It all stems from a conversation in the girl’s playground of Wey Valley School*, of all places; if Nicola Crocker, and Vicky and Hannah Bartlett hadn’t shared a confidence that their respective fathers were “Railway Nuts” the Association would never have existed. The exact date is lost in the mists of time, besides all Roger Bartlett wanted when he knocked on Phil Crocker’s door, in early 1986, was a chat about railways with a fellow enthusiast. (* spookily it's where we now hold our annual exhibition)
Hooked
One chat became many and talking gave way to
re-numbering and weathering rolling stock, an early display of Roger’s
obsession for authenticity and Phil’s talents with paints. The inspiration for
all this activity came straight from the pages of Ivo Peters' books on the
Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway in the BR steam era.
The problem, then was, there was no model layout to run
the stock on. So, talk started to include an early BR layout based on the S
& D. Now there’s one place on the S & D that’s really worth
modelling and that’s Evercreech Junction with its main and branch lines, Up
and North sidings, and that centre road siding for the pilots. It's got everything
for the modeller, but it’s big in 4mm / OO scale! Phil and Roger were not at
all daunted by such an ambitious modelling project and were confident that it
would attract other modellers in the area. Did Phil have ideas about a club even
at this early stage?
They commenced hiring the Committee room at the Upwey
and Broadwey Memorial Hall from March 1986 for £2 a week. Phil had spotted the
“For Hire” sign in the window of the hall on his way home from work, and
Roger investigated and had his first of many spars with Andy Miller, the
hall’s management committee chairman and caretaker. With materials provided by
Roger and Phil, work was started on the Junction layout, but progress was
restricted in that more modelling effort and know-how were needed, particularly
as the early decision was to build as authentic as possible model of Evercreech
Junction with a view to exhibiting it. The site of the old
junction is within easy access of Weymouth, so that the landscape and the
main buildings could be reproduced with a high degree of realism. The old
station hotel then named “The Natterjack” made visits to the old site very
pleasurable.
The pulling-power of modelling Evercreech Junction in BR days was truly amazing, and combined with Phil and Roger’s enthusiasm and friendliness, it proved a winner! The most notable early recruits to the project (responding to the adverts Phil placed in the local press) were Dave Riches and Roger Miller, coming from the ranks of the rival Weymouth and District Model Club. It also had no lesser effect on modellers of other gauges and railway company affiliations as Derek Stanhope, Lew Peters, John New and Jimmy Malcolm discovered when they visited the Upwey and Broadwey Memorial hall on a Tuesday evening.