St Albans South - works and occurrences in 2018

[John Webb]

2018 kicked off with 75 visitors to the box for our first Sunday Afternoon opening this year. Meanwhile several of us on Saturday and Sunday were manning our publicity stand at a model railway show in Stevenage, where we spoke to many people and gave out some 400-500 leaflets.

Sunday also saw the first public display of the now two-track garden railway, so we can run both trains at once.

This morning we had a class of some 30 children aged around 9 to 10 from a school further down the line at Bedford; a second class is coming tomorrow, so a very active start to the year!

[John Webb]

A new record number of visitors to an ordinary Sunday Afternoon opening was set today when no less than 120 turned up! This was despite frequent hail/snow/sleet showers during the afternoon; these tended to drive people indoors to see the demonstrations - at one point I had some 20+ upstairs.

[Mike Hodgson]

at one point I had some 20+ upstairs.

Good job it isn't supported by those rotten corner posts it had before restoration!

[John Webb]

at one point I had some 20+ upstairs.

Good job it isn't supported by those rotten corner posts it had before restoration!

Quite! No HSTs running past the box yesterday either (due to a blockage to the north somewhere) so we didn't experience the noticeable shake we still get from them - the Meridians just give a gentle tremor.

By the way, it wasn't just the corner posts - those in between the three panel sections weren't too good either; all had new timber scarfed in.

[Richard Pike]

It sounds like you need a properly calibrated device to measure deflection caused by passing trains. Some boxes had them..

https://www.flickr.com/photos/32297024@N08/38429321930/

[Fast Line Floyd]

It sounds like you need a properly calibrated device to measure deflection caused by passing trains. Some boxes had them..

https://www.flickr.com/photos/32297024@N08/38429321930/

Love it!

[John Webb]

We had extended opening this weekend in connection with the conclusion of English Tourism Week - the "Big Weekend". Saturday saw a fairly gentle trickle of 115 visitors; just over double (235) turned up today for a rather more lively time - we actually had to put out the 'House Full' signs during the afternoon and do the shorter versions of our demonstration on the operating floor of the box to get everyone in without too much waiting.

We are just 67 visitors away from our 20,000th visitor since October 2008, so this milestone should be passed during April.

[Fast Line Floyd]

Well done.

[John Webb]

St Albans South receives its 20,000th visitor!

On Sunday 8th April, during one of our regular Open Afternoons, a family from Nottingham called in on a planned visit. To their surprise they found one of their party was the 20,000th recorded visitor since October 2008, and were suitable feted to commemorate the occasion. A fulsome thank-you was received from them by e-mail on their return home, as well as a 5* write-up on our Facebook page.

Addition: Photo of the family and details of our now operational Station Lights can be found at http://www.tlr.ltd.uk/sigbox/news/content%202018.eb