Page 3 - March April 2009

CUPOLA
...FROM THE EDITOR
First an apology: the cover caption for Feb 2009 issue somehow reverted back to that from the Oct 2008 one! The February cover should have read: "A realistically weatherbeaten Broadway On30 C16 2-8-0 on Dave Illingworth's 'Gunsight' at Kegworth 2008 — Photo Tim Rudge".
Also we heard of a February copy or two with missing pages. Please advise us if you need a replacement.
Meanwhile the show rolls on. After a very enjoyable January meet at Benson, I now look forward to a local (to me) display by South Shore, in Lancing near the end of March.
"'Scuse me, mister, can I run my Thomas the Tank on your 50 wagon goods train! !??" (What was that he replied? Sounded like 'something off'. Perhaps they've had a power cut.)
Anyway, it is nice to have only a 15-minute drive to a show, even if I did spend 33 years working in that town! A lot of talk lately has been of show publicity, and 'marketing' the NMRA. It is true that many modellers, including those who favour US outline, either do not know much about NMRA or have never heard of it. Or if they have heard of it they don't know what it is. It seems to me that spreading the word is a noble cause. Let us be brutally honest — in this day and age, basic BR membership is not that expensive compared to many other things we throw money at. Yes, times are
hard right now , and I can certainly understand people saying they would sooner put f20+ towards their gas bill, but not when they then go off and buy goodies well into three figures.
Think of it this way — look at the money a potential modeller could waste if they don't know what they are doing. Like in my early N scale days when I cheerfully ran NYC Hudsons with SD40-2s. Sure, I was enjoying myself but it just ain't RIGHT!
One thing that I found very satisfying, as (some of) the mist fell away, was not just to see very attractive and well-running trains on a layout full of detail and atmosphere, but to understand why they, in particular, were there, and how they fitted into the history, geography and industry of the USA.
And, if you want to be a bit pompously academic, if we model the USA in say the 1940s and 1950s (the popular transition era), we are gaining knowledge about one of the most important industrial histories of the world, that for example completely dictated the outcome of the Second World War, and without which our present-day world would present a very different picture.
So we can learn and have fun at the same time. Perhaps there is a case for introducing both real and model railroading into school history lessons (if such still exist?).
Martin Boyask
ROUNDHOUSE APRIL 2009
CONSIST...
CUPOLA 3
PRESIDENT'S CAR 4
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR BOD 4
ATLANTIC DIRECTOR'S HALF-YEARLY REPORT Nobby Clarke 5
UNCOUPLED CARS 6
BOOK REVIEWS Lindsay Beare 8
BENSON WINTER MEET Robin Swan & Michael Ingham 9
WHERE HAVE ALL THE MODULARS GONE? Mike Arnold 9
GRAIN EXTRA — THIRD SECTION
W A Corkill 10
NMRA-BR MARKETING REPORT
Mike Hughes 11
THE KANSAS CITY SOUTHERN (A BRIEF HISTORY) Kenneth Williamson 12
LIGHTS, SOUND, AND ... ACTION!
Brian Moore 18 FIRST STEPS IN DCC Chris Packman 21 WHAT'S ON AND WHERE 22 DIVISION DIARY 24 REGISTRAR NEWS 25
COPY DATES FOR FUTURE ISSUES...
Deadline for June: 24 April and for August: 24 June.
Commercial Advertising Manager: Jonathan Small, Millfield, Vyner Road North, Bidston Hill, Prenton, Merseyside CH43 7PZ
Tel 0151 652 2763, advertising@nmrabr.org.uk "Beanery"contact (members ONLY): Martin Boyask, 135 New Church Rd, Hove, BN3 4BE
01273 422048 before 9pm ed_nmra@mboyask.freeserve.co.uk
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and printed by Ruddocks Colour Printers, 56 Great Northern Terrace, Lincoln LN5 8HL
Amended Announcement from Digitrax
Digitrax National Display Program
Digitrax has announced discounts of 30% off Digitrax DCC equipment for qualified club or exhibition layouts with public viewings.
The discount is 30% off the US$ rate before VAT at 15% is added. With the 2.5% reduction of VAT announced recently, this effectively means a total reduction in excess of 32% off the previous price.
Terms and conditions apply and can be obtained from your local Digitrax supplier. Authorised Dealers are listed on the Digitrax website.
ADVERTISING IN ROUNDHOUSE
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APRIL 2009 3