The N(B)MRS: About Us |
Who we are, where we are and what we do |
We are an active group of modellers with widely ranging interests. As well as Nottingham, we have members living in various parts of the country, and we are always delighted to welcome new members. Amongst us, there are members modelling railways from most decades of the twentieth century and several have had articles published in the model press. We cater for all modellers, whatever their interests, and currently have vacancies within most of our groups.
For some obscure reason, despite being a Society, we always seem to refer to ourselves as 'The Club'!
We have our own clubrooms and have several groups within the club who either have finished and exhibitable layouts, or layouts under construction. There are currently club layouts in 3.5mm (HO), 4mm (OO and EM) and 7mm (O) scales, though our members' interests also include P4, narrow gauge, North American and continental. Our speciality is the construction of near-scale, authentic, working overhead electrification systems. Our layouts include Deepcar, which features the 1500V DC electrification of the Woodhead route and Carstairs which features 25kV AC electrification and computer control of the signals.
There are other club layouts, of course, including Skipley, in 00 gauge depicting a fictional trans-pennine route in the 1960s; Springfield, in H0 gauge, representing a down-town commercial district of an imaginary east coast US city; and Llanbedrog, currently being built in EM gauge, as a fictional extension of the Cambrian Coast line. Also being built is Ilkeston Town in 00 gauge and set in the 1930s, and Streatham Mainline, an imaginary ex-Southern line in south London, in the 1980s-1990s. In the early stages of construction is the club's next big project: Trent Lane Junction. This will be a model of the ex-Great Northern junction in east Nottingham and set in the 1950s.
We meet every Tuesday evening at our clubrooms in Bulwell, Nottingham, close to Bulwell's railway, bus and tram stations. Within our clubrooms we have facilities to design, build and run layouts; there is an extensive reference library, with some videos and a comprehensive collection of railway and model railway magazines. In addition, for the less energetic, there is room to sit, chat and have a cuppa. We also arrange occasional talks, slide shows, etc.
The Nottingham (Bulwell) Model Railway Society organises and stages the very popular NOTTINGHAM East Midlands MODEL RAILWAY EXHIBITION at Nottingham's Harvey Hadden Sports Complex, Bilborough Park, Wigman Road, Bilborough, NOTTINGHAM NG8 4PB.
Please contact the Secretary if you require any more information about the Nottingham (Bulwell) MRS, its facilities or activities. Anyone is most welcome to call in at our clubrooms to have a look around and meet us but, again, please contact the Secretary beforehand.
The N(B)MRS: A Potted History |
Our roots, how we started and when we began |
The NOTTINGHAM (Bulwell) MRS (then known simply as the Bulwell MRS) was formed back in 1971, as a result of a group of five like-minded folk, with interests in railways and railway modelling, getting together. At the time, the group were then all employees at Nottingham City Transport's erstwhile Bulwell Bus Depot. Although none of the founders are still current members, since then, there has always been at least one member connected with Nottingham City Transport.
After meeting in several places, the fledgling club settled at the Bulwell Youth Club and even held its first few exhibitions there. In the late 1970s, though, there was then a need for the Youth Club to expand and there was nowhere for the N(B)MRS's equipment to be stored.
The search was on ! It was decided that the club needed a place of its own. This turned out to be a former Education Department temporary classroom moved, and re-erected, on a nearby site leased from the City Council. They say that home is where you make it and the N(B)MRS has been there ever since.
The writing was soon on the cards for using the Youth Club as an exhibition venue, too. There followed a 'giant leap for mankind' (well, club members anyway), when the exhibition was moved to the City's Victoria Leisure Centre and re-named the East Midlands Model Railway Exhibition. After a further twenty-one years, in 2001, the show more than doubled in size with a change of venue to the Harvey Hadden Sports Complex. With the demise of other model railway events in the city, another name change followed in 2005, when the exhibition was re-launched under our new banner:
Bilborough Park
NOTTINGHAM NG8 4PB
© N(B)MRS 2006