The London Festival of Railway Modelling, Ally Pally-24 to 25 March 2018

[black and decker boy]

Can I just mention that people coming from the Marylebone direction need to be aware that Circle Line and Hammersmith and City Line are closed this weekend. I had checked my journey on National Rail Enquiries this morning and it wasn't flagged. I didn't discover until I got to Baker Street to find gates to these lines shut and a notice to that effect on them (the sign at Marylebone was tucked to one side and not very prominent as I later discovered). There are buses that can apparently be taken to Moorgate to get the GN out to the venue, but I was caught totally unprepared so turned back disappointed and frustrated.

Alternative wasn’t too bad, Central from Ox Circus to Bank, Northern to Moorgate and away you go. I was a bit stumped like you having walked to Baker St but wasn’t a drama in the end. Still had the climb up that hill at Ally Pally to do mind you!!

 

Show was good, plenty of interesting layouts and usual trade though all of my pre planned purchases and plan B impulse buys were unavailable. At least I have more beer tokens for the trip home to Wycombe

[sharris]

And how large are they?

Let's just say trying to smuggle in an O gauge Coronation Class wasn't such a clever idea.

 

They confiscated the loco but left me with a tender behind.

[BrushVeteran]

Can I just mention that people coming from the Marylebone direction need to be aware that Circle Line and Hammersmith and City Line are closed this weekend. I had checked my journey on National Rail Enquiries this morning and it wasn't flagged. I didn't discover until I got to Baker Street to find gates to these lines shut and a notice to that effect on them (the sign at Marylebone was tucked to one side and not very prominent as I later discovered). There are buses that can apparently be taken to Moorgate to get the GN out to the venue, but I was caught totally unprepared so turned back disappointed and frustrated.

TFL advise that if at Baker Street, then Bakerloo to Oxford Circus then change to Victoria Line to Finsbury Park and then W3 bus to Alexandra Palace Park..................with no walk up that hill. Total journey time 46 minutes............we'll try it tomorrow!

[Bilbo]

What was the TMC new tooling announcement, I seem to have missed it.

[black and decker boy]

What was the TMC new tooling announcement, I seem to have missed it.

Big mineral wagons

[Hal Nail]

My show highlight was this hedgehog who has had a nasty accident but is recovering well and was there presumably to appeal to the garden railway types! 

Edited March 24, 2018 by Hal Nail

[jetmorgan]

Hope it is all being a great show. I was hoping to come but have had to cancel any outings now after suffering a heart attack and being in hospital for the past week waiting for some surgery. Just got back home today

[PenrithBeacon]

Hope it is all being a great show. I was hoping to come but have had to cancel any outings now after suffering a heart attack and being in hospital for the past week waiting for some surgery. Just got back home today

Take it easy

Regards

[sharris]

Hope it is all being a great show. I was hoping to come but have had to cancel any outings now after suffering a heart attack and being in hospital for the past week waiting for some surgery. Just got back home today

Hope they patched you up well and you're back to health soon.

Edited March 24, 2018 by sharris

[Andymsa]

Grr didn't get my totem even when ordered at 12 and still not made by 5pm not very good service. And was surprised show closed at 5, ok I know I didn't check but 5 hmmm

[19Ted54]

I have been to the show today, was surprised and amazed by the stand of FERRO-TRAIN from Vienna\Austria. A stand full of Austrian Narrow Gauge models in HOe and their range of international trams in H0.

Treated myself to a 'Starter kit' of their own rack railway for a very good price! They have got lots of models with them, go and have a look at the fine trackside details, superb....

Great of them to come such a long way!

[Huw Griffiths]

TFL advise that if at Baker Street, then Bakerloo to Oxford Circus then change to Victoria Line to Finsbury Park and then W3 bus to Alexandra Palace Park..................with no walk up that hill. Total journey time 46 minutes............we'll try it tomorrow!

Is the Wells Terrace entrance of Finsbury Park open?

 

If not, I suspect there might be a bit of a walk from the other end of the station to the bus station used by the W3.

 

Alternatively, at Finsbury Park, there's a very short, step free, link tunnel between the Victoria and Piccadilly lines in both directions - and I've always found the trains on both lines to be sync well with each other.

 

A few stops on the Piccadilly to Wood Green - and up to street level via the only entrance - cross the road and the W3 stops very close to the junction.

 

Alternatively, diagonally across the junction, there's a stop served by both the W3 and the venue shuttles - and stay on until you get to the steps by the Palm Court entrance.

 

 

Huw.

[ColinK]

I was at the show from 11 till closing time. Very enjoyable time with a good range of layouts and traders. Got my ‘essential’ item, grills for my class 27/2 and had my class 50 sound reblown by Biff. A couple of nice beers too.

 

Three layouts I especially enjoyed, Hebble Vale Goods, Brighton East and Hambleden Valley with its G scale live steam . I’m building a G scale layout in our front room, wonder what SHMBO would think if I started running live steam on it!

[richard brown]

Hi all here is my video from the show 

 

 

Richard 

Trains in the attic 

[Llangerisech]

Thanks for using Llangerisech as the thumnail for the video Richard. Typically, we had one the odd coupling gremlins visit just as you were filming - you can't trust 'em you know. Good show for us with the layout mostly behaving itself and not too many operator errors. Looking forward to tomorrow with a couple of old hands on the team so I can look round a bit.

 

Nigel

[woodenhead]

Thanks for using Llangerisech as the thumnail for the video Richard. Typically, we had one the odd coupling gremlins visit just as you were filming - you can't trust 'em you know. Good show for us with the layout mostly behaving itself and not too many operator errors. Looking forward to tomorrow with a couple of old hands on the team so I can look round a bit.

 

Nigel

I'll go one better, despite all the good layouts I only took photos of one layout, here are a cropped selection

 

 

 

 

[woodenhead]

Really good day today, at Midday I thought I'd had enough but I discovered I was just hungry, finally left at 3:30 having arrived around 10.

 

Nearly succumbed to the O Gauge clamour having found a box of £13.50 O gauge wagons (good ones with metal chassis and sprung couplings) at Ellis Clark and in my head linked that with a £160 Jinty and an inglenook. Common sense prevailed and I managed an exhibition without bringing home any new items. Wasn't helped when I read the blurb in Harlyn Quay being 11 foot, I looked hard at it trying to understand how it was only that long when it looked about 18 foot, then it dawned it's the scenic shunting element that is 11 foot doh.

 

Hebble Vale goods has given me the inspiration for my N gauge companion layout, I now have a trackplan in mind.

 

Finally seen Grantham which is very impressive.

 

Like I started, it was/is a very good exhibition.

[polybear]

Overkill for a craft fair at Little-Piddle-in-the-middle-of-nowhere Village Hall perhaps, but London or any other major show in any major city... I'd be thankful for the security.

 

Trust me, it won't be overkill soon enough.  The big venues will learn to screw security down, then the crankies will target the soft easy venues.  Same headlines, with the public truly feeling that no-where is safe.

[woodenhead]

Trust me, it won't be overkill soon enough.  The big venues will learn to screw security down, then the crankies will target the soft easy venues.  Same headlines, with the public truly feeling that no-where is safe.

I don't think we need to bring this into a model railway forum exhibition thread.

[polybear]

i went to the exhibition today; whilst the quality of some layouts was simply outstanding (e.g. World's End) I did come away feeling a bit flat about the whole experience.  Too many box shifters, even less finescale traders (stand rents are driving the specialists away apparently) and the s/h stuff I saw seemed overpriced to me.

 

Big disappointment?  The new 45 ton R&R crane prototype not being on display, despite both Bachmann and Hattons being at the show

http://www.hattons.co.uk/StockDetail.aspx?SID=107215&utm_source=ItemDeliveryDateUpdated&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=38-802

[PMP]

I don't think we need to bring this into a model railway forum exhibition thread.

Well, woodenhead, he isn’t far off the mark. Bag checks were/are being done at AP, a sensible idea. The quicker you let the guys look in the bag, the quicker you get in, simples. This sort of security will only become more ‘normal’ into the future, embrace it, it’s not going away.

 

 

Back to the show..

Edited March 25, 2018 by PMP

[woodenhead]

i went to the exhibition today; whilst the quality of some layouts was simply outstanding (e.g. World's End) I did come away feeling a bit flat about the whole experience.  Too many box shifters, even less finescale traders (stand rents are driving the specialists away apparently) and the s/h stuff I saw seemed overpriced to me

I think there was less trade than at Doncaster, it seemed that way.

 

I do find the different approaches on the four main commissioners interesting, Kernow being the most established has good variety of new stock for sale plus its own specials available to buy, TMC have their standard large display with lots to purchase plus now of course the adverts for their forthcoming models, Rails brings its commissions in a case and has a selection of items for sale a lot of which appears to be from the second hand site and Hattons just brings lots of samples of commissions and a sales team.

 

Kernow and TMC have an established presence and I guess as a result they are geared up to exhibitions, Rails are finding their feet bringing varying volumes of items whilst Hattons have bravely resisted the pressure to bring stock. For Rails and Hattons I imagine it would be stock control nightmare to take items out and about, it's not something they've felt a need for in the past but now they need to get their unique products in people's palms like Hornby, Bachmann and Dapol they need the exhibition presence.

[TEAMYAKIMA]

I admit to being a bit biased but I liked Addison Road .... although I am a Twickenham & District MRC (country) member I only make an annual visit for our open day and so had never seen the (nearly) completed layout fully up in all its glory until today ......

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[sb67]

Had a great day at the show yesterday. I was there early and thought it was a lot better organised with the snake que allowing more of us to wait inside. Didn't mind the bag search and I must mention a security bloke who was explaining what was going on, giving out facts about Ally Pally and generally interacting with the crowd, to me he was how event security should be, well done to him.

Thought there were more bigger layouts this year, really enjoyed Calcutta Sidings 2 and got a couple of bagain books and a DJM J94. I was really impressed with Leighton Buzzard, hard to belive it is 70 years old!!!!! I also really liked 59th and rust, great urban atmosphere. Friday Bridge was great too and deserves a mention. There's alot more I enjoyed and came away glad I decided to go. Well done to all involved.

Steve.

[acg5324]

I admit to being a bit biased but I liked Addison Road .... although I am a Twickenham & District MRC (country) member I only make an annual visit for our open day and so had never seen the (nearly) completed layout fully up in all its glory until today ......

 

DSC_0133.JPG

Addison road superb....I might be a bit biased! First time I’d seen Mostyn in the flesh what a layout....almost worth the entrance fee alone. I could have spent a fortune but ended up spending nothing.

Excellent exhibition this year...even the Pasty and Beer wasn’t bad.

 

Despite some problems with the trains I still managed to leave Ally Pally at 1345 and was home indoors in York by 1700 and all by public transport.

Edited March 25, 2018 by acg5324