has the post code, price info etc. We look forward to seeing you there!

Graham, Jonathan, Been busy making another batch of Grantham DVDs during Lockdown 3 for when you guys start exhibiting again later this year - so the punters can buy them at the shows (remember those!) and so help support The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust. Anyway, you've got mail!

Will do - not seen Graham for a few months...so you've given me an excuse to see how it's going!

Hi all, The video I've just completed features my Club's (Ely & District MRC) 4mm scale layout based on Ramsey in Cambridgeshire. The model is a "might have been" and assumes the LNER joined both the termini that actually existed: Ramsey East - on the line from Somersham Junction; and Ramsey North - on the line from Holme. A number of the buildings on the model were based on prototypes from Ramsey and surrounding area to give it that fenland feel. The station building is based on Earith Bridge as we could not find a decent picture of one of the Ramsey station buildings at the time construction started - a few years ago now! The layout could be exhibited in either 1950's or modern image format thanks to some replaceable buildings and sub-baseboards (and stock availability!) I created the video as a swansong to the layout as it's just been retired and sold to a Club member who lives in North Yorkshire. We needed more space in the Clubroom as we're finishing our large Wickham Market in OO and will soon start Framlingham...well, as soon as we're able to meet regularly again that is! We also have a large N gauge layout in the Clubroom too. Some of you will have seen my other YouTube videos on our (and others) layouts, such as Thurston OO, Stoney Middleton (7mm NG) and I also produced the DVD for the mightily impressive Grantham OO layout (a short 'promo' for it is on YouTube). If you enjoy this, have a look at those too. Stay well - and keep modelling! Andy

Ely Exhibition 16th May 2020 also CANCELLED.

Hi everyone, As many of you know, much hard work goes into arranging Exhibitions - many months, even years ahead of each show - and ours is no exception. However, because of recent government health advice it'll now come as no surprise that we've cancelled this year's Ely Exhibition. I would like to say a big thank you to Malcolm Hine our current Exhibition Manager who has born the brunt of all the hard work that's now come to nothing. We'll be back! See you on the other side. Stay safe everyone and look after and support those around you.

No probs Jonathan. Just take the DVD Player's remote to the next exhibition and it sounds like that'll be all sorted!

Jonathan, On your post (27th Jan) you mention that the Grantham DVD (that I produced a while ago) "has to be reminded to repeat each time". Some DVD recorders allow you to set it to auto repeat - but if the one being used does not then I can make a "Special Display Only DVD" which should make the (hopefully, any) DVD player go back to the start and play again - without human intervention. I had to do this with our now infamous Thurston DVD when that was out and about on the exhibition circuit - before it's well earned retirement to a rich man's Suffolk barn a few years ago. Busy with work at the moment but if this is of interest I'll make you a copy and perhaps give it to you when we next meet and you can see if that removes one more task! Grantham team - layout's looking great - so many little improvements from when we filmed!!!

A long way off...but a date for your diary in May 2020 (We are always the third Saturday in May).

Here's the Ely Standards take on our 2019 Exhibition. I always thought reporters exaggerated numbers - but not in this case! (it was many, many hundreds, not dozens!) https://www.elystandard.co.uk/news/ely-and-district-model-railway-club-exhibition-1-6060257?fbclid=IwAR3-29oMXMnFZz8AAYPnDL_UKgWTBsYXdYjaClxfVjk7wKMWYHsQc4WI43o Also, a couple of general view phone snaps, one from the Gym and one from Needham's Hall.

Tony Wright kindly agreed to be our "celebrity" when the Hornby Prize Draw was done at our show on Saturday. The lucky winner, a Mr A Banks, was no longer at the Show when this was done at 3.30PM so our Treasurer John stood in for the photos. He seems rather keen to get his hands on the prize too! (In fact John delivered the prize to Mr Banks in Ely the following day). Our grateful thanks once again to Hornby for such a generous offer of this prize. We would also like to sincerly thank Great Eastern Models, Layouts4U and Model Scenic Supplies who all donated towards the runner up prize too. The third prize was a bottle of whisky donated by our Vice Chairman Keith Barker. Amazingly, Keith won it back in the Prize Draw (!) but being a good sport allowed another ticket to be drawn - and that meant the whisky went to a very pleased looking guy (who was still at the Show) called Merv.

Thanks for the pictures and comments. Re the polystyrene cups - I actually bought 1000 paper/rippled cardboard cups ahead of the show and these are what we will use next year (Sat 16th May, 2020) - but we had to deplete our stock of polystyrene ones first. This year I also bought wooden stirrers and these seemed to be well liked. We have a million (or so it seems!) plastic spoons - but as soon as we're through them then pressed wooden ones will be the norm. The catering (dozens of home made cakes made by members partners, mainly and also sandwiches made that morning - by my wife with a little help) was, as always, getting pretty complimentary comments on the day and this is something we're hoping to continue. We also give all the exhibitors a very good 2 course meal (cooked by the school in a separate building) as we like to look after them as well as we can can.

Just a quick note to say 'Bourton on the Marsh' won the public vote for best layout at our 41st Ely Model Railway Exhibition yesterday. It beat Bob Harper's 'Teign House Sidings' by just a couple of votes! In third place, again just a few votes behind, was Ely & District MRC Member Neil - with his 'N' gauge 'Aviemore' layout. Well done to all of them. Our next show in Ely is on Saturday 16th May 2020 at Ely College.

Hi all, Thank you for the comments so far and to all who came and contributed to our terrifically successful 41st show in Ely. Details (winner of best layout competition etc.) will be posted in due course. However, in meantime, as already mentioned on our Club's Facebook page, may we send our sincere thoughts to all those involved/affected by the devastating vandalism at the Market Deeping/Stamford show. The pictures of the damage leave us totally lost for words and, as already mentioned, dominated a lot of the conversations (and mood) during our day. We were fortunate to have help from a group from the St Neots Club (who were brilliant and hard working - thank you) but of course some members of that Club had their painstaking work destroyed in this mindless act. I know I speak for many in our Club in hoping that the culprits get more (a heck of a lot more) than 20 hours (or whatever...) meaningless. “community service”. In the meantime, if anyone else who visited us yesterday would let us know how they found the show - on this thread - we'd be very interested to read it. Thank you again from all at Ely & District MRC

This pre-exhibition malarkey is not all hard work...lunchtime down the Club today whilst crating the layout! I see some of the Wickham Market leg units are being put to good use too.

Spot what someone's planted to try and wind me up! We actually have in the Club a retired National Grid engineer who said they are "not correct" anyway! (Something to do with the insulators) Also spot the latest signal to be planted on Wickham Market ahead of our show on Saturday! Rather nice - Now that's more like it! That can stay - but those pylons are getting lifted!!!

Just noticed someone's having a laugh. Those electricity pylons near my cornfield did not appear until the 1960s...

Just been sent these pictures from our team working hard in the Clubroom. Wickham Market's lighting rig is coming together...

Well look at this! As one of the Members said today, the lady is getting dressed and is nearly ready for her debutante ball...

I know this won't appeal to serious modellers but it may to those with younger kids. If you're visiting our 41st Model Railway Exhibition at Ely College on Saturday 18th May (doors open 10.30am), as well as many fine layouts and traders from across the region Hornby have very kindly donated one of their East Coast Express OO boxed railway sets. These sell at around £175 RRP. We'll be holding a draw for this item so don't forget to buy some tickets at the show! There will also be a Tombola with a wide variety of prizes too!

Found this phone snap - from some time ago. The scenic work in the station area has come on a lot since this but it shows the (truly excellent) model of the station building built by our Exhibition Manager Malcolm Hine. Since this photo we now have the Goods Shed built (by Keith Barker), as well as the cottages that are in the far distance/on the corner of the layout near the coal yard in an advanced stage of construction (by Bob Relmore). Quite a few working signals have also been completed by Jamie Rands too (his farther is building the Airey Houses that were built at the southern end of Wickham Market/near the goods yard). The pond (lower left of pic) and station garden (between the bridge and the station building in the pic) are now pretty well advanced too. It's coming on...now, back to the roof on the Granary. I'm about to insert the chimney!