The Club Room
The section that’s all about you, the Model Rail reader. Includes the Exhibition Diary.
The foundations of HWDMRS can be traced back to 1971, when father and son duo Les and Roy Page organised a small exhibition to showcase the creations of general model makers and hobbyists. From those humble beginnings the society was formed. Initially it met at the original Sands Village Hall in High Wycombe. This small group of members, some of whom are still with the society, then moved into the basement of Downley Village Hall, after which membership grew considerably. But the premises were small and the ceilings were low – some members had stiff necks after working for a few hours in a space only five feet high. New premises were needed, and a move to the old Mill End Road school canteen followed. The society made great strides during its time at Mill End, and having a permanent base meant members had time to construct larger layouts, encompassing ‘OO’, ‘N’, ‘EM’ and ‘O’ gauges. All scales were represented in British outline, but a few modellers built ‘N’ gauge and ‘HO’ scale American image layouts, and a number of new members built a portable ‘O’ gauge American layout. Soon we had to move again, owing to the redevelopment of the Mill End site. Wycombe District Council offered us the use of Spring Gardens School library, and it became our new home, albeit on a temporary basis. In 2002 Mill End also became subject to redevelopment. Urgent meetings were held and searches made, and a permanent home was found at Commercial Square, Leigh Street, where the society now resides. Situated in an old industrial furniture factory, the society has grown accustomed to its new home. However, this area is now
subject to potential redevelopment too, so once again we are seeking new premises. We currently have 11 layouts encompassing a range of scales and genres, including ‘N’, ‘OO’, ‘HO’, ‘O’ gauges and 16.5mm narrow gauge, covering both British and North American outlines. One of the layouts under construction is being undertaken by some of our junior members, who have been able to use skills they’ve learned in the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme. We also have a large multi-gauge test track layout. One of our largest layouts is the ‘OO’ gauge 32ft by 10ft ‘Hinton Parva’, which operates at exhibitions in an hour-long sequence with 85 movements by more than 40 different trains. Due to its age (it’s now over 25 years old) it’s in the process of being retired and replaced by a new, similar sized layout. Utilising the full benefits of DCC and computerised control systems, the new layout is based on Oxford in the 1950s. We are the organisers of the annual Wycrail Exhibition, now in its 46th year, and held on the first Saturday in November. Over the years it has built up a reputation for being one of the largest and best quality one-day exhibitions in the south of England. We now have over 60 members, with ages ranging from eight to 80. We hold regular evening meetings to enable members to learn and practise new skills. Our primary meetings are held on Monday and Wednesday evenings, and Thursday mornings, although we have access to our club rooms seven days a week so members can always make use of our facilities, such as a fully equipped workshop to work on the society’s layouts or their own projects. New members are always welcome and we are happy to show visitors around.