Hi, I am sending this Train Orders instead of George as I need to get information to you before our next Group meet and to urgently ask for help.
‘Fallen Flags’ Themed Event – October 4th/5th.
For an event of this sort we all know that we need volunteers to deal with car parking, tombola ticket sales, pay hut at entrance (some of the time) etc and to act as stewards to help people find their way around, plus act as locums when layout operators etc require ‘needs breaks’ etc.
So please guys do come forward to help out – after all I am organising this event this to raise funds for our group. Please don’t leave me to do it all myself, I am stressed already!
Finally we need someone to man our NMRA stand hopefully showing some models and displaying publicity and handing out membership application brochures etc.
It would be ideal if some people could be available on Friday afternoon and early on Saturday morning to assist any of the exhibitors to set up their stands where necessary – also to mark out layout positions on the Friday lunchtime.
Will those who have not yet contacted me to confirm rooms at Crewe Arms and/or reserved places for the Saturday evening dinner please do so quickly so can confirm final numbers. Current numbers for dinner stands at 33.
Publicity of our event has been posted in BRM magazine, on RM Web, UK Model Shops website, NMRA (BR) website, NMRA E-news, Roundhouse, Crewe Heritage Centre website and CanModelTrains website. Hopefully, it will also be broadcast on Radio Stoke and Signal Radio and published in the two local papers. Small posters will be placed at newsagents, local shops and on supermarket notice boards around the area. It would be good if members could also take some of these posters this coming weekend and have them displayed at newsagents, supermarkets etc where you live as well.
A number of model manufacturers plus a class 1 railroad have sent gifts for our raffle/tombola but we still need members to donate gifts to make this as good as we have done for previous events.
North Western Mills layout
There are still some minor jobs needing to be done – ballasting areas where it has become loose, finishing off street running section gardens etc, blackening windows on some buildings, signs on buildings etc. To complete these tasks we need members to come along on a Wednesday in the next three weeks or be prepared to undertake some of these jobs at our next meet on 13th September. It would be good to have the layout looking its best.
Will those thinking of bringing trains to run over the Train Show weekend please make sure coupler heights are correct and that locos are in full working order. Please don’t bring locos to test / trial as it does not look good in the eyes of the public if everything stops whilst someone is messing about with an item. We need to keep trains running all the time and for members to be aware that the public may want to ask questions of have explanations of what we are doing. Please talk to people and tell them about our group and activities.
Calder Northern Meet dates for 2015
The Meet dates for 2015 are published and you can collect a list of dates at our 13th September meeting. These dates will also be advised in the next official Train Orders from the Secretary.
Terry Wynne
Fallen Flags event organiser
Notes for TRAIN ORDERS
The Fallen Flags Meet is now behind us and I wish to say a big thank you to those who helped over the weekend of the show. It was a lot of work and thankfully the event went off OK without too many glitches.
First a thank you to Roy Harris, for help in putting Show information on rail websites and placing signs on the roundabout on Vernon Way. Thanks also to all those who took posters to place in shops locally. A huge thank you must go to all those who helped on the Sat/Sun in the pay hut, on car park duties and making sure exhibitors were looked after.
I am pleased to say all the exhibitors, traders and caterers said they had enjoyed the event and particularly the friendly welcome from Calder Northern Group members. They also commented on the great atmosphere as well as the unique environment of the Heritage Centre that we are able to enjoy.
There are still a couple of payments to make but despite a poor day on the Sunday in terms of people through the gate and poor sales at the kitchen we did manage a very small surplus. A good portion of this must surely be down to efforts of John & Mary Hey, organising the Tombola with 102 prizes and ticket sales of £400. Grateful thanks John & Mary, you were superb!
A much improved Crewe Arms provided a good meal, promptly served on the Saturday evening for 32 people and the hotel were pleased we had booked 12 rooms with them as well. I understand another 4 rooms were booked at other hotels close by over the weekend.
To those members who operated layouts or assisted operators and exhibitors with the erection/dismantling, of layouts, my thanks to you all.
One ‘blooper’ did occur and that was in respect of the donated gifts from the Norfolk Southern Railroad. The company sent us 2 sets of enamel pins in presentation boxes and 3 sets of cloth patches in little pouches depicting all the “fallen flags” associated with the NS Company. It was intended that these would be some of the Tombola prizes but we forgot to include them on the prize table on the day.
It has been decided that we will hold a sealed bid competition or an auction for these items and the monies raised will go to club funds. They are really beautifully done and will be a great prize for the lucky 5 people – they will be dealt with at our Christmas Meet.
It was good to have Tom Griffiths with us again and Tom was pleased to be relieved of mop duties this year but he did gain experience with the ‘Hoover’ a fact that his family back home will be pleased to hear! He was also awarded over the weekend, his own (high) chair which has been suitably inscribed with his name.
Tom has very kindly donated a brass “Shoreham Shops – CB&Q 52 seat brass coach” to Calder Northern Group in appreciation of the kindness and friendship extended to him by our members.
Thank you Tom, it is a lovely gift and much appreciated by all of us.
Tom has said that he will leave it to us how best to ‘get rid’ of this model but from the proceeds he suggests that we purchase a Bachmann 4-4-0 loco (or two) if the sale allows. It was agreed this extremely generous gesture by Tom should not just go into club funds but that we follow his suggestion and make an appropriate purchase for Devils Creek. The coach has been handed to Richard Maxwell asking him to dispose of it for us but if he finds no takers, then we will list the coach on e-bay.
North Western Mills layout
For those of you who have experienced some problems when running sound locos towing lighted passengers cars on the layout and your trains have stuttered along on the front section, well the problem has been solved! Like all men, we install things before reading the instructions; the circuit breakers had been installed without anyone reading the instructions and therefore we did not realise they were set at default at 2.5amp hence all the problems of the power cutting out! We have reset these to 5amp and a full train of lighted cars and sound locos have now negotiated the layout without stalling or a flicker of interior lighting. A further test will take place on the next Wednesday to make sure all is now fixed.
Next meeting
At the next meeting in November we need to investigate the boxes under the layout and go through the contents to clear up what looks an eyesore! Anything that is saleable will be offered to members and items that are of no use will be put in the waste bin. However, if there is anything you think may be of use to you when we have sorted out the items then please say what you think it is worth and all offers will be considered. It will be a first come first served basis so do come along to the next meeting.
Christmas Raffle and prizes
We will be asking for members to donate prizes for the Christmas Raffle and we welcome any gifts that you can provide for our annual event. Mince pies will be served as usual at the meeting.
Leave a Reply