Southernfrance

That’s good to hear. It must be quite an effort to get something up and running from scratch in nine months. Hopefully you’ll be able to get a good selection of layouts and traders, if none have been invited already. Looking forward to seeing how it goes….. Dave

I assume that Warners have some planning already done with a club or group of individuals to provide stewarding, etc as I don’t believe they have a lot of their own staff to do these things. Am I right in that all of their other shows are done in conjunction with a local club? Given that Warley club stepped down from running this is there another club locally that is stepping up? Dave

As one of the James Street team I was also very surprised to see a guy waving a trophy around to give to us before midday on Saturday. It seems it was awarded on the Mayors choice, and he came first thing on Saturday. We much prefer public votes as they are the only ones that truly represent what the paying punters like. Surely that's also helpful for the club as it should help with future layout choices. I would guess that most Mayors aren't railway modellers. Dave

Without wishing to denigrate any of those people or their layouts they are not overly complex in the manner of James Street (on which I am an operator) with it's 250+ points and multiple yards and main lines that has been my inspiration. I do appreciate quality v quantity, and would love to make Brickmakers Lane a large 2mm FS layout, but for me with my skills and available time that's not an option, hence my comments. I'm already spending a lot of time getting up to speed with designing and making card buildings via Cricut and Silhouette printers and manipulating Scalescenes stuff to suit, which is more than enough new technical knowledge for me at my age! No offence meant to anyone.... Dave

Completely agree, as in my earlier post. Larger, complicated layout - Peco code 55, small layout - scale track of some kind. While hand made pointwork is cash-cheap, it is time-expensive. If you've got the time to design, print, and build your own stuff then that's fine but many (most?) people don't have that option and would buy something that's on the market. Given that, my layout would have cost around 2/3rds more had I bought Finetrax plus I'd have had to find the time to make the points. I certainly wouldn't have made the progress I have to date using any other track system. Life is too short at 66 to start over, and as i've put 7 years into this layout so far I'm not inclined to change, although as I said I do prefer the look of finer scale track. Life is full of compromises...... Dave

I love the look of 2mmFS and code 40 N but for me it's time versus size of layout. I'm seven years into my South London project "Brickmakers Lane" and to do this in either 2mmFS or code 40 N would have cost me lot more in both money and time, with close to 60 points to make instead of buy and (carefully) plant. I've narrowed all of the point spacings to more reflect the real thing too.. Yes, sometimes locos and stock wobbles a bit, but it doesn't put me off overly. I try to work out what is causing the problem and try to resolve it. I had a good go at this after wiring was finished and now that ballasted the bulk of the lower main lines and yards, i'm still finding little niggles with bits of ballast, dirty rail, or loco issues to resolve. It's gradually getting better, and it's now at a stage I'm happy with. I'll continue to add shims to the points that cause bouncing, and tweak stock as needed. Here's a couple of pictures of the carriage yard exit onto the main and relief lines on the lower level. Most stock runs over this very well at slow speeds in all directions, but I do agree the slips are worse for any potential bouncing. Larger locos are obviously better than smaller, diesels like my Dapol 33 are way better than my Farish Jinty for example. It's horses for courses for me - complicated layout, lots of operation, not too long a timescale to complete - N; smaller layout, less operation, in same timescale - 2mmFS; compromise between the two - code 40. Dave

I had the same problems with locos, and particularly longer four wheeled vans, dipping into the gaps in the frogso on Code 55, but have cured it easily by making inserts from plasticard for each frog. This cures the bouncing. I would have used Finetrax had I had the time but with over 50 points on my layout and about 50m of visible track I thought life was too short to go that route. Dave

Thanks Aire Head. My original post did say a largish shed (based on Stewarts Lane but much smaller even in N gauge in model form....I've not got that much room!). I couldn't see how coal could be delivered in train loads to SL given the track plan but there are sidings close by which could have handled a train load, which could then be moved in as required. I'll just go with what looks OK I think as there are many ways to skin this particular cat...... Dave

Thanks for the bits and pieces so far, but no-one has yet been able to answer the key part of my question, which was did the coal arrive in a fully formed train complete with brake, or were wagons tripped in from a nearby yard. I’m tending to think the former given the volumes discussed, but I’ve never seen a picture of this at any yard, nor seen it done on a layout….. Dave

Wow, you guys sure wander off topic quickly! Thanks to those who have replied about Loco coal...... Dave

I'm modelling the SR in south London in the period 1958-62, and have a largish steam/diesel/electric loco depot as part of this. One thing I've never seen evidence of is how coal and oil was delivered to these depots (no Smart Alec answers like "in wagons" please!). Given that a large steam depot like Stewarts Lane would need a considerable daily volume of coal, would it have been supplied in a complete dedicated train, complete with brake van, on a regular basis or would they be tripped in from a nearby freight depot, with or without brake as needed? I've got all the Bob Essery books on Operation and can't find anything in these, so does anyone know what happened, either on the SR or other areas? The same would apply to oil tanks for the newly introduced diesels. Dave

We should be there with "James Street" - looking forward to entertaining the punters again at our first show in 2024. Dave

AS one of the James Street team this was the first show in which we have had serious concerns about operator health and safety. We are normally happy to operate without barriers, but they had been supplied and in the end were very much appreciated given the large numbers there on both days. Unlike other barriers, or maybe because of the attendance, they kept getting pushed closer and closer to the layout, which was not good for those operators working on the outside. It made it difficult to get along the outside of the dock and yards, and at times these operators were getting crushed against the layout. I don't think this was any direct action by any punter, just sheer weight of numbers. I'm sure it was down to the Pete Waterman effect, as we were opposite the left hand end of their layout. When punters got two or three deep around both layouts it made what looked like a very wide aisle into a narrow bumping ground..... A good show all in all, and with minimal running issues despite no track being cleaned for the last three shows. We were unaware there was going to be a Best in Show award so were well pleased that punters thought we were good enough for that against Making Tracks, which I would have thought would have be a shoe-in. Dave

Yes, if you look at their website it gives full details.

I too wonder why the NRM aren’t promoting it as it must bring visitors in surely? It’s been in the local press….. Dave

Sensible decision, shame about the late notice from the venue though. See you next year! Dave

And after my post of March 23rd, seems there will be no N gauge layout this year as James Street (and other layouts) have had to be cancelled due to the hall they are having to use being too small. We are booked in for next year though. Not sure how it got this late before realising…… Dave

Wow, I have stirred up a hornets nest! As Phil has noted above it's unlikely we will get to the show with JS if the ground floor is the only option, as we've probably only got another couple of years on the circuit before we all get too old. It also stirred up memories of lugging Lynford Junction's heavy frames and boards up to one of the higher levels in the grandstand, which we certainly couldn't do now. Never mind, there are other shows to do......and a lot of modelling to do, not posting! Dave

To reply to woodenhead, my views on York are based on previous experience and feedback on forums, etc. It took a lot of work from the then NGS PO to get Lynford Junction there in the 90's, and then other comments have obviously coloured my views. I don't mean to be spiky, just commenting on what I see as a bit of bias against N at York compared to other shows. "James Street" (no St. by the way) has been to about six shows a year since 2017, just over 20 in all taking into account Covid, so hardly overexposed compared to some layouts. A lot of layouts seem to generate their own publicity, and knowing people "on the circuit" does seem to get you an in. I'll get Steve to write to the organisers...... Dave

Acg5324 i will be exhibiting with “James Street” at the NGS show in May, so am well aware of it. It’s a shame that the main York show has a reputation amongst the N community for not having much N - “too busy polishing their O gauge” was one memorable quote in a thread about it on another forum. It was also good to see the builder of the 2mm York refer to it as “almost a diorama” in the Modeller this month. Made me feel a bit better! Dave

I think a lot of the same rules apply for a successful exhibition layout in N as they do to any other gauge. It must be well modelled, have a bit going on to keep both purists and non-enthusiasts happy, and must, in my view, be a credible model. I like to see things kept to one era and one region if it is to be convincing, which is where a lot of modular layouts fail for me. You can go for the "Old Master" approach and try to make everything crisp and perfect, or go for the "Impressionist" approach and get the sense of place and feel right and not be so finely detailed. I'm in the scenery stage of my N layout, which I would like to get to shows at some point. I'd approach local shows first, to get some learning of how it will work for you, before going off around the country. As part of the "James Street" team I have learnt a lot of things about exhibiting, and one of the key things is make it as easy as you can to transport everything. If you have to squeeze it into a car, then design around that. If you have access to anything bigger, then indulge yourself. The less boards joint, the better, and use a good system of getting the rails across the joints, because if one thing is going to go wrong at a show it will be them. If you are "of an age", as I am, they you may find that in the time you exhibit the layout that your abilities change, so make it as easy to move about as you can from the start. Here's where I am to date. Based on an area - South London around Stewarts Lane, etc,. and in an era of 1958-62. No big fiddle yard, only two boards (very heavy, but they will go in wheeled and pivoted frames to make transport easy in a van). All ply boards for stability, all buildings based on the prototype as no proprietary ones available), but a lot of work to do! Dave

I’ve found a copy in a fairly local bookshop and as noted it had no cenotaph drawings. I’ve designed one based on what photos I can find, so that l have to do! Thanks for your help Dave

Hi John, thanks for the response, which I find a little ingratiating. I regularly attend exhibitions as part of the James Street operating team, and am building my own SR based layout based on the area around Stewart’s Lane, so don’t need to attend other shows. We are in York in May with James Street, but having been to your show back in the 90’s with Lynford Junction I for one would love to have been invited back. It took a lot of persuasion by the then NGS PO to get Lynford on there, and I suspect James Street won’t be getting an invite any time soon, despite the fact we’d love to be there. I do sort of stick by my description of York as a diaroma, as there is little to see operationally than trains running in and stopping. Having seen the track plan that’s all you can do I think. The work involved and the idea are stunning, but it’s just like looking at a picture, but in model form. That’s a personal opinion, but I’m someone who likes to see things happening, like shunting, marshalling of passenger and freight trains, etc., hence my interest in operating James Street. Dave

OK, it’s two plus a small 2mm diaroma. Still less N than many other exhibitions, which I believe is quite normal for York? Dave

Looking forward to being the only N gauge layout there with James Street..... Dave