Today was our nod towards the 200th Anniversary of Railways. Originally, we had intended to celebrate the event with a display of 200 locomotives, but an outbreak of common sense had prevailed when we realised the impracticality of gathering that many locomotives together not to mention the cost of insuring them. So we opted for bringing in
sufficient coaches to carry 200 passengers and settled ourselves around the big table to see what we had each brought in and after the mandatory teas and coffees had been served, we went round the table with each member describing his models.
Geoff had brought in some ex-GER (but later sold to the K&ESR) six wheel and four wheel coaches and a Gresley long 1st brake. The former were kits from the long defunct Village Models and the latter by Ian Kirk. Bill showed us some GWR Dean Non-corridor clerestory coaches that he had acquired and on which he had thoughts of changing the livery. In homage to the earliest period of railway passenger travel John M had brought in a Parliamentary Trains carriage carrying wagon. John also has the kit for the Brougham to go on the wagon but that is currently still on his to do list. David G had brought in two
beautifully painted Slater’s six-wheel coaches that he had somehow managed to acquire from Ellis Clark for only £100.
Roger had a BR Southampton Boat Train GUV (Goods Utility Vehicle) in Network South-East colours and a Super GUV with roller shutters in Rail Express Systems livery. Apparently, roller shutters are less likely to cause damage than traditional doors when these vehicles are being loaded and unloaded.
I had my SECR Birdcage stock and parcel vans some of which had been painted by the late Bob Frid. Tim also had some GER six wheel and four-wheel coaches and also two ex-GWR 49ft parcels vans that he hopes to put in the appropriate livery and run on Queen Charlotte Dock.
While all this was going on Roger was demonstrating his multi-tasking capabilities in fixing brick sheets to the front of a low relief factory building and David Ho was working on the shelving in the storeroom popping out from time to time to keep us topped up with teas and coffees.
We easily established that the prototypes of our models would have carried 200 passengers between them but of course in the days of John M’s carriage carrying wagon such a figure would have been unimaginable. Chris
