Hello Folks
Having entered autumn, the warm weather appears to be over as cooler weather has arrived. I hope you’re keeping well and keeping warm.
Our glorious Southern-green liveried GRES wagons in OO Gauge to celebrate 50 years of GRES model railway exhibitions continue to sell well. Allowing for those already reserved, we now have just over 30 remaining out of the original 100 wagons, which include an individually numbered certificate signed by Ella plus a brief history of our exhibitions. While the standard price will be £19.99, current GRES members can obtain their wagon(s) for only £14.99 each. There are more details on the GRES website: Celebrate the 50th GRES Exhibition with Our Limited Edition 00 Gauge Wagon! – Welcome to GRES
IM is looking to order new GRES polo shirts in an appealing bright blue with our logo, as modelled by Iain at recent GRES Meetings. We’re still eager to see how many members are interested so, if you wish to get one, please speak to him at one of the GRES meetings. It would be good if nearly all GRES members are wearing GRES-branded clothing at the special 50th GRES Exhibition on 1 & 2 November.
We have interesting topics for the two GRES meetings in October, as follows:
Tuesday 7th – Henry Harryman will be taking us back two hundred years to consider how the railways changed our lives. This promises to be an interesting evening and I encourage you to join us at our usual venue of the Emmanuel Church Hall, 55 Windmill Street, Gravesend (from 7.45pm).
Thursday 23rd – Robin Heaps from the Medway Aircraft Preservation Society (MAPS) will be visiting to tell us about the Society and the many projects that they have ongoing. If you visited Rochester Cathedral during August to see the restored Floatplane, that was the result of much hard work by MAPS and I’m sure Robin will tell us more about that project. So, join us at our usual venue of the Emmanuel Church Hall, 55 Windmill Street, Gravesend (from 7.45pm).
Future GRES dates for your diaries:
Saturday 18th October 2025 – GRES Open Day at Higham Village Memorial Hall (10am – 4pm)
Support to assist during the day and to promote the Society will be appreciated. Whether you can give thirty minutes to several hours, all offers of help are welcome. Please advise IM –– if you are able to help.
As mentioned at the recent AGM, this is effectively our shop window and opportunity to promote GRES not only to entertain visitors but also to attract new members. As this is our 50th exhibition, it will be bigger than before with more exhibits across more of Northfleet School for Girls, so we will need more help – setting up on Friday night and Saturday morning, welcoming and stewarding visitors across the two days of the model railway exhibition and clearing up afterwards from 4pm onwards on Sunday evening. As above, support to assist over the weekend and to promote the Society will be appreciated. Whether you can give thirty minutes to several hours, all offers of help are welcome. Please advise me or IM– if you are able to help.
For those who like their model railway exhibitions and railway events, please note the following during October:
Saturday 4th & Sunday 5th – Folkestone Model Railway Exhibition, Leas Cliffe Hall, Folkestone, CT20 2DZ (Saturday & Sunday: 10am – 5pm). Adults – £8, Accompanied Under 16s – £4, Family – £22. Many layouts, trade stands plus other displays.
Saturday 18th – Beckenham and West Wickham Model Railway Show, Forest Hill Boys School, Dacres Road, Forest Hill, SE23 2XN (10am – 4.30pm). Adults – £10, Accompanied Under 16s – free. Up to 20 layouts, trade stands plus other displays.
Saturday 25th – Whitstable Model Railway Exhibition, Swalecliffe & Chestfield Community Centre, 19 St John’s Road, Swalecliffe, Whitstable, CT5 2QU (10am – 4pm). Adults – £5, Accompanied Under 16s – free. Several model railway layouts, trade stands plus other displays.
I look forward to seeing many of you on Tuesday 7th October. Please ask if you have any questions.
Regards
George Marcar (for GRES Committee)
