We are unable to attend the bus rally this year.

In just two days, our new Easy-Fundraising commission partnership has raised £17.08!

It may not sound a lot, but here are some stats:

– This did not cost the supporters who made the purchases any more than it otherwise would have done.
– This is with only seven supporters registered so far – imagine if all 180 members signed up!
– If we carry on like this for a year we will raise £3,000 in a year!

It really is working and it really is worth it – so please join in!

There is even a Chrome extension that you can use to remind you when you’re on a participating retailer’s website and just click the button that pops up to make sure your purchase contributes to SPS. It’s a great system, and it doesn’t cost you any extra at all.

Free money for your favourite panel preservation group!

Thank you to everyone who came to the SPS AGM today and celebrated the first routes being set in preservation!

Apologies for the slightly shaky video – the room was very full so videoing wasn’t easy – but we hope everyone will enjoy this film showing the significant milestone in the panel’s history!

Video by Stephen Lear.

A small area of the panel has been made to work realistically using this demo simulator (Wootton Bassett West to Little Somerford).

After a short speech by Danny Scroggins, the privilege of setting the first ever route on Swindon Panel in preservation fell to two of SPS’s youngest members – the daughter of a signalman and the son of a signal engineer!

The setting of the first route marks the start of the next stage of the preservation of the panel and its conversion into an educational exhibit – wiring up the 3,000 individual controls and indications in the panel, the lamps, switches, buttons, bells, etc, that are all being wired to a purpose-built simulator program to replicate the ten rooms of relay interlocking that the panel originally controlled. (While there isn’t the space to preserve all the electro-mechanical interlocking and this is being replicated using microprocessors, a small demo sample of full-size interlocking will be on display and working so that visitors can see the technology up-close.)

There are still a small number of first-day-issue embossed signalling notices available after today’s AGM (green, as they were green in the 1960s, not yellow!).

They are an excellent match for the format and language of the 1960s and are embossed with an official SPS Back Desk stamp that is carried only on the first-day-issue green copies – surely a collectors’ item for the future!

If you would like to obtain a copy they are available from HOPS. (100% of the price is used in the furtherance of the aims of SPS.)

(“Those who have not received a copy should speak to their supervisor immediately!”)

Here is a video update from Swindon Panel in advance of tomorrow’s AGM.

There are a number of changes to Trustee positions that we hope you will support at the AGM on 26 June.

Firstly, Tom O’Flaherty, the Society’s Chairman and founder, has reluctantly decided to step down due to the commitments of work. We thank Tom for his effort and contribution to the project and the Society since the very beginning – without his initial ideas and foresight, none of us, nor Swindon Panel, would be in the position we are today.

The following is proposed:

Danny Scroggins (already a trustee) will move from the role of Secretary up to the role of Chairman.

Tim Miller (also already a trustee) will move up to the role of Vice Chairman.

James Nelhams will take up a new trustee role in the Society, with specific responsibility for the panel simulator hardware installation and panel alterations. James is already well-known to many in the Society and is a regular face at Didcot. James is a railwayman for his job as well, working in the Control Office at GWR Swindon.

The role of Secretary will be temporarily vacant.

Brian Davis will continue in the role of Treasurer (unchanged).

The Society Trustees carry out an important role in managing the Society to ensure it strives towards meeting its aims, it operates within its defined scope and authority, that finances are managed properly and that it ultimately offers the public educational benefit it was set up to deliver.

These changes to our committee will precipitate very little change in how we operate or ‘what we actually do’, it is really just changing the formal name badges to match what we’re all already doing.

We hope you will support these proposed changes to the Trustee positions on 26 June. If you wish to discuss anything with us in advance then please let us know.

Many thanks.

The public visits to Swindon Panel this weekend will now take place on Sunday as well as Monday.

Come and visit us at 11am, 1pm and 3pm.

More details…

[Public visits now extended to include Sunday 29 May.]

This weekend is Diesel Gala and Real Ale Festival weekend at Didcot Railway Centre, and SPS are joining in the fun!

On Sunday 29 and Monday 30 May we will have our info tent set up at Didcot spreading the word about Swindon Panel and the work we’re doing, as well as promoting sales of our many souvenirs to ensure we raise enough money to pay for it all!

On Sunday 29 and Monday 30 May we will also be making public tours of the panel in its new building. Now that the internal scaffolding has been removed from the new building a great new space has been opened up and suddenly the internal proportions of the space are much more easily appreciable.

Tours will take place at 11am, 1pm and 3pm on Sunday 29 and Monday 30 May. Numbers on each tour will be limited, so please register with the SPS info stand on the day when you first arrive to avoid disappointment.

You’ll be able to learn:
– the history of the panel and how it was brought to Didcot
– how it will be brought back to life and how it operates
– how it will form part of an exciting new exhibition at the Railway Centre

Everyone is welcome on the tours – members and public – so if you haven’t seen the panel in its new home yet, or if you have but you would like to see how far it has progressed since we put all the Dominos back in, please join us!

Of course, we always welcome extra helpers on Swindon Panel Days like these, so if you’re coming for the tour, why not lend a hand on the stand for half a day as well? It’s very easy-going and a great atmosphere. Please let us know if you can help.

Network Rail employees: Five days paid volunteer leave every year, what are you doing with yours?

Network Rail employees, did you know…

NR encourages its employees of all grades to take 5 days’ paid “volunteer leave” per year to support UK-registered charities.

The company believes social performance is an integral part of its commitment to sustainability, particularly in two key themes of “Caring for Communities” and “Improving the Passenger Experience”.

Respecting Britain’s Railway Heritage falls within these themes, and therefore working with Swindon Panel Society (registered charity number 1159646) qualifies. Some SPS members have already enjoyed the benefits of this opportunity.

What could be better than being paid to enjoy your hobby!

Of particular interest may be the two week-long periods in August when we hope to tackle a significant amount of the wiring of the panel to the simulator.

To arrange your volunteer leave to volunteer with SPS:

* If you use E-Business you will need to request your leave via Leave of Absence on the E-Business Suite. Select Volunteering “Charitable or Volunteering – Community Engagement” from the absence type.

* If you do not use E-Business you’ll need to complete a volunteering leave form, available on Connect. You will need your line manager’s agreement to be released from duty.

* If you complete a paper timesheet you will also need to add this as volunteering leave.

Please to the Volunteering leave policy (available on Connect), before requesting leave.

If you need any help with volunteering ideas please email the “Charitablegiving” mailbox in the Outlook address book.

AND…

Even if you don’t work for Network Rail, your company might have similar schemes that support volunteering.

Thank you to all our supporters who came along on Saturday 30 April to celebrate the arrival of the panel into its new home.

The “Swindon Room” was packed to bursting with volunteers eagerly replacing tiles. It was great to see our long-standing supporters and some new faces too.

Several milestones were passed:
– the panel now has (almost) all its tiles again and looks good to show to people
– the panel was seen by its first ever members of the general public – visitors to Didcot Railway Centre who happened to be walking past and took an interest. Their interest was a very good sign of things to come.
– reaction of children visiting the panel – they appeared hooked and parents had trouble tearing them away
– sales of Danny’s first book as an author!
– the “back desk” and the panel re-united in the same room.
– the sun shone in Didcot for what feels like the first time this year!

This video was shot by SPS member Ian Lynagh of the work to replace the 3015 tiles into the panel. For supposedly “square” tiles, they do seem to like to only fit certain ways round! Maybe they have rectangularised over the lat 50 years…!

The latter part of the video shows the shamozzles with which those who have worked around these panels will be only too familiar……..

Another video, showing the lifting and moving of the panel is under construction and will be available soon… “Swindon Panel The Mov(i)e”!

See you again on our next working day at Didcot Railway Centre – Saturday 14th May.