Helooooo From Cambridgeshire

[Ian AllgoodParticipant @ianallgood75831]

Hi, All, I'm new to the forum, so I thought I would introduce myself.

My name is Ian, I live in western Cambridgeshire. I am a Model Engineer and I have been modeling for 12 years now. I am building a 3 inch Traction Engine designed By Bill Hughes as a 1 1/2" model I am using his drawings and doubling the measurements. The engine is based on the Allchin No. 3251 Royal Chester.

My Machine shop consists of an Elliott Juniormil (Not a typo), a Boxford AUD Lathe and a Clarkson mk1 Tool Cutter Grinder

[Ian AllgoodParticipant @ianallgood75831]

Intro.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Welcome to the forum Ian,

Neil

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

HI there. Did you see the tractions engines, large and small, on Parker's Piece a couple of weeks ago? Seems to be an annual event. I've also seen the Cambridge Model Engineers having an exhibition at the Pumping Station museum on a couple of occasions.

[mechman48Participant @mechman48]

Welcome Ian, Duncomb park is holding it's annual Traction engine rally next weekend, but that's a fair way from Cambridge…

George.

[Anonymous]

Hi Ian,

Welcome to the forum. We must be fairly close as I'm west of Cambridge too, along the A428.You're welcome to visit and swap notes on building traction engines.

Andrew

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

West in Cambs could be Thrapston – or even Stamford (just about). How about a post code area? Peterborough has a thriving model eng soc. Stamford still has one, but needs new members…..

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

Are you coming the 20th Steam/Model Engineering Rally, organised by the Peterborough Society of Model Engineers, over 16th/17th July, at Sacrewell Farm?

There will be lots of Traction Engines in steam, and displays of M.E. activities. (I shall be in the barn at the upper end of the site, along with the Pbo Area Boat Club) Plenty of other things to interest wife and children if they come too.

Sacrewell Farm is just off the A47, immediately to the east of Wansford.

Howard

[Brian HParticipant @brianh50089]

Hello Ian and welcome.

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Posted by not done it yet on 26/06/2016 18:41:10:

West in Cambs could be Thrapston –

funny coincidence. I had never heard of Thrapston or read the more recent posts on this thread. Then last week I was staying in a hotel there as it was cheaper than the one down the road.

[Curtis RutterParticipant @curtisrutter61973]

Hi Ian. Have just purchased a house in Warboys, NW Cambs. Anyone local??

Edited By Curtis Rutter on 28/04/2017 11:38:46

[Shed HappensParticipant @shedhappens]

Hi Curtis, I'm about 14 miles South of you

[Anonymous]

Posted by Shed Happens on 01/05/2017 23:37:22:

Hi Curtis, I'm about 14 miles South of you

So that must mean I'm about 15 miles south of Warboys.

Andrew

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

So are you closer to Cambridge, or to Peterborough?

Both have thriving M E societies, well worth joining.

Howard

[Anonymous]

Posted by Howard Lewis on 08/05/2017 18:41:13:

So are you closer to Cambridge, or to Peterborough?

Both have thriving M E societies, well worth joining.

I'm much closer to Cambridge, about 6 miles pretty much due west. I did visit the Cambridge club some years ago with a view to joining; but I'm afraid I won't ever be going back.

Andrew

[Curtis RutterParticipant @curtisrutter61973]

Posted by Howard Lewis on 08/05/2017 18:41:13:

So are you closer to Cambridge, or to Peterborough?

Both have thriving M E societies, well worth joining.

Howard

I'm smack bang in the middle of both. Why won't you be going back to Cambridge ME Andrew?

[Anonymous]

Posted by Curtis Rutter on 08/05/2017 19:19:23:

Why won't you be going back to Cambridge ME Andrew?

For both practical and philosophical reasons.

Strange as it may seem it is actually quite difficult for me to get to the south of Cambridge. I either have to go almost into Cambridge and then down the M11, or go cross country to join the M11 a bit further south. Traffic in Cambridge is a nightmare, especially now that thousands of new houses are being built with little or no consideration for infrastructure.

The club iteself is off one of the main roads into Cambridge, down narrow roads of Victorian houses, with cars parked both sides. Final access is via track. Parking is limited. Having got there early I got blocked in. After the talk I asked if someone could move their car so I could leave. People were then rude to me as I hadn't realised there were two exits to the clubhouse and the person concerned had already gone out to move his car and was waiting.

It was made clear that the track and maintenance and running of same was an important part of the club. I have zero interest in running trains and don't want to spend my weekends doing so.

Sadly the talk was one of the most boring I've been to; lots of scanned pictures of narrow gauge locomotives with comments like "you will notice that the spurgwangler handle goes to the left in this picture, unlike the last when it went to the right". Of course I have sympathy for the organiser; it's very difficult to get a steady stream of interesting talkers at any sort of club.

My biggest mistake of the evening was saying that I was a professional engineer; I might as well have said I was a secondhand car salesman with Del Boy tendencies! I got ignored after that boo-boo.

Overall impression was of a lot of old men whinging about the cost of everything.Oddly there was no follow up from the club secretary with whom I'd been corresponding as to whether I'd even attended the meeting I said I would.

Given that I'm interested in engineering, not modelling, I decided that I didn't have anything to offer them, or vice versa.

When I was a small kid in the early 70s I belonged to the model engineering club in Bedford – who were very helpful to me. The meetings were held in a pub in Bedford so naturally the members used to get a pint in the bar before the meeting. Of course I wasn't old enough to be in the bar so it's possible I missed a lot of the more serious man talk. Still, I'm very grateful for the help I received from the Bedford ME club.

Andrew

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

However if you are interested in trains the track is at the north end and only 5 minutes off the motorway. They just never seem to be open on the few days I go to the city now.

It's got a lot bigger than when I visited, which was before the clubhouse fire so quite a while ago.

Edited By Bazyle on 09/05/2017 13:26:03

[MuzzerParticipant @muzzer]

Certainly the emphasis seems to be on playing with trains rather than making them. Doesn't seem to be much mention of workshop facilities, although I must admit I didn't visit them when I lived in Cambridge.

The term "model engineer" has so many meanings, as covered here on many previous occasions. It's a broad church as they say and nobody's right or wrong as long as we are enjoying ourselves.

Murray

[paul rushmerParticipant @paulrushmer83015]

Hi all

Having been a member of Cambridge club for over 35 years I thought I would make a few comments

Yes we are down a narrow unmade track but I never had any trouble with a long wheel base high top transit, some how the lads got 20 foot container in!

I think there is 2 fields between the site and the M11 so you do not have much traffic.

Yes the site is compacted but in recent years we have made an extra car park and on public running days (7 per year) we us the ruby club.

Yes the member ship is approx. 60% retired and we do have lots of characters, and the odd grump you learn to ignore them but most clubs seam to have one.

As for machinery we do have a Bridgeport style mill and Harrison L5 the membership can use.

Yes a lot of effort goes in to the railway, most of the membership have not the time money or space of a setup like ours at home! Opening to the public keeps the subs down.

I think it is a case of you only get out what you put in, if you think we should have x come and help build it others will help if the like it.

We do have some very talented model makers some like to show off others do not its a free world.

Come and see us public running 2nd Sunday, members working or playing most Sundays and Thursdays.

Hope to see you Paul

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

Sorry to hear that you were disappointed by your first visit to the Cambridge Club.

Have never visited, but relationships with the couple of Cambridge members with whom I have been in contact have been good.

It is not the Club's fault that you found the talk uninteresting.

I am also a council member of the Peterborough Engineering Society, and over the years, we have had talks; thankfully only a couple; that have not lived up to our expectations.

As already said, you get out what you put in, and it takes two to tango..

I have always been welcomed when in contact with other clubs, such as Worthing or Hereford, and have always felt among friends.

Happily, I can say that visitors / guests / prospective members are made welcome at Peterborough Society of Model Engineers meetings, and not shunned.

Our members are involved in almost every aspect of the hobby; Trains of all gauges, Road Engines, Stationary Engines, Clocks, Boats, Tooling. You name it, and there will be at least one member involved in at least one of these. If you could have come to the Spalding ME Show just after Easter, you would have seen the range of our members work.

And NO, I am not on the committee, just a long term member. (if it wasn't what I wanted, I would have voted with my feet many years ago)

Don't give up at the first hurdle, go back again! Personally, I'd like to see you as a PSME member, but maybe it's a bit far to travel, although we do have members from as far afield as Boston.

Come and visit us at our Rally at Sacrewell, in July.

Howard

[Fred MarshParticipant @fredmarsh82425]

As a local i'm interested in visiting the club so i'm interested in anyone's opinions keep them coming!!

[NigeParticipant @nige81730]

Howard: I am interested in coming to the PMES Rally at Sacrewell but can find no info about it on their website, can you give me basic info as to site address and times please?

Nigel

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

Leave the A1at the A47 intersection at Wansford and drive towards Peterborough. Sacrewell is on the left only about a quarter mile from the A1/A47 flyover. Clearly signed, I think.

A good day out for a family, let alone the extras on site.

[NigeParticipant @nige81730]

Thank you for directions ndiy.

Nigel

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