NEGOM was formed out of a chance conversation between two modellers at a NERA model railway exhibition in York in 1997. There had been an ‘O’ gauge group on Tyneside in the early 1990s but which by this time had disbanded so there was nowhere at the time for anyone building in ‘O’ gauge to meet like-minded modellers! One of those modellers (Peter Shields) decided to do something about it but what? After asking around and at the Newcastle show that summer he realised that he had arranged the first meeting for a new ‘O’ gauge group which was to be held at the Newcastle club rooms in August 1997. "Word” of the meeting must have spread because about 10 people turned up, some from as far away as Teesside. We decided to call ourselves the North East Gauge O Modellers (NEGOM), and Peter was elected as Chairman. Over the next few months membership grew steadily and we got ourselves mentioned in the GOG Gazette, which had the knock on effect of bringing in more new members. From early on we attended local model railway exhibitions with a our display stand to show off the models that members had built. One of the first was at Bowburn in the Salvation Army Citadel Hall and we continue to full fill requests to show our stand whenever requests are received. Meetings became every month but the premises at Newcastle were not suitable for such gatherings being rather cramped and at the top of about 150 stairs therefore a search began for a new venue. Furthermore, our membership had grown therefore it was imperative to find somewhere which would be suitable for all. On behalf of the group John Dunn carried out an exercise to find the most central point of the membership, which turned out to be the Gateshead area. By an amazing coincidence one of our members knew of the Mount Community Centre in Eighton Banks Gateshead which turned out to be ideal for our meetings and this venue was our home for many years until March 2012 when we took up an offer from Blyth & Tyne MRS to hold our monthly meetings at their Club House premises in North Shields Town centre. Over the past years Membership has fluctuated but being spread out over such a large area communication can be a bit of a problem as not everyone can get to every meeting. What of the future? Well, not a month goes by without something new being announced in O Gauge and over recent years the amount and quality of O gauge items has increased, especially so for the Modern image modeller, therefore its is safe to say the larger scale in model railways has a secure future. As a group we are happy to continue to show off our wares via our NEGOM stand at shows and continue with our monthly meetings on the second Friday of each month, (see separate page for directions). I stress we are a friendly group who share an enthusiasm for O gauge and railways in general. So why not come along, a warm welcome awaits. If further information is required please see contact details below: -
