Abrail 2024: Celebrating 50 Years of Model Railway Shows in Abingdon

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Abrail 2024 is the 50th anniversary exhibition of the Abingdon and District Model Railway Club (ADMRC). It takes place over two days, on Saturday, March 2nd and Sunday, March 3rd, 2024, at Abingdon and Witney College in Abingdon.

There were two layouts of the Abingdon Branch in the sports hall, one at O Gauge

and one at OO gauge.

The Chair of ADMRC, Bill Marnan, showed round the Mayor of Abingdon, Councellor Gwyneth Lewis. She remembered going on the Abingdon Branch line to school in Oxford.

Over 40 model railway layouts were on display, showcasing various scales, styles and places, most real, some fictitious. They were sited in the main college building on two floors, the Advanced Skills Centre, and the Sports Hall. On the second floor were some fun layouts, more for young families, including Lego City, Abingdon.

Railways were important in World War Two, and the Overlord layout depicted the railways at the dockyards in the days surrounding the invasion of Normandy. It has been under construction for thirty years.

The event was very popular and there was a wait to get to look at some of the layouts in the main building. There wasn’t even elbow room at Elbow Lane!!!

There were traders selling model railway products. The event also included talks, and demonstrations.

The Abingdon and District Model Railway Club website has more information.

On St David’s Day, Paul Devine’s funeral service at the Salvation Army

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It was St. David’s Day! The daffodils above are near the bowling club in Albert Park. The picture was taken during a hail shower.

These daffodils are on Nags Head Island. There was rain, and later some sunshine.

Today was the funeral service for Paul Devine, the husband of Alex. Together they led the Salvation Army in Abingdon. The service was streamed online because some people could not get there. People wore orange. The wreath was orange as Paul was from Dundee and was a Dundee United supporter.

Both the main hall and front hall were packed, and over 70 watched the streamed service.

Instead of flowers, donations were to ADAPT, a charity close to Paul’s heart. They help people rebuild their lives after addiction. You can learn more about ADAPT at: https://adaptoxford.org.uk/.

Alex said, during the service, that Paul searched in his life and only is his relationship with Jesus did he feel whole. Paul loved the scripture, ‘You are the light of the world, a town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither will people light a lamp and cover it. Instead they put it on a stand and it gives light.‘ Alex had received lots of messages about how Paul had helped people not just working at ADAPT but all different people. She mentioned how important it was people  supported Paul in his life, but what was important for Paul was that God got the glory for what he did through Paul’s life.’

The next speaker said at the committal, ‘Paul was not perfect. He was not a saint, but he was forgiven, and a child of God.’

Upcoming: NSPCC Market Stall, Poetry, Art, and Philosophy

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Saturday, March 2nd:

The local NSPCC group will have their usual tombola, bric-a-brac, books, and plants for sale on the Market Place.

Thursday, March 14th:

An Evening with Poet Andrew Jamison (6:00 PM, Abingdon Library): Award-winning poet Andrew Jamison will be reading from his latest collection, Swans We Cannot See. Tickets are £2 (including a welcome drink) and can be purchased at the library counter, or by emailing abingdon.library@oxfordshire.gov.uk. Andrew also helped select the ten poems and wrote the forward for the book Ten Poems about Abingdon.

March 11th – 16th:

View a variety of artwork by local artists at The Abingdon Artists’ Spring Exhibition (St Helen’s Church).

Tuesday, March 5th
The February meeting of Agnostics Anonymous had around 60 attendees. The March meeting has the topic “Is there a God?”

Which pub in Abingdon has gravestones in its garden and why?

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In the first edition of the Trinity Triangle magazine, in September 1982, I found the following:

ADULT PUZZLER
Which pub in Abingdon has gravestones in its garden and why?

ANSWER (October 1982)
Our oldest member at Trinity – Miss Evelyn Rant – answered the Adult Puzzler correctly. She said, ‘The White Horse at the corner of Spring Road was once a burial ground.’

I did visit the White Horse and got pictures of some of the stones in the rock garden, but I was not sure any were from gravestones.

The staff at the pub knew nothing about the graveyard. However, Jackie Smith, the town archivist, has access to a map that shows Ock Street with the Air Balloon pub, a yard, a building, and then a Quaker burial ground. That Quaker burial ground starts near Reeves fish and chip shop.

Arthur Preston’s book, St Nicholas Abingdon and other papers (p. 98), refers to ‘the dissenters’ graveyard at the west end of Ock Street – known as the Quakers’ burial ground.’