Rambling on in 2007

I have been off the air for a few weeks  due to changing internet supplier and it is surprising how much I have missed the helpful hints and offbeat comments on G Scale Mad. I must becoming an anorak.

With the Dorchester line more or less in mothballs whilst building work is going on,

or supposedly going on. I am sure they only start work ten minutes before I come home! I have struggled to get my railway fix. Jason has at least provided me with a couple of magazines to keep me going. The trouble is I always become envious of those large American layouts that seem to go on forever.

I have also been watching the G Scale Mad  DVD's to keep my spirits up. If you have not already got your copy check out the forum now. Great work by Fred.

Since the rush to build the Dorchester line this year it has seen very little work during the summer and now with most of my stock in storage I have only been running my Caradoc and in this weather it does produce a wonderful head of steam.

The builders should be clear in the new year and I can then at least move into my new garage/storeroom /workshop and finally do all those winter jobs on the railway I have been meaning to do for the past few years. The plan is to house all my stock in one area so on operating days life will be so much simpler.

I am considering having a small elevated track running round garage like they used to have in some toy shops a few years ago. Just right for those rainy weekends if global warming has not taken hold.

My other resolution is to try to get to see more garden railways next year. There are lots of fantastic layouts about but for some reason or other they remain hidden just like a secret garden. This is especially in the Thames valley area where I live.

 I know one reason is that some gardens cannot cope with a group  but why not share your railway on an individual basis by appointment. You meet some great characters this way and share common experiences. Some people might think their layout is not good enough. But I have yet to see a bad layout. They all could do with improving and that is the challenge we set ourselves each year. I have never come across one yet that is totally finished. Over the last few years I have no end of useful advice given to me by visitors to my garden. Not all taken up but they have provided food for thought.

Sometimes we need to remember that G Scale Mad is a virtual world and we must get away from our computers and back into the garden. The open days we have had this year and last  show we have a real nucleus of friendly enthusiasts. Lets hope we can build on this success in the coming year.

There is a place for everyone in this hobby, and I know some people turned their noses up at G Scale Mad when it began and thought it would not last. But thanks to Jason’s and others hard work it is still flourishing.

I also think that the G Scale Society, of which I am proud to be member, is an important part of this hobby. Their subscription charge is more than compensated by the excellent Journal and annual show. You can easily get your money back at the members stall at the show.  The members open days again are a great way to meet likeminded friends.

Add to this mixture the shows, the traders and the magazines like Garden Rail and despite the LGB hiccup this year this is a fulfilling hobby.

“Let each to is own” be the rule .We might fundamentally disagree with the way a railway has been built or someone’s comment but lets always be constructive and wait and wait until we log off or get home to let off steam if necessary.

So lets “make a mate in 2008” and try to step out of our cyberspace on the forum and actually try to meet each other more. Let’s throw our British reserve out of the window and have a go.

This is a personal view of Rambling Roger. December 2007.