Selkent

Next one is Weds 15th Aug from 7pm at The London Theatre, 443 New Cross Road, SE14 6TA . Al welcome, usual lot will be there. 2 mins from New Cross BR, on bus routes 53, 453 and 177 and free parking outside from 7pm. We have the whole venue and very cheap bar.

Raffle winners are N Marsden, (Magaizine subscription) Polly Gibbons (2 flying Eye tickets) and Edward Sorrell (weathering kit) If Edward Sorrell or anyone who may know him reads these forums, can they get in touch as contact details hard to read. Our best in show (based on votes from a family with no direct connection with model railways and two actual railway modellers and one guest judge from The London Transport Museum) surprisingly went to a trader and not a layout, Harrison Brown (trader) beat Cato Pass (layout) into second place. Votes based on overall experience at the stand/layout, including being able to answer one simple and one techical question, friendiness of those manning trade stand/layout and overall presentation of the stand /layout and interest to the actual voting teams. Although I knew the judges, I asked them to comment also on areas, we were responsible for and from it will make some changes to next year and also keep some aspects which they liked. Thanks to all those who attended and thank you to Southwark MRC for manning and running Dover Train Ferry during the day for me. It was a hot day and I spoke with the school today to ask next year can air con defo be on, to find out it was on, but made no differance. Nice to see a high number of railway modellers attend so had a more equal mix of modellers and families. 624 through the door and a few layouts got some invites to other shows including Dover Ferry for Tenterden next Feb. Thank you also Worthing MRC for stepping in last minute with a replacement layout.

Our lovely Larissa, Emma and Britney will be serving the following alco and non alco beer and wine during the show Bottled Ales & IPA's 500ml £4 Ales 330ml £2.50 Gluten Free IPA 500ml £4 Gluten free lager 330ml £2.50 Becks £2.50 Meantime Chocolate Porter £4 Alco free lager 330ml £2.00 Range of ciders including apple, pear, Toffee and berries 500ml £4 Wine, Merlot, Sav blanc or Rose £3 125ml Full range of teas, coffees, soft drinks, fresh fruit, pasties, hot dogs, bacon rolls and cakes and sandwiches also

when Colin Snowden and Steve Rogers go, so late

Remember pre bought ticket holders get access 15 mins before the offical opening time and discount on the admission

Apart from the usual tea and coffee and soft drinks, the exhibition has a bar serving Meantime Chocolate Porter,Merlot and New Zeland Sav Blanc,5 types of bottled ale including gluten free IPA and a gluten free lager. Toffee Apple cider and vegan and dairy free Baileys Plus those who drive and still fancy a beer, we have alco free Becks and well tea and coffee and cokes and ginger beer. Good excuse to leave car at home and arrive by Train (No planned engineering works for Sevenoaks)

The monthly p*SS up, I mean social drinkies night for model rail fans will be on Weds 4th July at The London Theatre, 443 New Cross Road, London, SE14 6TA. (two mins from New Cross BR). Usual suspects will be there which means the Southwark MRC lot, a few of the local 00 Gauge Assc local faces, plus the solid drinking crew Colin, Keith, Derek, Keith, Colin, Colin and Derek. We have the whole venue and open to everyone who can get here. Actually a really nice night to sit around and just talk model railways over a few beers plus the odd tea. Come along from 7pm. You may know some of the regulars from their piccys

Last week our little model railway group were approached by the world renowned Goldsmiths Art College saying that they would like us to exhibit some highly detailed layouts in a major art exhibition held at numerous venues over a weekend in Sept as in their opinion, and mine and what many in the modelling community have known for years, is what we create in scale miniature is 3D art. Layouts often tell a story as would any painting or photograph and the skill and creativity is the same. This whole exhibition called Deptford X and it attracts thousands of people across 30 venues all within a mile radius and we are opening up our venue to host this part of the exhibition. We have selected a number of stunning urban 'grit' layouts including Colin Snowdon's Belmont Road 00 gauge, Laurie Calvert built Scallywag Corner, now part of the Southwark MRC collection. Loco Grave yard with its graffiti filled landscape and more layouts to follow making a total of 8. The two day show is Sat 29th and Sun 30th Sept from 11am to 6pm and entrance is free. Please not only visit us but all the art exhibitions venues over the period, again all free and all very close to us. We hope to introduce many attending to the world of model railways especially other artists who may use this as a form of art work in the future plus we have Southwark MRC on hand to try and sign up new members to that great local model railway club. We have some space also if anyone would like to exhibit some local train and railway paintings based around the theme of Urban grit and London. The 8 layouts will be at The London Theatre, 443 New Cross Road, London, SE14 6TA and we are on bus routes 53.453 and 177 and have bike racks outside and two mins from New Cross BR (zone 2). Free parking behind venue on Sat and in front of venue on Sunday. We will open up our venue bar serving craft draft lager, selections of ales and ciders and will be serving pies and a selections of teas and other refreshments. Also come along and find out about Selkent Model Rail Group and the work we do in the community learn about some of the projects and community groups we work with and maybe join us (free membership).

Some of the layouts attending

Njee 20 states 'Still, as I live all of 20 minutes from Arundel maybe I will go along for a look!' Arundal is one of the few places in the UK where every pub seems to allow dogs, good place to live 20 mins from and some nice walks along the river and some amazing pubs also. Always wondered when building the railway, they didnt turn it right a bit and put the station as part of the town.

No, not been caught out on here before, have had forum members in a previous tread been critical that some of the shows I ran were fully commercial and I have always said they were and accept their views. Once again I accept not everyone goes or exhibits at commercial shows and in a previous post on here that's me, I own the little fringe theatre and yes as mentioned in the post before I have run commercial shows and although it was in New Cross, but at a venue we hired up the road and it wasn't at my actual theatre and also the first show I organised in Sevenoaks was also fully commercial. . At my theatre we have run a Easter 3 day model rail show but as we own the venue it was a free entry model rail show. Commercial shows do get some bad press on here and thank you for a previous poster saying the two commercial shows we ran in the past are well organised and the exhibitors were looked after. However I, or no one on this thread is attacking DD for running a commercial show, it is how he is going about doing it. I don't have a chip on my shoulder, and as stated before up until recently was one of DD biggest defenders on here. He has just tried to pull to many fast ones on me and others in the recent past, that I had to say something. The Southborough show he set up is not that far from our show or the Tonbridge MRC show and will actually benefit both our shows as leaflets for ours could be displayed and Tonbridge also for their show. They may have done it anyway. I went to the Stevenage show the previous poster mentioned this year - packed and massive queue to get in, not much trains running at one point but that is another matter but the standard of layouts and traders was first class and regarding the tickets and the box office, noticed they were charging a booking fee on top of the ticket price for some options on buying tickets. You are not actually allowed to do this, it should be incorporated into the end ticket price which covers all associated fees. All you can charge extra for if someone requests a postal ticket. The actual cost to process a event ticket for a box office is between 3p & 5p for a £10 online ticket and about 8p for a printed one. It is such a small amount, we dont charge any booking fee to our Selkent group who I let use our box office as we operate as a concession at the shows run by the group. We keep the income from the catering and pay for the full staffing and provide box office, the group keeps the income from ticket sales, trader slots and any advertising in the programme. They pay for the venue hire while the theatre pays a separate amount to the venue for use of the venues commercial kitchen on the day. We pay for 50% cost of the posters/flyers etc and run the marketing as it is our interest to get as many there to buy food, beer and teas etc. Catering and staff cost and profit shows up on the theatre accounts and venue hire, exhibitor costs and ticket sales shows up on their tax return. Downside is the venues dont give us any non profit organisation discounts, although Selkent group is as part of the rental is by a commercial company. Although box office fee is a good income stream for all theatres including mine. We usually charge 10%. What a number of large event venues do is tie you into using their box office which is expensive. At Stevenage, the box office staff looked worked off their feet as loads wanting to buy tickets. what you have to watch is the triple whammy, where a venue charges the hirer a box office fee and the user a credit card and booking fee, which many do and add then VAT on top of the hirer booking fee. I think all venues where model rail shows are put on, do actually have work they have to do, be it village halls, schools or large conference centres. Moving gym equipment out of a gym and storing it and then resetting up after a show doesn't look easy or does clearing rooms for the venue staff involved. I am, trying to put on a massive model railway commercial show next year run by my theatre and not anything to do with the Selkent group, which is at an established event venue, only drawback is they insist on doing catering, they insist on doing the tickets and more importantly they insist that all exhibitors teas and coffees must be sold by them and not given away free by us, and they have a very high hire rate. The exhibitor tea and coffee bill alone with lunches will be about £1530. What many outside the event industry don't know is venues at that level negotiate, they have mins and max, a wedding hire is at the max rate etc for those venues. We do it here, a corporate booking to hire our space is more than a theatre company wanting to do a public performance. I walked away at their offer, so they reduced hire fee and they removed the clause we had to use their booking agents, Once they drop the paid tea and coffees and lunches for exhibitors and just do the public catering, we can do a deal. I am sure big model rail shows can also do deals with larger conference centres and venues. I know Erith MRC had a massive increase in costs of hiring a venue when the venue, who also were doing the catering sussed the large footfall coming to the show. So Erith MRC did the right thing and walked and found another venue.

Arundel show run by DD will now be the most professional show he has ever run as after reading this thread, he will have the actual insurance docs for the show in his name, and bring them to the venue in case an exhibitor or visitor asks to see them. The relatives he uses to do the catering will have their new food hygiene certificates on display as he is providing commercial catering, and all prepared correctly with disposal cups correctly binned after their single use. He will cover all agreed expense costs, have sent out full show packs in plenty of time to the exhibitors including if they or he covers the parking charges if any on the day, mentioned clearly. If he hasn't ask exhibitors to confirm in writing beforehand what their expenses are for his records for accounts, he will be asking them each to sign a piece of paper confirming the expenses have been paid either by cash, cheque or BACS which he will then keep for his accounts. Despite him being ridiculed by the presenters and other participants on the Channel 4 series 'The Biggest Little Train' which could have just been a editing decision but always showed him with someone shouting at him 'Start listening!' I think he will start listening and on Arundel, and have every box ticked. He would have also had plenty of time to do the same for the Dulwich show which is on now, food hygiene certs if he is doing the catering cost £28 each online and you do a 30 min online exam after doing about a hours online study and they sent via email as soon as you pass. Slightly different rules if it is a club doing a one off event and light refreshments in their own club house or venue, but DD is a commercial event organiser so the catering by default is classed as commercial catering. He also would have time to get any insurance docs correctly worded if it wasn't already done with Dekota Dibben or DD exhibitions if that is the name he want to go under a sole trader as I think another company is already registered as a limited Co, so he can't trade as that. Anyone going to Dulwich today, remember once you have paid your entrance fee, if you ask to see confirmation of the public liability insurance, he should provide it. Also exhibitors, as a commercial event, although you are not actually getting paid, you are classed the same as a employee for insurance purposes, so by law he must have employers liability insurance which must be clearly displayed in a area employees have direct access to. Again different rules for local clubs as all are volunteers and members of that club, so don't need employers liability insurance. The standard of layouts and the exhibitors should be separated from how he operates up until now. Dulwich as I stated before has an amazing layout from Southwark MRC and DD is getting for free so please support Southwark MRC and buy something from their stall and Erith MRS have a great layout attending as does Wimbledon MRS, all detailed and ones I have booked for shows myself. Arundal looks like some of the local layouts attending are worth going along for, please attend both and enjoy, for exhibition goers the shows are comparable to club shows, providing you accept they are not the largest shows in the area. My gripe is how he operates in regard to how he has operated with some exhibitors and other shows up to now. As those that know me, I have run a mixture of commercial shows, (New Cross) concession shows (Bexleyheath & Sevenoaks) and fund raising shows (Colindale) and free entry shows (New Cross - different venue). I also have exhibited at a number of shows and I know being a exhibition manager, exhibitors often ask for different expenses depending on type of show, I do this also. When we take layouts to non exhibition events such as a care home and schools as per remit of our group, we charge a cup of tea and a nice afternoon, when we attend local model rail club shows we charge the petrol for the van and when we attend commercial events, we charge higher, One of the contributors to this thread charges us less in expenses for our non commercial shows then our commercial shows and are happy to pay the difference and that is how it should be. We have always told exhibitors if our shows are commercial or not, and won't take long to work out anyway as the commercial ones are run under a different name, don't worry, I own the company and the bricks and motar where it is traded from, and some exhibitors have refused our commercial shows which is their right. It was mentioned earlier that DD can be a bit cagey when giving full information about the event he wants a exhibitor to attend or the motive of the event. Now that is widely known they are commercial events, please still exhibit but don't be scared to ask for expenses plus a bit extra which will go to your club or to spend on your layout as trust me, many exhibitors already do that with commercial shows. Chances are this tread will increase the footfall at Arundel for him, as many will now attend just to see either him and who we are discussing or what the show is actually like, so no doubt profits for that show will be up and again the choice of layouts good, providing you accept not much trade support.

updated link so it should work now www.modelrailwayexhibition.com

We unfortunatly have lost ADAPTUS which was a 24ft Steam punk layout which was to debut at this show and made by the excellent layout builder Steve Rogers who came to our group night drinkies last week with an acceptable excuse that he had clipped a nail while painting his fingers and now is all bandaged up, so can't finish it in time. However it will be ready for our Bexleyheath show in Dec. Instead he is bringing the grand 24ft 0 gauge American monster with help from Southwark MRC who will carry it in for him and set it up. We have taken photographic evidence of the finger in question to prove he isn't pulling a fast one and just wants the other members of his team to do all the work

Just had a fresh trader join the party, Goldern Arrow do 00 and 009 Loco and wagon kits and all the bits and bobs that go with them http://www.goldenarrow.me.uk

Dear The Chairman, I do have lots of time on my hands as arrived for a nice weeks holiday in Cornwall earlier today thanks. Can I ask which Chairman are you?, the Mid Kent Model Railway club, The Mid Sussex Model Railway club or the English Riviera Model Railway Club or the chairman of DD Exhibitions? Anyway, you are or were someone very close to DD and as DD voice it seems or representative, thank you for your opinion of me being a small minded bully, I prefer the term docile sleeping bear who was prodded by DD once to often and doesn't just lay down take it. I am not jealous, more flattered in some respects especially has DD Exhibitions use our direct copy of a event poster in style and font and pass it off has the DD exhibitions one. This bloke isn't using his 'nous' as if he were, he have worked out instead of annoying people like me, he could have worked with me, simple phone or email saying was I still doing Sevenoaks or not, instead of trying to take it and also the fact he has a show now in Southborough 6 weeks before our show, would actually of helped us as we could have had our leaflets up at his show. Also not jealous and happy to ring around venues as the venue I use gives discounts for non profit and volunteer hires, so as he books venues under fake model railway clubs, I think it is fair that if anyone who is dragging the hobby down, it isn't me. If I suspect a possible insurance fraud, I have the right to report it, as does any member of the public. There is a general insurance fraud hotline that anyone can use, it's anonymous, but I am happy to not be on this one. and I am not saying he is insured with Magnets, he may be insured with any company but as most exhibitions do insure with them, they are the ones I called and asked. BTW I never mentioned DD in the conversation, just asked what their policy was if someone lied on a application form for insurance and the answer was it would be invalid. As he has booked the venues under pretend model railway club names, to protect people who go along, the paying public, and the exhibitors, and those eating as many of the shows DD runs, they do the catering also I think everyone at every exhibition anywhere in the UK needs to be happy they will be covered at an event, for a fall, a breakage of a layout or food related incident, so again so the hobby does not get dragged down. He has got lots of feedback from me and other posters on this tread, he up to now hasn't responded which he has the right to do, I know if I was being possibly accused of using a fake name on my insurance application, on this forum I would immediately send proof I wasn't, Just a simple attachment on here for recent shows and will prove me wrong. Hope that answers your questions and assumptions about me Mr The Chairman.

and this one is the first not to state 5 traders will be there, so looks like he is reading this forum

Odd he still uses DD Exibitions on model railway known listing sites, but despite a year or so back being caught making up fake model railway clubs around the country,which was documented on this forum, he still books venues under the name MID KENT MODEL RAILWAY CLUB and these venues assume it is a local model railway club not a commercial event organiser. Reason I know as Dekota tried to take over our Sevenoaks show venue last year, under the same name, many venues give discounts to non commercial hires so I can see why he does it, it's just wrong. Lucky the person he called to try and book my venue knew I hadnt stopped doing shows, just took a year off that venue while they did a big rebuild of it. The last two shows he ran last month were booked with the venue as Mid Kent Model Railway Club at Rye and Tunbridge Wells and the show he has this Sat in Dulwich also booked under same name. Feel free to contact each of the venues to check for yourself and confirm. Hopefully now he has seen this, if he is clever enough he will contact whichever venue he as booked in Arundel and change the booking name to his name before someone calls them and sees what name he is using and do they offer discounts for non profit organisations when hiring. This begs the question, under what name does he take out show insurance, as I have checked with Megnets and they confirm they would never pay out if there was false or misleading information was supplied in the application. I strongly advise any exhibitor who has booked to exhibit with him to request to see the actual insurance certificate and to confirm it says Dekota Dibben and his actual address, as if it doesn't and has a made up name, it will be invalid. He does read this forum and will see this and other postings here. He hopefully will respond on here and tell us about MID KENT MODEL RAILWAY CLUB, how can people join?, where do they meet and when?, their website details?, do they have a club house?. What is the correspondance address and email contact and phone number of the club?. He has been banned from attending a number of exhibitions as a trader and also even as a visitor because of how he operates and a growing number of exhibitors have had a run in with him over conduct on a number of issues. He advertises five quality traders at all his shows on UKModelShops, although this just means him selling secondhand bubble wrapped model rail bits and no sight of the other four traders. However at the Dulwich show this week, he will have two stunning layouts, one of which is massive and both from Southwark MRC which he is getting for free (ie no expenses) as in return they are doing a preloved stall to sell some of their items. The discussion with Southwark members last week at our club night drinkies is they should have offered one for free in return for the stand and got expenses for the other, but Southwark MRC are too nice for that option. I donated a few new and used items to them to sell this Saturday for their club. Please if you go, try and buy something from their stand and not the overpriced secondhand bubblewrapped stuff from Dekota. He seems to carry on upsetting many in this community and doesnt seem to care dispite many warnings from people face to face with him and on forums such as this. Typical example, he is banned from any show or event we run. He tries to get around this by contacting a exibitor and offering to help them with their layout assuming he then has to be allowed into our exhibition. This put the exibitor in a awkward position the night before the show when we found out and stopped Dekota attending. I used to actually try to help him in the past and vocally defend him on this forum when other commented on how he operates until the two times he tried to pull a fast one on me and now as a modeller, exhibitor and exhibition manager, I want to tell as many as possible how he operates. When I was friends with him, he told me he had plans for a exhibition in every county, it seems it doesn't matter who he treads on for him to get the commercial dream he wants.

Selkent Model Rail Group are holding one of their monthly social drinkies nights for model rail fans, all welcome tonight Mon 21st May from 7pm. Other local clubs and associations usually come along. It's a great night to talk trains, gossip, swap ideas, make new mates and we have the whole venue and a cheap well stocked bar. Venue : The London Theatre, 443 New Cross Road, New Cross, SE14 6TA (200 yards from New Cross BR) on bus route 177, 53 and 453, free parking outside from 7pm and we do non alco beer also! and plenty of bike racks. We will have the new Dover Train Ferry on show, the latest exhibtion layout which is 70% finished. All welcome, well 99.9% of those on here welcome.

Just finished hand building a Dover train ferry out of wood for my new exhibition layout set around Dover harbour in the 1960's. The white cliffs in the back ground took ages. Should be all finished with replica station and Lord Warden Hotel next week ready for its first model railway exhibition at Sevenoaks on 8th July. Just need to connect all the boards together and add the buildings, all scratch built. Just trying to work out why my BR Green N scale Backmann EMU, goes pull pelt one way and half speed in reverse, any ideas

Just finished hand building a Dover train ferry out of wood for the new exhibition layout set around Dover harbour in the 1960's. The white cliffs in the back ground took ages. Should be all finished with replica station and Lord Warden Hotel next week ready for its first model railway exhibition at Sevenoaks on 8th July. Just need to connect all the boards together and add the buildings, all scratch built. Need to work out why my Bachmann EMU goes full pelt one way but half speed in reverse, any suggestions

Just finished hand building a Dover train ferry out of wood for my new exhibition layout set around Dover harbour in the 1960's. The white cliffs in the back ground took ages. Should be all finished with replica station and Lord Warden Hotel next week ready for its first model railway exhibition at Sevenoaks on 8th July. Just need to connect all the boards together and add the buildings, all scratch built. Trying to work out why my Backmann EMU goes full speed one way but half speed in reverse, any ideas?

Hi Paul Selkent MRC get layouts donated to us throughout the year and next one will have your Rochester venue as first refusal. Going to stick with this one going to Cardiff as the date of pick up, van hire and also the date we de construct it to be moved is all set. Our club is unusual as it is basically a group of layout owners who give up their time to take their layouts to schools, OAP homes and community groups, so people can talk trains and bring back memories of steam era or for children to do school projects on. We get loads of track, scenery, tools and rolling stock donated also and happy to bring some of it down to Rochester to give to your group. All we ask is that we can verify your connection with the organisation, to prove your not a trader or the stuff ends up on ebay. email me at selkentmrc@gmail.com If anyone also has track, controllers, rolling stock they want to donate, one of our aims is to make 6ft x 4ft mdf framed oval tracks and give them to primary schools so the kids can build scenery and learn about scale etc. This year we have done 9 sets and always room for more. If anyone around Sevenoaks on 8th July, (18 layouts and 15 quality traders) come along to one of our two model railway shows we run and support us, all the money raised goes to running the clubs van, paying for DBS checks for layout operators who give up their time to volunteer to go out during the week with layouts (Each DBS check costs £60 and a must for visiting schools and after school clubs) and buying the wood to make the school layouts we give away. A couple of the clubs own layouts will be on display which are always out during the week to care homes etc. Also what we desperately need is more volunteers (there is no membership fee for our club) who can donate their time and have a portable layout they are willing to take out to care homes etc (the reward, some tea and a great afternoon of the group looking at the layout and chatting about the past and stories of steam trains etc). If you have a portable modern layout with lots of point work, again we have community groups such as Autistic groups who would love to have you attend so thet their users can play trains and operate the points etc. Although we are based in London, we need people all over the UK. as each new area means we can approach communities in those areas. Half the people in our club, I have never met as we talk on phone and they in other parts of UK. We however do have a nice base in London, in New Cross and hold a monthly piss up for model rail fans and have a licenced cheap bar. Next piss up 21st May and our new portable layout 'Dover Habour Train Ferry' will be on display, she is out in the day on the 21st for her first outing to qa community centre and at her first exhibition then at Sevenoaks on the 8th July

looks like it will be on its way to Cardiff and to a nice local community venue