Proposed Lancs /Yorks Scale7 Group.

adrian

Flying Squad
Hi,

As a Scale7 member I've just had an interesting email from a new member proposing a Lancs / Yorks based S7 group.

So I'm posting this note with a view to seeing if there is any interest from any other modellers on WT on having a S7 North West group meeting.

The proposal is to have a meeting at the Keighley club rooms - this was just the initial proposal to kick something off and is open to negotiation depending on the interest from people likely attend. Keighley is well within my range so I will be supporting it.

If there is any interest then please feel free to respond to this thread, or if you'd prefer to keep your subversive Scale7 interests quiet then feel free to PM me directly.

If we sort out a date for a first meeting then I'll post an update on this thread.
 

Michael Osborne

Western Thunderer
Adrian,
I tried to form a North West group in 2002 when I wrote to all the members listed within a radius of about of 40 miles from Manchester. I may have missed a few from the list but we did have a meeting at my house with 4 people attending with our chairman who came to offer support.
It became clear that most members were quiet happy to model in isolation from the number of people who got in touch. Although we did have a small group meeting the following year at the club rooms at Manchester model club's Dean hall, nothing further came from this group.
At the time I had a young family and was struggling with keeping hold of my job with a company that was bent on destroying itself so i had to focus on my family's interests first.
Now I am retired and my daughters have left home I am more than happy to support a North West group.
 

Tom Mallard

Western Thunderer
Well so long as it's thoroughly informal and we can all play nicely together, then it sounds marvellous. I don't get out enough as it is so I'd welcome something like this. Like Mike, I agree we are very good at working in isolation, but the fact we post here suggests we can tolerate others well enough to meet and talk toy trains face to face.

Best regards

Tom
 

7mmMick

Western Thunderer
Adrian,

I'd love the idea of a Scale7 group up North. As you know I and a few others had a go at setting up a NE group but in reality lived just too far apart and there was a lot of travelling. Keighley ain't too far for me but at the minute, with a young family and building projects I couldn't commit to a regular meet. Best of luck though and i'm all for more S7 up North as the Society is poorly represented up here.

Cheers

Mick
 

Michael Osborne

Western Thunderer
Adrian, thinking about the numbers of members who were listed the last time a list was produced in 2015 was 15 ( North West ) and 14 (Yorkshire ) plus any who have joined since the list was produced or even past away / left the group, I don't think we can expect anything more than a social meeting on an occasional basis. I would be happy to be proved wrong on my assumptions.
I will be doing a demo stand at the next show at Leigh on the 27th of this month if any W.T. members or S7 want to say hello.
Mike
 

ianlbsc

Western Thunderer
I received the same email and have responded positively although not too sure about getting there in the winter months! Be nice to meet a few fellow modellers and am willing to bring things to chat with.
Cheers
Ian in Blackpool - car share anyone?
 

ianlbsc

Western Thunderer
Hi Adrian
I thought you weren't too far away! I can fit 4 comfortably, so 2 seats left, any takers?
Cheers
Ian in Blackpool
 

S7BcSR

Western Thunderer
Hi Adrian and all in NW/NE

I wish you all the best in trying to get an Area Group going in your area.

It sounds as though you would very likely initially be rather like the Severnside Group who meet about six times a year on a Sunday afternoon for about 2 hours where most attendees (usually around 8 or 9) bring something that they are working on or have to show and discuss. Very enjoyable couple of hours with tea and cake usually provided and from my point of view well worth the 60 plus miles that I have to travel to the members nearest me. It may be worth having a chat with Peter Drost who organises that group.

However, more importantly, please don't forget that the S7 Group is here to help while you set up and there is money available should you need to pay any initial costs (members travelling excepted) such as, for example, hall hire, postage costs etc. There are members up there who are not on email and it may be worth including them in your initial trawl - if you haven't already done so.

Anymore information needed then feel free to contact me. Could I suggest that you put a note in the next Newsletter (closing date in the next week or so) and ask for further feed back.

Hope it all goes well.

Rob
as Secretary, S7 Group
 

Oz7mm

Western Thunderer
I wish you well with the new group. When Peter Hunt started the East Anglian S7 group at Sudbury in Suffolk it was always with the intention of building a major S7 layout, which was West Mersea. For various reasons, this has come to a halt but not after a lot of enjoyable sessions from an ever increasing group working on it.

Peter's open house (or rather, open shop) policy meant that we recruited from beyond the realms of existing S7 modellers and made quite a few converts, not only to S7, but to 7mm scale and even railway modelling itself. Love Lane started as a by product to this group, and it has since moved to a member's house. Most of the group drive about an hour to get there, some for longer. Being largely retired we can meet on a weekday and that generates progress (most weeks). The key though is having a project and I strongly advise that any group looks to working on a project together. Peter Hunt is great at spotting someone who might be useful, even if they aren't a modeller and we have a diverse set of talents.

So look outside S7 as well. If you do something well, they will come.

Best of luck

John
 

Wagonman

Western Thunderer
If a date/time/venue can be set before say the 2 May I can put it in the Newsletter Diary – this in response to prompting by Mike Osborne!
 

Eastsidepilot

Western Thunderer
Any type of meeting for you guys up Norf' has to be good, it does help to keep the hobby alive, WT does a good job at that but there is nothing like meeting face to face, even if it's just a social meet at each others homes, it will encourage those who perhaps feel out on a limb and also the guys perhaps with less experience than others to get encouragement and incentive especially in S7.

As John, @Oz7mm, says we have quite a diverse group of members at Love lane ( East Anglian Group ) from all walks of life and experiences etc. Some have joined not being railway modellers at all they were just friends who'd shown interest in what we were doing and have ended up staying.

ATB, Col.
 
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