Hi all,

So, the aim is to start a Märklin Club UK.

Open to suggestions/ideas on how we go about this?

Ian.

Hi John,

Yes, I agree, it's great when members get together and spend some time talking Märklin.

Ian.

Hi Bryan,

Thanks for your input.

Ian.

Hi Glenn,

I've tried that before but failed miserably.

How do you move a post from one topic to another.

Ian.

Hi Glenn,

Thanks.

Ian.

If I might make a couple of suggestions as a non-UK resident, I think there are two ways to go with this.

1. Contact the UK distributor and see if there is any interest on their part in hosting the UK Marklin club as an official Marklin body. There might be funds available from Marklin for subsidising club publications, meetings etc.

or:

2. Take as a nucleus the members of this forum who are already meeting occasionally at Ian's and form an "unofficial" Marklin club of the UK. The club could hold meetings at intervals and locations convenient to the members, say once a quarter, for example, where they can meet, show off and run their trains, and possibly buy and sell Marklin stuff. If enough members can be found from the South, there could be meetings in alternate venues in England and Scotland, to allow a wider number of enthusiasts to take advantage of membership. Such a club could charge an annual fee, from which perhaps travel costs, newsletters, etc could be subsidised. Possible future enhancements could include the commissioning of a club wagon, construction of a modular layout, etc...

Either way, I would be interested in joining as an Ex-pat member, and I would try and attend meetings on my visits to UK. I would certainly buy the club wagon.

Ray,

Unless Marklin has changed its support for clubs, there is nothing they add to it except some stickers, which say Marklin.
I had more advertising materials from other companies supporting my train layout exhibitiions in the past. Strange as it sounds but this seems to be the case.

John

Count me in, though I am at the other end of the country (Bournemouth), though I would be happy to perhaps make one annual trek north! I am in touch with one other Märklin enthusiast here in Bournemouth. We also have a local gathering of LGB enthusiasts, around 5 in number and we meet up a few times a year and do a couple of exhibitions

When we get a little further down the line, I do have a contact at the Hobby Company, one of the Directors, he got personally involved when I had a severe quality issue with a new and expensive LGB loco early last year. We had a couple of lengthy chats during which I raised the Märklin situation in the UK. I reminded him of how, in the later years of Gaugemaster's reign as UK importer, the UK Insider Club had bi-annual training meetings in Arundel. Dieter Lawrence, who I believe is still at Märklin, used to come over and do Digital Training days for a heavily subsidised rate.

I suggested it might be possible to resurrect this, we normally had around a dozen attendees. Did anyone on this forum attend?
Of course, for the Hobby Comapny and or Märklin to be interested there would have to be some business in it for them. The Hobby Company offerred to match any European price I could obtain, not supplying me directly, but through a preferred dealer. As my personal financial circumstances took a turn for the worse around that time, I have not yet put this to the test!

Best Regards
Ashley

Hi Ashley,

Good to hear from you, opposite ends of the country I know, but, maybe once a year a meeting that could be kind of central for us all, I was thinking Manchester or Lincoln...

There'a a few of us meeting up at the model rail show at the SECC in Glasgow at the end of February and we will discuss it then further, good excuse for a weekend in Scotland.

Ian.

Hi Ian and group
just to give you some inside info
there is marketing stuff available from marklin
like stickers. planning sheets, bags, pens and we seem
to be able to get these without too many problems
some we pay for some we get given, but this is part
of the overall promotion of the product from a dealers
point of view,and is part of cost of doing business
one of our past prime minsters used to say "any publicity is good Publicity"
and with Marklins lead in digital we have found this a very good way
to promote the education side of Marklin as a vehicle for kids to learn
about digital in a fun way, and all parents are looking for stuff to help
their kids get a job later in life
To raise the profile of marklin we have to get it into the kids hands
and they will drive it and once the kids of britian begin to see just how
good marklin systems are compared to alot of other stuff on the market it
will really begin to build but it takes time but it builds, you know at a show when
a 25 year old walks out with a big colourful Marklin bag with a 700.00starter set in it believe you me
Everyone sees it !! I had one of trader say to me
"you Bugger do you have to make it so visible"!
where ever you start Ian it will grow,make it happen, talk about, show pictures on your page, link up and suddenly guys will start to realise they are missing something
and above all make it fun, you know you could even do a linkup with Dion from here
over internet and him do one of his "Intro to digital talks that he does here "
to teach folks what digital is all about so they can make a informed decision about
buying a digital system. Get hold of Ian Rice from down devon way he came out here
and did a series of talks on layout design, and scenery building, and was really
outstanding on module building and he has a really dry wit Ian and could be a good draw card to getting others involved with you
Ill talk to dion we may be able to send you some stuff from here to encourage you guys to get going
regards
bryan old toot nz dealer

Ian

I would be very interested in joining in a UK Marklin club
I have'nt been around for a couple of months as i am trying to complete the renovation of my house here in France, with the intention of moving back to the Cambs,Suffolk,Norfolk area.I have virtually finished now and the house is now on the internet with selling agents, but like the housing market at home its very slow here as well.
If we can't sell i will rent it out, and i will be resident in England by June/July this year.
I will keep my eye on this post and see how it evolves. i also will be willing to travel to wherever you choose the annual or by bi-annual meetings to be.

Thanks

Kevin

Edited by user 10 January 2012 17:04:08(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Hi all

I'm OK with this

Also if there are to be "club fees" (thinking abit further ahead) then there has to be a benefit to the members. I will suggest that it is not purely access to advertising stuff from M or similar but maybe some tangible benefit like a prize draw for a lump sum made up from some of the fees and drawn once a year - to be spent on M stuff old or new

Just an idea.

I was also going to ask the "great one" if he could tell us how many UK based members this forum has.

Mike

If an UK Märklin Club needs a website, I would be happy to host its web site.

As described as option 2 here: http://www.m-users.net/f...in-2-different-ways.aspx

Unfortunately I cannot give the number of UK members, since country is not a mandatory field in the profile of this forum software.
Maybe we should set up a poll to check the interest, let it run for a month or so... I could add one in Ian's starter post...

Edited by user 10 January 2012 20:23:17(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Interest in join Marklin Club UK?

Please vote for Ian555.

Edited by user 10 January 2012 21:10:21(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

2 now

I just voted, but I see only my own vote in the poll. Has no-one else voted?

22.26pm. Tuesday. We only have one vote. Where are the others. If this is another YAF invasion the troops are onstand y.

Why not set up a Yahoo Goup to start with and see how things go. (dead easy even I could do it) That way UK folk (including those overseas ) can discuss where they would like to go on the idea.

dave

Dave, isn't your suggestion a bit counterproductive in the big picture?

I myself would like to rather see a "Märklin Club UK" section within this forum, or rather - a general "Club Section" with subforums for each club...

Creating Yet Another Yahoo group would just isolate and disperse the general interest in a UK group to a few members... If we look at it from a global perspective, wouldn't it be better to have it under the "umbrella" of m-users as an independent entity in a place that many UK users already know (more than 1200 unique UK users have visited the last 30 days) as a good place? A totally different looking theme and domain name could be set up for such a forum to suit the purpose.

Of course, that is my own personal thought, but there may of course be reasons to build Yet Another small exclusive Yahoo group for UK only - but I can't see the real point of it... But then a Yahoo group would maybe also cater for it if you want to be "alone"...

Edited by user 10 January 2012 23:20:46(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Voted. ....again.

Ian.

Hi Juhan. I am not alone because I do not wish Users Net to run a UK club. Ambition to run the largest site is one thing but for the UK their are people who wish to meet on a regular basis and discuss Marklin in person. There are many in the Uk who have Marklin but are not members of Users and prefer to met and run trains.
It is perfectly possible for both to run and my idea of a Yahoo Group for a monthj or so allows UK folk to talk and decide what THEY want to do.
I see no advantage to have another thread in USERS just for a UK club which may well be subscription paying.

dave

Hi Jeremy. Yep I am sure more than welcome. I know of many who are overseas and visit back to the UK from time to time who could meet with us if the timing was right. Promotion of Marklin in the UK is badly needed and personal contact with dealers etc could be very useful. We dont want to take over the world but a small group of enthusiasts might just get a dealer interested in holding club nights and even obtaining Marklin at better prices for UK club members who can call at the premises.
There are many such Clubs in different countries run in the country by its members and I dont see why not in the UK.

Great idea from Ian.

dave

Hi Dave,

Good to have you on board, but I must point out the Club was not my idea, it was more a joint decision between Glenn, Mike and myself.

The reason it's being arranged thro' Marklin-User's, is that I don't actually know anyone with Märklin, who is not a forum member.

I'm sure they are out there, infact some might even be known as "Other's"......sorry B1's little joke.

I see the Marklin Club UK banner, as more an excuse for like minded model rail folk to meet up and spend a day talking Märklin, and that could be here in Scotland, or a quick blast down the M6 to sunny England, just whatever.



Ian.


And, if we are good, and I mean really good, the odd holiday in Barbados.

Hi Ian. Fired off a PM. I think what you have going in Edinburgh is about all you will get from Users as it has been well documented here. There are several hundred Marklin players in the UK who have no interest in web sites but do like to meet and chat. These are the guys that would make up a UK club but it would take time (possibly this year to set it up) Otherwise I would just do what you are doing at present which looks like good fun.

dave

Hi Dan,

Glenn is in the Manchester area and Mike is over around Lincoln.

Ian.