Fri 1 December – Open Day 2024 – We’re Growing!
We have reviewed our plans for the coming year and, much as we have enjoyed bringing you our Open Day at Whitwell Village Hall these past two years, we find that we will be unable to squeeze into this wonderful location all that we will have to show you.
We are not moving far, just a few miles up the road to the the much larger Stenbury Hall in Wroxall.
Add the date to your diaries now – Saturday 26th October 2024, 10am to 4pm.
Sun 29 Oct – Our thanks to everyone!
We had a wonderful day! Even the rain, flooding and Island Roads signs saying roads to Whitwell were closed could not stop many more people than last year joining us for our Open Day.
A special thanks to all our members who worked hard on the day and also devoted a lot of time and effort before the event. We were pleased to be able to show new layouts and also share our knowledge and experiences with our visitors.
Our younger visitors took great delight in running trains on our pop-up Kato layout which was running two DC lines and two DCC lines. Many adults, including our own members enjoyed it too!
We are looking forward to our next monthly meeting on Thursday 16th November at 6pm when we will be welcoming a number of new members who joined yesterday. Membership of our group costs just £15 per year!
Do you have any photos of the event that you would be prepared to share with us on this website? If so, please email them to support@ngsiow.uk. We will, of course, give you a mention alongside your photos (if you wish).
Don’t miss out on our next Open Day – Saturday 26th October 2024 – venue as yet to be decided.
Sat 28 Oct – It’s Open Day and the event is definitely ON !!!
It’s OPEN DAY
Saturday 28th October 2023
10am to 4pm
It’s ON ON ON !!!
Come and join us in the warm
and out of the rain
Thu 26 Oct – Coaches don’t trundle along the lines forever
Here is a corner of another of our little layouts. As in real life, some coaches find a new lease of life when they no longer transport passengers and light goods.
Here we have a grounded Camping Coach (one of three on the site), and to the left is half a BG body, now being used as a site office and store.
Here is a corner of another of our little layouts. As in real life, some coaches find a new lease of life when they no longer transport passengers and light goods.
It’s now just TWO DAYS until the open day. The event is ON. We have had no information to suggest that we should cancel despite other parts of the island likely to be short on or without water for the coming few days. Check back here daily for the very latest news.
Wed 25 Oct – And now for something completely different
Yes, John has agreed to bring along his vintage OO gauge Hornby Dublo 3rail track, locos and rolling stock for a look at something a little different. This system was manufactured in the UK between 1941 and 1964 with a hiatus in the middle when raw materials were scarce due to the war effort and aftermath. Their factory was also requisitioned by H.M. Government for the design and manufacture of war-related components.
The power pickup is from a third rail which, unlike our own Island Line, sits down the middle between the two running rails.
Tue 24 Oct – A weird and wonderful room?
Where could this be? You can find out and visit this room at our Open Day. Our members have great imagination and create a variety of interesting and often very detailed scenarios both in their layouts and as ‘works of art’ in their own right.
Model railway layouts the length and breadth of the country are almost all a ‘work in progress’. Most of the layouts that you will see at the open day are as good as complete, that is to say, the creator(s) do not envision adding any more. Remember, this is an Open Day and not an Exhibition. You’ll be seeing what we get up to, for example, playing trains, through to layouts looking just about complete (but not in the eyes of the builder, maybe.
By all means ask us about our layouts. Have we achieved what we set out to do? How long have you been doing it? Do you plan to evolve the layout or add anything else? Which do you enjoy more, building layouts or running trains? Is this really your first layout? How has being a member of a group helped you to build your layout? And so on…..
Mon 23 Oct – Running lots of trains!
We have what we refer to as our Pop-Up layout. Earlier this year we invested in track which would allow us to assemble a layout at our meetings and run trains. Currently, we have to bring everything we need to a meeting and take it away afterwards. Kato track enables us to assemble a four track layout in about 15 minutes. Members bring their locos, coaches and wagons and let them ‘stretch their legs’ on the long straights and flowing, banked curves.
The Pop-Up will be at Open Day, with an enhancement. There will be an additional three loops to the inside track enabling four trains to be set up ready to run. Three further trains can run on the other three tracks. The inner tracks run on analogue DC power and the outer two tracks on digital DCC power. From time to time during the day we will be running locos that have SOUND, a whole new dimension to model railways.
The video below is of a class 33 with sound (First sounds start about 20 seconds into the video). We will have one of these running sounding just like this!
Sun 22 Oct – Join our Group – try before you buy!
It can often be somewhat daunting to join a new club. This is especially true if you are a beginner or you don’t already know somebody in the group. We like to think that we’re a nice bunch and so are more than happy for you to come and join us as a guest for a couple of meetings to see how it goes. There will be no shortage of members willing to have a chat and some of us have, as yet, not gone beyond the stage of connecting a few pieces of track together and running a train around an oval. On the other hand, we do have extensive collective experience and expertise and so can answer almost any question!
The group has been running for several decades. However, it is only in the last two years that we have met monthly in Whitwell Village Hall and this will be our second open day. Prior to that, the number attending meetings was such that we were able to meet in members’ homes.
Our next big change, sometime in 2024, will be to have our own permanent location, a little more central on the island and on one of the major bus routes. Then, besides attending monthly meetings, members will be able to meet up in small or large groups, at other times that suit themselves. Group layouts will be left set up for use by members.
So, on open day, please feel free to chat to any of the members of our group (they’ll all be wearing a name badge and/or a branded sweater). Annual subscription is just £15 plus one pound per meeting attended to cover tea/coffee, biscuits and electricity usage.
Sat 21 Oct – You’ve always room for a model railway
This year we seem to have caught the micro layout bug and you can see a selection of the layouts we have created. Not all layouts have to have trains in motion. Some, more often referred to as diorama use the track and locos with or without rolling stock as a focal point around which to build an interesting presentation. You’ll see the one above at the Open Day – the whole thing is absolutely enchanting!
At the other end of the micro-layout spectrum we have a layout built in what is probably a 1930s item of luggage. It has three trains running and includes two stations with lighting as well. What’s more, it’s totally self-contained, running on batteries.
Fri 20 Oct – We’re not here to exterminate – honestly!!
Most model railways are built for personal enjoyment and not to be exact replicas of real life either as it is now or was in some bygone era. As you look around the layouts on our Open Day you will see quite a variety, At the one end there is the pop-up layout which is just about running trains. If you are lucky, you may get to see half a dozen trains running at the same time. You may also get a chance to have a feel of the controls. Our members are more than happy to explain how they work. At the other end you will see detail on layouts. Take a look at Nitown Enterprises (part of the central modular layout), Amberley Wharf, or the various micro layouts.
Don’t forget to see if you can spot the camouflaged ornithologists on one of the layouts as mentioned a few days ago. Lurking on one of our layouts you’ll find one and maybe more Daleks that have dropped in to join the show. The Doctor is hiding elsewhere and it might not be too difficult to spot the Tardis on another layout – it has a blue flashing light!
Thu 19 Oct – N gauge is for everybody, especially the young at heart!
One of the beauties of N gauge railways is that it is small and a good layout can be created in the smallest of spaces. Take a look at our mini layouts and you will see what I mean. In fact, my 5 year old grand daughter has a layout which used to be kept under the sofa. However, it was being played with so often, it now has its own corner in the living room.
On Open Day, take a look at the track pieces that we use. It all snaps together in an instant. It was initially designed for teenagers in Tokyo. The would each have their own handful of track pieces and when they met up, they put them all together to form a pop-up layout to run trains. At the end of the evening, they’d pick up their own individually marked pieces and head for home.
Wed 18 Oct – Our sales table is growing!
Our sales table will have an interesting selection of locos, rolling stock, buildings, trees, electrics and track. All in good and useable condition from pristine to carrying the odd knock or left-over scenery marks. We expect to have N gauge, OO gauge and maybe even some OO9 gauge.
Here are some of our Lyddle End buildings and just a few of our dozens and dozens of trees.
Sat 14 Oct – Last year was our first open day
We were pleasantly surprised last year when well in excess of 100 adults and children came and enjoyed our Open Day.
Now, a year on, we have more new layouts to show you and a shop which will have both N gauge and OO gauge offerings. There is also a Gaugemaster DCC01 – Prodigy Express DCC Starter Package (one careful owner).
Wed 11 Oct – Much more than just running trains!
There are many more things to discover on our layouts. Here is part of a wonderful collection of accurately hand-crafted buses from various eras appearing on one of our layouts.
Bet you won’t be able to discover a couple of camouflaged ornithologists lurking amongst the trees on one of our layouts!
Mon 9 Oct – Micro layout building continues
The finishing touches on a number of micro layouts look like continuing up until the Open Day.
We’re pleased to be able to bring you a number of layouts that not even our own members have seen in their final Open Day form – certainly not to be missed!
Sat 7 Oct – Pete’s Corner
Only 3 weeks to go before you can see our large modular layout which has four mainlines which run through interesting landscapes and stations as they change directions at the corners.
Peter’s Corner is one of them. There’s lots of interest on each of them and many different trains to see passing through them, in both directions!
Fri 6 Oct – Nitown Enterprises – Modular Layout
It’s always busy on the Nitown Enterprises layout which forms part of our large modular layout.
This unusual view show deliveries being made at some of the businesses and at the end of the line in the distance they are busy with essential welding work. Come and see if you can spot the action.
Thu 5 Oct – Beacon Bay – one of our micro layouts
We have become hooked on micro layouts. It’s great to have these tiny layouts alongside our large modular layout and pop-up layout.
Here is an unusual view of one of them. Don’t miss seeing this little layout in action on Open Day.
Wed 4 Oct – Schwermetall – a fictional visitor centre somewhere in Germany
One small corner of one of the layouts which make up our modular layout measuring about 14 ft by 11 ft and including an outer mainline of four tracks.
Schwermetall has some really ‘big guns’ on show!
Mon 2 Oct – Ryde Pier Vintage Tram in N gauge
Just love this gorgeous photograph of the vintage tram on the IoW Steam Railway, taken recently by Pamela Parker. One of our group, Terry, has scratch-built an N gauge model of this and you will be able to see it at our Open Day.
You can see more of Pamela’s wonderful photographs on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pamela.parker.1238/photos
Sun 1 Oct – Amberley Wharf, an 009 gauge layout
Amberley Wharf is an OO scale (1:76) narrow gauge railway. Initially built 18 months ago it made one exhibition appearance on the mainland. It is now undergoing significant enhancement in time for our open day.
Sat 30 Sep – Daleside, one of our micro layouts
Daleside, built inside an attache case, will make its first public appearance amongst our collection of micro layouts.
Mon 25 Sep – First information coming very soon!
Both big and small – in addition to our large modular layout, there will be our popular pop-up layout which we use at all of our meetings and a whole myriad of micro layouts. There will be a number of further layouts including one in 009 gauge.
Sun 2 Apr – Announcing our 2nd Open Day
