As I start to write this report it is a fine sunny Saturday with a steady trickle of visitors into the Centre. Unfortunately, there are less than ten members on site to man the Centre and do essential work. Sadly, this is not unusual but is the norm, not only on Saturdays but during the week as well. Although our membership is expanding, the number of working members is declining and more and more is having to be taken on by the few willing helpers. This is your society. Its success is dependent on the amount of effort put into it by the members. If you want a successful society, and I am sure we all do, then please let's have more positive input.

Several special events have been arranged this year which involve Saturday steaming, Thomas the Tank Engine (2 events), Metroland Remembered, Steam and Sci-Fi weekend, and Aylesbury & Buckingham Railway 125th Anniversary Celebrations, but can only work if supported by the members.

There is major market to be tapped by catering for midweek outings by 'Senior Citizen Clubs', 'Young Wives' etc. To meet this market we must be able to man all key points of the Centre (entrance, catering, souvenirs, guides, assistants, etc.) If you are willing to get involved in either the running of the Centre or on restoration work, site maintenance etc., all you have to do is either ring the office on 0296 75 720 in advance, or turn up at the Centre and report to the office which is situated in the grey/blue Intercity coach opposite refreshments. The office is normally manned 7 days a week.

Commercial activities

Easter Bank Holiday. This weekend saw the visit of a very special bear from Paddington Station, complete with his marmalade sandwiches. He was joined by many of his friends for a party in the London North Western dining car. The weekend proved popular with the children and may well be repeated next year.

May Day Bank Holiday. This saw the relaunch of L99 prior to departing to LUL to perform between Watford, Harrow and Amersham together with a brief trip to Ealing. The launch was performed by Mr Patterson, the new Director for the Chiltern line, and accompanied by the Bruvvers minus Joe Brown.

Spring Bank Holiday. This weekend saw the return of the RAC Classic car run and our annual bus rally. Visitor numbers were disappointing, but rally entrants compensated for the lack of numbers.

June. The first of the Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends weekends. The Saturday had already been sold exclusively to British Telecommunications and this caused some confusion to members as it did not appear in the general leaflet. This day had already led to many strange enquiries from BT employees who clearly had no idea of what was involved or what the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre was.

The Sunday saw fine weather, three and a half thousand visitors and one of those rare smiles on the Treasurer's face. The weekend was the most successful Thomas event to date.

Metroland Remembered. A very disappointing weekend, both in respect of visitor numbers and exhibits. At the end of 1992 there had been talk of the possibility of steam on the main line. Although this idea was never pursued some magazines had picked up the information and published it in the current magazine. London Transport Museum had promised various exhibits from buses downwards. Nothing materialized and it was left to Brian Ammann to save the Sunday with a magnificent display of ex London Transport buses. Well done Brian. The only other bright spot was the loan of battery locomotive L44 from LUL, which operated in the down yard on both days. (Shame the batteries needed recharging - we might have kept it.)

Sci-Fi weekend turned out to be wet and windy. In addition to Daleks, Cyberman. Red Dwarfs etc. the radio station Quality Europe FM were on site broadcasting to the whole of Europe each day. (Never heard of them. Quality Europe broadcast via the Astra Satellite and can only be received by those with Satellite and Cable TV).

Wednesdays and ordinary Sundays are fairly quiet but are expected to pick up as the school holidays approach.

The entrance to the Centre in the up yard has now been moved to the administration coach that the public enter through the middle doors of the coach. Assistance is sought in the coach for Saturdays and Sundays, which besides dealing with entrance fees when the Up yard entrance is in use, is also the general information point for both the public and members. Telephone enquiries from the public are also dealt with here. This is an interesting and rewarding work area for any members who enjoy working with the public.

Notes:
The text in this Quainton Railway Society publication was written in 1993 and so does not reflect events in the 20+ years since publication. The text and photographs are repeated verbatim from the original publication, with only a few minor grammar changes but some clarifying notes are added if deemed necessary. The photos from the original publication are provided as scans in this internet version of this long out of print publication.

Reference:
From the Director of Commerce - Chris Tayler - Quainton News No. 73 - September 1993