New 7mm Scale Society

adrian

Flying Squad
However, speaking to friends who were in the guild until very recently the final straws for them have been the imposing of the new rules, MC not being able to fully show how they have spent the memberships money and the negative campaigning from some MC members against the Reform Group.
Sorry but that is an axe to grind which should left at the door - metaphorically speaking. I have my own views on those matters so feel to message me if you want to discuss further - that offer is open to anyone. However the right's and wrongs of the Guild are for their forum not this one.
 

JasonD

Western Thunderer
The thing I like about WT is that it's just modelling, no scales/gauges BS, ...

Hang on Mick, Arun and Ian were starting a set-to up there!

1:48 scale is called O-scale by 2-railers and O-gauge by 3-railers. My Nth American stuff runs OK on Peco, probably clunks a bit on O-MF points if there are such things. The good news is British O-gauge is about 5% bigger than it should be (32mm for std gauge = 1:45) and Nth Am is 5% smaller than it should be. The difference means I can usually run my Nth Am stock thru' British stations without damaging the bridges, platform edges and canopies!

Anyway, I use ukoscale in my Fb and email group names, suppose I could sell them to pay for my next Nth Am diesel, the Dapol 66!

Ian, what's that CN train in your Avatar?

Jason
 

mickoo

Western Thunderer
Hang on Mick, Arun and Ian were starting a set-to up there!

1:48 scale is called O-scale by 2-railers and O-gauge by 3-railers. My Nth American stuff runs OK on Peco, probably clunks a bit on O-MF points if there are such things. The good news is British O-gauge is about 5% bigger than it should be (32mm for std gauge = 1:45) and Nth Am is 5% smaller than it should be. The difference means I can usually run my Nth Am stock thru' British stations without damaging the bridges, platform edges and canopies!

Anyway, I use ukoscale in my Fb and email group names, suppose I could sell them to pay for my next Nth Am diesel, the Dapol 66!

Ian, what's that CN train in your Avatar?

Jason
Ahh shucks, shame on me :))

I've come to the point where all this scale, gauge, track and ratios seems just pointless, I mean it's like debating shades of green, besides, everyone knows the only true scale is 1:45 :p
 

Pencarrow

Western Thunderer
Ahh shucks, shame on me :))

I've come to the point where all this scale, gauge, track and ratios seems just pointless, I mean it's like debating shades of green, besides, everyone knows the only true scale is 1:45 :p

Nope, disagree, 1:44.95. Anything else isn't worth bothering with.

Must admit I'm struggling with the need and relevance of all these specific societies*. I get my fix of information, help and entertainment from forums like WT.

*Unless they make bespoke products available to members.
 

Giles

Western Thunderer
I too left the GOG, but the thing I really, really appreciate is the blinding inspiration and education I get from other people's work in all scales here..... For me, it's the quality in a broad sense that is of such immense value, rather than just the scale.

(And I do enjoy the absence of politics!)

Best of luck!
 

simond

Western Thunderer
Must admit I'm struggling with the need and relevance of all these specific societies*. I get my fix of information, help and entertainment from forums like WT.

*Unless they make bespoke products available to members.

Yes, I reflected on my post earlier in this thread, and I think Chris' post says something I meant to, but didn't add.

This possibly isn't only the case for the Guild, but my observation is that it has wonderfully fulfilled its purpose, Jack Ray and the others wanted to ensure the ongoing availability of O gauge components, so they could continue modelling in their chosen format. That they succeeded in spades is very evident and many of us enjoy the fruits of their labours.

But is it necessary, is there any benefit to membership of such a society, now? If there were no internet, if the only source of wheels/gears/motors/whatever was one bloke labouring in a shed, then getting together to pool cash, capabilities, information, knowledge, etc, to keep it going would make perfect sense, but I just don't see the need any more.

Of course, if a group of people want to get together to form a club for whatever purpose, they can and they should and I hope they enjoy it, it's just that they probably don't need to.

atb
Simon
 

Roger Pound

Western Thunderer
As someone who has happily mixed both coarse and fine scale stock and material in 0 gauge I would appear to have disqualified myself from membership of this "7mm Scale" project, even if I had thought it a good idea which , in passing, I didn't. I am one of many who resigned a couple of years ago from the Guild and was later accepted as a member of WT. . Since that time I have thoroughly enjoyed my membership of WT - the wide interests and various scales presented in a friendly and easy manner and best of all, no politics. I am now in my ninth decade but still wish to learn and work to improve my own modelling efforts. The infinite wealth of knowledge on WT helps me do that and I am very much at home here. Thanks to all of you other members - without you it would not happen!

Roger
 
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Focalplane

Western Thunderer
One other thought that occurred to me is that if you actively belong to more than, say, WT, then you are possibly wasting valuable modelling time. This is certainly true for me and I would think quite a few others.
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
Yes, I reflected on my post earlier in this thread, and I think Chris' post says something I meant to, but didn't add.

This possibly isn't only the case for the Guild, but my observation is that it has wonderfully fulfilled its purpose, Jack Ray and the others wanted to ensure the ongoing availability of O gauge components, so they could continue modelling in their chosen format. That they succeeded in spades is very evident and many of us enjoy the fruits of their labours.

But is it necessary, is there any benefit to membership of such a society, now? If there were no internet, if the only source of wheels/gears/motors/whatever was one bloke labouring in a shed, then getting together to pool cash, capabilities, information, knowledge, etc, to keep it going would make perfect sense, but I just don't see the need any more.

Of course, if a group of people want to get together to form a club for whatever purpose, they can and they should and I hope they enjoy it, it's just that they probably don't need to.
a
atb
Simon
Well, I sorta see what you're getting at, Simon, and I'll bet that every one of us has a slightly different slant on model building. For example, although I enjoy my model building (not modelling, please. I don't have the hips for it) I'm not terribly interested in building a layout, much as I appreciate a nicely turned out model railway in any scale. However, for as long as I remember I've enjoyed exhibitions and the one thing the Guild does for me is allow me to see what is available which I otherwise wouldn't know about. I find the two day show in September invaluable, and early on ie, BWT (before Western Thunder) taught me that there were a few suppliers one should steer clear of, and a few on whom you could rely.

Now that sort of knowledge may be gained from an on line forum like WT but one is then relying on the opinions of others. There's also the possibility of picking up a second hand left handed widget holder at a large exhibition. (Not that I've not managed for years without one of those).

Bristol do it and very well, but only for a single day, and as a multi gauge two day show Railex at Aylesbury takes some beating but there you go - that's opinion.

I know that we'll not all agree about this, but if there were no shows I'd not be able to recognise your fizzog and quite a few others and thereafter discuss the state of the nation. An exhibition and trade show at which like minded souls gather is surely to be encouraged and until one has tried to do it, volunteers and all, one doesn't appreciate the amount of work involved. With all its faults, and there certainly are a few, the Guild acts as a pivot for me and using its resources keeps me reasonably up to date. I feel quite deeply for the volunteers in the Guild who suffer the unnecessary invective doled out by the few and which we are so lucky to not suffer on here.

If this is all too political, mods, please remove. The last thing I want to do is create an environment which is uncomfortable for anyone but I hope this will be seen as part of a rational debate and I'll be very pleased to hear the alternative views. As I've now said my piece, however, I'll shut up.

In short I think this is a subject which can never be debated to a conclusion, hence my decision to stop here. The one thing on which most who read this will agree, though, is that we'd be so much poorer without WT. I never knew our founder and that's my great loss.

Brian
 

simond

Western Thunderer
Brian

I have a third-hand, ambidextrous, midget widget holder if you’re interested...

image.jpg

yes, shows are so important, we’ve all missed out over the last 9 months, let’s keep our fingers crossed for tomorrow, whenever that may be.

keep well
Simon
 

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
In my short life in Gauge O I managed to visit Telford 3 times, Kettering once and Bristol twice in 6 years. I wish I had visited more for the opportunity to meet like minded souls and that some RDVs never happened when they had been organised. I enjoy the contacts with vendors, too many to mention by name but the Finney group, MOK, Connoisseur, Tower Models, etc. have all struck up a positive rapport that otherwise could not have developed so easily.
 

simond

Western Thunderer
I got it at a Sunday brocante (boot fair) in Brittany during our very brief summer holiday in July.

it has a curious anchor stamped into it. It gets a damn good hold on small stuff, midget widgets & the like, it has some curious forms, presumably to hold specific types of widget, and I’ve no idea what it was made for . Suggestions on a postcard please (or here, if Mark doesn’t object)

atb
Simon
 

Genghis

Western Thunderer
I got it at a Sunday brocante (boot fair) in Brittany during our very brief summer holiday in July.

it has a curious anchor stamped into it. It gets a damn good hold on small stuff, midget widgets & the like, it has some curious forms, presumably to hold specific types of widget, and I’ve no idea what it was made for . Suggestions on a postcard please (or here, if Mark doesn’t object)

atb
Simon
Stones out of a horse’s hooves?

Dave
 
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