Change of meeting date

Posted on October 9, 2013 by snitchthebudgie

We have decided to change the November Wednesday meeting from the 20th to 27th November.  This is due to the number of people already in, or about to go to Stuttgart on the 20th.  Please put this in your diary, and apologies for any inconvenience.

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Out and about – Folkestone Show

Posted on October 8, 2013 by snitchthebudgie
Cha(i)rman Allan writes….
Had a good day on Sunday when I went to the Folkestone Show with my friend, Miles.  There were a good number of  ‘N’ Gauge layouts and the rest were not bad either.  This show is always worth a visit.  After the show we ended up on Folkestone Downs overlooking the Euro Tunnel site.  There are also good views over the Channel (it could have been clearer).
After this we headed home as normal.  We passed the Peene Museum/Elham Valley Railway Museum, which is normally shut but surprise, surprise, it was open this time.  The site is well worth a visit for a small entrance fee.  We parked in their car park, which is one one side of the old Folkestone – Canterbury line, which I think closed around 1947 (?).  You walk round their barn/museum/shop and up on over the embankment to the other half of the site where there is a sit-on railway for the smaller kids.  Then came the surprise.  They have an ‘N’ Gauge layout of the Cheriton Site.  I do not know if this is from the old Visitors Centre but it was well worth a look at.  There is another buidling, which is used as a museum in which there is another ‘N’ Gauge layout showing the old route of the Folkestone – Canterbury line (Elham Valley Line) with photos about each station along the line etc.
Peene is near the Cheriton Euro Tunnel Terminal.  You come off the M20 at the Cheriton/Folkestone junction then head back on the A20.  As you go under the entry road and railway line for Channel Tunnel site take the first right and follow the signs.
It was well worth a visit and the on-site cafe is not bad as well.
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ESNG meeting – 3 October 2013

Posted on October 7, 2013 by snitchthebudgie

I only dropped into the Thursday meeting for an hour or so, but it seemed a busy night (you can tell that when the treasurer looks happier than usual).  Allan had been sticking our logo on the ‘gifts’ for the other clubs at Stuttgart.  You can’t get much more British than a Pickford furniture van!  He was then changing couplings on a European multiple unit to make setting up a train easier.

On the circuit, there was the usual mix.  Paul, as ever, conjured up some Japanese stock.  Despite the allure of the bullet trains, I do like their suburban electric multiple units.  They all look very ordinary, and would not look out of place running from London Bridge to Horsham.  There was also a motely collection of HST’s running, Neil’s I think, and a long train of blue and grey CEPs.  Plus a very nice train of engineers ballast wagons.  Finally, a Union Mills 0-6-0 and a short train put the case for an earlier era.

And of course, tea and coffee were consumed, and a lot of talking was done…

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Welcome

Posted on October 6, 2013 by snitchthebudgie

And now for something completely different!  Welcome to the all-new ESNG blog.  It’s still a work in progress, and I’ve still got to get to grips with all those things in the menu on the right.  But it’s up and running, and this is the first post.

Why a blog?  I spent a couple of days reworking the ESNG web site whilst recovering from the removal of my ancient appendix.  It looks a lot simpler and (I hope neater) now, and should be easier to maintain.  However, we did still need an easy to update area for news and views.  This blog may (I hope) meet that need (and thanks to Paula for the ideas).  Besides, I like writing, and have been hankering after a blog for ages.

So what will the blog contain and will it get used?  I hope to add posts a couple of times a week.  Contents?  Items from our newsletter, Tunnel Mouth will be duplicated.  I may well post old newsletter articles.  News and views of the N-gauge world.  And perhaps even updates on progress on the Bartlett modules and layout.  If I write about it, I will HAVE to do something.

So welcome again, and we’ll see what happens…..

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