Sadly this update starts with the news of the loss of one of our members, Chris Louth. Chris is sorely missed by all. A full obituary is included in the Gazette. RIP Chris.
To other matters. At the end of March we held our AGM. The club is being run well with membership and finances in a healthy state. Thanks go to the Chair, Secretary and Committee members for their hard work.
The last quarter saw the club’s Spring open day. There was a good turnout of members, some of whom we might only see a couple of times a year. The annual competitions were held with Paul Williams winning the loco building and the wagon building competitions and Dave Pegg winning the carriage building competition. The winning loco was a limousine cab Fowler 2-6-4T built from a David Andrews kit. Lining came from Fox Transfer which took several evenings to apply. The wagon was a grain hopper from First Class Kits. (Straight forward to assemble but surprisingly tricky to paint). Having been built using Ian Kirk components Roger Manning’s Southern Railway unit won the best carriage and a GWR Class 517 rebuilt and painted by John Wilkinson won the Mike Lee Memorial Trophy. The day saw the use of the scenic section which is not only proving to be reliable but adds an extra dimension to the running of trains. Thanks should be given to the traders who supported the event (Keith and Janet Tiplady, Geoff Stratford and Amberley Components and to Andy Stant who laboured in the kitchen to provide us with bacon and later sausage sandwiches.
A possible highlight for those members who ventured southwards was the Guild Summer show at Kempton Park. It was a fine opportunity to meet up with friends and to chat with traders, demonstrators and exhibitors. Although the absence of some key traders was noted, the overall feel of the show was not negatively impacted. Thanks from COVGOG to the event organisers.
Paul Williams
