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2026 ASRM Away Session.

On the evening of 1st July, I’m happy to report the vast majority of ASRM members had the good sense to spare themselves the torment of watching the World Cup live, in particular England v DR Congo. 

Local model railway enthusiast Paul, had kindly invited us to join him for a running session on his sizable oval shaped O gauge garden layout. Double tracked, with an island platform and passing loops, plus a single line spur descending down below the main lines, to what the sign on the door said was ‘Paul’s Shed’.

Inside his shed we found the fiddle yard for the O gauge garden layout, a good selection of O gauge stock and another completely separate well stocked OO gauge layout, presumably required for wet weather days. What was a surprise, was his fine array of kit built fighter and bomber aircraft.

We had been informed beforehand that the garden layout was entirely Radio Controlled and that the track was unpowered. Although this limited the number of ASRM members who could run their own O gauge locos, one couldn’t help but be impressed by some of the advantages of R.C., particularly in an outdoor environment. And it doesn’t have to be at the expense of certain digital features, as demonstrated by Paul, you can still have digital sound. This seems to work well outdoors, you only hear the train at any real volume as it passes you, certainly far less intrusive than it can be indoors.

Better than ever was our fare, probably on account of all that fresh air. Sam’s sausage rolls tasted…well…more sausagey, the homemade lemonade, absolutely delicious! And as if Sam’s cakes weren’t enough, we were then presented with Paul’s wife’s freshly baked cakes which incorporated home grown vegetables. Superb cake, with their own inbaked health benefits, what more could you ask for!

It really was a very enjoyable evening, not only was it great to see what Paul had created in his back garden, I for one found it most informative. It was also a good opportunity to chat with other ASRM members, something our normal meetings don’t always allow for.

So a huge THANK YOU to Paul and his wife, for their generosity in allowing so many ASRM members to invade their pitch!

Andy Butler.