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London Festival of Railway Modelling, Alexandra Palace, 25/26 March 2017


Andy Y
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Rather odd entrance arrangements this year, only letting people into the hall in single file and apparently counting as they went past, which they seemed to drop later in the morning. I was there well before opening but it took 10 minutes from opening time before I actually made it into the hall.

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A most enjoyable day our meeting many model railway friends both layout operators and traders.

 

Inspired as ever from some very layouts that I not seen before.

 

Even managed a operating session on Dave Tarbys layout when he grabbed some lunch.

 

The wallet took a bit of a bashing with two sound chips for my new western region layout

 

Back home almost exactly 12 hours since I left this morning

 

Hope all goes well for everyone tomorrow

 

Happy Modelling

 

Eltel

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Sounds like I will be the first moaner or is that remoaner given the march in the centre of London.

 

Why did the massive Freemo American model never seem to have any trains running - all that space, all those trains and I spent more time chatting to my wife on Messenger than watching trains. Eaton Gomery appeared to have electrical problems and I never saw a train move on Woodfield in three visits.

 

Three Minories in three scales was interesting and surprisingly it was the N gauge version that performed best.

 

Hope under Dinsmore, Canada Street and Much Murkle were enjoyable.

 

Plenty of retail, picked up a couple more SR Maunsell ex LSWR coaches for £33 each and a couple of Oxford opens for £8 each and I wasn't intending on spending anything.

 

If you're going tomorrow check your trains, it appears there is bustiution from Finsbury Park.

 

Edit: the busitution ends at 07:20, I thought the tannoy said 7:20pm

Edited by woodenhead
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The show seemed busier this year than some past years. We had a very good day working our layout. Hopefully tomorrow I will get more chance to look at other layouts.

 

With regards the Freemo layout its more of an operator experience than a spectator one but its good that people can see the sort of thing that many of us get up to at Freemo events and its a good way to show those that havent been involved before  what sort of set up can be created. Not every ones cup of tea but it does appear to be a growing part of those interested in Amercian operations. Each time I walked past there were trains moving and plenty of people watching.

 

Looking forward to day 2.

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With regards the Freemo layout its more of an operator experience than a spectator one but its good that people can see the sort of thing that many of us get up to at Freemo events and its a good way to show those that havent been involved before  what sort of set up can be created..

But at an exhibition surely it is the spectator experience that counts, we're not paying for an operator social event. Don't get me wrong it looked fantastic and I can see why it would be fun to operate, I just would have liked to see more long trains running not just sat in the fiddleyard.

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This was my fourth visit to the show and it was noticeably more crowded than previous years. Perhaps I was unlucky but, to me, there were a lot of "static" layouts with no trains running. Every time we arrived at a layout, after trying to get a view through the crowd, there appeared to be nothing happening. My friends made the same comments.

 

The large Freemo layout was impressive as an example of railway modelling but I concur with the previous poster - not a lot going on.

 

I will probably attend next year but one of my friends, who I had encouraged to come, was not impressed and will not be returning.

 

Clearly the show is popular - hence the crowds - so perhaps it's just me that wants to see some trains actually running.

 

I did have a nice chat with someone from Bachmann in their enclosure and with Ajay Models and YouChoos so it was still, to me, a good day out. Just run more trains!!!

 

Darius

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Really enjoyed the show yesterday. Always enjoy Dave Tailbys marvelous micros and Canada Street was fantastic, that wharehouse looks stunning! I couldn't get near Coppenhagen FieldsI I bought a couple of books and 2 Hornby long CCT's, unboxed they were a bargain. The star of the show for me howevr was a small Layout called North Bridge, a small urban station and goods yard. I came away really inspired and with a few ideas I want to try.

Well done to everyone involved.

Steve.

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The reason that we did not have that many trains running on the large American yesterday is that the DCC control bus decided to go down which we eventually managed to trace to a dry joint in a connector cable. Of course the fault only appeared yesterday during the show and not while we were testing the layout.....

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I visited yesterday for the first time and I was most impressed. Like others I was confused by the lack of traffic on some exhibits but put it down to running issues rather than laziness on the part of the operators.

I though the show's physical layout was odd at times it being difficult to see from one end of the halls to the other. Exhibits just got lost from view.

Still a good show, but I think I'll go by car in future, public transport did my back in.

 

Regards

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Good Morning all,

 

I was going to make the trip down myself and have decided against it. Again I feel I am the only one passing on negative comments but from the information that my friends have provided who are operating Aldgate Hill & Norton Folgate, there is very little in the contemporary and modern image variety. One suggesting they thought it might be more of an american themed show that a British. 

 

I have to agree with Darius43 though on the fact of trains running, this is an issue that is now creeping into many shows, you can stand looking at layout and there be a complete lack of movement. Slightly off topic but this was one of the reasons Weaver Hill was build to make sure there was always something moving. 

 

Anyway enough from me, I shall await the full debriefon their return.

 

Benjamin 

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One suggesting they thought it might be more of an american themed show that a British. 

 

 

Benjamin

 

Either I'm missing the point made in your post, or did a few extra US layouts turn up at the last minute? The advertised 3 out of 40 doesn't strike me as being particularly excessive...

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There are 6 US/Canadian layouts plus 5 European layouts out of 39

Hmm, so that's more than 25% (greater than one in four) were non-British layouts. I guess that is a little unusual and out of kilter with most UK shows but ultimately it's about the modelling and entertainment value overall. I didn't go so can't comment on that, but I might have been taken back by that sort of layout split - I certainly don't recall it being anything like that on previous years when I have visited.

 

G

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I've created an album with a very quick and dirty resize of the images I took at the exhibition today. Apologies in advance for the graininess of the pics, my camera isn't very good in low light:

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/gallery/album/4199-ally-pally-2017/

 

I thought the exhibition was good, though I went today (Sunday) and it was quite quiet. I believe it was heaving yesterday, and really very relaxed today. I think Sundays may become my exhibition visiting days in future, as long as there aren't too many 'screaming kiddies' around (which there weren't today. Most were well behaved, if a little excitable).

Edited by Ian J.
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Good Morning all,

 

I was going to make the trip down myself and have decided against it. Again I feel I am the only one passing on negative comments but from the information that my friends have provided who are operating Aldgate Hill & Norton Folgate, there is very little in the contemporary and modern image variety. One suggesting they thought it might be more of an american themed show that a British. 

 

I have to agree with Darius43 though on the fact of trains running, this is an issue that is now creeping into many shows, you can stand looking at layout and there be a complete lack of movement. Slightly off topic but this was one of the reasons Weaver Hill was build to make sure there was always something moving. 

 

Anyway enough from me, I shall await the full debriefon their return.

 

Benjamin 

 

Ahem: Aldgate East, Blacklade. Canada Wharf , the club's new Ingatestone, Minories GN, and quite possibly a couple more I've not listed, as I didn't get a guide . In any case most/all of the US layouts were running diesels - that's Modern Image innit...?.  (Do CDJR railcars count??)

 

With at least 70% of the show British outline it is a little extreme to call it "more of an American themed show than a British one".

 

I also feel it is a little unreasonable publicly to criticise the running /activity level of layouts at a show if you didn't even go to the show yourself

Edited by Ravenser
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