Looking to form model railway club in the greater Athlone area (Midlands/West)

[Garfield]

Now that the photo has your attention I'm going to throw this out there to see if there's any interest:

I'm now based near Moate in Co. Westmeath and I'm curious to see if there are other modellers in the wider Athlone area who might be interested in getting together to form a model railway club in the region?

It might also be of interest to anyone located in north Offaly, Longford, east Roscommon or east Galway as these areas are all within 30-45 minutes of Athlone.

If you think it's something you might want to get involved in, leave a comment below or drop me a PM and if there's enough interest we can move on to arrange a meeting to explore further possibilities.

[WRENNEIRE]

Or you could just join the MRSI, askin for a friend!

[Garfield]

12 hours ago, WRENNEIRE said:

Or you could just join the MRSI, askin for a friend!

That would be great, Dave, but a three-hour round trip to attend club nights isn't feasible, I'm afraid.

Happy to report there has been interest already, especially from the Westmeath, Offaly and Galway areas.

[WRENNEIRE]

My thinking was for anyone working in Dublin during the week they would have somewhere to run their trains and talk to likeminded people
Then join your club for the weekend when they were home
Simples!

[Blaine]

Be great if it happened, there was an attempt made a few years ago around the Laois area which didn't work out sadly. With the right determined people anything is possible. A lot more to a club than playing with toy trains. At least now with the sheer amount of RTR available there has never been a better time to get involved.

[eeiknh]

Sounds very cool! I'm based in Athlone....dont know how much other half would tolerate the time investment though

 

[skinner75]

I'm in Athlone too, but currently have no layout. Also, I've no car, so no way to transport anything either.

@eeiknh - you don't happen to work in Ericsson do you? Your userid looks like an Ericsson userid to me!

[Broithe]

56 minutes ago, eeiknh said:

Sounds very cool! I'm based in Athlone....dont know how much other half would tolerate the time investment though

 

Tell her you've signed up for evening classes.

[Galteemore]

In woodwork and electrics 

[Blaine]

2 hours ago, Broithe said:

Tell her you've signed up for evening classes.

One less night to go to the pub

[Broithe]

46 minutes ago, Blaine said:

One less night to go to the pub

Keep that for a mitigation plea, if you're caught?

[Garfield]

@eeiknh@skinner75 Nice one! I've had expressions of interest from a few other lads, too, so I'm hopeful that this will gain momentum. If you want to forward me your details via PM, we can see about arranging a meeting in the not-too-distant future.

[Dempsey]

I'm moate myself, I'd be interested in taking part. 

[Garfield]

21 minutes ago, Dempsey said:

I'm moate myself, I'd be interested in taking part. 

Only a stone's throw from me, then! If you want to PM your details, I'll keep you in the loop...  

[eeiknh]

On 3/11/2021 at 11:24 AM, skinner75 said:

I'm in Athlone too, but currently have no layout. Also, I've no car, so no way to transport anything either.

@eeiknh - you don't happen to work in Ericsson do you? Your userid looks like an Ericsson userid to me!

Yeah.....I'm in Ericsson alright!! Well spotted

[jhb171achill]

A “midlands” club would just have to do a MGWR layout!

[connollystn]

Is Ericsson still in Athlone? Thought that place closed down years ago. Can't imagine a model railway club being successful in the midlands. How can you get new people interested in the hobby when there are practically no models [Irish prototypes] available to buy on the open market.

[Westcorkrailway]

23 minutes ago, connollystn said:

Is Ericsson still in Athlone? Thought that place closed down years ago. Can't imagine a model railway club being successful in the midlands. How can you get new people interested in the hobby when there are practically no models [Irish prototypes] available to buy on the open market.

A model railway club does not have to be run exclusively on Irish stock similar to Wexford model club. Besides there is more Irish stuff available now then there ever was!

[Warbonnet]

36 minutes ago, connollystn said:

Is Ericsson still in Athlone? Thought that place closed down years ago. Can't imagine a model railway club being successful in the midlands. How can you get new people interested in the hobby when there are practically no models [Irish prototypes] available to buy on the open market.

err... www.irishrailwaymodels.com 

Most clubs also run models and layouts covering diverse interests. MRSI for instance as O gauge, American HO, British OO and Continental HO and N as far as I know.

 

[connollystn]

Guys! You're missing my point. If someone wants to get into the hobby and purchase RTR models of Irish prototypes there is effectively little available to buy off-the-shelf. While production of RTR models of Irish railway prototypes started back in the early 2000s it has been protracted and, to all intense and purposes, have been sold out within a relatively short time after their' releases. I'd hate to join a club where there'd be a lot of models displayed which are no longer available to buy on the open market. I understand that people who join a model railway club will have diverse interest but the majority will be interested in their home railways.*

*Correct me if I am mistaken

[Westcorkrailway]

27 minutes ago, connollystn said:

Guys! You're missing my point. If someone wants to get into the hobby and purchase RTR models of Irish prototypes there is effectively little available to buy off-the-shelf. While production of RTR models of Irish railway prototypes started back in the early 2000s it has been protracted and, to all intense and purposes, have been sold out within a relatively short time after their' releases. I'd hate to join a club where there'd be a lot of models displayed which are no longer available to buy on the open market.

*Correct me if I am mistaken

I see going down to a model club as the chance to see model one can’t obtain/afford ect. Sure sharing is caring and at least being able to see a desirable model running is enough to gawd at. Also a chance for Like lads who have a basic oval (me at the monent) gaining knowledge and skill 1:1 from those with huge interesting layouts or even working on a big “club layout” like who wouldn’t want to see Tara junction in the flesh working away! It also means if you want to start out, you can see the models in person. Dealers such as Dave bracken and Chris dier can hopefully help those in need of a certain model or even searching adverts or eBay for an affordable loco.

 

there might be a stage very soon where 121s, A class and 201 class locomotives will all be in stock for sale on IRM/Marks models website so still big enough variety. Also a chance to see all the other models of the world run and get used to em. 

[murrayec]

One of the boons of being in a club is that it affords members access to models and layouts that they do not own themselves, they may not have space at home for a layout, or have the capability for building one, or do not have the budget to buy all the models they desire- clubs can fill the gap....

In my view, here in IRL, Irish locos & stock are not in the majority- British, American, and Continental are the majority in that order. I base this off what I see in the clubs and what the majority of my clients and acquaintances run.

Irish locos & stock are gaining appeal here with the new stuff available. One cannot use the IRM forum to gauge the interest, in my experience. I have mentioned this in another thread- about 10% of my clients use social media and that figure is about the same for people I know that run model trains.

 

[Georgeconna]

4 hours ago, connollystn said:

Is Ericsson still in Athlone? Thought that place closed down years ago. Can't imagine a model railway club being successful in the midlands. How can you get new people interested in the hobby when there are practically no models [Irish prototypes] available to buy on the open market.

If it was all Irish it would be Dull as heck. Look at the continental stuff out there and the UK 009 stuff now coming out!! Some great mods.

If you are part of a club that has Locos you can't get any more isn't it a bonus to get to play with them surely! 

 

Edited November 10, 2021 by Georgeconna

[eeiknh]

13 hours ago, Georgeconna said:

If it was all Irish it would be Dull as heck. Look at the continental stuff out there and the UK 009 stuff now coming out!! Some great mods.

If you are part of a club that has Locos you can't get any more isn't it a bonus to get to play with them surely! 

 

I have plenty of Irish stock anyway......in various states of running order...... But I was too slow off the mark to order the A class liveries I wanted.

[jhb171achill]

On 10/11/2021 at 6:32 PM, murrayec said:

One of the boons of being in a club is that it affords members access to models and layouts that they do not own themselves, they may not have space at home for a layout, or have the capability for building one, or do not have the budget to buy all the models they desire- clubs can fill the gap....

In my view, here in IRL, Irish locos & stock are not in the majority- British, American, and Continental are the majority in that order. I base this off what I see in the clubs and what the majority of my clients and acquaintances run.

Irish locos & stock are gaining appeal here with the new stuff available. One cannot use the IRM forum to gauge the interest, in my experience. I have mentioned this in another thread- about 10% of my clients use social media and that figure is about the same for people I know that run model trains.

 

As well as that, a modeller here who has, for the sake of argument, long ago settled on N gauge Union Pacific or an 00 gauge Welsh branchline, is much less likely to be on IRM, or even know of it.

I knew a guy in Dublin who had a great big LMS layout, no interest at all in Irish stuff. He’s gone to his reward a few years ago, but he isn’t the only one.

Edited November 11, 2021 by jhb171achill

[Mayner]

2 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

As well as that, a modeller here who has, for the sake of argument, long ago settled on N gauge Union Pacific or an 00 gauge Welsh branchline, is much less likely to be on IRM, or even know of it.

I knew a guy in Dublin who had a great big LMS layout, no interest at all in Irish stuff. He’s gone to his reward a few years ago, but he isn’t the only one.

There was a king of inferiority complex about Irish railways and particularly CIE when I first joined a club in the early 70s, the majority of members modelled British, Continental or American outline, Irish railways particularly the GNR tended to be modelled by craftsmen for the challenge of modelling something different and novices like myself who could only afford second hand Tri-ang.

People who wanted quality models and reliable running tended to buy and collect Marklin, Fleischmann, Trix and Rivarossi Continental while a smaller number collected Wrenn and Hornby Dublo, a few collected Athearn, Walthers and Atlas but the running quality and detail of American stock was not great until Walthers and Atlas commissioned Roco in Austria and later Kato in Japan to produce locos during the 1980s.

Irish outline became more main stream with the introduction of kits and later rtr models from the mid 1980s, but I suspect like NZR modelling in New Zealand remains a minority interest compared to modelling and collecting British, Continental and American models.

Curiously despite New Zealand modelling having a high profile with a national guild similar to the NMRA that published a quarterly magazine available in book and magazine stores nationally and the availability of a comprehensive range of kits produced by several manufacturers in three scales , its still pretty much a minority interest and no manufacturer has commissioned high quality models of New Zealand locos and stock.

British, Continental and American modellers have all established national groups, the New Zealand Model Railway Guild, AMRA (American Modellers) and Garden Railway Associations host bi-annual national conferences with regional annual conferences. Because of its craft base the standard of NZR modelling tends to be higher and more realistic than mainstream British, American and Continental modelling, with realistic scenery and structure modelling including accurately modelled native trees, vegetation and land form (either flats or mountain), birds, animals human figures,  buildings and structures.

Clubs are not all in major cities some are small remote centers, Athlone is a large town by any standards

Edited November 12, 2021 by Mayner

[jhb171achill]

22 minutes ago, Mayner said:

There was a king of inferiority complex about Irish railways and particularly CIE when I first joined a club in the early 70s, the majority of members modelled British, Continental or American outline, Irish railways particularly the GNR tended to be modelled by craftsmen for the challenge of modelling something different and novices like myself who could only afford second hand Tri-ang.

People who wanted quality models and reliable running tended to buy and collect Marklin, Fleischmann, Trix and Rivarossi Continental while a smaller number collected Wrenn and Hornby Dublo, a few collected Athearn, Walthers and Atlas but the running quality and detail of American stock was not great until Walthers and Atlas commissioned Roco in Austria and later Kato in Japan to produce locos during the 1980s.

Irish outline became more main stream with the introduction of kits and later rtr models from the mid 1980s, but I suspect like NZR modelling in New Zealand remains a minority interest compared to modelling and collecting British, Continental and American models.

Curiously despite New Zealand modelling having a high profile with a national guild similar to the NMRA that published a quarterly magazine available in book and magazine stores nationally and the availability of a comprehensive range of kits produced by several manufacturers in three scales , its still pretty much a minority interest and no manufacturer has commissioned high quality models of New Zealand locos and stock.

British, Continental and American modellers have all established national groups, the New Zealand Model Railway Guild, AMRA (American Modellers) and Garden Railway Associations host bi-annual national conferences with regional annual conferences. Because of its craft base the standard of NZR modelling tends to be higher and more realistic than mainstream British, American and Continental modelling, with realistic scenery and structure modelling including accurately modelled native trees, vegetation and land form (either flats or mountain), birds, animals human figures,  buildings and structures.

Clubs are not all in major cities some are small remote centers, Athlone is a large town by any standards

True indeed; I have a big interest in Indonesian, Brazilian and Indian railways myself and yet In those countries it's all Bachmann LNER, Athearn USA stuff, DRGW or Hornby GWR....because it's available.

[Adrian]

I'd be interested Garfield, live near Strokestown in Roscommon, have never been in a club before though so let me know what commitment is usually involved activity / timewise

[Garfield]

Hi Adrian,

Would you mind PMing your name and contact details? Commitment would really be down to how active you want to be and how much time you want to commit to it... it's all about enjoyment of the hobby at the end of the day.  

[johnny]

Hi @Garfieldid be very interested to join im only a stones trow away in Ballymore, how experienced do you need to be as i am a complete novice. I have been contemplating for a few months about getting into the hobby, and the other half surprised me with an A class for Christmas, so i think i have been given permission to get my own layout going ''i think i get in the way to much''. it would be great to get some advice on where to start.

[Garfield]

22 hours ago, johnny said:

Hi @Garfieldid be very interested to join im only a stones trow away in Ballymore, how experienced do you need to be as i am a complete novice. I have been contemplating for a few months about getting into the hobby, and the other half surprised me with an A class for Christmas, so i think i have been given permission to get my own layout going ''i think i get in the way to much''. it would be great to get some advice on where to start.

Hi Johnny,

Thanks for your interest! I'll drop you a PM.

[Auto-Train Original]

Good luck with your aim of getting a club going. In terms of starting up, I would suggest begin with a homogeneous HO/OO layout. One that will have buildings and scenery that would be plausibly found in most of North America/UK and Ireland/Europe so people can run their own stock on. This kind of semi-blank canvas layout makes everyone feel welcome, and it can be great fun to have a theme night now and again. A large layout like this can be constructed in a short time and not cost a lot. A couple of loops of Code 100 track, few sidings and with a switchable DC/DCC control system. No one feels left out, or forced to model a prototype they are not interested in. Then, as the club becomes established, you can build that M&GW or Portumna and Macguire Bridge (joking!) specific layout. A new (all clubs in fact) club should be accessible to anyone who walks in the door. I know this as I have lived all over and joined model train clubs worldwide and a friendly smile and length of track is a beautiful thing to be offered on your first night in the door. Novice or master crafts builder.

Edited November 2, 2022 by Auto-Train Original
addition

[Noel]

Starting a model railway club where there is still a significant railway operating with an interesting railway history (ie MGWR+GSWR+CIE) might be a help. Athlone sounds a great central location with excellent road access. Having a club layout and/or access to club rooms could make all the difference to getting off the ground. Some local authorities may be able to make a room or part of a public building available. Athlone UCD or CIE may be worth contacting as they have a lot of empty building still over at the MGWR station site.

[Auto-Train Original]

I should also add nothing ruins a club like pedantic rivet counters (especially with with deep pockets) who exclaim 'you can't run that!" - these types do exist and they are excellent at driving away new people to the hobby. Not to be negative but I have seen this too.

[jhb171achill]

32 minutes ago, Auto-Train Original said:

I should also add nothing ruins a club like pedantic rivet counters (especially with with deep pockets) who exclaim 'you can't run that!" - these types do exist and they are excellent at driving away new people to the hobby. Not to be negative but I have seen this too.

As you suggested in your first post, a well-run club can cater for all. I'm not a member of one, but if asked to set one up and given sufficient budget, I'd go for a "generic" layout, which was just a bit of fun for all, but with space within the club for a rivet-counter's paradise, where a high-end strictly accurate model of something could be made up - this would double as a highly impressive exhibition layout........ tis a broad church, of course.