Page 4 - November December 2010
P. 4

Head End Business Cars
Robin Swan
 This year we are trying an experiment and your feedback will be welcome. The title of this message should be “The final run of the President’s Car” but is now the “Head End Business Cars”, and the Busi­ ness Section may be edited by any of the members of the BOD – there will still be a President’s Section.
President’s Section
My message is simple: to thank all those who volunteer and make our organisation possible. In this, the “final”, President’s Car I will highlight the team who organ­ ised the 2010 Convention: Nobby Clarke, John Hey, Mary Hey, John Firth and his sister Gil. In addition Carol Woodland provided assistance to the organisers by helping out at critical times on the Regis­ tration desk. Thanks must also go to the Contest Chairman, Terry Wynne, and the Achievement Program team led by Steve Park. Their work helps to showcase, and recognise, the work of individual mem­ bers. In addition I would like to thank Elen Millatt (Kathy’s mother) who orga­ nised the Ladies’ section.
All these volunteers (and others not mentioned here) gave up their time – valuable to us, but at a cost to their modelling or other hobbies.
In your area, if you are able to help by taking our small stand to a local show, that will provide invaluable publicity for the NMRA (BR). A potential new member then directly comes into contact with those who will be their immediate peers – the local group. The BOD will provide support in the shape of the stand and publicity material. Please all do your bit, and to those who already do – many thanks. To adapt the words of the Police Sergeant in the opening shot of Hill Street Blues: “Let’s be visible out there.”
But most of all, let us enjoy our hobby and celebrate our different skills. I look for­ ward to meeting as many of you as is pos­
sible across the British Region. Please call me (before 9:30 pm please), email me, write to me with your thoughts and come up to speak to me. Your thoughts are im­ portant and may open my eyes to some­ thing new. So if you like, or do not like, the new format of this section let me know. Some background about me:
I was asked at the Convention, “Why did you want to be President?” A major reason is that our hobby has given me much pleasure (and some grief I will admit) but has provided me with knowledge and the opportunity to make friends with people from diverse backgrounds who share my passion for Model Railroading. This is my chance to repay the debt.
I model in most scales – actually too many different interests. In the coming years I will have to abandon some of these and concentrate on fewer diver­ sions.
Business Section
As you all know, Model Junction, who sponsored the Convention, have also sponsored a fund to support the NMRA. Examples of the use of that fund were mentioned at last year’s AGM. They included staging an NMRA event at the local conference/meeting facility on the Slough Industrial Estate. I am pleased to announce that the first of these will take place there in early March 2011. It will be have to be on a weekday – the only days that the hall is available. And it will take a
workshop format. Several NMRA mem­ bers have already offered their services. Terry Wynne has offered to put on a similar event in Crewe in the latter part of 2011. The Cyder Belt group has volun­ teered for 2012. We want to ensure that there is coverage across the whole region: so please put in your bids.
Finally, and looking a little further ahead, we are seeking a team to organise the 2012 Convention to be held at Kegworth, and a venue and team to host the 2013 Convention. The team may be drawn from several different groups or indeed simply a team of unaffiliated individuals. Help in organising such an event is avail­ able, so the fact that you may not have previously organised a convention is not in itself a barrier to getting involved for the first time! Those who have run the conventions in previous years are always willing to provide advice. (note:Fn3is15mmtothefooton45mm track and is 1/20.3 scale)
    Scale
  Road modelled
  Current layout
 N
  Maine Central
  No
 HO
  GM&O + B&O
  Yes
 Gauge 1
  SP
  In my garden
 Fn3
   D&RGW
   In my garden
   Obituary
Keith Raymond Johnson 1944–2010
A man of many talents. TWICE Born a man of Kent at Maidstone in 1944 his family moved to Manchester shortly afterwards where he spent the majority of his childhood gaining his love of railways. His interests were far and wide and included hill walking, darts, golf, cooking, painting and sailing.
He moved to the USA in the late 1960s and worked for IBM as a sales manager and then on to Canada, where he became a Canadian citizen holding dual nationality. Whilst in Canada his interests turned to HO scale. The excuse was to amuse his son Peter, but the HO layout became a large basement railroad complex. Returning to the UK in the 1980s he joined ICL in a similar capacity and subsequently became involved in N scale. Keith never played trains, he operated trains, wherever possible following standard practice. His passion was switching using car cards and dice, which bewildered some of his fellow enthusiasts, but was all good fun.
Keith’s aim in everything he did was perfection – he spent many hours fine­tuning his uncoupling system. Experimentation with scenics never ended, gondola scrap steel loads were painted pasta. Weathering of rolling stock using some of his own formulations produced realistic and interesting finishes. His enthusiasm and dedication to model railroading touched everyone he came into contact with.
We shall dearly miss the skills and enthusiasm that Keith brought to all the groups he was involved with.
Baz Rye, Worcester “N” Gaugers
Keith receiving his Golden Spike Award in 2008
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