Each year, the Old Locomotive Committee arrange a competition for live-steam models of 'Lion', known as 'Lionsmeet'. For more information about the Old Locomotive Committee, click here. Once again, ‘Lionsmeet’ enjoyed fine weather for the visit to the Erewash Valley Model Engineering Society on Saturday, 16th August 2003. As always, we were made most welcome by our hosts. The location is discreetly hidden between an embankment carrying the by-pass and the back gardens of houses in a quiet estate. The elevated multi-gauge track is in the form of a single oval, with anti-clockwise running. A large moveable bridge in the curve at the lower end of the running track allows cars to be parked inside the oval where the clubhouse is located. As you enter the oval, the station is on the left and the clubhouse and steaming bays on the right. Outside the elevated track, a splendid figure-of-eight ground level track, featuring a bridge and tunnel is under construction, but not yet in use.
The features of the track used for Lionsmeet are most easily described by taking an imaginary journey, starting at the station. The station has an all-over roof, complete with clock tower surmounted by a weather vane. To the delight of OLCO members, the weather vane features ‘Lion’! The station is furnished with a number of hand-painted reproductions of period posters which add considerably to the atmosphere. Leaving the station, a splendid somersault signal protects the moveable bridge then you pass a signal box and under a footbridge which gives pedestrian access to the inside of the oval when trains are running. The sharp left-hand curve behind the clubhouse presents some difficulties to trains starting away and then, entering the back straight, there is a continuous adverse gradient. The extensive covered steaming bays and carriage shed lie on the left, then there is an upper-quadrant signal protecting the traverser which gives access to the steaming bays and carriage shed. At the far end of the site there is then a semicircle to bring you to the fast downhill straight approaching the station.
As usual in the morning, there was informal practice running, plenty of tea and good conversation between visitors and hosts.
After lunch, provided by the stalwart ladies of the host society, there was the serious business of competing. Once again, the competition track presented some problems for ‘Lions’ and tactics proved very significant. As always, the competing driver sits on the dynamometer car, made available through the good offices of Guilford M.E.S. and David Neish. The observer, once again Jan Ford, was perched on a spare driving trolley behind the dynamometer car. After some experimentation with the rather heavy passenger vehicles, a bogie open wagon was chosen as the load. Each driver then arranged suitable ballast in the open wagon.
The competition is to produce maximum work done in 10 minutes. This can be done by hauling a very heavy load for a short distance or a light load for a long distance. The best result is usually obtained by hauling an intermediate load over an intermediate distance, but deciding on the balance between load and speed (and thus distance) is a matter for judgement by each competitor.
This year, Jon Swindlehurst was a very popular winner. Everybody agreed that a good time was had by all.
A more detailed report of this event was carried in the Old Locomotive Committee Newsletter, which goes under the name of 'Lionsheart'.
