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Club dinner - August 2008

To allegedly commemorate the end of main line steam in 1968 the club had an evening meal in the New Inn, Dyserth on August 12th.  Photos taken by Laurence Smith, using a rather dodgy mobile phone.

Holyhead and the Welsh Highland Railway, 25th July 2008

With the deep blue sea behind, the team await their return train to Bangor

Five members of the club enjoyed an excellent day using the 'Tocyn Taith' rover ticket.  We first travelled by train to Holyhead, returned to Bangor and then got an Arriva bus to Caernarfon.  Return travel on the Welsh Highland was by the K1 garratt locomotive.  Then back to Prestatyn.  All trains and buses ran to time.

A visit to Snailbeach, 6th July 2008

Some of the more intrepid club members visited the Snailbeach lead mines in Shropshire in early July.  There we were given an excellent surface and underground tour by a member of the Shropshire Mines Trust.  A very interesting site I would heartily recommend.

Three minutes in Blaenau, 2nd July 08



On July 2nd 14 members of the club took advantage of the Conwy Valley Evening Rover ticket.  For £5.30 this enabled us to travel from Prestatyn to Llandudno Jct then up the Conwy valley line to Blaenau Ffestiniog - where we spent the grand total of three minutes!  We returned via Llandudno.  All the trains ran to time and an enjoyable evening was had by all.

"The New Pandora group" - Phil Shaw, Lee Shaw and Brian Orton - attended the 7mm Narrow Gauge Association convention at Burton on Trent on 10th May. Due to the layout having some electrical problems we were accompanied by club electrical guru Al Prescot. Luckily it ran fairly well and Al was able to sit down and doze most of the day dreaming of the electric mice he usually models. (Swiss Railways in N gauge)"

Several members of the club recently visited the cornish beam engine house at Dorothea Quarry near Nantlle.  Despite driving rain at the start of the visit a most interesting time was had by all.  There is more to read about the engine house and Dorothea here.

Outside the engine house and ready for anything the weather can throw at us!

The immense 68" cylinder which powered the beam engine.

On Wednesday 6th February 2008 members' of Rhyl & District Model Railway Club visited The Rhuddlan Borough Talking Newspaper offices to present a cheque for £450 to the Prestatyn based charity.  The money was raised at the Club's 2007 Charity Model Railway Exhibition held at the Presbyterian Church Hall in Prestatyn and by the auction of a donated train set.

A sad event took place at the premises of the Rhyl and District MRC on January 16th 2008 when, after 30 years of faithful service to the club, the ex Meliden VP School headmasters chair finally succumbed to old age and fatigue.  After a final sit in by Phil Shaw it was, with all due care and reverence, placed on top of the rubbish filled trailer by Brian Orton and taken to it's final resting place at Prestatyn Tip.

May it rest in pieces.

We returned to our friends at the New Inn, Dyserth on December 18th for the 2007 xmas sustenance.  Club member of the year award was presented to Jim Corfield for his sterling work on the new downstairs floor at the clubhouse.

Our 2007 show was held on December 8th and our chosen charity this year was the 'Rhuddlan Borough Talking Newspaper for the Blind'.  Despite appalling weather it was another successful event.  Many thanks to all the club members for their hard work and to the general public for their support.

Club member Martin Wild exhibited his gauge 1 layout Oakland 3rd Street Yard at the Warley Exhibition at the N.E.C in November 2007.  Martins layout is somewhere in the centre of the photo!

Seven members of the club went on a ramble through the quarry on 16th July 2007.  Although the weather was dull a good time was had by all.  Further details on Dinorwic slate quarry can be read  here.

Looking up Nant Peris towards Snowdon

Llanberis and Llyn Peris

On July 28th 2007 our club president Alan Cliff,  author of the Jack the Station Cat children's books, and his son Nigel from Wrexham, who illustrates the Jack books, were invited to a book signing at the National Railway Museum York.  The footplate of "Mallard" the world's fastest steam locomotive, preserved at the museum, was specially opened up.   Alan and Nigel, whose drawing of "Mallard" appears in "Jack and the Lost Kittens," were photographed by the museum's official photographer "driving," and leaning out of the cab window. This was a dream come true for Alan as he had long wanted to go on the footplate of "Mallard" since he first saw the loco at King's Cross station in 1946.   Alan presented a complete set of Jack books to the NRM Librarian Karen Baker as well as signing over 60 books for visiting children.

Alan in book signing mode

Alan on the footplate of Mallard with illustrator Nigel Cliff.

Alan handing over his back catalogue of Jack the Station Cat books to the NRM.

On June the 4th 2007 eight club members went on the circular tour of North Wales by rail.  An excellent day was enjoyed by all.  Our route was Prestatyn - Llandudno Junction - Blaenau Ffestiniog - Porthmadog - Machynllech - Shrewsbury - Chester - Prestatyn, over 230 miles.  Further details of the tour can be found on this website.

Our route is shown in black on the map above

Merddin Emrys at Blaenau Ffestiniog on the Ffestiniog Railway

Crossing another service at Harlech

The team chill out in Shrewsbury

Congratulation to our friends at the Rhyl Miniature Railway on the opening of their new station,
a Gala Day train is seen here on May 26th 2007.

and very nice it looks too!

and a new floor needs new paint.

nearly finished!

Back in the mists of time it was decided that the downstairs modelling area needed a new concrete floor as the existing stone floor had all the characteristics of a ploughed field!  It was decided to do the job in three parts, phase 1 went to plan but matters were then held in abeyance until recently.  Following a major exersise in April/May 2007 the remaining sections were completed.  The concreting crew were ably led by construction foreman "Handyman Jim" and matters proceeded to plan.  The momentous efforts are recorded below for posterity.

Jim gets ready to lay section 3

Answers on a postcard is you know what Mike Williams is up to!

A final bit of tamping by Phil Shaw

To celebrate 30 years of industrious railway modelling, the club held its Anniversary Dinner in the New Inn, Dyserth on the 24th of April 2007.  Following an excellent meal, vice chairman Phil Shaw thanked the members for their support and glasses were raised in honour of absent friends, which sadly included our indisposed Chairman Tony Williams.  We now look forward to the next 30 years.  Below are a few photos taken on the night

Our Christmas 2006 exhibition was held in support of the Glan Clwyd Hospital family support group for children with diabetes.  The cheque for £550 is seen being presented by exhibition organiser Martyn Wild at the hospital on January the 17th 2007.  The amount raised by the one day exhibition is our highest yet and thanks must go to Martyn and all the club members who helped to make the exhibition such a success.

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