Wessex Area Group

What Is The Wessex Area Group?

The TRPS has around 3,400 members, and about 200 of those live within an area covering the South Coast from Bournemouth to Chichester, extending out towards Swindon, Basingstoke and Farnborough; roughly corresponding to the old Saxon Kingdom of Wessex. For most of us, obviously interested in the Railway and anxious to see its continued success, there are three problems: the difficulty of meeting other TRPS Members, who in time may well become good friends; finding means of becoming an active Member when not actually in Tywyn; and keeping in touch with what is going on in our particular Area Group so that we can provide support locally. We all want the satisfaction of doing something beyond the payment of an Annual Subscription. Not that that is unimportant - rather to say that there is more to be gained from Membership than remembering to pay up once a year!

For further information about the Wessex Area Group contact the group secretary, peter [dot] brown26 [at] waitrose [dot] com (Peter Brown).

Why Do We Exist?

Talyllyn Railway Preservation means keeping the Railway running and in good order - itself a mammoth task.

It means maintaining a living museum in competition with the very high presentations to be seen at heritage centres and the like all across the country - think of Ironbridge and Crich.

It also means contributing to the tourist industry in a remote part of the Cardigan Bay coastal area, for we are part of that industry. And finally it means publicising our Railway, so as to be sure that the maximum number of people get to know about us, and want to go to Wales, to see and ride on these wonderful little trains.

What Can One Do?

There are three areas of activity open to us, and within those areas a place for every member of Wessex Area Group to be active in his or her support for the Railway. Firstly, we can go to the Railway. This means going to Tywyn, although not everyone can do that.

Secondly, all of us can publicise our Railway. Even if we are miles away from Tywyn, we can keep the name of the Talyllyn Railway & the Snowdon area in the public eye. Ask for a small quantity of Timetables and pass them on to your friends and relatives.

Finally we can raise funds. We know that subscriptions and the ticket receipts alone are nowhere near enough to keep things going, and we need to do much more than that. Some development of the railway is necessary to meet public expectations, and to keep pace with the competition. Here are some ideas for you to consider:

Working On The Railway

Can you give a weekend, or part of a longer holiday break, so as to work on the railway? If you can get to and stay in or near Tywyn (cheaper than Marbella) then the possibilities are enormous and they are there for every member of the family. In Traffic, there are jobs for cleaners, firemen, drivers, blockmen, guards, and booking clerks. Training is given. The Commercial Department always needs staff in the shop and cafe. The Engineering Manager can offer work in the workshops, on buildings maintenance, and on the lineside, at all levels of skill and ability. The Bodgers work continually on carriage stock. The rules are relatively simple, so if you have any kind of skill, ability or enthusiasm the railway can use it. And if you spot a job that needs doing, just ask if you can do it!

Contact Claire Kellaway on 01329 511404, who will be able to tell you who to contact at Tywyn.

Publicity Action

In the Wessex Area Group we like to keep in contact with fellow Members, working as friends with a common interest. Not everyone wants to turn out to a particular event, or can give their time either regularly or frequently. Publicity is something you can do with other members or on your own as opportunity permits. What can be done? There is a great deal, and we have an enthusiastic Publicity Officer who can provide advice, leaflets and so on.

What about these ideas?

• Placing posters and/or leaflets at your place of work, club, local library, railway station, school, or local shops.
• Writing an article about the TR or a local Wessex Area Group event for your local paper, radio, TV, company magazine.
• Organizing a display of TR based models, artefacts, leaflets and posters at the library or building society; or at a local model railway show.
• Presenting a talk on the Railway (we have slides and speakers available) to railway or transport groups, Rotary, Probus, W.I. Townswomens Guild, etc.

Contact Alan Inder on 01489 894051 for advice and materials, or a speaker.

The Sales Stand

A major Wessex Area Group activity is that of fundraising. We have an active Sales Officer who regularly has stocks from Tywyn of TR souvenirs, inexpensive gifts, toys, model railway goodies and the like, and a local contact for railway books and videos. These we take typically to model railway exhibitions, railway events, steam engine rallies and country fairs. We have different sales stands to suit the event and the space available, and they may be called out as often as 20 times a year, so help is always welcome here. The Social Diary and the Group Report in the Talyllyn News or our Newsletter will tell you where we are going to be.

Join in and help, or can you perhaps get us into one of your local events?

Contact George Voller, on 01392-282540, for dates, times and places of sales stand outings, or with ideas for new venues.

Model Railway Activities

We have a number of model railway enthusiasts among the Wessex Area Group membership. We run our own major exhibition each year, at Fareham with the aim of publicising the Railway and raising funds. If you have any railway modelling interests, or an exhibition layout, could you join in at any time - or is there a show near you that we could attend?

Contact Peter Brown, on 01264 337608, if you can help or join in here.

Where Does The Money Go?

The Group is self-supporting, selling odds and ends donated by Members to pay for example, display materials and newsletters. A very large part of the monies we raise otherwise goes to Tywyn undedicated, typically, furnishings for the new Wharf café, equipping the play area at Abergynolwyn and helping with the purchase of new rail, but we do from time to time ask that some is used for a specific purpose. This is more rewarding to our Members who give so freely of their time, to know "I helped to provide that". Over the years, work on the West carriage shed, cleaning equipment, station seats, litterbins, Douglas' boiler, and station roofs have all been "Wessex" projects.

Mixing Pleasure With Business

We run three major Wessex Area Group events per year, all of which have become pleasant occasions for a day together.

In the Autumn there is the AGM, when the business is kept short so as to give time for a guest speaker to speak on some facet of Railways. Since the Committee must follow the wishes of Wessex Area Group Members, this is the time to turn up and air your views. We follow the AGM with an annual dinner (no speeches), when we go to a fine local restaurant or pub.

In the Spring we hold an annual Model Railway Exhibition. This has provided, over the last 30 years or so, a significant contribution to funds, and an outlet for Railway publicity material. It is a popular event both among the general public and the railway modelling fraternity. A high turnout of Wessex Area Group Members is needed to help out during the day, so please note this one.

Finally, we hold a Summer picnic outing, usually with a railway interest as well as something for the whole family. We like to vary this one - perhaps you know of a suitable venue?

Everybody must be able to do so something.
How about you?