About B.M.E.S.

The society meets on the first Thursday of each month (except December) at The Cheshire Cheese, 37–39 High Street, Buxton, SK17 6HA — starting at 8pm.

During this time, the society has a wide variety of speakers, talks, video evenings and discussions about various things including projects that members are undertaking.

Our membership has a wide range of ages from juniors at 16 to 89 years, which brings a variety of topics and experience to the meetings. No model making experience is required in order to become a member; some members come along purely to enjoy the talks and discussion while others come along to seek advice from other model engineers on particular technical problems.

Many members have joined with little or no engineering experience but have gone on to produce some beautiful models — see our Member Projects area.

New members are always welcome. Membership currently costs £30 per year.

Getting Started

There are several approaches when considering what to build, whether a railway locomotive, traction engine or stationary engine:

• Buy a kit — the approach requiring minimum skill and equipment. Also probably the quickest option in terms of build time, though not always the cheapest. If you pick the right model and supplier and follow the instructions you will end up with a reliable working model. Most suppliers will give advice and assistance if any problems arise.
• Build from plans — a more involved route that gives you full control over the build. Plans for a wide range of models are available from model engineering magazines and suppliers.
• Design your own — the most challenging but most rewarding path, suited to members who have built up experience over a number of years.

Not sure where to start? Come along to a meeting and have a chat — our members are happy to share their experience and point you in the right direction.

Contact

For more information about membership please contact us via our contact page.