News

Help urgently needed this Saturday and Bill Roberts Memorial Trophy

By Robin Schoolar • Published on Wednesday 1 October 2025, 5:01pm

Given that this Saturday's RMG meeting at Liphook is also the AGM, the committee will be even busier than usual.  So more than ever, RMG needs a volunteer to write the model report, or better still, two or three pals to divide up the room, each writing about their portion. Please consider this seriously. If nobody volunteers, the next magazine's Liphook resort will be both dull and brief, and the magazine may end up with fewer than the usual 60 pages. 

While on the subject of volunteers, the AGM means RMG officers are due to be voted in.  Although an acting committee is currently in place, if anyone else would like to volunteer for one of the roles, it would be great to have some alternatives once we reach the vote, so anyone would be welcome to volunteer and be nominated on the day.

If anyone has ideas that may extend beyond what RMG currently does, please volunteer and the committee would welcome you aboard as an additional member.

The acting committee, who are willing to continue (if they have to) are ... 
Editor: Craig Longhurst
Publications Officer: Pete Wood
Treasurer: Robin Schoolar
Membership Secretary: Robin Schoolar

Nick Rodgers will continue as President, because that role remains his indefinitely, unless he (or fate) decides differently.

As usual the October meeting will also include the award of the Bill Roberts Memorial Trophy, decided from a vote by paid up members present on the day.  Collect your voting slip from Robin, who may also encourage you to be sure you have renewed your membership.  (£35 in cash or by cheque) 

Liphook Sat 4 Oct: Still Space for More Railway Themed Offerings

By Robin Schoolar • Published on Tuesday 30 September 2025, 5:00pm

As advised in earlier mass email, as bonus feature to complement Runnymede AGM at Liphook this Saturday, Murray Russell is co-ordinating a Grand Railway Extravaganza.

One of the island table blocks will be set aside for Murray's large oval of Gauge OO track (20x8 feet), where anyone can bring their own trains and run them, taking turns with Murray's own Transcontinental Streamliner.

There is still space to spare on this island block, an ideal opportunity for others to bring Gauge O, Gauge 1 or G-Scale track, plus trains to run on them.

If you have anything suitable, please try to let us know beforehand (eg by replying to this email), so we can plan how best to accommodate everybody.

Track of other gauges doesn't necessarily have to be a large oval ... whatever track you can offer, we'll find a way to use it advantageously. 

Meccano models and historical displays are as welcome as ever, but there may be slightly less table space for them.  However with a bit of give and take, we'll find space everyone bringing something to show.

However anyone whose display needs more than one table, should reply to this message giving details so we can do our best to fit you in.

Summer 2025 magazines are now in the post

By Robin Schoolar • Published on Saturday 20 September 2025, 5:00pm

This message is primarily intended to advise paid up RMG members that I have just finished mailing out all copies of the Summer 2025 magazine, the last one in the current (2024-25) membership year.

For this Magazine, I've used a different approach to buying postage, which I hope will work at least as well as the old way.  However this time around, it would help me judge how well postal systems are working if members could kindly let me know when their magazine arrives (eg by replying to this email).

If you believe you are a paid up UK member, and your magazine still hasn't arrived by 29th September, please let me know (eg by replying to this email), preferably including your postal address in the message.  For overseas members, I'd advise allowing another week (ie until 6th October).

Anyone receiving the Summer 2025 Magazine can take its arrival as confirmation that they are paid up for the current (2024-25) membership year ... but it also means we hope they will want to renew for the coming year!

The Autumn 2025 magazine will be sent only to those who renew for the coming 2025-26 membership year.  Included with each Magazine that is now in the post, is a Renewal Reminder sheet detailing all the ways to pay.  If you are planning to attend the next Liphook meeting on October 4th, the simplest and friendliest way to renew is to pay in cash or by cheque at the meeting.

Note that rising costs and dwindling reserves made it necessary to increase cost of RMG Membership (eg for the UK from £30 to £35 per year).  Anyone who has set up a Standing Order (or other regular payment) must remember to adjust its amount.

Another way to renew (or join as a new member) is via the RMG website:  https://runnymedemeccanoguild.org.uk/shop/sections/membership/products/runnymede-meccano-guild-annual-membership

Website prices are £1 higher than other ways of renewing / joining, reflecting fees levied for handling Credit Card or PayPal payments.

This email is sent to everyone who is subscribed for updates from the RMG website, regardless of whether they have paid their annual membership.  (I don't have a reliable way to restrict messages to those who have paid, while excluding those who haven't.)  So quite a lot of those seeing this email won't have paid and shouldn't be expecting a magazine.

If you're unsure whether or not you paid for 2024-25 (or you're thinking of joining), just check with me by replying to this email.

Keep enjoying your Meccano

Regards    Robin Schoolar

(Treasurer and Membership Secretary, Runnymede Meccano Guild)

RMG Grand Railway Extravaganza - Liphook 4 Oct 2025

By Murray Russell • Published on Tuesday 9 September 2025, 5:00pm

In addition to our usual activities, at our October meeting we will be staging a special model railway event.

Murray Russell has offered to set up a large oval of OO gauge track spanning ten tables and will be running his very long vintage Tri-ang Transcontinental Streamliner for the interest and amusement of the members.

Furthermore, Martin Clark will bring his tramway system (built by the late Michael Edwards) and set it up alongside the oval at its full length of 18 feet.  This will be the first time the three tramcars and their ingenious control system have been demonstrated at an RMG meeting.

Murray will also bring his other rolling stock, and invites anyone who wants, to have a go at driving it themselves.  Younger members in particular can try their hand at making up a goods train in the sidings.

If any other members also have a train set, they will be more than welcome to bring it along if they want to show it off and see it running on a really long circuit.

Also, we expect there will be space on the tables to set up more track, and invite members to bring theirs along too.  Especially if you happen to have O gauge, 1 Gauge or third rail track and models, which we will be delighted to see.  More especially if they are built in Meccano!

Technical Information

Murray's OO gauge oval will be 20 feet long by 8 feet wide, with a total circuit of 52 feet,  and includes a passing loop and sidings.  Track is Peco Streamline fine scale with insulated points.  Any modern locos should run on it, but older models with chunky wheels might have trouble due to the deeper flanges running over the sleepers and lifting the treads off the rails, so losing contact.  We will try it and see.

Power supply is 12v DC, and the controller can drive three locos coupled together. Only one train can run at a time, while another waits in the loop.  This makes changeovers more interesting.

If your loco is DCC, you will have to bring your own controller as well.  The same if you bring your own track.

Offers to bring additional railway items or queries should be emailed to Robin Schoolar (for example by simply replying to this email), and they'll be relayed to Murray so he can co-ordinate

Outcome of the RMG Subscription Vote

By Robin Schoolar • Published on Wednesday 11 June 2025, 5:00pm

Like all emails sent via the Runnymede Guild website, this email goes to everyone who has used their email address to subscribe to the website, regardless of whether or not they are a paid up member.

If you don't currently pay for membership, this message is probably of minimal interest (unless anyone is tempted by our magnificent magazine and decide it's time to pay to join).

It's important to be aware that the current subscription year includes the Summer 2025 Magazine (which may be ready to post in a couple of months), so paid up members do NOT need to renew at this time - they are already entitled to receive their 2025 Summer Magazine once it has been printed.

Expect an announcement (via RMG website, like this one) once the Guild is ready to accept subscriptions for the 2025-26 membership year.

This is most likely to appear early September.

Paying subscriptions by cash of cheque at the AGM (on October 4th) remains most acceptable, as always. 

The Decision!

Members present agreed that there was enough information already provided to go directly to a show of hands.

Nobody voted at the meeting for reducing activities to two meetings and two magazines per year in order to keep subscriptions down.

All votes cast at the meeting were for a £35 UK subscription to sustain three meetings and three magazines per year.

For the record, we also received over a dozen preferences ahead of the meeting, and with a single exception these similarly favoured the subscription increase.

The committee appreciates this as a vote of general satisfaction with how RMG is being run.

Our sole dissenter, who admitted his age made it unlikely he could still undertake the lengthy journey to meetings, was decent enough to add that he would not be unhappy if the consensus favoured subscription increase.

The meeting also agreed to introduction of a Junior membership category, costing £25, which will be available where the named member is under 18, but must be paid in person at an RMG meeting.

Whether or not membership is Junior, everyone in the named member's family remains welcome to attend meetings.

There was agreement that RMG committee should try to introduce an "electronic" membership category, where members will be able to download each magazine instead of receiving a printed copy.

As its primary purpose is to avoid the ever increasing postage costs for sending magazines overseas, cost of "electronic" membership is likely to be the same as UK membership with a printed magazine.

Assuming we are able to introduce "electronic" membership, price of overseas membership for a printed magazine will rise by £10 to £45 Europe / £50 Rest of World.

We apologise for the size of this increase, but it is unavoidable due to the extraordinarily steep rise in postage costs beyond UK over recent years.

In event (we hope unlikely) that we cannot arrange "electronic" membership in time for the new membership year, we'll aim to keep price rise for overseas members to £5 (which would imply overseas members paying a little below their "fair" share).

Regardless of membership type, paying via the website will continue to have a mark-up of £1, reflecting roughly the slice of each payment taken by PayPal for processing.

There will still be no markup for payment by cash, cheque, or electronic transfer in UK currency direct to the Guild's bank account, as such payments incur no extra overheads.

The committee is most interested in queries or reactions from this decision (or in connection with anything else), which can be made by simply replying to this email.

Runnymede Shield is awarded during RMG Summer Meeting

By Robin Schoolar • Published on Thursday 5 June 2025, 5:59pm

Apologies for yet another email from me (but at least this one is brief).

I had forgotten (and may not be the only one) that the Runnymede Shield is to be awarded at our meeting this Saturday, based on voting by all members present for what they consider the best model.

Collect your voting slip when you sign the attendance sheet.

So all the more reason to bring your finest and most appealing model.

PS I'm also pleased to say that Ted Muggridge has positively confirmed he does plan to attend as a dealer

Meeting Details Liphook Sat 7th June

By Robin Schoolar • Published on Wednesday 4 June 2025, 12:00pm

Yes, this is yet another message relating to Runnymede Meccano Guild ... It can only mean there's a Meeting at Liphook this Saturday 7th June.

We hope as many members as possible will attend bringing Meccano Models or other displays.

Don't forget

• Please bring a written description (showing your name) to accompany your model(s)
• If you use a computer to write your description, please attach the file to a reply to this email, so we can ensure it reaches whoever is writing the model report to make their task a little easier.
• Wearing name badges helps everyone.  (Anyone who doesn't have a name badge should let Pete Wood know)
• All being well, tea, instant coffee and biscuits should be available this time.  Taking used crockery back to the kitchen is always appreciated ... offers of help with washing up or drying even more so!
• If you would prefer more substantial fare, either bring your own pack lunch or buy from Sainsburys, across the car park ... but don't be too slow visiting the latter, as by late morning their selection can become rather limited.
• In event space becomes tight, members occupying more than two tables may be asked to free up space so it is possible for others to show what they have brought.

Timetable for the day (provisional)

10:30 Doors open for setting up tables, mains leads, table covers.  Help with setup greatly appreciated.  Please do NOT bring in models until setup is complete.  Putting anything on tables which don't yet have covers is particularly inconvenient.

11:00 Green light to bring in and set up models.

15:00 Business Meeting.  Business Agenda just below.

17:00 Venue must be clear and tidy with everyone out of the door.

Business Agenda (provisional)

• Welcome
• Apologies for absence
• Vote to decide revised subscriptions which will take effect October 2025 (details provided separately)
• Inviting suggestions so we can start planning how RMG might mark its 40th anniversary in 2026
• Upcoming Events
  • Kempton is NOT in June this year (June date which appeared in RMG magazine was incorrect, consequence of mix-up by the Steam Museum)
  • Eversley Steam and Vintage Festival, Sat 21st June - Jonathan Clark
  • British Motor Museum, Gaydon Sat 19 + Sun 20 Jul - John Sharp
  • Bursledon Brickworks Museum, Sun 24 Aug - Peter Goddard + Bob Palmer
  • Henley Gathering, Sat Aug 30
  • St Albans Model Engineering Show, Sat 27 + Sun 28 Sep - John Sharp
  • opportunity to mention more events
• Possible 2026 dates for Marvels of Meccano at Kempton Steam Museum
• Any other business
• Thanks

M25 / A3 Junction

There seem to be no planned closures for 7th June.  Works are still continuing (well the area seems littered with cones and 50mph speed limit signs, even if nobody is actually working) so expect slight delays but no diversions.

Meccano Sales

We hope that Ted Muggridge should be in attendance and should be delighted to relieve you of spending money in exchange for his irresistible selection of parts.

Members are encouraged to bring their own items for sale, so long as this doesn't result in insufficient space for models to be displayed.

Venue

Liphook Millennium Centre,
2 Ontario Way,
Liphook,
Hampshire,
GU30 7LD

Parking

Parking in front of the venue (preferably in the layby) is allowed so long as you are unloading or loading.

However you must move your vehicle as soon as you have unloaded - the venue inform us that penalties have been imposed on vehicles left too long.

There is no charge for parking in Sainsbury's car park, with no time limit, and there should be plenty of space in the zone closest to our venue (which is furthest from supermarket entrance) 

Voting on revising RMG Subscription rates this Saturday

By Robin Schoolar • Published on Tuesday 3 June 2025, 4:27pm

During coming RMG meeting in Liphook on 7th June there will be a vote to decide how subscriptions should change for the fresh membership year (which starts with the Liphook meeting & AGM on 4th October and the Autumn 2025 magazine)

All paid up members can be assured that they will receive the Summer 2025 magazine once it has been created and printed (in very roughly 2 months' time) regardless of whether they renew for the fresh year.

Why do subscriptions need to change?

Because the value of money has fallen (or if you prefer, prices have risen, especially postage).

We have been using money from RMG bank account to delay the subscription change as long as possible, but funds are now depleted and insufficient to continue this for 2025-26 membership year. 

Why is a vote being called at this time?

Because there are two proposals ...
... one increasing subscription to maintain 3 meetings and 3 magazines per year
... the other reducing subscription, but reducing RMG activities to 2 meetings and 2 magazines per year

Agreeing the revised subscription ahead of the AGM will give members the convenience of renewing before the AGM if they wish (but probably not until September)

What if I can't attend to vote in person?

Please let us know your preference by replying to this email, and it will be taken into account when votes are counted.

What are the proposed subscriptions?

The table below shows proposed subscriptions with separate columns based on keeping RMG activities as they are or reducing them.

Rows are for different geographical areas, reflecting how postage rates differ.

For comparison, table has extra columns indicating expected outlay per member, which include most major costs, but actual costs may be higher, as I haven't included minor items, such as light refreshments at meetings, mailing envelopes, postage on correspondence sent by committee members, price rises for next year, etc  

How are Indicative Outlay columns calculated?

They are based on current paid up membership of 101 UK members (of whom four are honorary because of the unpaid work they do for RMG) and 21 overseas members.

Major fixed costs are as follows ...
£90 Insurance (we cannot hire our venue without insurance)
£50 Website costs (exact figure not to hand - possibly underestimated)
£184.32 Venue hire per meeting

The magazine currently costs £784 to print 130 copies, ie roughly £6 per magazine.

Royal Mail's current charges for magazine and envelope (weighing just under 250 gram) are ...

• £2.00 UK
• £5.80 Europe
• £7.70 Canada / S.America / Africa / Asia
• £9.00 Australia / New Zealand
• £8.00 USA

Why have Indicative Outlay figures been calculated on basis that overseas members pay towards meeting costs?

Although overseas members are rarely able to attend, they should bear in mind that RMG meetings are the source of almost all magazine content.  To put it bluntly, without meetings, the magazine would very thin indeed!

If overseas members were exempted from meeting costs, the same reduction might be expected for UK members who don't come to Liphook, which would place a greater burden on those who do attend (paying their own travel costs to do so).

The committee is strongly against forcing members who attend to carry all costs attributable to RMG meetings.  On the contrary we want to encourage members to attend meetings.

To put this in perspective (making the assumption - hopefully overly pessimistic - that 100 members renew for the fresh year) three RMG meetings per year cost members less than £7.

Might an "Electronic" membership category be introduced, where members can avoid postage cost by downloading the magazine rather than receiving printed magazines?

Although RMG committee hopes this will be possible in time for the fresh year, we can't promise until our investigations are complete.  We would favour setting the subscription for "Electronic" membership the same as for UK membership, because if downloads were cheaper, our print run would be smaller, losing economies of scale, increasing unit price of printed magazines.

Congratulations to anyone who has read this far.

The committee welcomes thoughts, comments and suggestions on this topic from all members, either during the discussion at Liphook this Saturday ahead of the vote, or by replying to this email.

Model Reporter(s) needed for RMG June Meeting

By Robin Schoolar • Published on Monday 2 June 2025, 5:16pm

Hello everyone.

We hope many of you are planning to attend the next RMG meeting in Liphook this Saturday (7th June), and bringing Meccano models and / or displays.

Please could you consider volunteering to write the model report for this meeting.  If we have a number of people willing to be asked to write model reports ...

• Not asking the same person to do it every time should make it feel less of a burden
• Ideally we'd like to reduce the load still further by having enough volunteers to split the room between a different pair of members each meeting
• Having a different reporter each time, means the writing style will vary which makes for a better read 

For the February meeting, Murray Russell volunteered his services and his excellent write up in the most recent RMG magazine attracted much favourable comment.  We wouldn't have asked Murray twice in a row, but in any case, Murray has sent apologies that he can't be at Liphook this time due to a family visit.

Don't feel that by volunteering you'll be required to emulate Murray's style.  It's exactly the opposite, as a big part of the idea is to have variation of reporting style.  If you don't feel up to including photos, simply writing words will be fine.  Various photographers share their images with Craig after each meeting, so he can combine them with the words.

Don't worry about imperfect spelling or grammar, it's enthusiasm that counts, and the proofreading phase provides opportunity for phrasing etc to be polished.

No previous experience needed, so if you might consider trying your hand, simply reply to this email.

Looking forward to hearing from some of you!

Robin Schoolar (RMG Membership Secretary)

Spring 2025 Magazines are being posted

By Robin Schoolar • Published on Monday 28 April 2025, 3:13pm

Runnymede Meccano Guild's Spring 2025 Magazine is now printed and being posted out to paid-up members.

Members who have paid for 2024-25 membership year should receive their copy soon (inevitably sooner for those in UK than elsewhere)

Messages such as this one are sent to everyone who has subscribed on the RMG website, regardless of they have actually paid to be a member.  So if you're NOT yet a paid up member, the only way to obtain the latest magazine is to pay for membership here ...

• Runnymede Meccano Guild Annual Membership

and for that you will be posted the Autumn 2024 and Spring 2025 magazines, plus the Summer 2025 issue, once it is printed in a few months' time.

We're not promising to send a message like this every time a newly printed magazine is mailed out.  The main reason for doing it this time around is to provide an easy check for members to see whether they are receiving these website messages, as described in the article on page 55 of this magazine.