East Neuk Model Railway Club Visit!

The Fifth Primo Meeting!

 am proud to inform you that the fifth Primo Meeting went excellent. This time it was the “East Neuk Model Railway Club.” Neuk” is the Scots word for nook or corner, and the East Neuk is generally accepted to comprise the fishing villages of the most northern part of the Firth of Forth and the land and towns slightly inland from there.

East Neuk Model Railway Club is based near 15 Cove Wynd, Pittenweem, Anstruther KY10 2LE. It turned out to be quiet easy to find once you get to the town you have to turn right next to the local pub and get onto a one-way highstreet. Just before the St.John’s church turn right into a small alley leading toward the harbor. You will find the Club in one of the rooms in Pittenweem Old Town Hall, above the Public Library. The Club members are meeting on Wednesday and Sunday evenings between 7:00 PM and 9:00 PM. They always welcome new members! They build in Z, N, and OO gauges.

First Impression and History

I have to admit that I had to wait until the very last day for the Club’s response. Luckily I did not lose my faith, and after sending another message on the day of the meeting, I have finally received a positive answer. I have also been informed that the Club is very small, so I should not get “too excited.” Fortunately, I have not listened to the advice and went to the meeting full of positive thinking. At that point, I did not know yet how fruitful for the Primo Models this meeting would be. When I arrived, as usual, I first went to say hello and after a short introduction, started unpacking display dioramas. The room was very spacious, light, and warm. There were four club members present at the meeting, and as I was told, there is seven of them altogether. They are a perfect example of how a tiny club can be doing a grand job! I was fascinated with the Z scale layout. I am always impressed to see well-done details in this smallest scale of all. 

The East Neuk Model Railway Club was formed in 1984 and first met in Anstruther Holiday camp. Afterward, they moved to Cellardyke town hall and after that to their current residence at Pittenweem old town hall. They run the ST Andrews model railway exhibition every August! I am happy to mention here that Primo Models was once again invited for Club’s show. 

East Neuk Model Railway Club Tour

This time there was not too much to visit space-wise. At the time of my visit, there were two layouts on the sides of the room. One was the Z scale other N scale. Far in the corner of the room was the OO gauge layout or perhaps its base. Soon into our conversations, I have found out that one of the club members is not only a modeler but also an entrepreneur just like myself, just with much higher experience! I am talking here about Mr. Arran Aird, who is the man behind =C=Rail= Intermodal and RealTrack Models. The first one specializes in model train containers for N, HO, OO, and O scales. The second one in high-quality train stock. There is something that connects these two companies other than its owner, namely quality and care for details! I had the pleasure to see both the containers from =C=Rail= Intermodal and Class 156 Diesel Multiple Unit models forms RealTrack Models.

I am not a specialist when it comes to the stock, but you do not need to be a musician to know when you hear beautiful music. Share amount of details like door lights, detailed compressors with piping, and good looking interior design with lights left me with a great impression. Furthermore, the model had installed a speaker and DCC port. It is worth to mention that even boxes were of high-quality. They looked durable, long-lasting, and, most of all, elegant — kind of packaging any collector would love to have. I can gladly say that both the containers and stock are deserving to be Primo Quality Approved! Later on, the conversation turned onto phot-etching. One of the other club members kindly shown me photo-etched elements they had in the Club together with his thoughts and comments on it.

Last but not least, we had a short walk around layouts. Similarly, as in the Dundee Model Railway Club, East Neuk Club members were also building their pieces based on historical photographies of real places. On the end, I would like to stress once again out that all of the photos are presenting layouts in Z or N scales!

On the End

I have left the most critical information for the very end. Thanks to the kind help of Mr. Aird and his involvement with the Model Rail Scotland, I am incredibly thrilled to say that Primo Models secured the stand on Glasgow Model Rail Scotland Show in 2020! It’s a glorious feeling when suddenly what thought to be impossible, becomes possible. I want to say once again thank you to Arran Aird for his recommendations and Ian Porteous, Model Rail Scotland Exhibition Manager, for accepting the application with an open and utmost positive attitude that brought a lot of joy and motivation to me. 

Model Rail Scotland:

https://www.modelrail-scotland.co.uk/exhibition.html

Contact The Club:

https://www.facebook.com/eastneukmrc/

http://www.eastneukmrc.co.uk/index.html

Support Associated Manufacturers:

https://www.c-rail-intermodal.co.uk/

https://realtrackmodels.co.uk/

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