Our founding Chairman, Shaun Gill, is not just a railway modeller. He is also an Explorer Scout leader. During 2025 he has been selected to leader his scout troop to the 2026 World Scouting jamboree in Poland. As that takes up a considerable amount of his free time to organise and prepare for, it was with a heavy heart that he tendered his resignation from the commitee. This was to allow someone else to take up the role who could devote sufficent time to the club as it continues to grow. As per our constitution, an EGM was called and on Friday 27th February, following a vote by those who were able to attend (including 3 postal votes), Ian Hides was unanimously elected to the Chairperson’s role.
So without further ado, let’s give a resounding shout of thanks to Shaun as he passes on the baton to Ian. let’s introduce him through his own words…..
Get to know your Chairman
“I’ve always had an interest in all forms of transport. Growing up in a railway oriented family my granddad was a driver based at Grantham for LNER. My most favourite loco of all time is A4 pacific 4498 Sir Nigel Gresley first seeing it at Steamtown Carnforth in the early 80s. Another gresley loco 4472 Flying Scotsman was being prepared for its mainline runs each weekend down the east coast mainline.
By my teens I was a volunteer porter at Nene Valley Railway and worked on a couple of episodes of Londons Burning. It was kept in the family, my dad being a ticket inspector and my brother a guard, signalman and later a 2nd man on diesels. When I finally got my own bedroom I built my first proper layout on baseboards no longer taking over the lounge and running on newspaper and getting knocked off by the cat.
My layout was about 14ft station and fiddle yard. But wasn’t LNER, I’d turned to the dark side and had a passion for the designs of the Grey Wet Rusty. I then joined my first model railway club Grantham which at the time was in the old Methodist chapel at Carlton Scoop. I took over looking after their 00 gauge layout which ran around the edge of the chapel as the club was working on an N gauge exhibits layout of Grantham Shed.
Like many things Real world got in the way. But it did me good as during my work as a coach driver was always nice to visit a railway if got the chance and even better if could have a ride as well. I even had a yearly outdoors bowls team I took Way the organiser always pulled in a visit to a railway for me lol.
Whilst working out in Switzerland I even got to spend most of a day at the vapour park which I’d always seen advertised when out doing ski work. So while the group and my 2nd man enjoyed a day of swimming and sunbathing off I went to vapour park to ride on all types of miniature trains around the grounds.
Also whilst out on a job once I took a school to a farm park. After my complimentary lunch I discovered they had 15in railway. So off I went for a ride, spoke with the owner and for the next 3years I was there main driver at weekends getting to drive the Kerr Stuart or the bagnall. That even got me a driving turn at cleethorpes for a gala weekend. And a winter drive of cleethorpes toby tram engine powered by an engine and gearbox from a ford transit. Again life took over until coming out of Covid I paid a visit to a friends private 10 and quarter railway taking my mum, Robert let me talk the loco for a run round and then mum jokingly said you’ll have him as a driver next. What went from a joke turned into reality the following Friday which became my downtime from caring for mum hence now I was a volunteer at Ropsley Heath. After tuition from Robert I took charge of the garden railway with a mix of live steam and battery locos all rc set at 45mm using LGB track. I was also tasked with design/building the current garden railway.
Also I got back into modelling but this time my other passion fairground models. So I started my first year showing a 4x2ft 1.76 scale model fairground based on a fictional town using the streets and a car park. By the 2nd year it had gained a 2ft extension but was now moving rides and flashing lights. It won best in show about 3times.
Come 2022 we’d lost mum and wanted a new project to keep me going. This saw me still doing model fairground rides but I wanted to get back in model railways. So I joined a club again before joining NG34. So what started as a family joke turned into reality to become Manthorpe Sands. This took me into a new direction of dabbling with the black arts of DCC and my fascination with narrow gauge. The layout has been a great asset helping to promote the club and tell a family story. By the autumn of 2025 I wanted a smaller layout to take out to exhibitions, because manthorpe can be changed to fit 6ft but that’s one scenic board and fiddle yard not all shows can take 12ft. So the plans were drawn for a new 6ft layout that’s compact. Yes you guessed it another passion came to life in the form of trams that use Kato chassis on N gauge track. Buildings and tram bodies 3d printed. So this Saturday sees Witham Valley tram museums first outing.
Also the end of 2025 Eddie asked if I’d like to join the 3D Printing for Charity team so I’m now the latest member. So 2026 is a busy year and now Chairman as well.”
Ian