North West Area Group at Preston, March 2011

The N W Support Group made its usual flag waving attendance at the Wigan show in early December 2010 and were approached by the Preston Show organiser offering us a free if small space to do a similar exercise on their week-end of the 3/4th March this year. We had already discussed this show as an experiment in expanding our area of influence during the prevous year, but the snow of 2010 cancelled that possibliity anyway.

A 6ft table was duly filled with a small screen, goodies and models, attended on a rota by our usual team and another enjoyable 2 days meeting many people was completed. Some of these were existing members whom we had made aware of this new venture - it’s good to keep in touch. Even those who did not attend appreciated the phone contact so it was felt to be a worthwhile.

Another bonus appeared in the form of a donation of a used and out of print L & B book from the ‘Book Law’ trade stand so a big thanks to them. You will often find them at railway shows and toy fairs selling good value discounted books - I use them frequently.

Final bit of news was another invitation from the G-Wizz display team this time to attend the ‘N W Garden Railway and Narrow Gauge Show ’ held in Lytham St. Annes on Sat. Oct 8th. This is run on behalf of the G Scale Society - people using mainly the 45mm track and mostly R T R models, but other gauges and scales are also present with trade support.

Peter Ainley 

 

Peter Ainley discussing the L&B with a customer

 

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North West Group at Wigan Finescale Modellers Show

The NW Area Group of the L&B attended the Wigan Finescale Modellers show on 11/12 December 2010. This was our sixth visit to what is one of the best shows in the area, always enjoyable and always very well attended.

We had the usual display boards, a table selling L&B merchandise, a large scale working model of Pilton Yard Signalbox and a display of G Scale L&B rolling stock.

The sales were excellent – over £200, nearly double the amount in some previous years. We met some interesting people (including one who remembered seeing a train at Barnstaple Town as a child). We were able to hand out a number of membership forms.

Thanks are due to local members Peter Ainley, John Berry, Mark Simon, Steve Fletcher and David Prime for helping.

A busy moment on the stand

Other news: John Berry is booked to give a talk about the L&B to the Permanent Way Institution in Preston in March 2011, and to the Stephenson Locomotive Society in Kendal at a date to be agreed. At Wigan, we also made contact with other groups who have expressed similar interest. This is something we have wanted to do for some time. Well done to John for getting the ball rolling!

We were also asked to provide a stand at the Preston Model Railway show on 5/6 March 2011. This will be a new venue for us. Peter Ainley is going to organise that event.

Bob Barnard

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NWAG - The North West Area Group

Since 2004, a small group of L&B members in the Lancashire/Cheshire area, including the conurbations of Liverpool and Manchester, with a common interest in supporting the L&B Trust and spreading knowledge about the line, have got together informally to organise events. Compared to some other local L&B groups, we have comparatively few members - about 60 within reasonable travelling distance.

During that time, we have tried different forms of activity. We have held informal discussion meetings over tea and cake in people’s homes, we organised a few evening lectures on the L&B and related narrow gauge topics at a room over a pub in Stockport, and we have arranged visits to local preserved railways. Thanks to the kindness of Paul Lewin, General Manager of the Ffestiniog Railway (and a keen L&B member), we had a guided tour of Boston Lodge works, and a chance to inspect progress on “Lyd” the L&B replica loco being built there.

We tried to arrange a weekend of volunteering in Devon as a group, but the logistics of arranging travel over such a distance and accommodation, made it too difficult.

From our local members, we can usually get 10-12 to attend an evening meeting. When we advertised evening lectures locally, we got 12-25 people (including some non-members and friends of members).

We raise some money for the L&B Trust by sales of products produced by members, such as the Photo Database CD and Index to L&B Magazines.

 We have had most success providing an L&B Display Stand and Sales Table at a variety of local model railway exhibitions, to promote knowledge of the L&B line, and to generate interest from potential new members. We have put together a professional-looking display stand, and we hold some stock of L&B-related books and gifts from the shop at Woody Bay to sell to visitors. Usually, we also provide an L&B model – part of a member’s layout, or perhaps a 16mm scale live steam loco – as a focal point. From our current stalwart volunteers, we can provide a rota to man our stand at exhibitions, with each person only committed to a half-day, or one day’s attendance. We generally do about two or three such exhibitions per year, and could do more, or tour around different exhibitions, with only a small amount of extra volunteer effort.

Our membership covers a wide age range. Inevitably, the younger members have jobs and families, and their free time is limited. The retired members are enthusiastic supporters, but are sometimes reluctant to take on an organising role.

Our costs are minimal, using Email for correspondence wherever possible, so we do not charge our members to participate in the NW Area Group, nor do we make any financial demands on the L&B Trust or Railway Company. Our activities are supported by occasional donations (in cash or in kind) from individual members.

Anyone (current L&B member or not) in the North West is most welcome to make contact, and find out about events. Even better, we would like to hear from anyone who would be willing to help organise future events…. Get in touch. You will be most welcome!

Bob Barnard