Page 5 - September October 2014

REGIONCALENDAR
OctObER 2014 5
NMRA BRITISH REGION ANNUAL CONVENTION 2014 – THE SEASHORE EXTRA
Friday 17–Sunday 19 October 2014
Bookings are still being taken for the the Seashore Extra, at the Carrington House Hotel, Knyveton Road, Bournemouth, Dorset BH1 3QQ. This hotel was used in 2011 and is now part of the Britannia Hotels chain. Room Rates and Registration Fees are held at 2011 prices. Meal options are being sent out for reply to the Registrar, Chris James. If you have not yet had a confirmation of booking from the hotel please also let Chris know. The railroad stuff is in previous issues so now some other informa- tion.
Opening Times For members and guests registered for the weekend, there will be access to all exhibits and trade stands from Friday afternoon (with evening running if layout owners wish to). Members will be able to access the Train Show and Bring & Buy from 9.30 am on the Saturday until close for the day at 4.00 pm when the raffle draw will take place. Non- members will have access from 10.30 am. Bring & Buy tables still available. The AGM is 4.45 pm in the Conservatory to the Restaurant on the ground floor.
Sunday opening will be from 10.00 am until 2.00 pm. Non- members are not expected to attend this session but may do so by prior arrangement and registration. If space permits, some Bring & Buy tables may still be available, but there is no guarantee that any will be set up.
Clinic Sessions A full timetable will be at the Registration desk. Clinics Saturday (10.00–16.00), Sunday (10.00–13.00). Some will be in the main hall, others in side rooms.
The Hotel and the Bournemouth Area More details of the hotel, and its owners the Britannia Group, here: www.britanniahotels.com/hotels/bournemouth-carrington- house. Details of attractions here: www.bournemouth.co.uk. Links to other activities: www.bournemouth.co.uk/explore-the- area/wonderful-walks. Public Gardens include Compton Acres (http://comptonacres.co.uk) and Knoll Gardens at Hampreston (www.knollgardens.co.uk). The beautiful market town of Wimborne Minster (www.wimborneminster.org.uk).
A short drive is the resort of Swanage. Details here: www. visitswanage.com. It is here that the famous Jurassic Coast starts. It is also the home of one the country’s finest preserved steam railways running from Swanage to a park and ride loca- tion at Norden just outside Corfe Castle (www.swanagerailway. co.uk/calendar). Corfe Castle is dominated by the ruins of the castle, a National Trust property (http://corfe-castle.co.uk). Why not take the car via the ferry from Sandbanks to Shell Bay, a very short hop across the mouth of Poole Harbour, the largest natural harbour in Europe. Or take a bus from Bournemouth Town Centre – see https://www.bybus.co.uk/routes for details of bus services in Bournemouth and Poole areas.
Bovington Camp near Wool is home to the Tank Museum with its unique collection of tanks and armoured cars from around the world and a prized collection of vehicles from WWI and WWII. See www.tankmuseum.org for details. Finally let us not forget the beautiful New Forest National Park through which many of you will travel to get to Bournemouth. Famous for its ponies and the woodlands and heaths, it offers the opportunity to view a piece of English history, having been planted at the behest of William the Conqueror for his hunting pleasures. It is now a protected area. See www.newforestnpa.gov.uk for details of how to get there, and what to see and do. If you cannot decide where to go, just pop by the Bearwood HO Group layout and ask their views on the choice to make – if they do not know, few others present will.
Please see the Region website for full details and copies of the Registration Form at www.nmrabr.org.uk/annual-convention and follow link to the form. BRe-news has been carrying a copy
of the booking form up to and including the September issue – it can be used for booking the hotel and/or registration for the convention.
The Model Railway Society of Ireland
25–27 October 2014
Saint Paul’s, Sybil Hill, Raheny, Dublin 5. October Bank Holiday. With the Chicago Belt RR.
Wycrail 2014
High Wycombe & District MRS
Saturday 1 November 2014 10 am–5 pm
The Cressex Community School, Holmers Lane, High Wycombe, Bucks HP12 4UD
Adults £5, Child £3.50. Family (2 + 2) £11
Layouts: 20+ layouts, including USA layouts, Horsethief Bridge N; Stoney Hill West HO; Stout Oak Iowa On3; Prospect Valley HO and Galatia KS HO. Trade support and free bus service from High Wycombe station, see website for details: www.hwdmrs. org.uk
Contact: Dave Fryer 07929 905502
British Region Convention 2015
23–25 October in the old LMS signalling school at Derby Conference Centre, organised by the Black Diamonds. This will be the 70th birthday of British Region too.
Calder Northern Themed Meet
Calder Northern Group’s two-day Themed Train Show at Crewe Heritage Centre will be held on the weekend of October 4 (Saturday) and 5 (Sunday) with the theme title of “Fallen Flags”. There will also be a Saturday evening dinner at Crewe Arms Hotel for NMRA members and friends, traders and exhibitors. We have 11 confirmed layouts, plus Calder Northern’s layouts will also be operating in the North Junction Signal Box. Those layouts confirmed are mainly HO scale but there will also be On30, G scale and a British (GWR) N scale layout – after all, that is also a fallen flag! There will be a bookseller, and for those of you who are familiar with ‘Anoraks Anonymous’, they will attend with their secondhand products sales stand. Bring & Buy tables @£5 per table will be available inside the APT or Exhibition Hall if space allows.
In addition to the Train Show, the Heritage Centre attractions will be there for all to enjoy – three full-size signal boxes, APT, Diesel and Steam locomotives and of course the extensive 7.25” miniature railway. We are also able to offer the “be a driver for a fiver” again, where you get the opportunity to drive (under guidance!) the Class 03 diesel loco. There will also be a grand tombola with many prizes donated by model manufacturers and a Class 1 railroad!
Hours of opening will be 10 am–4 pm each day. There will be catering available, plus the Tesco Supermarket eatery is next door. Drinks and light refreshments will be available each day in the North Junction Signal Box. Entrance payment will be at the Pay-Hut as you enter the site but we ask all NMRA members to please sign the NMRA sheet in North Junction Box (club layout room) so we can see how many members attend. This October weekend is the scheduled CN members’ normal monthly meet date.
Entry is £5 for all adults, £2 for children. We regret that NMRA and seniors concessions will not be available, as it would pose too many problems for those on duty in the pay hut.
For those wishing to come for the weekend, the rate for a room including bed & breakfast at Crewe Arms Hotel (which is currently in the process of finalising a complete refurbishment
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