Page 3 - November December 2001

CUPOLA
...FROM THE EDITOR
organisers can justly say that THEY take the time and effort to assemble a meet so why should they be dictated to? Equally, we hear barely-suppressed grumbles about ‘private’ bring-and-buy tables. Fred Bloggs turns up to find he cannot be given a table and complains he is a member in just as good standing as Joe Soap, who has got a table. Whilst there may be no easy answers to these problems, I’m sure there are answers of some sort. I would respectfully suggest it needs sitting down and applying some thought as to organisation.
A pattern needs to be devised that is clear and fair to all, and that pattern needs to become an established practice that everyone can refer to and have no further ground for complaint. You might say it is easy for me to sit here and pontificate (yeah, it is!) but if you want to start the ball rolling, I would put in my three-ha’pence- worth and say everything needs to be done on a pre-booked deposit system. (Pick the bones out of that!) Take bring-and-buy for instance. It is no good saying it will be done on a “first come - first served” system when doors open on the day, if people turning up exactly on opening time find all the tables have somehow gone.
Similarly traders could be approached well before the event, and a cash deposit requested by a named date, also well before the event. Then they are allocated an area (which might well be somewhat limited if everyone thinks they should be invited to everything). After that date, if no deposit had been received and space had gone, well tough luck. The actual deposit money might well be recycled back to attending traders in exchange for raffle goods say - these details obviously need to be worked out, but the present system is a bit shambolic, and has shown that it can and does lead to trouble and ill-feeling we don’t need, and ought to be able to avoid.
Right, that’s my soapbox bit for this month - where are the aspirins?
Martin Boyask
ed_nmra@mboyask.freeserve.co.uk
As noted in Presidents Car, last issue, and other places in Roundhouse and Bulletin, one
of the most contentious pieces of National NMRA discussion recently has been the National dues increase, from $34 to $45 per year.
This goes hand-in-hand with a major reorganisation of NMRA funding and expenditure to put finances of a self- sustaining even keel. Unfortunately many members will throw up their hands with horror at the increase of $11 a year but if you stand back and take a clear look at this, it amounts to 21 cents a week. At a nominal exchange rate of $1.40, this is only 15 pence a week in real money. 15p will buy you less than half a Daily Express any weekday. Put another way, if someone asked you to take a 10 pence coin and a 5 pence coin out of your pocket every Saturday and pay it over, how much hardship would it cause you?
Whilst I like to hold on to my hard-earned as much as the next person, I would argue that if somebody is prepared to ditch membership of an organisation solely on the basis of 15p difference a week, they were probably on their way out anyway.
So far as I’m concerned, for now I would just want to keep a careful eye on where the extra funding went, to ensure it were not disappearing down any black holes! We have enough of those already - they’re called Government.
Ross raises a few hackles...
Back around the time the October 2001 issue arrived there was a certain amount of ill-feeling appearing, with regard to the arrangements for traders to be invited (or more specifically NOT invited) to the 2002 Winter Meet.
I find it odd that in all the many aeons I seem to have been pounding the Roundhouse keys, the very same problems recur every few years - not new problems so much (though we are not immune to those) but old chestnuts that could have been sorted out and put to rest once and for all. This is not to dismiss these hitches as either trivial or easy to solve. Meet
ROUNDHOUSE DECEMBER 2001
CONSIST...
CUPOLA 3
PRESIDENT’S CAR 4
ANOTHER GAS STATION 6
Mike Carter
BEANERY 7
UNCOUPLED CARS 7
TIMETABLE 9
WHAT’S ON & WHERE 10
DIVISION DIARY... 12
CONTEST COLUMN 12
LAND OF ENCHANTMENT 13
More on Dallies from Bob Warren
HOW TO FIND DALLIES NM 13
Rod Welch
GLASGOW VIRGINIA 14
Richard Hood
REGISTRAR NEWS 16 UP & OUT FROM LAX 16
Mike Arnold
CONSTRUCTORS' CORNER 18 NEW BRIDGE FOR OAKLAND DIVN. Tony Martin MORE NOTES ON PAINTING BRASS Paul Doggett PRODUCT REVIEW Andy Gibbs
HO TIE STRIP John Wright
Material for ROUNDHOUSE should be sent to: The Editor, Martin Boyask, 135 New Church Road, HOVE, East Sussex BN3 4BE. Telephone: 01273 422048 (before 9 pm) E-mail: ed_nmra@mboyask.freeserve.co.uk
TRADE ADVERTISING COPY to:
John Sammans, 32 Oker Avenue, Darley Dale, Matlock, Derbyshire DE4 2GN.
Telephone: 01629 734931
COPY DATES FOR FUTURE ISSUES...
Deadline for February 2002 is December 20, and for April 2002 is February 22.
ROUNDHOUSE is designed by Ian Wilson, Mackenzie Wilson, 2 High Street, Corby Glen, Lincolnshire NG33 4LX Tel.01476 550502 E-mail: art@mackw.co.uk
and printed by Ruddocks Colour Printers, Great Northern Terrace, Lincoln.
Tel: 01522 529591
DECEMBER 2001 3