Sadly after helping the Doncaster & District Model Engineering Society since May 2000, I and seven other members finally called it a day in June 2012 after what seemed endless disputes and a load of back stabbing by a couple of the founder members of the D&DMESL, nothing new with voluntary groups. At first we were made most welcome when we were looking to make available the rolling stock and many of the members from the Sandtoft Miniature Railway group. We had ceased operations at The Trolleybus Museum again through problems that took a serious turn from the 1st May 2000. However that aside we were able to invest a wealth of knowledge on funding, publicity and to be able to set up a website for what was to be called "The Thorne Park Railway". This name caused problems with the "Thornes Railway" at Wakefield. So it was to be called the "Thorne Memorial Park Miniature Railway" Problem solved now we could move forward at Thorne, we had a good mixture of engineers of the Doncaster and District Model Engineering Society (Ltd was created shortly afterwards) in 2000. The SMR group had continued its valuable support happy to this this under the D&DMESL banner as it were.   
The websites For 12 years I continued to update this website and pay for the website domain name and its renewal fee, not costing the society a penny. It proved to be a valuable publicity facility for visitors and new visitors. They have now realised of such a facility and now new website that is now up and running click here to go to it. Please note I am not the webmaster of the this new website.

My wife Pat, myself and other members helped set up a very successful tea, coffee, sweet stall for light refreshments to raise funds for the club, purchasing replacement tables and chairs.  This abruptly ended in June 2009 when we were allegedly (spoken word) were accused of running a private business for our own profits. That statement could be no further from the truth and the D&DMESL Treasurer said he and another member could run it more profitably for the club. Rather ambitious words as it did not last long, queuing at the local wholesalers did not go down too well, it was no easy thing setting that stall up on the operating days as the new operators found out, hard graft sums it up. Result the tea stall closed after about three months.

The children's drawing facilities. I used to provide the  line drawings for the children's facilities and blank sheets of paper. 

The TMCR radio fund raising stall December 2011 for both radio and the railway. The once very familiar campervan is no longer available to either of the groups that provided a base for fund raising stalls the once tea and refreshment stall. Also it provided shelter for when a sudden rain squall moved in. The vehicle has now under gone a major repaint has retired to being used for camping and visiting classic car and vehicle shows.

4th June 2012 for the "Queens Jubilee Event" in the park, sunshine, flags and many other attractions. Below right for me was the last day that I several other members were involved in preparing the train for service that unfortunately did not operate due to lack of adult members.