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Merioneth Mercury
Issue No. 3
Edited By Don Borham
Issue No. 3
Edited By Don Borham
It is a matter of great regret to me that I have not issued a fresh edition of the “MM.” during the late marvellous summer. This has been entirely due to the fact that during the whole of that period life went on smoothly, which is not news. Of course, there was a very important anniversary at that time, namely the 150th birthday of the British railway system; but this, while interesting per se, is not a matter for comment in the newssheet of a society devoted solely to narrow-gauge modelling matters. All that can be said therefore, is that our usual activities continued unabated: meetings on Fridays at various addresses, track and model making at those meetings, or some of them, and a good deal of issuing of plans end projects, with occasional distribution of drawings. It could also be noted that one of these meetings took place at Ray's in High Wycombe - the first time that we have had the pleasure of visiting his 16th-century home with its 20th-century electrically-driven circular saw, ideal for cutting sleepers.
The one entirely new project this year is the beginnings of one of the Company's layouts, this time at Northolt. This has been making slow but steady progress. The shed for- the main terminus - Merioneth Town - is now ready for occupation thanks to the help given by various people including the next-door neighbours who were mainly responsible for the painting and for the installation of the curtaining which hangs from the baseboard to the floor. Also complete is the 17-ft extension which takes the line to the boundary of the covered in section; and on this baseboard, 27-ft long overall, the first section of the line is being laid. It will be generously supplied with passing loops and siding accommodation, bearing in mend the amount of rolling-stock it will be called upon to accommodate. The necessary buildings are also, at the time of writing, in the planning stage. The station building will be a modified copy of the old Festiniog station at Duffwys, and the engine shed founded on the Padarn shed at Llanberis; and the loading-gauge is planned to be large enough to accommodate the Fiji locomotive, the idea being that as this is the largest locomotive the line is likely ever to possess, everything: else will fit without any trouble.
The main news for this bulletin however, is that the portable layout has been on show again, all 45 ft. of it. The last time it was on show, at Greenwich in March 1975 (see "MM." No. 2) it was without the quarry: this time the quarry section was there and in full working order. So was the fiddle yard at the rear, John Kimber having completed the three roads and the sector table of which the yard consist, thus making operation that much easier. The whole line is now much easier to work although the curve from the main line to the fidd1e yard is still the weakest part of the whole layout.
We had two new locos at work: one a diesel shunter, rebuilt from a Big Big diesel by Peter Barrie, who made a splendid job of it, and the other a first-class model of "Prince" by Dave Bralwell, an equally first-class effort. These plus "Elrond', "Cludair" (the quarry shunter), "Kate", the two battery locos, the railbus and the VER car, ensured that at least something was going on all the time; the Fiji, though present, was confined to station shunting owing to her, insufficient voltage. And what of "Persephone"? She, too was there, re-motored and with a respectable - no, delete that, fantastic - turn of speed was doing her best or, as some would say, worst, with the slate trains.
Mention must also be made of a model of Spooner's "boat", by Ray Wyborn, built in next to no time, complete with brakesman and passengers, and aptly named "Smaug".
I think we must be quite well-known in the model world since although we had no name-board (having lost it) most people seemed to know who we were. We were "adopted" on the Sunday morning by a couple of youngsters who hung around for a long time. When asked why they didn't go and see the rest of the Exhibition (boats, aircraft, tanks, cars, and so on) they replied that ours was the best exhibit and that they weren't interested in the others. They were so keen that we invited them in and trained them as operators ¬a job which they carried out most enthusiastically and successfully. As we were somewhat short of operators at the time we were most glad of their help.
So it was a good Exhibition on the whole, although we did have our moments of stress. Most of these occurred before the opening, however, and were sorted out by the time the Great British Public came pouring in. We were told to erect the line on the dais in the hall. This site turned out to be too small. Then we were told to erect it in front of the dais. Same result. Finally, we erected it along one side of the Hall. This was long enough, but tended to clash with the pond which the boating people had installed ¬so the quarry section was more or less veiled from the public. If we go again we will put the line up in the Lower Hall, which was where we should have been this time, and where there was plenty of room.
We also managed to get the crossover right by installing, thanks to Mike South, temporary levers (he has since taken that section home and done the job as a permanency. What devotion!)
Since the Hanwell show we have been approached by the Greenwich club which would like to put our quarry section on show at their Exhibition next year as a static exhibit; and a further enquiry has been received from the Oxford club which would also like us to exhibit there.
Personal points.
Marjorie Binnie - guess whose wife she is - continues to make good progress after her operation earlier this year and is beginning to look remarkably fit and well. It would appear that the operation has been successful.
Dave Bradwell has constructed a controller which he tried out on the fiddle yard at the Exhibition. It has a built-in starting delay, coasting mechanism and electronic brake and it put years on whoever tried to operate it until familiarity bred efficiency. It also has a short circuit warning light and, in spite of its unfamiliarity, it is a very ingenious bit of electronic wizardry, probably better suited to a private layout than to an Exhibition line, where conditions are somewhat rougher than at home, and where, moreover, trains in the fiddle yard are wanted at once, if not sooner.
Dave has also acquired a girl-friend - Jill - to wham he invariably refers as the "friendly woman". She is, too: a very nice young lady.
The moulding of wheels and other accessories has been taken over by Colin's son Peter, who is prepared to produce these articles for modellers at a modest fee.
We offer our best wishes to Mr. & Mrs. Peter Harris on the occasion of their marriage at Kingsbury on 8th November 1975. Also, congratulations to Peter (but not to Sue, nee Eaton - it is bad form to congratulate a bride). We hope that their life together will run smoothly, untroubled by derailments or unseemly lurchings. Stuart Baker, whose own turn it will be next year, was best man.
We have also had a card from our South African representative, ono A. Jenkins. He seems to have settled down there very well and we send our greetings to him and his family; but, horrors and horrors, he has been making boats. BOATS!! Six of them, in fact. Can a man sink (no pun intended) lower? Well, yes, he could be a broad-gauge modeller, couldn't he?
We send the Season's Greetings to all our readers and hope this will be in their hands in time for the said Greetings not to be out of date. We have been promised articles by world-famous experts for our next issue, I wonder whether they will materialise?
December 1975
Issue No. 3.
The one entirely new project this year is the beginnings of one of the Company's layouts, this time at Northolt. This has been making slow but steady progress. The shed for- the main terminus - Merioneth Town - is now ready for occupation thanks to the help given by various people including the next-door neighbours who were mainly responsible for the painting and for the installation of the curtaining which hangs from the baseboard to the floor. Also complete is the 17-ft extension which takes the line to the boundary of the covered in section; and on this baseboard, 27-ft long overall, the first section of the line is being laid. It will be generously supplied with passing loops and siding accommodation, bearing in mend the amount of rolling-stock it will be called upon to accommodate. The necessary buildings are also, at the time of writing, in the planning stage. The station building will be a modified copy of the old Festiniog station at Duffwys, and the engine shed founded on the Padarn shed at Llanberis; and the loading-gauge is planned to be large enough to accommodate the Fiji locomotive, the idea being that as this is the largest locomotive the line is likely ever to possess, everything: else will fit without any trouble.
The main news for this bulletin however, is that the portable layout has been on show again, all 45 ft. of it. The last time it was on show, at Greenwich in March 1975 (see "MM." No. 2) it was without the quarry: this time the quarry section was there and in full working order. So was the fiddle yard at the rear, John Kimber having completed the three roads and the sector table of which the yard consist, thus making operation that much easier. The whole line is now much easier to work although the curve from the main line to the fidd1e yard is still the weakest part of the whole layout.
We had two new locos at work: one a diesel shunter, rebuilt from a Big Big diesel by Peter Barrie, who made a splendid job of it, and the other a first-class model of "Prince" by Dave Bralwell, an equally first-class effort. These plus "Elrond', "Cludair" (the quarry shunter), "Kate", the two battery locos, the railbus and the VER car, ensured that at least something was going on all the time; the Fiji, though present, was confined to station shunting owing to her, insufficient voltage. And what of "Persephone"? She, too was there, re-motored and with a respectable - no, delete that, fantastic - turn of speed was doing her best or, as some would say, worst, with the slate trains.
Mention must also be made of a model of Spooner's "boat", by Ray Wyborn, built in next to no time, complete with brakesman and passengers, and aptly named "Smaug".
I think we must be quite well-known in the model world since although we had no name-board (having lost it) most people seemed to know who we were. We were "adopted" on the Sunday morning by a couple of youngsters who hung around for a long time. When asked why they didn't go and see the rest of the Exhibition (boats, aircraft, tanks, cars, and so on) they replied that ours was the best exhibit and that they weren't interested in the others. They were so keen that we invited them in and trained them as operators ¬a job which they carried out most enthusiastically and successfully. As we were somewhat short of operators at the time we were most glad of their help.
So it was a good Exhibition on the whole, although we did have our moments of stress. Most of these occurred before the opening, however, and were sorted out by the time the Great British Public came pouring in. We were told to erect the line on the dais in the hall. This site turned out to be too small. Then we were told to erect it in front of the dais. Same result. Finally, we erected it along one side of the Hall. This was long enough, but tended to clash with the pond which the boating people had installed ¬so the quarry section was more or less veiled from the public. If we go again we will put the line up in the Lower Hall, which was where we should have been this time, and where there was plenty of room.
We also managed to get the crossover right by installing, thanks to Mike South, temporary levers (he has since taken that section home and done the job as a permanency. What devotion!)
Since the Hanwell show we have been approached by the Greenwich club which would like to put our quarry section on show at their Exhibition next year as a static exhibit; and a further enquiry has been received from the Oxford club which would also like us to exhibit there.
Personal points.
Marjorie Binnie - guess whose wife she is - continues to make good progress after her operation earlier this year and is beginning to look remarkably fit and well. It would appear that the operation has been successful.
Dave Bradwell has constructed a controller which he tried out on the fiddle yard at the Exhibition. It has a built-in starting delay, coasting mechanism and electronic brake and it put years on whoever tried to operate it until familiarity bred efficiency. It also has a short circuit warning light and, in spite of its unfamiliarity, it is a very ingenious bit of electronic wizardry, probably better suited to a private layout than to an Exhibition line, where conditions are somewhat rougher than at home, and where, moreover, trains in the fiddle yard are wanted at once, if not sooner.
Dave has also acquired a girl-friend - Jill - to wham he invariably refers as the "friendly woman". She is, too: a very nice young lady.
The moulding of wheels and other accessories has been taken over by Colin's son Peter, who is prepared to produce these articles for modellers at a modest fee.
We offer our best wishes to Mr. & Mrs. Peter Harris on the occasion of their marriage at Kingsbury on 8th November 1975. Also, congratulations to Peter (but not to Sue, nee Eaton - it is bad form to congratulate a bride). We hope that their life together will run smoothly, untroubled by derailments or unseemly lurchings. Stuart Baker, whose own turn it will be next year, was best man.
We have also had a card from our South African representative, ono A. Jenkins. He seems to have settled down there very well and we send our greetings to him and his family; but, horrors and horrors, he has been making boats. BOATS!! Six of them, in fact. Can a man sink (no pun intended) lower? Well, yes, he could be a broad-gauge modeller, couldn't he?
We send the Season's Greetings to all our readers and hope this will be in their hands in time for the said Greetings not to be out of date. We have been promised articles by world-famous experts for our next issue, I wonder whether they will materialise?
December 1975
Issue No. 3.