Exeter Gauge 0 Group

 

Welcome to the Exeter Gauge 0 Group contact page.

We hope this will give you a flavour of the group, where we've come from, what we get up to, and how to contact us.
How did we start? The group was established in the early 1990's when a groundswell of opinion in the region suggested that there was a real need for a "local" 0-gauge group. We subsequently began meeting on a monthly basis in a community hall in Exeter. It rapidly became evident that we really needed a layout on which to play trains; showing each other static models does pall after a while. So we built our first layout - not only the group but also many of us as individuals learnt an enormous amount from the project. The six boards were constructed à la Barry Norman, giving us a layout 24' long by 2' wide; trackwork was Peco throughout, and electrics/controls were devised by our master electrical guru, the late Keith Marlow. The hall was far from ideal for our purposes, as we had to share it with a karate club, a playgroup and a branch of the Womens' Institute. Things came to a head when a member of the karate club stuck his foot through the floor. At this point Devon County Council - owners of the building - decided they could no longer afford the upkeep of the building, gave us our marching orders, and the building was put up for sale. As we did not feel that property ownership came within the remit of a group of 7mm modellers we decamped to another church hall to the east of the city centre.  

Bill Barnes clearly visually as well as mentally challenged at the Peco celebrations, August 2006. Bob Alderman keeping a watchful eye in the background!

 

The sun shines in Devon however, and at the next AGM one of our members quietly informed us that he had bought the original community hall and after renovation we could have it to play trains. So - here we have been for several years now. Having a dedicated base has meant that we have been able to realise what had previously only been a pipe-dream - a permanent layout that could be left up throughout the year. The hall was re-floored, rewired, re-plumbed and fitted with proper central heating. We've got a little 'snug' (affectionately nicknamed "The Head Shunt" with library, video and easy chairs)  and a kitchen on the ground floor, and a basement with loos and a further good-sized room currently used for storage.  We all owe an enormous debt to Jim Harries, without whose extraordinary generosity we would simply not be playing trains.

Left:  Peter Bevan's delightful rural French station building, winner of the Committee Shield  2008
   

 

Three pictures from the 2008 Modelling Competition

Martin Philpott's delightful little rustic garage - runner-up for the Committee Shield The assembled gongs Richard Hensman's superb Z Class - winner of the President's Cup and the Peter Goodwin Memorial Trophy 2008

 

John Weight and Peter Bevan admire some of David Taylor's superb scratchbuilt signals

 Who are the members? Well, those who actually live in Exeter used to be numbered on one hand - though as the group grows more and more are coming from within the city limits. Contingents regularly come to meetings from Yeovil and Taunton, several from around Plymouth, and even one or two from North Devon  - that's a catchment area of nearly 8000 square miles! There is an enclave of 0-gauge in East Devon, around Seaton and Colyton, while Roy Anderson, who lives above the snow-line on Dartmoor, models continental steam. Then folk like Bob Alderman and Douglas Dowling come from the wilds of East Somerset. We even have occasional visits from Thor Lawrence, the Guild's sole member in Iceland!  Interests are similarly varied: there's plenty of GWR as you might expect, but virtually all areas of the country are represented. 

Bob Alderman's entry in the Lineside Structures class in last year's competition

The Club annual bring-and-buy evening, showing the layout as it was a couple of years ago. Scenic work on right-hand side is now much progressed.

So our current project is a layout using the maximum space available in the main hall. It's unashamedly a tailchaser with double-track main line, including a scenic section based loosely on Dawlish Warren together with a substantial fiddle yard on the opposite side of the hall. All trackwork has been handbuilt by members using C & L components stuck with thixotropic carpet adhesive to a rubber carpet underlay. All track is laid (until Goddard comes up with another location for an extra siding ...)  and wiring more or less complete. For safety's sake, the up and down lines have no interconnecting point connections whatsoever. Lew Trump, a founder-member of the Group, is now Chief Sparks, and all is going to plan. Martin Philpott is the only one taking much initiative on the scenic front, and he steadily beavers away creating the feel of South Devon. On the narrow-gauge front David Taylor and his elite team of guerillas (or gorillas as some would have it) have insidiously introduced an end-to-end dual-gauge section inside the standard-gauge curves in front of the fiddle-yard sidings . There is much to do, but we're getting lots of play value from the layout already.

John Cross is a relative newcomer to the group, but always manages to surprise us. This is his take on a loco that never was - an 11F 2-12-0 - though drawings were actually produced for the animal. John's model is fully compensated and will negotiate impossibly tight curves quite happily. One reason for its inclusion here is its name: John has christened it "Brian Draper" in memory of the very popular treasurer of Yeovil MRG who died far too young earlier this year.
We have our annual modelling competition each May, and it regularly produces a fine crop of craftsmanship. This year's winners were:

Committee Shield for lineside structures - Peter Bevan's delightful French station building and surrounds

Mug of the Year non-passenger vehicle - Geoff Sawford's model of a GWR loco coal wagon

Chairman's Cup - passenger rolling stock - a fine Gresley full brake by Richard Hensman

Modern Image Rose Bowl - a diesel shunter by Geoff Sawford

President's Cup - steam outline locomotives - a Southern Z Class loco by Richard Hensman

Peter Goodwin Memorial Trophy - awarded to the best overall model in the competition - Richard Hensman's exquisite Southern Z Class
 

If you are interested in joining - or just visiting - this happy band we meet in Exeter near Heavitree, and within easy reach of the M5 on the first Tuesday of every month from 7pm onwards, and also usually third Tuesday for working parties (though ring first to confirm). You can contact any of the following for instructions on finding us, and you'll be assured of a warm welcome.

Bob Alderman (Secretary)  01935 825379 bob@montacute.freeonline.co.uk

David Fouracre (Chairman) 01297 552868 or 01297 552915 info@thetoolbox.org.uk

Two stalwart founder-members of the group (L David Goddard, R Lew Trump) demonstrate a more low-tech approach to baseboard preparation - application of a concrete block to rub down old glue!

 

Tailpiece ...

The approach to Dawlish Warren station from the east. C & L trackwork laid on carpet underlay, ballasted, scenery 'work in progress'.

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