Page 6 - March April 2009

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In reply to John Spratley's letter
(Feb 09 issue), Sue Wynne says . . .
I thank Mr Spratley for his concern regarding the funding of the Ladies' activities at Kegworth Convention 2008.
If he cares to re-read my letter carefully he will see that I received the full amount I requested from the organisers. The fact that I choose to subsidise the activities is my concern and my way of contributing to the proceedings.
In the context of my letter, I am pointing out to the ladies that a 50% take-up only means a considerable waste of resources and that if the lack of interest is because they either: (a) don't want activities at all or (b) would prefer something else to do, they need to make this known to the organisers who do their best to please everyone.
The funding for activities at Conventions does not come from a bottomless pit, so under-subscribed events will naturally have to give way to more popular ones.
Sincerely, Sue Wynne
Reply to Feb issue "Uncoupled Cars" letter
Having read yet another letter from John Spratley I have to put him right, as he seems to have an axe to grind about Kegworth. He tells us he enjoyed the convention then seems intent on knocking what was a hugely successful convention, with even larger numbers turning out than at any convention in the past few years.
Let me remind him how much we saved everyone! There was NO registration fee (unlike some conventions) and entry on Saturday was only £5.00, and this is with 16 layouts which all had to be paid for (£750+), clinics running all day Saturday
manufacturers; since these are unopened, I cannot say whether they are affected.
Reasonable offers to Jonathan Joseph, 0191 257 4201.
Wanted
• Proto E6A body in ACL purple & silver colour scheme. Contact: Ian Ogden, tel 07711 713176 (North-west/S Wales).
Other
Mark Bristow has assorted back issues of "Diesel Era", in excellent condition, to give away for free, if collected.
Volume 4 (1993) - Issues 2, 4 and 5; Volume 7 (1996) - Issues 1, 2 and 3; Volume 14 (2003) - Issues 2, 4, 5 and 6; Volume 15 (2004) - Issues 1 to 6; Volume 16 (2005) - Issues 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6; Volume 17 (2006) - Issues 1 to 6; Volume 18 (2007) - Issue 1.
Those with web access can browse the contents of each issue: www.witherspublishing.com
Contact Mark on 01635 580619 (Newbury area), Mob. 07720 88 66 25.
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From Mike Dobson . .
Hi Martin,
First of all a heartfelt thanks to all those committee members who work on behalf of us all in the BR Region of the NMRA - long may they continue! I feel compelled to write about an increasingly worrying issue mentioned in the latest Roundhouse by Tim Rudge in his President's Report, specifically the detrimental impact of the value of the pound against the dollar. If we are not very careful, the continuing and long-term slide is likely to impact the membership pretty severely, especially when most of the items we are buying will also be dramatically increasing and competing for our hard-earned cash (along with many other non-MR demands).
What can we do about it generally? Well one of the things that springs to mind, having worked for North American companies both here and over there for many years, is that based on historical records, a long-term average value for the pound could be chosen at such a level that ongoing business (ie membership in our case) is not likely to be so severely impacted by short-term vagaries in the money markets.
Then when the pound is trading very strongly against the dollar, excess revenues such as have hopefully been collected recently, should be 'saved for a rainy day'
For Sale
obtained from the
,,, ....------,
• HO scale. Large amount of brass steam SP, ATSF, UP Also rolling stock made to a good standard, many unbuilt Sunshine, Speedwitch Media and Westerfield kits. Many plastic kits Intermountain, Red Caboose and Branchlines freight cars, built and unbuilt; Branchlines and Walthers passenger cars - built. Building kits built and unbuilt; 2 boxes Peco code 83 and many switches - all unused (new project ready to start). Contact Paul Doggett, 0161 764 2303.
• Broadway Limited C&O 2-10-4 (NOT Blueline); new in box and test run only; sound and DCC; £150 + postage. Contact: Ian Ogden, tel 07711 713176 (North-west/S Wales).
• HO (All Lifelike) - PRR FM C-liner A unit (Proto 1000). Road #9493, item 23989 (test run only); C&NW F-M Erie-Built A unit (Proto 1000). Road #6001A, item 23889 (test run only); UP F-M Erie-Built A unit (Proto 1000). Road #705, item 23899 (test run only); Reading Alco FA1 A-B set (Proto 2000). Road #300 & 300B, item 23468 (as new, still sealed).
I understand that some batches of the Proto 2000 FA1 suffered split worm gears on the axles for which replacements can be
6 ROUNDHOUSE
UNCOUPLED
nd used to offset increased costs during those years when the value is
below the average.
I feel this smoothing of membership
fees will have a far more beneficial effect, and especially for those hard-earned new members who are less likely to renew when the fees inevitably increase, unlike us 'oldies' who have been through all this
many times before.
Remember the old marketing adage that it is a lot more cost-effective to look after existing customers than to keep chasing new ones all the time.
Fortuitously, I note in Tim's report just a couple pf paragraphs later, that the new Grants Policy has yet to receive any requests, presumably for monies which are currently surplus to expenditure. May I suggest that this money would be better invested along the above lines to the mutual benefit of all the members over the longer term, rather than favouring just a very few, and for this year only? Just a thought - now back to the basement!
Regards
Mike Dobson
(Ed's Note: this was contributed before the dues discount for this year was announced. Possibly Mike is telepathic!!)
A reader commented . . .
... on Jeff Hurst's trestle article in February Roundhouse, that "without any rail expansion joints he should beware rail buckling with changes of temperature. "Long straight prototype rail is often heated up before being welded together so that its subsequent contraction produces a tension in the rail that fights tendencies to buckle. It would not be a bad idea to introduce a working rail gap every 9 or 10 inches."
BEANERY