National Traction Engine Trust

[ajcoulls]

Evening all

I'd like to introduce myself - I'm the current Chairman of the National Traction Engine Trust, and we are looking to encompass the interests of the model & miniature engine builders and owners more in our activities and publications. Our section for young people, the Steam Apprentice Club, has just finished building a Steam Traction World 4" scale Burrell and with the numbers of miniature engines growing each year, I'd like to hear from you on your thoughts on how we might be able to work together. Whilst I personally now have a full size Aveling roller, I cut my teeth with a 3" scale Plastow Burrell, and was building a 4" LSM Foster until financial constraints meant that it had to go.

We'd welcome ideas, suggestions, comments and such like. I'm not fishing for members, but we do give a very good quarterly magazine, have a superb sales facility on engine literature etc and are working on other member benefits in the near future.

Come and have a look at us at www.ntet.co.uk

All the best and thanks
Anthony

[fostergp6nhp]

Improve the comunications, I twice tried to get our 2 apprentices on the build a Burrell at Dorset the 1st time (later ish application)despite in my e-mail saying that from X date we would be on site at GDSF and where on site so to contact back via mobile phone the reply was done by e-mail which we had by then got no access to. When speaking direct at GDSF I was told that I should have just taken them down, not good enough chap when all the adverts put out by the SAC wanted applications before hand and the boy does not handle surprise or disappointment well as he is autistic although it's not obvious to most people. The 2nd time there was no reply received back on our e-mail or phones.
The boy can't even be bothered now to open his newsletter as the other year there was a drawing competition at Dorset for the apprentices, he did a nice drawing on a piece of paper that we had from a sketch pad, when it was handed in his drawing was flamed by the person who it was handed into(female, newsletter editor?)because there was a logo in the corner of the page. We saw nothing to say the paper should be completely clear of any logo's, it could have been removed by cutting the corner off the page, but no, criticise it publicly. Consequently his membership renewal will probably not happen and the money spent on something else.
P11s ups and breweries comes to mind.
At the time the boy would not write or draw at school or home, it' was all tied in to the autism. But he spent the time to do this drawing of his own free will and the attitude when he handed it in was very upsetting for him.

[ajcoulls]

Dear fostergp6np

My deepest apologies to you for your experiences with the Trust and the SAC. I confess that I was not involved at the time, I have only been actively involved just over a year but every poor report is of concern to me.

I'm really sorry and I will investigate with others what happened and take steps to improve our communication - it is a matter that I take very personally, it's just how I'm wired.

Do please stick with the SAC, the steam world needs youngsters for the future and I myself am a former SAC member.

All best wishes and thanks for taking time to reply
Anthony

[fostergp6nhp]

The SAC management already know my beef as it got raised via traction talk, i was told dates etc that the 1st time was replied to but the replies came thro after we had left home, the tone of the TT reply was such that i felt that the implication was that it was my fault, there was no response about the 2nd time even after i then posted a reply to say what about that time.
It would be interesting to know about the makeup the apprentices who did get to partake, were they from families who own full size, comittee members kids and so on, parents who provide engines for the apprentice driving days etc.

[ajcoulls]

Thanks again for this.

Like I say, I'm sorry that this occurred. I wasn't there, but at the NTET Road Run last year, the apprentices involved with the Burrell were not from full size engine owning families, committee members children or parents who provide engines - they were just normal people who had no connection with engines before the SAC.

I'll look up the matter on Traction Talk and will still speak to colleagues to ensure that communication is cleared up in future.

Apologies once more, I do take complaints seriously and hope that you will still stick with the SAC/NTET. Once my family's roller is back on the road, do come and have a day with us some time.

[mutley]

Hi Anthony,

Thanks for taking the first step in trying to engage with the model engineering side of the hobby. I don't expect you will get anywhere over night but at least the NTET is trying. A dedicate models section may be a good starting point but do you not already have someone advising on the issues faced by the model sizes?

cheers
Andy

[ajcoulls]

Hi Andy, one of the chaps from MSRVS has joined our Engine Owners' Section and we are looking at a dedicated section of the Steaming magazine. Always room for more help though!

Many thanks
Anthony

[mutley]

Hmm, tempting.


Andy

[ajcoulls]

More progress is being made in finding out what we can do to work with miniature engines and as developments occur, they will be made public on the NTET Website and on our Facebook page. There's a good dialogue going now but that doesn't mean I don't still want to hear from folk here.

Cheers
Anthony