The Future Of Model Railway Exhibitions

[Jackson3592]

After visiting a few model railways recently I find there is a lot variations in with layouts in terms of era, gauges and countries the layouts are set in. I find myself skipping many layouts which are not of interest to me which got me thinking. Could we have exhibitions based on set era's,  gauges and countries. Even further could we join up layouts to create a model rail network.

 

For example say a exhibition is organized which is specific to modern image (2010+) all in 00 gauge based in the UK. Then all the layouts are put together strategically to mimic that of the UK network or at-least a small area of the network. For example we have layouts based on Derby, Belper, Chesterfield & Sheffield. Each layout can then be connected to each other to form a model rail network. Trains can then pass between all the layouts to simulate the real life journey. Obviously the transition sections between the layouts would have to made by someone and returning loops could be added where required. 

 

I understand this would give challenges in terms of stock used and the electronics of it all but I feel these could be overcome with a little organization.

 

Model trainspotting could even become a thing where you have to spot all the trains running on that day throughout the layouts. (maybe even giving a prize to the person who can capture them all on the layouts - maybe a way of getting more people through the exhibition doors. People love prizes).

 

I drew up a quick diagram on how it could work. see attached

 

What are peoples thoughts and could you see it working? Has this been done before? 

 

I understand its a far from perfect idea.

 

 

[Dungrange]

Well, there was an idea on here that everyone would construct a number of modules to the standards set out here - http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/forum/252-rmweb-modular-project/  It didn't really take off with little interest / momentum outside of a small group in the southeast of England.  However, there are some groups working to Freemo standards to model both North America and Europe in the manner you suggest. Effectively this is what you are proposing but in an exhibition rather than social context.

 

The main problem in what you propose is that at the exhibitions I attend, each club layout is generally representative of the interests of the majority of members (we use members stock to operate our club layouts) and also most exhibiting clubs at any exhibition tend to be reasonably local.  In general, we rarely exhibit more than around 60 miles from our club rooms, with a few exceptions (this year it is Doncaster).  Therefore, to make your proposal work, you are potentially looking at involving several clubs in the same part of the county who have members who share the same interests both with regards era, gauge and standard of modelling.  Personally I don't think you'll find interest in the concept because it would be difficult to manage.  If you want era or scale specific shows, you will find them scattered around the country.  The DEMU Showcase event may be of interest to you if you live anywhere near Derbyshire. Details of last years event can be found on the DEMU website at http://www.demu.org.uk/showcase2016.  I assume that the 2017 dates will also be in early June. 

[Jackson3592]

Hopefully with the use of modern technology its possible to have a UK wide model railway society as such with members only interested in certain gauges and era's (Maybe layouts can be era "neutral"). Maybe get away from the idea of having a club house and simply store and run the layouts at either exhibitions or test days (hire somewhere out). I find the downfall of the Freemo standards is that they are too complex and through for just one person to take them all onboard. It sort of sucks all the enjoyment out of designing and creating a layout to that many constraints.

 

One possible way to make it work would be if each part of the built was done by a specific person so each person only has to work with a set number of standards. For example the build stage could be split down into:

 

- Planning 

- Stand & Baseboards

 - Track & Points

 - Topography

 - Electronics & Systems

 - Ballast & Scenery

 - Buildings & Structures

 - Finishing & Testing

 - Presentation & Lighting

 

It would work somewhat like an assembly line. Once your bit is done the layout is transported for its next phase. The only issue with this is the transporting and storage of the layout. It would also require a project manager to keep track of all the movements and make sure the standards are being maintains.

 

It could start small with just 1 or 2 layouts with the capacity to grow seamlessly  

 

I believe if it could be pulled off it would create a great spectacle. I guess the only way I'm going to be able to make something like this happen is to gain some friends interested in the idea. If anyone is interested in getting involved feel free to comment below or message me and we could discuss things further. It would be great to be part of this grand plan

See attached

Edited January 12, 2017 by Jackson3592

['CHARD]

This sounds too much like work to me.  I want my hobbies to feature at least an element of escapism, not Project Management.

[APOLLO]

The Yanks do it big style (as they do) !!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ic9cxzr-SBk#t=30

 

 

 

 

Don't think it would work over here though - layout types are too diverse.

 

Brit15

Edited January 12, 2017 by APOLLO

[brianusa]

Ah but that's the point!  These big layouts in the US are for want of a better word, 'club' layouts where individuals (not necessarily in a club) build sections of the layout compatible with each other; in other words each section of track lines up with the next in any configuration.  Or individuals can make modules to make a fixed plan of a favourite railway.  In the UK for instance there could be a Penzance module connected to a Truro module and so on as far up the line as required.  There would have to be selective areas left out unless of course there is an immense space..

 

Brian.

[Jackson3592]

Thanks Apollo for the links. Didn't think of searching free-mo layouts on YouTube. Those layouts are much bigger than what I had in mind.

 

Like BrianUSA is saying I was thinking of using selected sections along a line and having a siding imbetween the layouts (not visible to spectators). That way the subtle colour difference of the grass for instance between 2 layouts can't be easily seen as the layouts are split from a spectators point of view.

 

If it was a group of individuals who are aiming for a similar goal then this could work. Getting clubs together would be a lot more difficult.

 

I guess it's the case of just trying to find individuals who are happy to work together to create a super layout. So in my case finding individuals who want to model around the Peak District modern image in 00 gauge. I guess if individuals keep joining maybe one day we could reach Penzance! (Might need the NEC)

Edited January 13, 2017 by Jackson3592

[howardpidd]

Personally I enjoy seeing a wide and diverse range of layouts at exhibitions whether it be by era, region or scale. It can be stimulating to encounter something new and out of ones own area of interest. In the past it has prompted me to try my hand at layouts in OO, ON30  and N gauge American, before returning to OO gauge British. They say that variety is the spice of life. 

[boxcar_jim]

A number of clubs and societies already do this to some extent, think of EXPONG or society shows/meets 009 Society, NMRA. There are also scale orientated shows EXPOEM, N guage show, etc. As others have said there are Freemo or NTRAK modular meets. These however tend to cater for niches within the hobby.

 

As an exhibition manager of a general model railway show, and previously involved with an American only meet, it's quite clear that specialist shows / meets don't attract the general public in the way a general show does. Let's also be quite clear that low numbers of "hard core" hobbyists through the door doesn't make for an economically viable show - halls cost money to hire, layout operators need overnight accommodation and petrol money, catering needs to be paid for, etc .

 

All the feedback we have received from surveying visitors indicate that the public want to see entertaining models they can relate to, regardless of prototype fidelity.

 

I certainly don't see specialist shows becoming the norm any time soon especially as exhibition costs continue to rise, but they will certainly be part of the scene.

[Salmotrutta]

I have to agree that at most of the shows I exhibit at in the USA have "punters" are generally families - so the name of the game is entertainment. Our club is also showing small self-contained layouts as we are trying to lower the barriers to entry to people taking up the hobby - you don't have to start by re-purposing the basement!

[Colin_McLeod]

Maybe I misunderstood but I thought the OP was referring to simply joining together existing layouts with made to measure transition boards. That way no one layout has to be to any particular constraint other than track gauge.

[Kelly]

In terms of 'modern image' there is already a show dedicated to that (rather 1955 post modernisation plan however, but including from BR green/blue to privitisation).

 

That show being DEMU's Showcase (this weekend!).

[Tim R-T-C]

After visiting a few model railways recently I find there is a lot variations in with layouts in terms of era, gauges and countries the layouts are set in. I find myself skipping many layouts which are not of interest to me which got me thinking. Could we have exhibitions based on set era's, gauges and countries. Even further could we join up layouts to create a model rail network.

 

 

I think herein lies your main problem.

 

If you skip layouts you are not interested in at shows, then if you had a whole show dedicated to a certain era and gauge, anyone who didn't like those would skip the whole show. You would end up taking a niche of what is really a niche market.

[DavidB-AU]

You have to remember that with the exception of a handful of specialist exhibitions, the majority of people through the door are not modellers. Public exhibition layouts need continuous movement to keep the general public entertained. As much as roundy roundy tail chasing doesn't particularly interest me, that's what gets the punters through the door.

 

You also have to remember that many of the modular systems like Free-mo and FREMO don't do public exhibitions because the style of operation doesn't appeal to the general public. They do private meets for the module owners to operate in a prototypical manner and the layout configuration generally doesn't allow the public to wander around and observe.

 

That doesn't mean there isn't a place for modular layouts at public shows. You just have to pick the right ones. T-TRAK and NTRAK are particularly good for this.

 

Cheers

David

[F-UnitMad]

I can't understand the 'myopic' view of, it seems, a lot of modellers, who skip past layouts at Shows because it's "outside their area of interest", "foreign" etc etc. They must miss some great layouts & modelling as a result.

I make a point of looking at each & every layout at a Show, even if only for a few minutes, to see what it's all about, what the standard of modelling is like, & if the operations look interesting, regardless of prototype, Era or scale. I can then go back to the more appealing layouts later. Mindyou, I get to so few Shows anyway that I have to make it count when I do!!

The only exception to that will be the "Thomas" layout, which I do avoid.

[john new]

Why is only glancing at the layouts at an exhibition that don't particularly interest you perceived as a problem? You've paid on the door and it isn't any different from having a subscription TV channel, for example Sky Sports, and not bothering with the F1 or skiing coverage.

 

I think there is an issue to be considered regarding the future of exhibitions but surely it is the one facing the hobby generally, namely, how to keep interest alive in the generation being brought up on computers and a 2D world so that they get interested in 3D crafting hobbies of which model railways is just one. When you watch the demography passing your stand at shows there is a clear gap between the older modelling generation and children being brought, more often by grand-parents (Modellers/former modellers?) than parents. Many reasons for that gap but that to me is a bigger issue for railway interest groups across the board to address rather than the one raised by the OP.

Edited June 3, 2017 by john new

[F-UnitMad]

Why is only glancing at the layouts at an exhibition that don't particularly interest you perceived as a problem? You've paid on the door and it isn't any different from having a subscription TV channel, for example Sky Sports, and not bothering with the F1 or skiing coverage.

I don't perceive it as a problem - it's their choice after all - I just don't understand it, & maybe do see it as their loss, but the TV analogy is an interesting one, certainly.

[Red Devil]

Occasionally myself and another RMWeb member link our layouts together, both are self contained and can be and are operated idepentantly, through running is by means of a link board between the two.

 

Admittedly both are rather of a specialist nature being Leeds trams based. They live 250 miles apart so it isn't often....But it is possible. They're not modules but something a bit bigger, When both are connected there's a total frontage of about 18/9ft.

[Signalist]

Jackson...

 

Just joining layouts is fraught with problems that are hard to address:-

 

- Control system?

- Region?

- Layout height?

- Minimum track radius?

 

This type of situation is usually addressed by modular clubs or modular groups who build to a standard, but even modular setups have to deal with some of these problems. If you see a big layout at an exhibition like the Thamesider's Essex Belt Lines with Freemo at Alexandra Palace which was 70' x 30' you can bet it is more than just a single layout. Essex Belt Lines had club modules, Thamesider's members' modules and also modules built by others to Freemo standards. Several of these modules form individual layouts when not connect up as part of a modular setup.

 

North American is probably a bit more amenable to 'getting together' because changes over time and region on the other side of the pond are quite subtle compared to the very marked changes you would see in Europe and the UK. The sections are easier to join up without noticing the joins and it is hard to make any North American freight stock look out of place. Just exchanging a few vehicles and buildings can change a layout by fifty years!

 

There are some modular standards where each module is accessed via a 'tunnel' and the Cheshire Layouts Committee is one that springs to mind. Every module is very different but the trains just run through the whole lot.

 

There is the BritMod standard which people could build to, but it has not really caught on. This is something I would like to see work and I would love to build a module for it if I thought there would be any chance of exhibiting.

 

I think it would be nice to get away from loads of small charity exhibitions with just tiny layouts that don't hold much interest to bigger exhibitions where you are sure to see something you like which can afford to attract the bigger layouts that don't go out very often. The good layouts are out there and I am sure you will find some to your taste at DEMU Showcase this weekend. May it get bigger and better still.

 

Paul

Edited June 3, 2017 by Signalist

[Mike Buckner]

I sense incipient Control Freakery here. In particular, why is this one idea "The Future Of Model Railway Exhibitions".

[298]

I sense incipient Control Freakery here. In particular, why is this one idea "The Future Of Model Railway Exhibitions".

Because any large Company will have written long term plans with various projections as to how to avoid or deal with catastrophic changes, which in model railway terms means the ageing visitor and participant demographic, and the increasing commercialism of the support for such events (such as hall hire). Basically, less punters and exhibitors willing to go to shows and having to pay more to run them.

 

Being insular with what someone chooses to look at might seem fine, but having been at the receiving end of criticism because there was "Too much American" (two layouts out of 30+) for example is not only off putting for me but might be forwarded to organisers who act on such feedback, and I can think of quite a few otherwise good events that I wont support who are quite insular in what they choose to invite and only have one or two token non-British layouts.

 

The Warley show is obviously big enough to include many types of layout and there's no way you could spend any length of time looking at every one, but it's the quirky foreign abstract ones that get mentioned and remembered over the mundane, considering nearly all exhibition layouts are compromised in some way in order to make them suitable for public viewing, why aren't British modellers building these instead of plugging the same old concepts....?

[F-UnitMad]

I sense incipient Control Freakery here. In particular, why is this one idea "The Future Of Model Railway Exhibitions".

From a Grand Total of 3 posts, and last being active on here back on 5th Feb, somehow I get the feeling Jackson was a bit miffed his revolutionary idea for shows didn't exactly catch on.

We can carry on talking amongst ourselves.

[Crewlisle]

A number of clubs and societies already do this to some extent, think of EXPONG or society shows/meets 009 Society, NMRA. There are also scale orientated shows EXPOEM, N guage show, etc. As others have said there are Freemo or NTRAK modular meets. These however tend to cater for niches within the hobby.

 

As an exhibition manager of a general model railway show, and previously involved with an American only meet, it's quite clear that specialist shows / meets don't attract the general public in the way a general show does. Let's also be quite clear that low numbers of "hard core" hobbyists through the door doesn't make for an economically viable show - halls cost money to hire, layout operators need overnight accommodation and petrol money, catering needs to be paid for, etc .

 

All the feedback we have received from surveying visitors indicate that the public want to see entertaining models they can relate to, regardless of prototype fidelity.

 

I certainly don't see specialist shows becoming the norm any time soon especially as exhibition costs continue to rise, but they will certainly be part of the scene.

 

Jim,

 

Look at any exhibition these days whether it be exhibitors or visitors, the average age looks about 50+ ( including my self being well over that age!) which does not auger well for the future of the hobby.  As exhibitions are the showcase for our hobby, we must use them to encourage more youngsters to take up railway modelling.  What do the youngsters see?  A lot of stern faced older men behind layouts, 'Do not touch' signs and youngsters and families unable to ask questions because of the 'layout' barrier or unable to attract an operator's attention to ask questions.  Act like proper PR men for your hobby; lighten up and show you enjoy your hobby; don't take it so seriously.

 

It is easy to talk to small layout operators but medium or large layouts need to have an operator or 'PR' man on the outside to answer questions.  Also, no matter how prototypical or detailed a layout is, there must be something the youngsters can operate whether it is a turntable, Thomas the Tank Engine on a short run or to operate an actual train for a short distance.   I was exhibiting my 'Crewlisle' layout at Ally Pally in March which incorporated all three of the previous suggestions.  My 'outside' operator/PR man was kept very busy talking to families and when running Thomas or helping a youngster run a loco from A to B, he always made sure he kept his finger hovering above the stop button just in case!   I wrote a comment in Page 2 of the RMweb Exhibitions section on the recent Alexandra Palace Exhibition (Page 16, Comment 389) along similar lines.  I had a total of 26 Likes, Agree or Friendly/Supportive comments so there are a lot of modellers thinking the same way.

 

Youngsters use to using I-phones or tablets must be shown how they can be used on the modern model railway.  If we don't encourage youngsters into the hobby, in 20 years time model railway exhibitions will begin to look like OAP's meetings!

 

Peter

Edited June 8, 2017 by Crewlisle

[Kelly]

Jim,

 

Look at any exhibition these days whether it be exhibitors or visitors, the average age looks about 50+ ( including my self being well over that age!) which does not auger well for the future of the hobby. As exhibitions are the showcase for our hobby, we must use them to encourage more youngsters to take up railway modelling. What do the youngsters see? A lot of stern faced older men behind layouts, 'Do not touch' signs and youngsters and families unable to ask questions because of the 'layout' barrier or unable to attract an operator's attention to ask questions. Act like proper PR men for your hobby; lighten up and show you enjoy your hobby; don't take it so seriously.

 

It is easy to talk to small layout operators but medium or large layouts need to have an operator or 'PR' man on the outside to answer questions. Also, no matter how prototypical or detailed a layout is, there must be something the youngsters can operate whether it is a turntable, Thomas the Tank Engine on a short run or to operate an actual train for a short distance. I was exhibiting my 'Crewlisle' layout at Ally Pally in March which incorporated all three of the previous suggestions. My 'outside' operator/PR man was kept very busy talking to families and when running Thomas or helping a youngster run a loco from A to B, he always made sure he kept his finger hovering above the stop button just in case! I wrote a comment in Page 2 of the RMweb Exhibitions section on the recent Alexandra Palace Exhibition (Page 16, Comment 389) along similar lines. I had a total of 26 Likes, Agree or Friendly/Supportive comments so there are a lot of modellers thinking the same way.

 

Youngsters use to using I-phones or tablets must be shown how they can be used on the modern model railway. If we don't encourage youngsters into the hobby, in 20 years time model railway exhibitions will begin to look like OAP's meetings!

 

Peter

To some extent demu showcase was like this. Not necessarily letting kids have a go, but no barriers and much more engagement between visitors and operators.

[F-UnitMad]

...in 20 years time model railway exhibitions will begin to look like OAP's meetings!

 

 

Telford Guildex already does!!