It’s a frightening prospect laying down your life for public examination by a group of people who may have thought you were perfectly normal beforehand, but here goes.

In my childhood I went through the normal processes of having a Triang “OO” layout, and then progressed to OO9 narrow gauge, which was probably where my family should have realised that it was getting serious, and then gave it up completely for a few years while wine, women and song, and motorcycles (not necessarily in that order) took over as primary interests I first got interested in the real stuff, namely 16mm narrow gauge modelling in about 1988, when a colleague and association member by the name of Gordon Moggridge explained it all to me, and I was hooked. Just like OO9, but I didn’t need a microscope and the fine touch of a brain surgeon to make the things, and one day I might even be able to have a real steam engine. After much fiddling about with assorted scratch built battery electric efforts, built at phenomenally low prices (on account of being a trifle short of the readies) with the only commercial items being purchased from that bastion of 16mm scratch builders, Binnie Engineering (I’ll have my fiver later, Peter!) I graduated to larger rolling stock and a bit of the dreaded “cheque book modelling” thrown in.

An accidental sighting of a truly astounding Beyer Garratt in a book got me hooked on them, and also led me over to what some may think of as “the dark side” of modelling 16mm scale on 45mm gauge track. I haven’t built the Garratt yet, and I have now taken to referring to it as my retirement project, and that’s unlikely to happen for over 10 years! I am slowly building up a stock of locos and scratch built rolling stock of the now long gone Sierra Leone Railway, and expect to complete that project by the time I am about 108. My own garden railway is slowly evolving, and consists of a couple of hundred feet of hand laid track so far, including a lifting bridge, an 8 metre long viaduct, and a rather large turntable that I haven’t finished yet. We also have some 32mm gauge stock and one loco, for running on friends 32mm gauge lines, although 2 of our steam locos are also gauge convertible.

After many years of “commentating from the sidelines” it was suggested to me that I considered joining the board and did something useful, rather than just talking about it, so when we were left one board member short, after the 2005 AGM, I volunteered, and was co-opted by the board. I’ve got my feet under the boardroom table now, and I am getting stuck into the programme of improvements to the services the association offers its members, so when election time comes, I will be asking the membership to support me in this challenging but satisfying task by voting for me to continue serving on the board. One of my main projects is to find ways of effectively communicating with our members, and finding out what they need from us. The Association faces new challenges, coping with ever more legislation ruling our hobby, and with a fair length of service in local Government, I’m used to coping with that scenario. I like to think of myself as old enough to have useful experience, but young enough to have a lively and active mind. Well that’s the sort of thing I put on my CV, and I got the last job I applied for!

I’m not a total railway anorak, but some may say my other interests are even more perverse than colonial narrow gauge railways, as they are bellringing (don’t anybody DARE say campanology!) church organs and their music, and cycling. Obviously I also spend a distressing amount of time researching the Sierra Leone Railway, and I just about leave time for my board duties and even a spot of modelling from time to time. Members of the 16mm yahoo e-group will be aware of the long and painful saga of my getting my new lathe, you can all now rest in peace, as I’m now too busy using it to spend much time on the e-group!

As a Director William monitors important threads on the e-group, and runs the Any Questions facility on the website. He can be e-mailed at any.questions@16mm.org.uk