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Christmas Quiz Buffet
Christmas Quiz Master Dick Billington
Dick Billington
1
The
Coupling Volume 17 Issue 1 January/February 2014
The Official Newsletter of The Bedford Model Engineering Society
Santa’s Buffet Dick Billington
Santa’s Little Helpers Judy Bullock
2
OFFICERS and COMMITTEE
of the Bedford Model Engineering Society
President: Vacant
Vice President: John Saunders
Chairman: Alan Gildersleve
20 Walton Road, Caldecote, Milton Keynes, MK7 8AE
(Tel: 01908 646711); e-mail: [email protected]
Vice Chairman: Andy Warren
25, Hadlow Down Close, Luton, Beds. LU3 2PY
(Tel: 01582 536305) e-mail: [email protected]
Secretary and Membership Secretary:
Alan Beard
2 Brambles, Wilstead, Bedford, MK45 3ED
(Tel: 01234-743062); email: [email protected]
Treasurer: David Boyde
21 Arun Close, Bedford, MK41 7AD
(Tel: 01234-406757); email: [email protected]
Committee: Peter Chapman Martin Cusden John Lawson
Shaun O’Hare Terry White
Coupling Editor: Tony Bullock
67 Coates Lane, High Wycombe, HP13 5ET
(Tel: 01494 439098); e-mail [email protected]
Boiler Test Co-ordinator: Dick Billington 29 Ampthill Road, Maulden, Bedford, MK45 2DA
(Tel: 01525 750914); email: [email protected]
Boiler Tester: Nigel Freestone
Trainee Boiler Inspectors:Martin Cusden, Shaun O’Hare, Mark Bray
All appointments for boiler testing to be made only via Dick Billington.
Advertising Manager Vacant
Traction Engines and Road Steam: Vacant
Website contact Alan Beard details as above
RAILWAY SUB-COMMITTEE
John Lawson (Chairman), Tony Bullock, Alan Gildersleve, Gordon Mead, Phil Wright, Mark
Leeson and Tom Fuller.
The Coupling is printed and distributed/posted by Alan Beard. Readers are reminded that any views expressed in The Coupling are solely those of the individual contributors.
They do not necessarily reflect the views of the editor or of the BMES committee. They
should therefore not be regarded as being part of Society policy. © Bedford Model Engineering Society
Bedford Model Engineering Society is a company limited by guarantee and having no share capital;
Company Reg. No. 4087828, Registered Office: 2 Brambles, Wilstead, Bedford, MK45 3ED
15
USEFUL TO KNOW—CLUB MATTERS
BMES WEB SITE
www.bedfordmes.co.uk
www.summerfieldsmr.co.uk
www.summerfieldmr.co.uk
Website—Alan Beard—Contact details on inside front cover
COMMITTEE MEETINGS
Held on the third Monday of the month in the Clubhouse.
CLUB MEETINGS
Held on second Monday of the month—check in The Coupling.
WORKING PARTIES
Wednesdays from 10am. Workshop and Library open.
Sundays from 9.30am—check if aiming to attend.
‘The COUPLING’ PUBLICATION DATES
Next copy deadline is 12th. March please!
SOCIETY SALES
The following items ate available in the Clubhouse
Toys, Drivers’ Hats etc.
BMES Fridge Magnets—BR Totem design
Books—Still Steaming, Little Puffers and Tiny Trains
Club Clothing available to order—contact Tony Bullock 01494 439098
14
Santa Special Loading Judy Bullock
Santa waits for the next child Dick Billington
3
EDITORIAL
Welcome to the first edition of 2014. It only seems like yesterday when we
were looking forward to Santa Specials and now we are 3 parts through
January. This is a quiet time of year for visitors but unfortunately not so quiet
for expenditure. This will keep our treasurer on his toes.
The next major event is our AGM in March. Make a note in your diaries and
make sure that you come along and support the club and your committee. This
is the time to talk to others and discuss any ideas to help the club.
Refreshments will be served after the main meeting—a good time for informal
chats.
Hopefully the worst of the winter storms will have passed so that we can put the
world to rights on dry working days. They say summers will be warmer and
dryer so we hope this forecast is right. See you at the club.
.Tony Bullock
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Please note that subscriptions for 2014 became due on January 1st, therefore for any member who has not yet renewed the six week period of grace is fast running out. If your renewal has not been made by Tuesday 11th February your membership will have lapsed and you will not be entitled to attend or vote at the AGM.
The rates were changed at the last AGM. Adult member £32, Junior member £10, Family member £7. Payments should go to the Membership Secretary, Alan Beard and not to the Treasurer. An SAE to send your membership card will be
appreciated. Payment may also be made by direct transfer from your account to BMES. Account number 50157058, sort code 20-05-74. If you use this method please tell me by emailing to [email protected] so that I know to send you your membership card. This is the preferred method of payment.
Alan Beard
THE COUPLING BY E-MAIL
If you have access to the internet please consider having your copy of The Coupling by e-mail. Every posted copy costs in the region of 55p. That is a bill of £50 every two months or £300 per year which could be put to better use. At least give it a try…...you can always say no and go back to a hard copy.
Alan Beard
4
COMMITTEE MEETING NEWS
A copy of the minutes is placed in the crew room and a second copy is normally
available at each Monday meeting.
July Meeting
The Hertfordshire Education Authority has transferred the ownership of the
Maid of Kent loco to BMES.
The bridge is now complete with no outstanding invoices on the project.
The committee visited the site to view the front barns and new workshop
complex in preparation for vacating the barns by the end of August. All the
heavy machines were in the new workshop, their final positioning still remained
to be decided.
Paul Crabtree presented a model of the Haynes End area of the site, from the
station across to the compound, as an aid to future planning for the new
clubroom at Haynes End. Ted said that from current experience he thought it
unlikely that funding for any replacement building would be available for some
time.
The society financial position is healthy. The total overspend on the Awards for
All projects is £1840
The incident at Winterfield on Wednesday 10th June, was caused by a
combination of several factors. Proposals to prevent such an occurrence in
future warning signs and a rule that all electric locomotives fitted with only
regenerative braking must have a train with separate braking. These were
approved and will be included in the new railway operating guidelines. The
requirement for spark arresters will also be included.
Now that the new bridge at Winterfield is in use, there is a need for direction
signs to show that the Winterfield site has three railways on it, not just one.
Use of the new bridge at Winterfield has caused confusion amongst passengers
and the ticket office needs relocating at a cost in the order of £200. A proposal
to proceed was agreed and will be conducted through the RSC.
Mary was concerned that non-committee approved expenditure had taken place
at Winterfield to build a fence around the old carriage shed. In reply Alan G
stated that this area had become very unsightly and the fence tidied up the site
considerably. This point was agreed by most of the committee. Costs would
not be refunded until committee approval had been given and passed via the
RSC.
Gates will be fitted at the level crossing to improve safety.
Ted said that the passenger survey continued satisfactorily. He stated that
Meppershall Mother and Toddler Group had confirmed a visit on 30th July with
some 30 persons coming. This visit was a direct result of donating a bundle of
tickets for use as raffle prizes to the group earlier in the year.
CHAIRMAN’S CHAT
Happy New Year to all!
Christmas has now long gone and is a faint memory for most! At this time of
year I have to give you all the painful reminder that subs are due and should be
paid to the Secretary as soon as possible please.
This time of year sees a lot of maintenance around the site and consolidation of
projects that are ongoing. The hardest part for some of these major projects is
combating the weather and we’ve certainly had a share of the rain in recent
weeks although, generally, we’ve fared better than those on the western side of
the country.
The railway, in particular, is having major maintenance with the replacement of
ballast and track on the “down main” south of Hammer Hill and the installation
of a new point to access new sidings. A new point has been manufactured to
John Lawson’s new steel base arrangement and that is to replace the worn out
one on the main line at Wilton’s Wiggle allowing the reconnection of the inner
and outer loops. The old point is to be salvaged and rebuilt for “secondary” use
in the new sidings.
The point in Hammer Hill that allows access to the mainline via the “escape
route” has also been significantly rebuilt with a new longer steel checkrail to try
to reduce the excessive wear this point has suffered. Not only had it been
stretched over gauge but the check rail had been worn half way through thus
putting more wear on the point blade and outer running rails. On close
inspection it was quite apparent that vehicles with flat topped flanges and
flanges that are deeper than the “standard” have travelled through this point
causing much of the damage! It will, therefore, be necessary for us all to be
vigilant in checking visitors’ locos and rolling stock before allowing them to
use our track in the future!
The Clubroom has also undergone some repairs to try to eliminate the gaps
created as the timber expands and contracts in the changing weather.
Our thanks go to all members who have put that extra effort in to support our
society in these critical maintenance and repair tasks.
Alan Gildersleve
13
DICK ORRELLS
I am sad to report that Dick passed away last week. He had been
in a care home for some time and in the end appeared to be totally
unaware of his surroundings. Due to his condition he had not been
to the club for some time but will be remembered for being a regu-
lar at running days and for owning the blue Hymek locomotive.
His funeral will be held on Wednesday 29th. January at the
Amersham Crematorium at 10:45 am.
JIM BASSETT
Jim’s funeral was held at the Bedford Crematorium on Monday
25th. November 2013 and was well attended by many of his
friends from BMES together with family and colleagues. Refresh-
ments were arranged in the Clubhouse after the funeral. Jim’s
ashes were laid to rest at Langford Church on Wednesday 27th.
November.
no. of
pieces imp mm gauge size
per sq
inch full cost
1 1 16 1.6 52 2 3/4x 9 1/8 18p £4.50
1 2 32 2.4 42 3 x 2 3/4 21p £1.75
1 3 32 2.4 42 6 x 3 21p £3.75
1 1 8 3.3 30 6 x 4 21p £5
1 159th 4 21 4 x 4 25p £4
1 3 16 4.8 12 4 x 1 1/4 28p £1.50
1 3 16 4.8 12 3 x 2 28p £1.75
1 3 16 4.8 12 4 x 13 28p £14.50
1 1 4 6.36 3 6 x 9 1/2 30p £17
1 5 16 8 0 3 x 5 41p £6.25
1 5 16 8 0 4 x 5 41p £8.25
WAINWRIGHT’S EMPORIUM
Just in! Hardening Steel. Ground Flat—Ideal for form tools. Can all be cut.
12
BOILER TESTING 2014
Boiler testing dates for 2014 are:
Traction Engines Sunday 9th. March.
Locomotives Sunday 23rd. March
Testing will start as soon after 09.30 am or as we can get going. Testing
will finish no later than 2.00 pm, the latest time of arrival on site is 11.30
am.
The Society requires that to mate to the club test equipment you supply an
adaptor with a 3/8 x 26 tpi thread of at least ½ inch length. Note - a shorter
length of thread may not seal. The adaptor requires a central through hole
with a 60° female cone (centre drill). The other end of the adaptor should
fit your boiler.
Please bring all of the boiler paperwork with you.
We do not test boilers;
Above 500 bar litres
Below 3 bar litres
Stainless steel boilers
Please book in with Dick Billington, especially if you have special require-
ments, anticipate problems, or have other concerns.
If you have a steel boiler that is over 10 years old that has never been exam-
ined with the cladding removed, please discuss with Dick well before the day.
No testing will take place under freezing conditions. If the weather is bad
please check with Dick, tel 01525 750 914, before coming.
Dick Billington
SITE CARE
The recent heavy rains have left the ground at Haynes rather waterlogged. This
is particularly noticeable at the entrance to the car park field. Please do not
drive on either the parking field or the pedestrian area unless absolutely neces-
sary. If it is necessary proceed slowly with the utmost caution. Thank you.
5
COMMITTEE MEETING NEWS
A copy of the minutes is placed at Winterfield and a second copy is normally
available at each Monday meeting.
November Meeting Railway Matters: The meeting confirmed that money allocated to the RSC will be £600 rather than £50 per month without roll over.
Several members have expressed concerns over hosting the Southern Federation
Rally. Main issues are lack of volunteers for the many essential tasks, the ex-
pectation of overcrowding on the raised track with the emphasis normally on
the smaller gauges, remoteness of the toilets and catering facilities. These con-
cerns were echoed in the meeting with no one prepared to take overall charge.
In consequence the meeting decided that the Society should withdraw from
hosting the Rally by a unanimous vote. Public running will still take place on
the Sunday as it is advertised in our literature.
Andy made the point that in future planning there should always be certainty of
personnel to carry out the work regardless of the nature of the event.
Catering: Stocks of toys will be reduced to a very low level by using for Santa
gifts. New supplies will be sourced in time for next season’s running. Sugar
sachets will continue to be used although they are not seen as beneficial by the
staff. A request to supply loose sugar permanently for club use rather suggests
that this is a preference for people. Stocks of tea, coffee, soft drinks, etc. will
be maintained for club use. The usual buffet will be arranged for the Quiz Nite.
Thanks are due to all those members who have supplied cakes for sale over the
running season. Also thanks to all the ladies who have run the buffet which I
believe has been of benefit to the Society.
Alan B and Terry disagreed with having loose sugar during public running as it
was messy, unhygienic and caused delays at the counter.
Santa Specials: Bookings continue to arrive every day and we are now virtually
full. Currently 90 families booked for 478 people – 284 adults and 194 chil-
dren. Apart from a couple of trains there is a maximum of 5 children per train.
However, total train loads are tending to be higher with the large number of
adults to be catered for. Average loading is 12 – 15 passengers. Presents will
be similar to those in previous years but prices show a small increase. There
could be a small overstock on gifts which will either be returned or put into
stock. Anticipated additional expenditure is about £350 to cover postage,
mulled wine, mince pies, etc. From speaking to people booking we have a terri-
fic reputation to maintain and hopefully we can continue this. Letters of infor-
mation will be sent out from next week and bookings, train loads and ticket
6
COMMITTEE MEETING NEWS (Continued)
printing finalised. A team will be wrapping presents in the Clubhouse on Sun-
day 1st. December. Shaun reported that plans are in place for installing the
grotto and renewing its paintwork where necessary. For reference trains on
both days run every 15 minutes starting at 10am and finishing at 3:30pm. There
is no 12:45 train to allow for lunch. The buffet staff are requested to have tea
and coffee available during the very short lunch break.
Site entrance signage: Andy has prepared a design for a large sign advertising
the Society to be placed in the “flower bed” to the left of the site entrance. The
cost is about £231. The meeting was in favour of his proposal with the possibil-
ity of a matching sign on the right. He was asked to get a quote for 2 signs at a
cost in the region of £300. In addition it was suggested that a “Goodbye” sign
thanking visitors and displaying the next running days would be an asset. Fur-
ther discussion will be on the January agenda.
Site refurbishment: Terry expressed concern at the general appearance of the site and in particular at Winterfield where the station building needs to be smartened up and the fencing repaired/modified. He was willing to take on the task of refurbishing the Winterfield area and hopes that others will offer assis-tance. He drew the attention of the members to the practice at the North Lon-don Society where virtually every task has a named leader. New crew room: John has donated a pair of steel doors and frame for installa-tion in the crew room. At present in a dilapidated condition they can be refur-bished and safety glass installed if necessary. Alan B was of the opinion that at 80” they were too tall and out of keeping with the ticket office door alongside at 63”. Ken Cox has invited the Society to have a stand at the Shuttleworth Trust func-tion on 9th March. The invitation will be accepted provided that an organiser can be found. The Winterfield clock has disappeared and 2 battery chargers are also missing from Winterfield. It is probable that they are in use at Haynes End. A reminder to members that borrowed items should be returned will be in Chairman’s Chat. Andy said that the engine shed is being cleared and the bench arranged so that track panel work can be done nearer to the entrance. There should be no neces-sity for members to go the far end of the shed reducing the risk of damage to stored locomotives.
11
SOCIETY NEEDS
To continue the success our club has achieved there is a requirement for further
help. This comes under the heading of ‘What can I do for my club rather than
what can the club do for me’. Please give every consideration to this appeal and
contact our secretary with offers of help. Requirements are :
a) New Committee Members
b) An Exhibition Organiser
Over to you.
SMALL LOCO RALLY
The society will be holding a Small Loco & Diesel/Electric Day on Sunday 29th
Jun , at Hammer Hill. All the lines at Hammer Hill will be available
The Garden Line, both 32 & 45mm
The Raised Track, 2½ , 3½ & 5 inch
The Ground Level lines, 5 & 7¼ inch
For 7¼, a small loco is one less than three feet long not including the tender.
Unloading at Hammer Hill with visitor parking at Haynes End and there will be
a train service to take people up to Hammer Hill.
As this is a society event there will be no Public Running.
Tea and coffee will be available.
Details from Huw Williams 07901 561913
mailto:[email protected]
This event was omitted from the green programme booklet issued recently so
please add it yourself.
Those of you who have contacts with other clubs and societies, particularly
those with the smaller gauges, are asked to invite them to join BMES for the
day. Visitors will be most welcome and it will be interesting for all to see a
varied selection of locomotives.
Contact Huw with your ideas and invitation requests as early as possible.
10
CLUB EVENTS 2014
February
Monday 10th Bring & Buy/Natter Night
Monday 17th Committee Meeting
March
Saturday 8th Southern Fed. AGM
Sunday 9th Boiler Testing (Traction Engines)
Monday 10th BMES AGM
Monday 17th Committee Meeting
Sunday 23rd Boiler Testing (Locomotives)
April
Sunday 6th. Public Running
Monday 14th. Rail Electrification—Peter Chapman
Sunday 20th. Easter Public Running
Monday 21st. Easter Public Running
Monday 28th. Committee Meeting
May
Sunday 4th. May Holiday Public Running
Monday 5th. May Holiday Public Running
MONDAY EVENING MEETINGS
Monday 10th February – Bring-and-buy and Natter evening.
Monday 10th March - AGM.
The ‘bring-and-buy’ has not been well supported in the recent past with very
few items to entice potential buyers. As the February meeting is the only
scheduled bring-and-buy for the year, members are strongly encouraged to have
a good rummage around the workshop and bring along A, plenty of saleable
items (junk) and B, plenty of cash to purchase other members discarded junk
(saleable items).
As you will have seen from the Green Booklet handed out on renewal of mem-
bership, the programme for 2014 was complete. Unfortunately, Dick Billington
is unable to give his talk on ‘Steam Developments’ scheduled for May 12th
(you may wish to draw a line through the entry in your Green Booklet). A re-
placement speaker is being sought (any volunteers?).
John Parmenter
7
COMMITTEE MEETING NEWS (Continued)
No Committee Meeting was held in December.
GUARDIAN GNOMES APPEAL
The Club’s Guardian Gnomes, although not to everyone’s taste, are al-ways much appreciated by our customers for the Santa Specials and Public Running days. Unfortunately many of them are reaching retirement age and need to be re-placed by younger ones. If you have a gnome who would like to do a useful job with like-minded friends please give him the opportunity. I will be pleased to provide accommodation until the start of the new season.
Alan Beard
SANTA SPECIALS 2013
Over the weekend of December 7/8 over 500 people arrived at Summerfields
Miniature Railway to see Santa in his grotto. These people were the ones who
managed to book their visit before the event sold out early in November. Both
days dawned bright and clear and Haynes End was soon alive with happy chil-
dren and adults getting into the Christmas spirit. After boarding their train all
joined in the countdown to departure for the grotto. As the trains made their
way up the main line they passed others returning and jolly shouts were ex-
changed between passengers. Each child had plenty of time to chat with Santa
and receive a gift whilst proud adults took photos. The Station Buffet was soon
full of children opening their presents whilst the adults enjoyed their refresh-
ments. A wonderful atmosphere prevailed and nobody was in a hurry to leave.
Comments on the event were excellent and the organisers were delighted to
receive many e-mails and calls from satisfied passengers. Christmas 2013 got
off to a great start for club members who enjoyed themselves being involved
with so many happy and excited children. Being asked by a few people if they
could put their names down for 2014 already gave us all satisfaction but that is
a long way off. Thanks to all visitors for coming along and for their kind com-
ments.
This event provided an excellent PR exercise for the Society. Several families
attended for the first time and stated that they would be coming again to the
railway during running season. Requests were also received for bookings for
2014 but these were turned down until later in the year. Many messages of
thanks have been received by phone and e-mail.
8
E-MAILS RECEIVED BY THE EDITOR
This is to thank you for all the hard work you all put into making the Santa Spe-
cial such a happy and memorable day for us. Three generations of us came on
Sunday morning and we all had a great time. Santa had obviously put a lot of
thought into choosing just the right presents for different ages. Our 2 year old
grandson received a book which according to his father saved the train journey
home to London afterwards. Can you please pass on our thanks to everybody
who was involved in the day and for all their warmth and kindness.
Sue & Peter Stevens
Just to let you know how much we enjoyed the Santa Special last Saturday.
The children loved the train and their presents even if they were struck shy in
Santa’s presence. We were impressed with the quality and appropriateness of
the presents. It was also nice to see how much has been done since we last vis-
ited four years ago. Please thank your train buddies for us.
Ro & Ron Basciano
We brought our 3 grandchildren to the Santa Special last Sunday and we all
thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It was well organised, the members were
friendly and helpful and Santa’s gifts were much appreciated by the grandchil-
dren. Thanks to all involved and we’ll be booking for next year.
Trevor Cook
CHRISTMAS QUIZ
Here is my report from the city desk.
Report: Classified QN 2013
We must start with a big thank you to all the helpers before, after and on the
night who produced and set up the annual bun fight that is the BMES Christmas
Quiz. Well done and many thanks. Another year has come and gone and it was
time for the Club's final December event: The Quiz. This year I had one extra
week which means dear contestants, you have one week less to wait for the next
one, there's exciting for you. Always assuming you do indeed wish me to pro-
duce one more quiz.
We certainly had a good turnout with over fifty members and friends in atten-
dance. The table numbers varied as usual but even after count back it didn't
make any real difference to the potential winning team especially once I had
applied the QM logic quotient and defined the eventual winners of this year’s
great contest. With the end scores only ten apart over the eight teams the
9
CHRISTMAS QIUIZ (Continued) question level would appear to be about right; dividing the final totals by the
number of rounds gave an average of Len's favourite, seven and the lead moved
between the teams as the evening progressed This year's crop of names caused their usual hilarity especially when I didn't
quite hear them correctly. They were:
Wainwright's Posse, which originally I thought was Wainwright's cat; The Eve-
ning stars who with the vice chairman in the driving seat so nearly were. The
next team along: Freedom of Markyate, was I thought at first, an attempt at
bribery in offering me this honour in the fine town so named but it turned out to
be the Freedom fighters of Markyate. Next up came Santa's little helpers and
help themselves they did to some fine scoring. Tail end Charlies were next on
the way round the room, the reference here to both the position on the floor plan
and rearguard action which they pulled off to great effect in making the second
highest score of the night. Following them on the way back to the front of the
room was one name I had to concentrate on, it being Dick's Dogs as I didn't
want an attack of dyslexia at an inappropriate moment. The penultimate team
were The Christmas Crackers which I think referred to the fact they had cracked
Christmas and had it organised to a fine point. This left the final team of DOF
and I cannot for the life of me remember now what it stood for but it can't have
been Dozy as the were the eventual winners on the night.
I thoroughly enjoyed the evening and I had a goodly dose of fun even if my
impression of Sean Connery was not as good as my impression of Richard
Shepherd. It was nice too that of the several people who had a word before I
left our vice chairman came over to say how much he had enjoyed it.
Wainwright's Posse with 7 players
9 5 6 5 10 9 10 Total 54
The Evening stars with 5 players
9 7 5 7 8 8 10 Total 54
Freedom of Markyate, 8 players
9 6 3 5 5 9 10 Total 47
Santa's little helpers 8 players
9 6 5 8 6 6 9 Total 49
Tail end Charlies 4 players
10 7 6 6 8 6 10 Total 53
Dick's Dogs 5 players
10 5 10 4 9 4 9 Total 51
The Christmas Crackers 5 players
9 5 7 8 7 9 9 Total 54
DOF 7 players
8 7 4 6 2 8 9 Total 44 Richard Shepherd
