Oxfordshire / West Berks Group Meeting, Pendon, Tues 13th Feb - Traffic Update

[ianpenberth]

We'll be meeting at The Pendon Museum, High Street, Long Wittenham, OX14 4QD, on Tuesday 13th February from 19:30 onwards.

We ask for a contribution of £4 per head to cover the cost of the room, including teas and coffees. Other light refreshments are available to purchase.

All welcome at the meeting, whether local or just passing through. Feel free to bring along something you have built or are working on.

The roads hereabouts are now fully open following the floods, though it is p***ing down here again this evening. At least the gas board (or whoever they are these days) have stopped digging up the alternative routes.

Just for a change, a few images of last month's entertainment:

Maddy240107-2.jpg

Clifton240105-2.jpg

WaterLevel240108.png

Regards,

[ianpenberth]

The waters have risen again following the rain at the end of last week, and appear to have peaked this morning...

Road Closed signs are out on the road between Clifton Hampden and Long Wittenham.

The alternative route over Culham Bridge seems to be OK.

All other approaches are fine.

More rain forecast this afternoon .

[ianpenberth]

As of now (17:30) the route through Appleford, accessed via Culham Bridge and other points west, is blocked by the fire brigade dealing with a house fire.

Multiple sources state that the 'normal' route in from Clifton Hampden is passable. There is a lot of surface water for a short distance, and it remains officially closed.

Check Google maps for the latest situation as it affects your route. I give up - off to the pub! See you at the meeting, all being well!

[Terry Bendall]

The waters have risen again following the rain at the end of last week, and appear to have peaked this morning...

the route through Appleford, accessed via Culham Bridge and other points west, is blocked by the fire brigade dealing with a house fire.

The joys of organising an area group! I hope some members made it and had a useful meeting.

Terry Bendall

[GarethSmith]

Terry - If I recall correctly there were nine of us there. As always I found it an enjoyable and informative meeting. Dealing with giving both Fire and Flood advice seemed an unreasonable addition to Ian's task. My thanks to him for organising these monthly get togethers, as well as the Pendon crew for hosting us. Thanks to Ian for the photos as well - maybe we will see a climate change inspired diorama...

[Paul Willis]

Terry - If I recall correctly there were nine of us there. As always I found it an enjoyable and informative meeting. Dealing with giving both Fire and Flood advice seemed an unreasonable addition to Ian's task. My thanks to him for organising these monthly get togethers, as well as the Pendon crew for hosting us. Thanks to Ian for the photos as well - maybe we will see a climate change inspired diorama...

Having been to Pendon on Saturday - and climbed Wittenham Clumps in the morning, we could see the extent of the flooding, even a few days after it had reached a peak. You did very well to get so many members of OWBAG together.

Pendon was as inspiring as ever. The new brickworks in the Vale scene has bedded in very nicely indeed. And I and quite a number of overseas visitors were treated to a full narrative of the Dartmoor scene in darkness with the fully illuminated train. And back to that thing about it being inspiring, the faint glow from the train's headlamp and tail lamp was so understated and evocative that it made the day.

Best,
Paul

[bécasse]

I first saw the illuminated train on the Dartmoor scene (then limited to little more than the viaduct) just over 60 years ago when I was in Oxford for several days taking scholarship exams. When I went up in October 1964 I used to sometimes help Roye England with showings so I became very familiar with that and the other trains, and Roye's scenic models.

That illuminated train did look just like a real train moving through the countryside at night despite the "antique" technology it used. I am not sure that train illumination is an area of the hobby where we have moved forward in the right direction, even if the illumination of the prototype has become brighter.