Large Scale Central

Great day up on the base

General Discussion
#1

was had last wednesday. Broos and I put on a [small] large-scale train show for the youngsters at the elementary school up on the nearby base - RAF Alconbury. Don’t let the name fool you - it’s home to 3000+ US servicemen and women and their families, just like our twin villages here, about two miles away.

We set up a double loop in the library, using the library tables that are just the right height for operation and watching - one with MTS and the other with straight DC. The usual set-up measures about 30 by 15 feet - plenty big enough to make a good impression, and with curves big enough to take the largest locos we run there - AccuCraft’s K27 or Aristo-Craft Dash 9s. No steam - this is striclty a sparkie event.

In the end around 300 youngsters spent time with us, operating the trains under supervision, and having a great time. Their humans were enthralled - many had never seen stuff this big before, and a few wanted to know how to get started in LS without needing a bail-out or mortgage, and Broos and I were happy to point them in the right direction. Although ten years younger than me, he is making a slow recovery from a near-fatal stroke back in 2002, and found that big trains were a whole lot easier to manage than his H0 stuff. Between us we have about forty locomotives and around 150 cars - all types and styles - in 29th, 24th, 22nd and 16mm scales - something for everybody to see and relate to. One youngster there from VA told me that his grandpa was one of the operators on the Cass Mower and told me, correctly, all about the Shay. That was great to hear.

Sadly, we were unable to take any photographs, as photography inside the building by outsiders like us is prohibited in law here in yUK, especially where children are involved, so you’ll have to take my word that we all had a great time.

The other downside was having to carry all our [lots of] stuff over a hundred yards from the car park to the school library - a fact of life with the current terrorist threat hanging over us - NO civilian vehicles can park inside that distance or alongside the buildings on a military base.

Best to all

tac
www.ovgrs.org
Supporter of the Cape Meares Lighthouse Restoration Fund

#2

WOW! Tac,

It is a pity that I live on the opposite side of England otherwise I would have been pleased to help. (Yeah! I know you folks Stateside think 250 miles is close by but any of you that have visited here will know how long it takes to get anywhere by horse and cart, lol)

Regards to Broos! I agree with him about large scale being more user friendly that the smaller scales.

Fortunately it seems that some of the regs regarding children are under review. I have been officially checked on account of my weekly visiting elderly folks who are considered vulnerable - have you ever dodged a well aimed walking stick? lol and also the kids in church and at our school.

I make no comment about the terrorist threat - just in case Inspector Knacker of the Yard * calls.

#3

What a great thing to do despite the challenges. You just might have some “converts.”

#4

What a great time.

You guys have crazy laws.

#5

Never underestimate the reach of West Virginians…ya never know where we’ll pop up! Its good to know that there are kids out there interested in geared power…

#6

Bart - the boy was very well-informed, no doubt by a keen grandpa intent on passing on his passion down the generations. Me and Broos had done the same thing last saturday at a local village summer fair - but with around a thousand visitors to our little layout we were run ragged for almost 5 hours…

One of the ‘great railroad sights’ was a triple-headed log train with one of each geared locos lashed up to head it. All with Phoenix sound blowing like crazy!!! One visitor said it was like watching a fire drill in a Chinese laundry.

No pix there either, for the same reasons - we have to go through what is called a CBC - Criminal Background Check, only good for the location we are attending, and valid for six months - before we can take pix at an event like this. In case we have criminal intent in mind, particularly involving kids.

Sigh…

tac
www.ovgrs.org
Supporter of the Cape Meares Lighthouse Restoration Fund

#7
Terry A de C Foley said:
In case we have criminal intent in mind, particularly involving kids.
Someone up the ladder spends waaaaaaay too much time watching television.

Glad to hear it was a rousing success!

#8

Yessir, it’s all waaay too much for me, I’m afraid.

So I’ve just advised my gun club secretary that I want my my name taken off the NRA register of qualified rifle and pistol coaches after over 25 years of being qualified. He advised me last night that I now have to have a criminal records check in order to pass on safe-shooting techniques to youngsters under the age of 14 that I might have to be in contact with, as in, positional adjustment and safe gun-handling where you actually have to lay a hand on the person concerned. I have been joined by three others - similarly qualified with a total of over eighty years’ shooting experience - in my gun club, which is now up shirt creek, so to speak.

We have already shown that we are sterling and upright citizens and sufficiently law-abiding to be owners of live firearms after the compulsory investigation of our lives by the firearms licensing authorities - namely, the county police, rather than pedophiles.

Incidentally, the check is only valid for the location in which you intend to get involved with youngsters under the age of 14. So I could only coach at the open-air range, not in the indoor range located in the nearby town. And of course, being cleared to do that in a gun club has no validity in dealing with youngsters in any other place, let alone a school surrounded by teachers and the youngsters’ parents.

It’s getting all too much.

tac
www.ovgrs.org
Supporter of the Cape meares Lighthouse Restoration Fund

#9

But, TAC, it is all so very Progressive, don’t ya know. :frowning:

#10

seems to be a worldwide fashion to disarm as many persons as possible.
just read, that the german politicians are working on a new law, that legal weapons shall not be stored in private homes any more.
they want to store them in gouverment storage - for the owners to take out only for use.
reason: if there might be uprisings or civil war in the future, they don’t want weapons in the public.
(last oficial estimation: about 10 millions of legal arms in germany - and about 20 millions of illegal ones…)
.

#11

Europe never learns expecially Germany. Gun control got Hitler into power and the people were powerlessw.
Tac…why don’t you move over here permanently and help us save this contry from a tyrant…again. Fist time it was your George III and his parliment, but we are still cousins and friends…at least on the individual level. Our CINC has tried to destroy that relationship. We could use your skills and you could teach youngsters how to shoot safely anywhere and play trains all the time.
I know you have family in the yuk but you are back and forth so much, put some roots down here. You would be a legal immigrant…LOL
Noel

#12

The asylum is being run by the inmates.

I have a friend who was stationed at Alconbury a hundred or so years ago. He still keeps in touch with the blokes on that side. Glad it went reasonably well.

#13

Noel,

don’t encourage Tac away from these shores. All the millionaires are leaving and we shall only be left with paupers. lol

#14

Noel - I have a HUGE family in Canada, and dual nationality to help it along, but my daughter’s and granddaughter’s circumstances here stop us from moving over for good, much as we’d like to. I’ve got a place lined up in Quatsino if we ever make it…try finding it on Google Earth and you’ll see why.

Best

tac
www.ovgrs.org
Supporter of the Cape Meares Lighthouse Restoration Fund

#15

TAC I looked up Quatsino out of curiosity. Though I hope you’re able to follow your dream I’m a little curious as to why you want to move to an area that seems to be infested with giant roosters? When you look on the east side of the isle there are large bare areas with rooster scratchings.

#16
Dave Marconi said:
TAC I looked up Quatsino out of curiosity. Though I hope you're able to follow your dream I'm a little curious as to why you want to move to an area that seems to be infested with giant roosters? When you look on the east side of the isle there are large bare areas with rooster scratchings.
The ROOSTER shall prevail!
#17

Not roosters, sasquatch.

It’s a well-known Big foot ‘stamping’ ground where the BC chapter have their annual ‘Grand howl’.

Thort everybody knew that, me.

tac
www.ovgrs.org
Supporter of the Cape Meares Lighthouse Restoration Fund

#18

Interesting how every thread goes eventually to roosters

(http://www.outsidetrains.com/smile/rofl.gif)

#19

Tom Ruby said:
Interesting how every thread goes eventually to roosters

(http://www.outsidetrains.com/smile/rofl.gif)

Yep. Sigh…

#20

Well,
Does Rooster Cogburn deserve a mention. lol