HILLINGDON RAILWAY MODELLERS OPEN DAYS 2022 - 5th FEBRUARY 2022

Welcome back, time for another Open Day run by the Hillingdon Railway Modellers. A regular feature that's returned to our calendar and are sure as they return will once again prove to be extremely popular. The first open day for 2022 will take place on Saturday 5th February 2022. It might be cold now but you will be certain to receive a warm welcome, plenty of expertise on hand too, and run some trains if you wish. I certainly hope to get there and do just that.

Expect these to continue through 2022 as well and naturally everything is dependant on any changes to government rules and guidance, but we keep our fingers crossed. 

While I have not been able to attend here for a little while this is a good opportunity to get myself over there and give a few of my Dads O Gauge models a bit of a run out since I've no room for a layout at home and I don't want them to live in boxes forever. I aim to hopefully get there for the afternoon with a few items in my bag to try out and also update a few pictures too. It's always a popular day and doors open to the public at 10:00am, it's been a long time and I look forward to getting along and having a little run with a few of my old items they could sure do with a decent run as I haven't a huge amount of space available at home.

Address: 

Yiewsley Baptist Church, 74 Colham Avenue

West Drayton  UB7 8HF

* Please note that the entrance is at the side of the church down a path and the doors at the end should be open, please do not try and enter the main doors of the church itself. 

                       

Due to the rental costs of the hall there is a cover charge of £5 for these Open Days, there will be two extensive O Gauge and OO Gauge Test Tracks available and have recently added a three track N Gauge circuit too (Pic Below) all up and running so if you have anything you wish to see get a good run do please come along, have a chat with the friendly bunch of members, a nice cuppa and give your models a chance to shine.

N GAUGE TEST TRACK 

OO Gauge Test Track pictured left, has five available loups to test your models with. DC and DCC accommodated, I believed that the club members have been working on their own layout too, so whatever your theme, they should be able to accommodate you, and rule one always applies, run what you want, modern image, steam, continental, I've even seen some London Underground run there in the past.

HOW TO GET THERE:

If you are Travelling by Car

Check here for Parking Options.

Nearest Railway Stations :

West Drayton [0.34 miles]

HILLINGDON RAILWAY MODELLERS OPEN DAYS 2021 - 11th DECEMBER 2021

Welcome back, time for another Open Day run by the Hillingdon Railway Modellers. A regular feature that's returned to our calendar and are sure as they return will once again prove to be extremely popular. The final one for 2021 (only the second one to be fair) will take place on Saturday 11th December 2021. It might be cold now but you will be certain to receive a warm welcome, plenty of expertise on hand too, and run some trains if you wish. I certainly hope to get there and do just that.

Expect these to continue through 2022 as well and naturally everything is dependant on any changes to government rules and guidance, but we keep our fingers crossed. 

While I have not been able to attend here for a little while this is a good opportunity to get myself over there and give a few of my Dads O Gauge models a bit of a run out since I've no room for a layout at home and I don't want them to live in boxes forever. I aim to hopefully get there for the afternoon with a few items in my bag to try out and also update a few pictures too. It's always a popular day and doors open to the public at 10:00am, it's been a long time and I look forward to getting along and having a little run with a few of my old items they could sure do with a decent run as I haven't a huge amount of space available at home.

Address: 

Yiewsley Baptist Church, 74 Colham Avenue

West Drayton  UB7 8HF

* Please note that the entrance is at the side of the church down a path and the doors at the end should be open, please do not try and enter the main doors of the church itself. 

                       

Due to the rental costs of the hall there is a cover charge of £5 for these Open Days, there will be two extensive O Gauge and OO Gauge Test Tracks available and have recently added a three track N Gauge circuit too (Pic Below) all up and running so if you have anything you wish to see get a good run do please come along.

N GAUGE TEST TRACK 

OO Gauge Test Track pictured left, has five available loups to test your models with. DC and DCC accommodated, I believed that the club members have been working on their own layout too, so whatever your theme, they should be able to accommodate you, and rule one always applies, run what you want, modern image, steam, continental, I've even seen some London Underground run there in the past.

HOW TO GET THERE:

If you are Travelling by Car

Check here for Parking Options.

Nearest Railway Stations :

West Drayton [0.34 miles]

HILLINGDON RAILWAY MODELLERS OPEN DAYS 2021 RETURNS

Welcome back, it's been a long time hasn't it but I am really pleased to hear that the Hillingdon Railway Modellers will hold two Open Days in 2021 having not had one for over eighteen months due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. These events run by the Hillingdon Railway Modellers used to be a regular feature and are sure as they return will once again prove to be extremely popular.

The first of these for 2021 will be held on Saturday 2nd October 2021. All being well there is another planned for 11th December but naturally everything is dependant on any changes to government rules and guidance, but we keep our fingers crossed. 

While I have not been able to attend here for a little while this is a good opportunity to get myself over there and give a few of my Dads O Gauge models a bit of a run out since I've no room for a layout at home and I don't want them to live in boxes forever. I aim to hopefully get there for the afternoon with a few items in my bag to try out and also update a few pictures too. It's always a popular day and doors open to the public at 10:00am, it's been a long time and I look forward to getting along and having a little run with a few of my old items.

Address: 

Yiewsley Baptist Church, 74 Colham Avenue

West Drayton  UB7 8HF

* Please note that the entrance is at the side of the church down a path and the doors at the end should be open, please do not try and enter the main doors of the church itself. 

                       

Due to the rental costs of the hall there is a cover charge of £5 for these Open Days, there will be two extensive O Gauge and OO Gauge Test Tracks available and have recently added a three track N Gauge circuit too (Pic Below) all up and running so if you have anything you wish to see get a good run do please come along.

N GAUGE TEST TRACK 

HOW TO GET THERE:

If you are Travelling by Car

Check here for Parking Options.

Nearest Railway Stations :

West Drayton [0.34 miles]

WARLEY MODEL RAILWAY CLUB - VIRTUAL OPEN DAY - 28th / 29th NOVEMBER

The organisers of the Warley National Model Railway Exhibition regretfully announce that following an extensive and detailed consultation period, it has been agreed to postpone this year’s show until 2021, with concern for public safety and the well-being of all exhibitors and supporters being central to the decision, Exhibition Manager Nigel Smith said that the Warley National Model Railway Exhibition is all about showing the model railway hobby at its best and most diverse, and personal interaction, often on a one-to-one basis is part of the experience, especially so for the younger visitors. Adding that running the event to comply with social distancing requirements, restricted entry, and the enforcement of strict and regimented movement of people around the hall, would all have had a negative impact on the experience.

The first Warley MRC Virtual Event will therefore take place on 28th and 29th November . Combining club life and elements of the exhibition all from the comfort of your home.
OPENING TIMES:  10:00 - 18:30

#warleyvirtualevent will feature club and members layouts, how-to demonstrations, competitions, announcements and lots more. Keep an eye on our website www.thewarleyshow.co.uk and our social media, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram for updates of the two day event . The majority of the content will be streamed via Warley YouTube but we will also be streaming bonus footage on these pages. 

The dates for Warley National Model Railway Show 2021 have been confirmed as on 27th and 28th November, hopefully next year will be a lot more 'normal' than this year.

TINKERS PARK -- MODEL RAILWAYS PLUS 2020 GOING AHEAD !!

Saturday 1st August 2020 - Sunday 2nd August 2020

Tinkers Park
Main Road, Hadlow Down
East Sussex TN22 4HS

OPENING TIMES:  Saturday and Sunday 10am - 5pm
ADMISSION:  Adults £7.00   Children £2.00   Concessions £7.00 

The Tinkers Park Annual model railway exhibition and narrow gauge railway gala is an extremely popular event for children and adults alike. We always aim for that little bit extra, with traction engine trailer rides, music in the Organ Museum and a bus “special” on the Sunday the event really has earned the “plus” in the title! The entrance fee includes rides on steam/diesel hauled passenger trains on Great Bush Narrow Gauge railway; mini passenger carrying railway and traction engine trailer rides. Model Railways plus is now in its twelfth year. The layouts will be exhibited in two halls providing over 11,000 square feet of space with easy access. Our aim is to provide a friendly, interesting show for all. In addition to the model railway layouts the show includes a 2' passenger-carrying railway, 7.1/4" gauge miniature railway (both featuring live steam) and full size traction engines. There is also a fair organ museum on site We will operate a vintage bus service connecting to Buxted railway and Uckfield bus stations. 

On the Sunday only, we are delighted to welcome our local bus enthusiasts, who will be organising free rides to local town on their classic buses. Light refreshments and real ale will be available. Any profits from the show will go to the Claude Jessett Trust and go towards restoration of the Collection and the Tinkers Park site's facilities.

Tinkers Park is situated on the A272 to the east of Hadlow Down village in East Sussex.

List of Layouts Attending:

Doug Dale – Gauge 00/Scale 4mm/ft
Represents a small ex-Midland Railway branch line in the Peak District with quarry set in late 1930s LMS or early BR(M). -- Presented by Brighton Model Railway Club

Brown Bear Bottom – Gauge GN15/Scale 1:24
Snowy Alaskan mining scene -- Presented by Charlie Fox-Wilson

Shillingstone – Gauge 0/Scale 7mm/ftRepresent the station area and goods yard based on the 1902 track layout but changed little between 1902 and 1965. -- Presented by Peter Hollins

The Tramway Arms – Gauge 31/2” / Scale 1:16Recreates the street running scenes of the first generation of British tramways, complete with overhead wires.  Will be exhibited with junction. -- Presented by Tramway & Light Railway Society – Sussex Area Group

Lyndale and Lynwood – Gauge 009A pair of layouts. Lyndale has a single circuit and Lynwood two.  Both feature varied scenes and sidings etc.  -- Presented by Phil Gardner

Johannes Modules – Gauge N/Scale 1:148Modular layout display -- Presented by Colin Cheney

Sillean Model Railway – Gauge NModular layout comprising five varied and imaginative scenes. -- Presented by Neil Ellis

Westfield – Gauge NRepresents a small East Sussex branch line from the 1940s – 1950s era. -- Presented by Andrew Chatfield 

Also a Table-top steam engine display -- Presented by Nick Kelly

Nearest Railway Stations:
Buxted [2.6 miles]
Crowborough [3.49 miles]
Uckfield [4.52 miles]
Eridge [6.47 miles]
MAP

MODEL RAILWAY EXHIBITIONS / OPEN DAYS STILL CANCELLED TILL SEPTEMBER?

Have been keeping an eye on the listing of Model Railway Exhibitions and Open Days which can be found via this excellent resource and still disappointing to see they are all cancelled through July and to a large extent all of August too. While the latest Government statement is trying to get things open soon I think we'll be waiting for a little while longer till the bigger events can get themselves organised but there's some light shining at the end of this long tunnel. The Heritage railways are beginning to reopen albeit in a socially distanced way and we talked about some of those in the previous blog entry which included the 60th Anniversary for the Bluebell Railway.

Virtual Exhibitions
Saturday 12th September 2020
Virtual Exhibition, Cambridge Model Railway Club.

• It is with great regret that the CMRC have decided to cancel the actual 2020 exhibition. While we hoped that the situation will have improved for most of us by September, it seems increasingly likely that some social restrictions will remain in place for an extended period. However we are committed to bring Model Railways to our loyal visitors and will be releasing a VIRTUAL EXHIBITION on 12th September via YouTube of Club and our friends layouts, their channel can be found HERE and should be updated on the day. 

There's been a few virtual exhibitions posted on you tube, nice 10 part one found on the TGauge YouTube channel featuring some interesting layouts. 

• The Chichester Lions Club would have held their 25th Annual exhibition in October but had already cancelled that and will instead host it online via their Facebook Channel instead. 

The Museum of the Great Western Railway (STEAM) based at the old Swindon Works, have some dedicated pages for their Museum from Home and would have been celebrating their 20th Year, sadly their planned September festival has sadly been cancelled. You can still have an online experience of the Museum here. 

DEPRESSING OUTLOOK FOR APRIL AND MAY AS ALL EVENTS CANCELLED

Update for the next few months, had planned to be out for open days and exhibitions which are all cancelled as expected until further notice. Gone are the Open Days for Hillingdon Railway Modellers which is a shame as Dad's models could really do with a run. Also had plans over Easter to visit the Isle of Wight including their Steam Railway at Haven Street so will have to try and rearrange that for later this year (assuming things improve a lot for everyone). 

Looking at the listings of Exhibitions and Open Days for April, May and June we already see that the vast majority of these have already been cancelled, not surprisingly, and therefore we will have a long wait before we will see a turnaround in fortunes. [Events calendar]. As well as a planned trip to the Isle of Wight was also looking forward to a trip to visit the Swanage Railway making use of the mainline rail connection via Wareham meaning I can get there using South Western Railway as I no longer drive. They have been testing this out over the past year using a refurbished heritage DMU so was hoping this service would run regularly during the spring and summer this year. Occasionally they have run direct trains into Norden or Corfe Castle but until services resume on the railway it's unclear if this will still be available.

Appears therefore that we have a lot of time on our hands at home instead, and so out come the various scales of models that I have, some inherited from my father, others I have acquired over a period of time. An opportunity to catalogue these as best I can and given I have a number of items boxed away for 'O / OO / N' this could take me a while. Hopefully can give each of the locomotives a quick test run too though no space to try out the O Gauge items at least making sure they are well packed away again will be a good way to spend Easter I guess. I do have a few out on display so will also be able to rotate these a little. Here are a couple of my favourite little O Gauge 0-4-0's that Dad made and detailed. 

HILLINGDON RAILWAY MODELLERS 2020 OPEN DAYS -- OFF TILL FURTHER NOTICE

http://www.hillingdonrailwaymodellers.co.uk/

Hello everyone, would have been promoting the next Open Day of this year at Hillingdon Railway Modellers. Sadly due to the current climate and circumstances surrounding the Coronavirus Outbreak these regular events scheduled for 4th April and 6th June have had to be postponed. Our apologies to anyone who was planning to attend. As further news develops we will of course update later in the year with information about future Open Days and other events. 

Click the image for video of test track

Location

Yiewsley Baptist Church

74 Colham Avenue

West Drayton  UB7 8HF

* the entrance is at the side of the church down a path and the doors at the end should be open, don't try and enter the main doors of the church. 

While it's disappointing for us enthusiasts, collectors and modelling experts there are much bigger issues at stake during these worrying times. So please keep following NHS advice, stay safe, be nice, don't panic and I'm sure we'll be back to some sort of normality in the near future. Take care, 'Back Stronger'.

HILLINGDON RAILWAY MODELLERS 2020 OPEN DAYS -- SATURDAY 1st FEBRUARY

http://www.hillingdonrailwaymodellers.co.uk/

Welcome one and all, a reminder that we will soon have the first Open Day of this year at Hillingdon Railway Modellers. These regular events are very popular and the opening one for 2020 will be held on Saturday 1st February 2020. Open from 10am there will be opportunities to watch and run on the available test tracks till about 3pm. 

Click the image for video of test track

Location

Yiewsley Baptist Church

74 Colham Avenue

West Drayton  UB7 8HF

* the entrance is at the side of the church down a path and the doors at the end should be open, don't try and enter the main doors of the church. 

O Gauge - A huge room filling oval with 4 main running tracks and 8 road yard so there's plenty of space to give your large models a good run, whether they are small 0-4-0 dock tanks like my Dad's kits (above) or a beast of an LNER A4, GWR West Country or even a BR Diesel they'll not just be very welcome but will look great pulling a full rake of coaches. I believe at least one track is DCC compliant but please check with one of the members who are always on hand to give advice and assistance.  

OO Gauge - usually in the back room but still an extensive operation here the OO gauge test track consists of five oval loops. Three of these loops can be operated under DC only, one of the loops is solely for DCC use and the remaining loop can be operated on DC or DCC, best to check with one of the available HRM Members who are always on hand to help.

N Gauge - Used to have a test track which due to the size needed could pop up almost anywhere, this may well have changed in appearance as the N Gauge side of the club has increased and I'm sure more and more options including a new layout are in progress. 

An entry fee is charged to help cover the cost of the hall rental with the Church, £5 is still good value as you are helping a group of Modellers continue with their efforts and while this isn't an 'exhibition' it is a running day, bring your models along or just have a chat and enjoy the excellent refreshments on offer too.

Nearest Railway Stations:
West Drayton [0.4 miles]
Iver [1.68 miles]
Hayes and Harlington [2.2 miles]
Uxbridge (LU) [2.29 miles]

MAP

HILLINGDON RAILWAY MODELLERS -- OPEN DAYS AND EVENTS FOR 2020

http://www.hillingdonrailwaymodellers.co.uk

Happy New Year to you all. 

Just a heads up, as a follower of the good people at Hillingdon Railway Modellers shall continue to promote and support them with their regular open days, running opportunities and some appearances at exhibitions throughout 2020. Hope you can get along to one of their open days throughout the year and enjoy seeing quality O Gauge modelling at work as well as test tracks for both OO / N Gauge too. Even though I am personally no longer a member am so pleased to see this excellent group flourish and expand. Hopefully they'll also be at some of the bigger exhibitions this year and hope to be able to call in as a guest and run some of my late fathers models as they all need a run not good just sat on display. 

Keep up the great work guys, All the best. 

Their first Open Day will be 1st February from 10am. 

Club Events For 2020

Date	Description
1 February	Test Track Open Day (10:00 to 15:00) - To be confirmed
4 April	Test Track Open Day (10:00 to 15:00) - To be confirmed

Any amendments or additions to the above we will update throughout the year.  All the best for 2020.

HILLINGDON RAILWAY MODELLERS 2019 OPEN DAYS -- SATURDAY 14th DECEMBER

http://www.hillingdonrailwaymodellers.co.uk/

Welcome again, it's time for the final Open Day of this year at Hillingdon Railway Modellers, these regular events are very popular and the next one will be held on Saturday 14th December 2019.

While I have not been able to attend here for a little while this is a good opportunity to get myself over there and give a few of my Dads O Gauge models a bit of a run out since I've no room for a layout at home and I don't want them to live in boxes forever. I aim to hopefully get there for the afternoon with a few items in my bag to try out and also update a few pictures too. It's always a popular day and doors open to the public at 10:00am.

Click picture for YT video of test track

Address 

Yiewsley Baptist Church74 Colham Avenue

West Drayton  UB7 8HF

* the entrance is at the side of the church down a path and the doors at the end should be open, don't try and enter the main doors of the church. 

Club Events For 2020

Date	Description
01/03/2020	Test Track Open Day
TBA	Other Events through the year
TBA	Will appear here when available

Owing to rental costs of the hall there is a cover charge of £5 but there will be two extensive O Gauge and OO Gauge Test Tracks available and have recently added a three track N Gauge circuit too (Pic Below) all up and running so if you have anything you wish to see get a good run do please come along.

N GAUGE TEST TRACK 

There are always plenty of refreshments available, Tea, Coffee and cold drinks for the youngster, in addition the freshly made bacon rolls are highly recommended. (just don't scoff them all before I get there!!)  It should be stressed that these ARE NOT exhibitions, so please bring your own locos and rolling stock to run. At busy times we may have to introduce time slots so that everyone can get a chance to operate their stock. Here's a short clip of one of the earlier open days YouTube LINK

Below and Left you can see a busy picture of their 8 road yard in O Gauge it's a very extensive track and will give your models a very good run. A few photo's taken from the previous open days are below, if you read back to some of the earlier postings in this blog I have tried to show the variety of excellent models on show, these guys are truly experts in their craft I only wish I had some of their talents and skills.

People will bring a wide variety of stock to run, nearly all are kit built though and the skills / detail is truly incredible.

Everyone will get their turn to run on each of the test tracks I  promise but it is popular and a queue system will usually operate.

I hope that these pictures give a good indication of the size of the O Gauge test track, you can give your models a really good work out here. This formation can also transform into an exhibition layout called Grindley Brook a scenic section replaces the long straight down the back.

This layout was shown at the Warley show at the NEC Birmingham in November 2017 and will have recently been making an appearance at the Wigan Show in October 2018 so well done to all concerned getting this large layout out there to be enjoyed by people far and wide.

Grindley Brook was recently seen at the Great Electric Train Show, over last weekend and has been featured in the October 2019 issue of the Hornby magazine which  has an article detailing how Grindley Brook was planned and constructed. 

GRINDLEY BROOK O GAUGE

Grindley Brook Station

A few more pictures from some of the previous Open Days, though they mostly focus on the O Gauge track there are also Test Tracks available for OO and N Gauge too. There are many society members on hand who are both extremely friendly and knowledgeable too so if you have any problems with modelling or questions they will be more than happy to try and help i am sure. 

Couple of Dads models (right) , Jersey and Caen simple looking Class B4 0-4-0 engines but plenty of detail and most of all I really like them both. There's a wide variety to be seen on these Open Days. 

THE BUSY OO GAUGE TEST TRACK

LONDON UNDERGROUND STOCK MAKE A WELCOME APPEARANCE

N GAUGE TEST TRACK

N GAUGE BRIGHTON BELLE
SOON TO RETURN TO MAINLINE HOPEFULLY

HOW TO GET THERE:

If you are Travelling by Car

Check here for Parking Options.

Nearest Railway Stations :

West Drayton [0.34 miles]