The Club Room
The section of the magazine that’s all about you. Includes Exhibition Diary.
The Wakefield Railway Modellers’ Society was formed when the model railway section of the Wakefield Society of Model and Experimental Engineers decided to start their own club in 1958. Of the ten members who formed the society, our current president, Peter Dowd, is the sole survivor. Initially rooms were rented above a shop in the city centre, but space was extremely limited and alternative accommodation was sought. This was somewhat larger but only available on a temporary basis so, in 1967, it was decided to lease a plot of land from the council and construction of the new clubrooms commenced. Most of the work was done by the members themselves and the official opening took place in May 1969. By the late 1970s space was once again at a premium, owing to an increase in membership, so a second storey was built. This was opened in February 1983 by our then president, David Jenkinson. An opportunity arose to buy out the lease from the council, so the society now has a permanent home. The ground floor consists of a meeting room capable of seating 45 people, a layout room and a kitchen. Upstairs is the main layout building room and a library with an extensive collection of modelling magazines, many going back to the first issue, along with over 500 reference books. The current membership is just below 90 and during the winter months members are entertained every fortnight by talks, demonstrations or films on a variety of topics, both modelling and prototype. Other meeting nights are devoted to the construction of layouts. Currently work is progressing on an Austrian 9mm narrow gauge layout, a scale model of Stanley in ‘OO’ gauge set in the late 1950s (due to make its debut at our forthcoming exhibition), an ‘O’ gauge layout based on Eyemouth in North British days and an American ‘O’ gauge switching layout. In addition there are completed layouts which are stored between exhibitions. Individual members have their own layouts which appear at exhibitions up and down the country. Our members have a wide range of skills and knowledge, and if anyone has a problem there is usually someone able to help. Meetings are held every Monday and Friday, commencing at 1930. Visitors and potential members are always welcome, whether they’re new to the hobby or accomplished modellers. Thank you to David Woodward for preparing this article. Address: Wakefield Railway Modellers’ Society, Garden Street, Wakefield, WF1 1DX E-mail: committee@wakefieldrms.org Web: www.wakefieldmrs.org