After several years of being involved with the local model railway club a group of us with similar ideas decided to form our own modelling group. We formed the North Beds N Gauge Group. When we left the local club we took with us Woburn Sands, the layout which had represented the club over the years at numerous exhibitions. As we had built the layout from scratch and operated it we thought of it as "our layout" and as it needed a fair bit of TLC to keep it going we asked for more club funds for the work. This was not forthcoming so we decided it was time for a change. We resigned and asked if we could buy the layout. As the rest of the club were not interested in it they readily agreed and so we became the owners (for a nominal sum) of a layout without a home. What to do?
One of our group worked for the MOD and found out that a hut was to become available for sale by tender at a local RAF station. Only MOD personnel were allowed to bid so said group member was duly elected to put a bid in. By various (dubious?) methods it was determined that there was only 1 other person interested and somehow we worked out how much he was prepared to bid, so a bid was submitted. The other interested person, who actually decided which hut was to be sold, was so sure he would win he had the personnel carefully dismantle it and mark everything so that it would be easier to erect. He had it stored safely on site until the sale was completed. Our bid was submitted at the last moment and we became the owners of a 24ft x 20ft ex-falconers hut. The site for it's final resting place had already been earmarked (my back garden) so all that was required was to move it. A friend of a friend had a 40ft artic flatbed, so he was dispatched to collect it and it was taken to said friends farm for temporary storage until we were ready to rebuild it.
The initial "gang of seven" pictured at the grand opening of the hut.
We spent a whole summer erecting and renovating the hut until in the Autumn it was usable.
After so much effort had been spent on it we decided to have an official opening. Luckily the weather was good and a barbecue was organised and wives, partners and girlfriends mucked in and organised the food and drinks. Friends were invited to join in and we invited a special guest to do the official opening. This was performed by the late Charlie Griffiths of the Luton MRC who we had known for many years. Charlie was a highly skilled engineer by trade and a first class modeller who produced many scratchbuilt and highly modified locos. I still have a brass LMS Beyer-Garrett 2-6-0 + 0-6-2 loco powered by 2 Fleichmann chassis which he built for me in the 1970's.
We had a couple of layouts set up inside so the evening was rounded off eating, drinking
and playing trains.
SO BEGAN THE NEXT CHAPTER.
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