Narrow Gauge Model Engineering Event

Silly hour at the 2023 Narrow Gauge Rally at Rugby MES

It's been a fabulous rally if somewhat warm! Many very nice models came to run and hard a much needed chill weekend. The 2023 event should again take place on the second weekend of July

This year's event is well and truely under way, with Chris having his Hunslet in steam at 0630 this morning cooking breakfast on the shovel 😁

This year's event is booked!

Covid permitting, the annual NG Rally at Rugby MES will go ahead

Something promising to start off the new year.

After the disappointment of having to cancel the 2020 Narrow Gauge Rally due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, Rugby MES is bravely setting the dates for the 2021 event, and keeping everything crossed that life will be returning to some kind of normal. It'll be much easier to cancel an event close to the date should there be the need, than to wait for things to normalise and then arrange at short notice.

The dates set are July 10th and 11th. Usual camping and catering will hopefully be in place. Full details and publicity material will be sent out in the coming weeks.

Happy New Year all!

Due to the ongoing Coronavirus Pandemic, the 2020 Narrow Gauge Rally at Rugby Model Engineering Society group is cancelled. There is going to be social distancing restrictions in place for some time yet and it would not be responsible to continue with this event. Hopefully 2021 will be a better year

The first visitors to Narrow Gauge at Rugby are already on their way and will kick off the 2019 event this afternoon.

Bringing a distinctly Penrhyn feel to the rally as well as a Hunslet gathering is 'Charles', sister to 'Blanche' who we featured yesterday. Hopefully joining us tomorrow along with 'Cackler'

Just 2 days to go to the 2019 Narrow Gauge Rally. This year is also turning into a gathering of Hunslets with Lilla and Cackler already booked in, along with Wild Aster, and we are also looking forward to seeing Blanche and her sister Charles

There's only a few days to go to the 2019 Narrow Gauge Rally at Rugby Model Engineering Society and the members are putting in the effort to make the site ready. Bookings for food either day are now closed, as are bookings for the 7.25" on the Saturday. There is still lots of space available for both tracks on the Sunday, and still some room for 2.5" to 5" on the Saturday.

Visiting us this year is this unusual DeWinton 0-4-0 vertical boiler locomotive, which we are looking forward to seeing for the first time

There's just a week to go now to the 2019 Narrow Gauge Rally at Rugby MES. Saturday is now full for 7.25" locos, but there's still room for 3.5" & 5", and room for both on the Sunday

Just a week and a half to go to this years Narrow Gauge Rally at Rugby Model Engineering Society and we are very pleased that this lovely 5" gauge model of 1891 Hunslet "Lilla" will be joining us again this year having had to miss 2018. There are still many places for 5" and 3.5" loco's on both Saturday and Sunday and plenty of time to book in. The deadline for booking food is fast approaching so please do book in early to avoid disappointment

Visiting us again this year is this superb model of Mills Class Hunslet "Cackler". She has been a regular visitor to the rally, and has just had a major rebuild and full repaint at Hendred Locomotive Works. We are very much looking forward to seeing her back again and looking better than ever

Just under 3 weeks to go now to the 2019 Narrow Gauge Rally at Rugby Model Engineering Society and bookings are coming in thick and fast.

We are delighted to welcome back "Elsi" this year, visiting from North Wales, a 'single Fairlie' type locomotive based on the successful "Thomas II" design, which is celebrating it's 40th birthday this year

The 2019 Narrow Gauge Rally at Rugby will soon be here, there are still spaces for visiting loco's, especially for the raised 2.5", 3.5" and 5"

This year's event is fast approaching and bookings are being taken. Depending on how the next few weeks go, we may even have a star attraction...more details to follow!

This year's Narrow Gauge Rally is being held on July 13th and 14th and we welcome all models of NG prototypes to run. We are able to offer a limited number of places for camping and Ploughmans Lunch for a small charge. For more information and to book in please contact us on the e-mail address below.

Christmas is nearly upon us and 2018 is drawing to a close. We would just like to take the opportunity to say Merry Christmas to one and all, and best wishes for the new year.

The dates for the 2019 Narrow Gauge Rally have been set and the poster will be appearing on these pages shortly. Meanwhile, here is a video from the 2018 event when one of our visitors had a sneaky preview run round the day before the rally.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YqeMc0bGkg

'George' is a Don Young designed locomotive based on the George England locomotives of the Ffestiniog Railway; Palmerston, Welsh Pony, Prince, Princess, Mountaineer (the original loco to carry this name, scrapped) and the 3 1/8" gauge Topsy (in Spooners cafe bar).

This locomotive's original builder was Walter Bossons, a member of Bristol SMEE. Walter had a particular interest in measuring locomotive performance, and was part of the small team that built the original BSMEE dynamometer car.
It was this interest in locomotive performance that lead to Walter modifying the tender to include the dynamometer equipment. He was keen to show that a large and sometimes complex dynamometer car was not necessary. The tender being fitted out with all the necessary measuring devices to measure the locomotive's performance.
The pull and horsepower being measured by the sprung beam at the rear of the tender. The long rod passing back to the middle of the tender connected to the balance beam having a permanent magnet attached, which is moved in proximity to a Hall effect sensor. Walter had found that a linear relationship between drawbar pull and output voltage could be obtained from the Hall effect sensor.
Speed and distance measurements being provided by the slotted disk and a light gate sensor.
This unit is only capable of measuring instantaneous readings as the electronics contain no counting modules, which is really the only difference between this and the original BSMEE dynamometer car (there being a new car being built at present).
The tender was built between July 1986 and December 1987, and exhibited at the ME Exhibition in 1988.

Walter's efforts in building the BSMEE dynamometer car unfortunately meant that this model was never finished during his life time. The second owner of this model, a Donald Cordall also part of the original BSMEE dynamometer team spent much of his time locking after the dynamometer car and making significant contributions to the running of BSMEE. As a result the locomotive is in much the same state of completion that Walter left it.
I would like to thank you to Donald Cordall for the time he has given to explain the history of this locomotive, its builder and the BSMEE dynamometer car which I now own.

This model will be displayed at the Narrow Gauge Event 2018.

Continuing the theme of new engines, William Hughes has very recently completed this super loco. 'Elsi' is built to do serious commercial work, and uses 'Thomas II' wheels and valvegear, has a full cab, and also sports one of the excellent whistles Will makes, some of which he's bringing with him.

Photo courtesy of Colin Edmunson

This year's event is getting close now, only 2 weeks to go! There's still room for engines on the Sunday particularly.

Confirmed for this year is the 7.25" model of P&R No.3 which was a brand new engine last year on it's first in-steam public appearance. We are very pleased to see it visiting us again in 2018

One of our entries in 2017 didnt want to play nicely and in the end spent the weekend on static display. She's had a rebuild over the winter and has been out playing this weekend and has promised to behave this year!

This year's rally is only a few weeks away now, and we are having a number of models visiting which are of locomotives of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. This B Class loco is planning to visit, along with it's sister, and has just been to our open invite weekend for a sneak preview. Joining it and it's sister at the Narrow Gauge rally will hopefully be a model of the solitary D class Garret, along with A Class No.10 and hopefully No.9 as well