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RAILEX 2016


David Bigcheeseplant

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When we adjourned to the spectator area/balcony for lunch on Saturday the smell of chlorine from the swimming pool next door was so strong we could taste it.  It might not have been so strong at floor level, but there must still have been chlorine in the air.  So it could well have caused the problem with current collection.

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I pretty much echo what everyone else has said about what a great show and weekend this was, my huge thanks to David and his team of organisers.

It was a pleasure at last to see so many layouts in the flesh that I had admired from afar for a long time

Great thanks also to Graham Muz for his stalwart operating over the weekend, and to everyone who came and said nice things about Charmouth.

As for the apparent dirt issue, we were remarking on how clean the place was!

all the best,

Dave.T

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As the holder of a time expired chemistry degree, I don't think that chlorine has anything to do with it.  My last remaining 42 year old brain cell thinks there won't be enough entropy or suchlike to achieve a chemical reaction.  I would be tempted to blame the high humidity, h0m0 sapiens and the gunk coming from the layout build.

 

Bill

 

edited to allow a perfectly valid scientific term

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I have noticed that the quality of running and the amount of cleaning that needs to be done varies enormously from venue to venue.

 

At Bracknell EMBS show, we ran Narrow Road for the whole weekend with no cleaning and no pick up problems. The same layout near the organ at Ally Pally needed a full track clean every hour. I recall that they pump steam/moisture into the atmosphere to keep the organ at the right humidity level. The combination of the moisture in the air and the dust kicked up from the fairly grotty floor was a real killer.

 

I really enjoyed Railex, as I have done each time I have made the long journey. If there were running problems on the layouts, they were well disguised.

 

It is a long way for a day out and it was the opportunity to see Aylesbury that decided me to make the effort. I came away with mixed feelings about the perspective modelling that it features. It was very well done and cleverly created the illusion of depth but for it to work, the layout had to be exhibited at quite a high level, which made viewing some parts of it quite difficult. I had been considering doing something similar on a possible future project but I think I will steer clear now as I think I prefer something that can be viewed from various angles and heights. Having said that, it was one of a number of superb layouts there and I am glad that I made the trip down.

 

Many congratulations are due to the organisers for yet another top grade show.

 

Tony G  

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I have just had confirmation that we had hit the 3000 visitor number the highest ever. I think the TV helped, I have just been going through the feedback forms, I am sure the general public who had no interest in model railways found the event interesting.

 

On the feedback there was not one comment that there was no Thomas layout or train set layout for children. I think the quality and serious aspect of Railex will hopefully get us away from the train spotter playing with toy trains and show that it is a creative hobby, which everyone can enjoy.

 

David

 

That's a fantastic number David, your statement earlier that "its usually quieter on Sunday" was wide of the mark this time, it seemed just as busy to me.

 

I quite agree on the Thomas statement, is anyone really still perpetuating the myth that children are only interested in Thomas, or in Hornby rushing round in circles?  

I'm always amazed and gratified by the numbers of children interested in Charmouth, on the face of it an esoteric model of an obscure railway in an odd scale.

At the last show, after watching for ages, a five-year-old girl asked if she could have a go at operating.  How could we refuse ? ? ?

 

One question on the organisation of the show; does it really need to stay open until 5pm on the Sunday?  That's fairly late and it had thinned right out by about 4.30.

 

Many thanks again for a fab weekend.

Dave.T

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I don't know about a five year old David but this 50+ old would have liked to as well.A superb layout which oozes quality.

 

You can always ask Rob!  and thanks very much for the compliment.

All the best,

Dave.

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FWIW I particularly enjoyed Aylesbury because it was high. I know we have had this discussion many times, but please can we agree to differ and have some variety?

 

Ed

 

Very true Ed.  

 

I found Aylesbury a little high for my taste although I can, I think, understand why it was at that height with some superb perspective modelling needing to be seen at its best.  But I agree very much with your final words - views will always differ and in the end variety adds to the spice of life as what suits one person will not suit another and so on ... ad infinitum.

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FWIW I particularly enjoyed Aylesbury because it was high. I know we have had this discussion many times, but please can we agree to differ and have some variety?

 

Ed

I found it too high, but that was due to mobility issues rather than a complaint about the layout quality, that and it being a layout that wasn't designed to be removed from a location iirc.

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Everybody is perfectly entitled to have their own view on layout heights or any other aspect of the hobby as far as I am concerned. I only mentioned it because seeing the layout in front of me, rather than in photographs in magazines, brought home to me the restrictions on viewing angles that need to be put in place if perspective modelling is to work effectively.

 

If I hadn't seen it for myself, I might have started going down that route and been disappointed by my failure to grasp that concept as my layouts don't end up that high off the ground.

 

But I quite agree, some layouts work better higher up and some lower down and it would be a much duller hobby if we all thought and did things the same way.

 

I thought that the people involved in exhibiting Aylesbury did a superb job with their presentation, even down to somebody "front of house" in period dress.

 

Changing subject, how did the 2mm layout project get on? I saw it late on Saturday with the boards built, the pointwork nearly built and some plain track laid. Did they have trains running by close of play on Sunday?

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Changing subject, how did the 2mm layout project get on? I saw it late on Saturday with the boards built, the pointwork nearly built and some plain track laid. Did they have trains running by close of play on Sunday?

 

Not quite. By end of play on Sunday - boards were built, all track was down and turnout dropper wires were dangling underneath, but the turnouts were not wired up so sadly nothing 'quite' ran. They simply ran out of time. A couple of more hours and they would have clinched it! 

 

However, I am assured that it will be far more complete and definitely running at the 2mm Scale Association 'Supermeet' in Tutbury, near Burton-on-Trent on 25th June: http://www.2mm.org.uk/events.html So see it there if you can make it (open to members and non-members alike).  

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I had a great show with the Obbekaer team. I think wheel rail dirt was a bit worse than usual, our smallest locos needed a couple of cleans because they are more sensitive to the dirt.

 

I did not like the height of Aylesbury, and I am 6' 2", other wise it was very good to see it and the improvements that have been made to it.

 

Again many thanks to Dave for the smooth organisation of a great show.

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I found it too high, but that was due to mobility issues rather than a complaint about the layout quality, that and it being a layout that wasn't designed to be removed from a location iirc.

So did I and I'm 5'-11". Couldn't see the back of the layout much at all. It didn't help that the crowd barriers where placed several feet away from the layout.

 

I appreciate that the layout wasn't created to be exhibited, but if it is too be exhibited then some thought needs to be given to it.

 

Regards

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By the time I managed to get anywhere near Aylesbury, it was late afternoon. The height of it wasn't a worry (I'm 5'7" and that's all you're getting), but the ambient light had darkened to the extent that I thought it was going to rain on the layout.

 

Still, at least I managed to see it. These things you only need to see once so you don't get too disappointed.

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I was not part of the team who was preparing Aylesbury for display. The priority was to get the layout running and there was not time to construct a lighting rig, which would have not been part of original fabric of the model anyway. The lighting in the stadium is a lot better than most venues anyway. The model is quite dark in some of its colours. As for the height personally I would have liked it 6 inches lower, but in order for the perspective modelling to work the height does need to be high otherwise you see things you shouldn't!

 

An appeal if you have photo videos of Railex 2016 we would like to put links on our web page.

 

David

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I was not part of the team who was preparing Aylesbury for display. The priority was to get the layout running and there was not time to construct a lighting rig, which would have not been part of original fabric of the model anyway. The lighting in the stadium is a lot better than most venues anyway. The model is quite dark in some of its colours. As for the height personally I would have liked it 6 inches lower, but in order for the perspective modelling to work the height does need to be high otherwise you see things you shouldn't!

 

An appeal if you have photo videos of Railex 2016 we would like to put links on our web page.

 

David

mine are here https://www.flickr.com/photos/redkiterail/albums/72157666539613513

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...

As for the height personally I would have liked it 6 inches lower, but in order for the perspective modelling to work the height does need to be high otherwise you see things you shouldn't!

 

...

Now I understand, thank you.

 

Regards

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