Hi all.

Well, its over! Ropley's public debut has been and gone and currently the layout is sat in the van whilst I summon the enthusiasm to lug it up 4 flights of stairs.

Ok thats not quite true, there is a lift in my block, but it will still need several trips too and from the van and after the weekend the beer siting on the desk next to me is a far more attractive proposition right now!

I'd like to begin this entry by thanking all those who stopped by the layout for a chat, and for the positive comments made about it. It does make all of the time and work worth the effort when you get positive feedback.

I'd also like to thank Carl Wood of Vale of Oxbury fame for the loan of a bar stool. It was a life (or more accurately, leg) saver, so thanks Carl, much appreciated! Thanks must also go to Will J of this parish for keeping me supplied with tea on a regular basis through both days. Finally thanks must go to Andy, and all of the Warners team for putting on the event, and making all of the exhibitors feel so welcome. Anyone who didn't attend missed a unique event in terms of presentation and content, and although visitor numbers were not high, I think this format has great potential for the future. I certainly enjoyed the show more than some other recent ones I have attended, and many people commented that having been to the N Gauge show to day before, or in the morning, RMweb live was an altogether friendlier event!

So, what lessons learnt.

1. Ropley can be operated by one person, but that doesn't necessarily mean it should be operated by one person! Next time I will be on the hunt for willing (or otherwise) volunteers to lend a hand. If nothing else, just so simple things such as "facility" brakes, and lunch acquisition actually become possible, rather than a distant dream!
   
2. I overpacked, but this I don't really mind as I'm sure if I hadn't I would have needed something which had been left on the desk at home.
   
3. Using the alignment pins as a means of conducting power to the traverser on the East fiddle yard is not reliable enough for show conditions, and direct power is needed as per the West fiddle yard. In fact it turns out I probably didn't need the alignment pins at all, the drawer sliders used having enough resistance to hold position, but they are probably a useful back up!
   

Overall I was extremely pleased with how the layout performed. One or two minor track work issues have been highlighted, but nothing that cannot be fixed to eliminate them.

Perhaps the biggest benefit of taking Ropley to the show is that the fiddle yards & facia are no longer tasks looming on the horizon, and I can now focus on working on the scenic section in the knowledge the layout is fully functional, if not anywhere near finished. I'm hopeful that over the next few months there will be some big advances with the scenery, so the blog should be a little more active than it was at the start of the year.

So, show 1 down, and I survived! Hopefully there will be many more to come.

Cheers all.

Tom.