A group of Rotarians from the Rotary Club of Comber were the guests of the Mechanical Engineering Society of N. Ireland (MESNI) last Saturday at their historic site just outside Holywood Co. Down
The group were welcomed by Stephen Atkinson, a long standing and enthusiastic member of the Society and were taken on a tour of the workshops, clubhouse, station and tracks before being entrusted with driving the various handmade engines and rolling stock.
Stephen gave a brief history of the Society which was founded in 1944 by a group of dedicated model enthusiasts who saw the need for an organisation to encourage the skills of miniature engineering and its associated crafts in the home workshop.
Both railway tracks one raised and one at ground level, are situated in the walled former Victorian kitchen garden of "Dalcoolin House", in the grounds of the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum at Cultra on the southern shores of Belfast Lough. Track and road vehicle operation takes place on Saturdays from Easter Monday to the end of September. Monthly club meetings are held in the "classroom" at the Manor House in the Folk Museum site on the 1st Thursday each month from September to June and further details are on the Society’s website www.mesni.co.uk
The group fulfilled every boy’s childhood ambition – to be a train driver, although one of the party managed to “run out of steam”. A great day out was enjoyed by all and thanks were expressed to all members of the Society for their hospitality
If you would like to become involved in the activities of Comber Rotary Club you can find out more “About us” by visiting http://www.comberrotary.org/
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Submitted by phillip on Thu, 2007-10-04 18:00.
