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Post by suctionhose on May 29, 2015 0:19:41 GMT
We introduced points scheme which offsets participation against the membership fee. I was surprised it was so well accepted by the members at the meeting. It has been successful in not only getting greater participation but also in members rediscovering the benefits of participating in club activities. Regards Ian That's interesting! These ideas go thru ones head from time to time. Keeping members engaged and interested is not easy once the facilities are established and maintenance becomes repetitive. We intentionally have an active capital improvement program - ride revenues fund it - which keeps the place fresh, consistent with public expectations for amenities and compliant with safety standards. Without the works program there would be a lot less Glue. Opposite of the workplace we consciously create positions as it were for the same reason. Why automate the signals when members can be involved? While there are factional interests within a club, it is this diversity and interdependence that gives the society enough legs to stand firm. Recognition of and empathy for the aspects of club life that don't necessary grab YOU is important for the whole picture to come into focus. Clubs vary, people vary, aims vary. In spite of the naysayers, we in Australia find ourselves in a fortunate position. UK is undoubtedly different in some respects but all of us are facing generational change. We need to reach out but I'm optimistic. As the direct connection to steam era recedes the opportunity to explore evolving technologies presents. MES's may well need to adapt but I see it remaining a terrific medium to be creative and share in each others discoveries. Good topic. Glad we're having it.
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2015 8:38:02 GMT
There is a nice country parc a few miles away and I was intrigued to read in the local paper recently that there was a model boat club based there which uses one of the big ponds .
The picture with the article showed several members running mostly kit built r/c models and some ready to run r/c models .
Average age of members shown was about 12 .
No need to form a juniors section in this club - juniors outnumber the adults .
I understand that this club has minimal formal organisation and basically welcomes all comers .
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penybontshed
Active Member
Exiled to sunny South Wales
Posts: 44
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Post by penybontshed on May 29, 2015 9:29:02 GMT
Suctionhose makes a good point about the connection to the steam era receding, and I find that for many visitors that really is a big part of the attraction for them. Its been 47 years now here in the UK since steam traction was formally withdrawn and for many people there only encounter is at a preservation railway or indeed a brief passing moment line side.I know that for some younger visitors they really are transfixed by how a small and noisy engine can pull them and their parents along (I run a Polly 5), and on a really busy day those moments make it all worthwhile.
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Post by bobunitt on May 29, 2015 10:31:31 GMT
Be careful what you wish for... Many years ago I was secretary to one of the larger ME clubs. We had an enthusiastic new member arrive, persuade some of the other members to help him build a track at his home (unpaid), and then he left when it was finished and we never heard from him again.
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2015 11:44:11 GMT
The club that I mentioned having good memories of folded after a few more years due to natural loss of the key members .
I have not been a member of any other club since .
Something intrigues me a little though about club membership and related matters :
Of myself and the several model engineer and home workshop people that I know personally locally zero number participate in clubs .
As far as I can see we are just a random collection of people so statistically there must be many more like us out there in the big world .
Not enough data to work it out properly but it seems possible that ME club members are actually only a tiny part of the total model engineering and home workshop population .
Interesting additional fact is that zero number of us read ME , MEW or EIM on any regular basis .
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robinw
Active Member
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Post by robinw on May 29, 2015 17:06:54 GMT
Acquiring new members is a tricky one. I guess I can start to answer this from the other side, as I am currently pondering which club to apply to to become a member of.
Strangely too, this is my first message on here, despite having been lurking for a few weeks now.
So far it seems that once I move to Birmingham in the summer that there are 4 ME clubs within 30-40mins drive from where I'll be living. At this point I have only only looked at their respective websites, and of the four there are two that I would like to go visit in order to gleam a better impression of when time allows. All of them seem to offer quite similar facilities, so, I suspect the one I apply to will come down to personalities and how well various club activities align with my diary. The down side of working in Music is being busiest on weekends. :-(
So at this point; I think its important to be savvy about online presence, A lot of younger people - me included, will be checking things out online seeing if it looks like things are happening, seeing recent photos/video or links to video of club events. Does it look like the members are enjoying participating in club events? is it the same 3 or 4 people in every photo? etc.
I guess I will have more to add once I start visiting the prospective clubs.
Robin
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Post by Roger on May 29, 2015 18:19:55 GMT
I think Michael has a good point there about those not being club members. I've been building SPEEDY for over a year now and still haven't joined a club. The problem is that it takes time away from building and I'd rather spend my time building my locomotive first. As it happens, I'm on the fringe of one club by being friends with a member who has his own track, to which I'm occasionally invited to play. I don't mind helping out with the odd fete as that's payback for the invitations. I'm too young to remember Steam on the main line, anyone under 60 is unlikely to have many recollections.
I've never subscribed to Model Engineer or any other hobby magazine because they tend to feature things I wouldn't want to build or show techniques out of the arc which I don't use. Doubtless there is some good stuff there but it's easier to ask specific questions here when information is required. I've visited three clubs now with a view to join but it's just too early to get that involved at the moment. Personally I don't see the point in joining a club without your own locomotive to run, but that's just my opinion.
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Post by GWR 101 on May 29, 2015 19:29:24 GMT
Roger although I can see your point of view, I have found that the club I joined just over 12 months ago has proved to be a most rewarding expierience. This site provides a very diverse and helpfull source of information, but so does my club and with the added advantage that "hands on" assistance is readily available and freely given. This was illustrated when one of the members brought along his loco (Juliet) so that I could see first hand some of the areas that I was working on, his advice was most useful and has helped me avoid some of the pitfalls of the present build stage. I believe that if I had joined a club earlier in my build what has turned out to be a marathon would have been more of a sprint. I have not mentioned the club by name for no other reason than it is in the Midlands and I would not want to influence Robins choice. Regards Paul
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Post by Roger on May 29, 2015 19:48:58 GMT
That's a fair point Paul, and I do plan to ease myself into a club over the next year or so. I've met quite a few people now so I'm heading towards a choice but I might end up joining more than one and dipping my toe in the water from time to time. I do enjoy meeting club members and always come away with something useful so I wouldn't want to miss out on some of those things.
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robinw
Active Member
Posts: 27
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Post by robinw on May 29, 2015 20:21:42 GMT
Great to read Paul that the club you've joined, as well as the forums here has been helpful to you with your Juliet build. I think you've hit the crux of why I want to get involved with a club reasonably smartly once I've settled in to Birmingham. Whilst I'm reasonably mechanically minded, there are many gaps in my knowledge that I hope to start to fill with building my first loco. ME drawings and the words and music are to a degree rather lacking, plus Gleaming knowledge from others experiences has so far been, and I hope will continue to be, the best way of learning. While I spend 25 hours a week in the workshop building harps, time for some new challenges with working in metal! :-)
Have also enjoyed reading about your speedy build too Roger.
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Post by GWR 101 on May 29, 2015 22:03:58 GMT
Robin as you rightly point out ME drawings can sometimes be rather lacking in detail and as some will also add incorrect. You will have probably noticed there is a seperate thread on this site for errors on drawings. Welcome and good luck with what ever you decide to build, I am sure you will get plenty of helpful advice from the people on here. Regards Paul
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Post by steamcoal on May 29, 2015 22:32:17 GMT
All further interesting stuff above.
I will concure that there must be a high percentage of model builders that currently do not have a club membership. I must have been involved in my club for twenty plus years but one friend is a returning member and another is a very competent engineer in his own right and is not a member but building his own Achillies. We seemed to have formed a circle of friends outside the club as we are building,( Achillies, Ashford in 5" and rolling stock etc) but the other steam members in the club only spasmidically run a steam loco and do not actually offer us any technical "glue" to bring us together. This effectively makes the club a venue only for us to run. We are split by the clubs duties to the paying public and those inside and outside just do not meet, hence we are never seen in great numbers.
I am not sure if locos have been built entirely within the club worshop facilities rather than at ones own workshop, but because our club has lost that engineering focus we have lost that "Glue" and are predimonantly just a club of train operators now inside the club. It would be nice to bring an emphasis back to engineering but when our direction seems to be pointed in the way of an amusement venue I cannot see many potential members wanting to get involved to become rostered supervisors. Thats not a hobby. I wonder how many members actually leave there club because they do not get a chance to "do" there hobby once they are accepted as members and they find the effort not worth it, styfuled by club rosters, formal working days and unwritten rules. I know that they exist, like if you want to run your engine when others are raking leaves.
Personally I have tried by bringing my own projects to club nights, boiler testing, 3-d printed projects and castings but nothing happens afterwards, certainly not within the membership. We have an HO/OO Train exhibition in some weeks we have been invited too so will hopefully us engineers can offer something good for that. I just hope I do not get asked to hand out birthday party flyers by our committee!
Anyone know a good ,cheap club project for ages 12 to 70 ?
Hayden
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steam4ian
Elder Statesman
One good turn deserves another
Posts: 2,069
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Post by steam4ian on May 29, 2015 23:28:38 GMT
Hayden Here is a beginner project chasteam.webs.com/steamkitstomakeup.htmI built a couple years ago before designing my own and moving onward and upward. Chasteam has a somewhat chequered reputation but my various dealings with them have been without complaint. Little Machine Shop in the USA has similar kits but without the boiler, again I am a satisfied customer regards Ian
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Post by suctionhose on May 30, 2015 0:51:03 GMT
All further interesting stuff above. I am not sure if locos have been built entirely within the club worshop facilities rather than at ones own workshop, but because our club has lost that engineering focus we have lost that "Glue" and are predimonantly just a club of train operators now inside the club. It would be nice to bring an emphasis back to engineering but when our direction seems to be pointed in the way of an amusement venue I cannot see many potential members wanting to get involved to become rostered supervisors. Thats not a hobby. I wonder how many members actually leave there club because they do not get a chance to "do" there hobby once they are accepted as members and they find the effort not worth it, styfuled by club rosters, formal working days and unwritten rules. I know that they exist, like if you want to run your engine when others are raking leaves. Hayden Unlike the workforce, volunteers aren't there for the money. An energetic leadership in a club is a huge advantage. Those few that take that role on are to be admired because it can be a pretty thankless job. However, most volunteer groups would recognise that there are thick-skinned diplomats among them that derive satisfaction from working on the big picture. I think it's helpful to have a clear purpose. That can take many forms. But without it the reason for getting out of bed at all can be lost over time. Our club, to many I suspect, is the embodiment of what people would call an amusement venue. During the monthly running day, just an afternoon actually, the place is packed, queues are long and a couple thousand rides are given. What is less obvious and probably invisible to an outsider, is that this event each month is the culmination of a diverse range of expertise from members. Speaking for myself, I feel a responsibility to be well prepared and put up a good performance. At the end of the day I'm waiting to know the numbers and joke with people about what went right and what went wrong. I look forward to that each month and how dare anyone at home schedule something else on running day! We have a clear purpose: Run a Miniature Steam Railway. Interlocking, signals, brake tests, procedures, everything Railway-like. For those that that appeals to, be it ticket sellers, track people, signalling engineers, loco drivers, canteen staff, gardeners, whatever; the day provides the reason for all those contributions to come together. Hundreds of families each year enjoy our offering and we, the members, enjoy working together to deliver it. Through that shared purpose, I have made friends, given and received help, given and received encouragement, received validation for my efforts in the workshop and generally felt my model engine fetish is bigger than just me. There's always a lot going on out of the public eye and the identity of the club is a source of pride. There are several models under construction and plenty of inspiration to strive to do better. There was a period of life with debt, work, children where I was reclusive, preferring to do my own thing at home. Having your own track and playing by yourself is a bit unnatural and ultimately unsatisfying I found. People are social creatures. Why else would we be on this forum? Perhaps, a club situation as steamcoal describes needs a few shovels of coal on the fire - light and often - build a siding, erect a picnic table, make some guard's vans, paint the fence a different colour... scope out a strategic goal to work towards! Not as easy as it sounds but not a reason to give up either.
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steam4ian
Elder Statesman
One good turn deserves another
Posts: 2,069
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Post by steam4ian on May 30, 2015 5:34:16 GMT
Ross
You sound like my kind of person.
There should always be room in clubs for members without locos. How else will people be inspired to build a loco, reward some widow with a handsome cheque for her late husband's pride and joy, man the ticket office, act as safety officer, load trains act as guard.
Pulling a few wagons or cars around, no matter how well detailed, is boring. Keeping up a service of public trains against adverse conditions is a satisfying challenge or just plain fun seeing people enjoy themselves.
Regards Ian
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Post by Roger on May 30, 2015 5:37:48 GMT
I'm finding this thread really interesting. Although my Father had a home workshop and crude capstan lathe, a club with not only good workshop facilities, but also those who could show a newcomer how to use them, would have been a deal breaker for me. Most young people won't have the facilities, and with apprenticeships all but gone, there's nowhere to make anything. These days I'd find it a pain not to have all the equipment to hand at home but it's not always been like that. I can certainly see that a well equipped workshop and enthusiastic members willing to share their knowledge would be a huge draw for people of all ages. Of the three clubs I've visited so far, only one has a workshop. I guess security is a huge issue when the club house is in a public park, so maybe that puts clubs off from having valuable equipment.
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Post by steamcoal on May 30, 2015 6:12:48 GMT
Ian.
Thanks for that.
One member has built a simple engines and I might see what we can do for boilers. Would be good to combine this with some wheels to create some very simple loco and even if not ride behind that could get the fringe members interested. You have heard of straight running model boats, well we have the track and just need something to run on it.
Hayden
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Post by GWR 101 on May 30, 2015 9:45:47 GMT
I suppose I am lucky in that the club I joined has it's own workshop facilities with equipment more than capable of building 7 1/4" gauge. It also has a good mix of skilled and qualified engineers and railway knowledgeable people (some fit both categories). The club is presently building it's own large 7 1/4" gauge loco which is intended not only for use at events but also as a project for members with different skills to enhance their engineering / workshop abilities. Regards Paul.
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Post by ejparrott on May 31, 2015 10:08:37 GMT
I suppose I am lucky in that the club I joined has it's own workshop facilities with equipment more than capable of building 7 1/4" gauge. It also has a good mix of skilled and qualified engineers and railway knowledgeable people (some fit both categories). The club is presently building it's own large 7 1/4" gauge loco which is intended not only for use at events but also as a project for members with different skills to enhance their engineering / workshop abilities. Regards Paul. This is exactly the direction I am pushing RMES at the moment!
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Post by GWR 101 on May 31, 2015 12:48:48 GMT
Ed you obviously have a like minded view to our committee (of which I am not a member as I do not qualify). I am fortunate in that my engineering background enables me to "get by" in this hobby, not as proficient in the more up to date techniques as some but ideal for the more basic equipment. Good luck with your plans regards Paul.
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