A Visit To The Nottingham SMEE

My latest visit in this series was to the Nottingham SMEE at their impressive site at Little Ruddington about 5 miles south of Nottingham city centre.

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The club has a large site adjacent to the Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre which includes a bus museum and the northern section of the Great Central Railway. The club has a long history; indeed, a club had been formed in the area in the early 1900s. The present club was formed in 1929 and one of its members is presently compiling records of these ninety years of continuous model engineering into a fascinating document with a view to publishing a book at some time in the future – but he still has a lot of work to do. I did manage to get a photo of the very first club Newsletter published in 1929 (photo 1). Membership these days is in excess of 280 at which, no doubt, the original members would be amazed as they might never have envisaged their club expanding to such a large number.

Saturday is the usual work day when the various tasks are undertaken to improve or repair infrastructure. Over the last couple of years a major new project has been undertaken with a new track extension being constructed around the top end of the site; this connects directly to the Parkgate station area making an attractive alternative journey for passengers. My visit also coincided with a group of members from the Cheltenham SME who arrived to enjoy a day with the Nottingham members (photo 2). A blustery day with the occasional short shower did not curtail activity, whether working or enjoying the hospitality of the hosts.