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Great Electric Train Show 2018


Jim49
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Felt very underwhelmed by the whole thing. The only layout that kept any interest was Brinklow as it was all about keeping trains moving for the people to see. All to often do you see layouts being run to what feels like a Sunday service in winter.

There did seem to be alot of problems which affected 4mm layouts mainly, with Whitby, Newhaven and Grosvenor Square all having various DCC issues. Loudwater, Ashington and Readham suffering with some major derailments. 2mm however seemed to fair much better, with Vale of Oxbury, Brinklow, Hatch End and Peakstone all running well.

Southwick running in night mode didn't work for me. If you light buildings and coaches, then there needs to be some interior detail added, and it also showed up dirty track or a lack of DCC power, as the coach lights flickered with the exhaust beat on some trains.

 

Dave

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I had an enjoyable weekend playing trains on the Hornby Magazine layout Grosvenor Square (despite it being Western region and DCC so somewhat out of my usual comfort zone!) thanks to all that dropped by and said hello.

As often with a new venue things can and will be learnt for next year and I know that the catering issues (which were already I believe improved on the Sunday with extra staff) and possibly a slight adjustment to the balance of trade have been noted already by the organisers.
All traders appeared to be doing good business so does imply there was plenty of custom to go round.

Edited by Graham_Muz
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Excuse my ignorance everyone but did anyone that attended the show see any EPs of the Hattons Class 66 or RHTT wagons?

 

Also were their any announcements of new products?

 

Thank you very much in advance.

 

Pics of Hattons items here

https://albionyard.wordpress.com/2018/10/14/hattons-products-gets-2018/

 

Accurascale https://albionyard.wordpress.com/2018/10/13/pca-accurascale-at-gets/

 

I felt it was a good show overall, I liked the Gaydon venue, partly for the cars, but Gaydon did get cramped at busy times. I thought the MK arena a good venue, and the lighting didn’t strike me as being problem. A good start in a new venue.

Edited by PMP
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Good venue despite being slightly further to travel from Banbury. We enjoyed the mix of layouts, my daughter liked Brinklow, Poulton Le Fylde (who would have thought a squirrel would sit on a signal gantry), Dubmill Sidings and Stodden Hundred. We took our own food so no issues with the catering. Thanks for the organisers, exhibitors and stall holders for an enjoyable event

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Enjoyed my annual visit to GETS having been to all of the previous shows but the change in venue was welcome and a success to remove the cramped aisles which had become the norm at Gayden. I was very disappointed to hear from RMWebb that Eileen’s were not invited and then seemingly ignored when they sought an explanation. I am a Modeller first and foremost, and rely on traders such as Eileen’s for my bits and bobs which are otherwise expensive to buy mail order. More space for exhibitors and traders and an exclusion of a trader that’s supported GETS since day 1. Seems strange, but then the cynic in me suggests it means more space for box shifters - who usually have plenty of red branded boxes on display for sale.

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Living pretty close and it being a rainy Sunday, it seemed a good idea to go!  First of all, a big thank you to the kind gentleman who (with the blessing of the show staff) gave me his spare ticket. Sorry I didn't ask your name, but if you're reading this, thanks again and I hope you had a good trip back to Norwich and everything was fine. 

 

I thought the show was ok.  My favourite layouts were Hospital Gates, Dubmill Sidings, Vale of Oxbury and Bewdley.   The lighting was par for the course for large hall venues like this one (ie not great)  and I think showed the need for exhibition layouts to have their own lighting rigs and a backscene.  Traders - a good selection for the type of show; it was nice to see my local model shop  (AGR Model Railways) there and apparently doing good business.  I wouldn't have expected to see the range of specialist suppliers that you'd get at a show like Scaleforum or Railex, but I thought the selection was appropriate to the show.  That said, I take the point about the lack of a tools supplier such as Squires or Eileens.

 

Ralph

Lambton58

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Excuse my ignorance everyone but did anyone that attended the show see any EPs of the Hattons Class 66 or RHTT wagons?

 

Also were their any announcements of new products?

 

Thank you very much in advance. 

 

Yes EPs of the 66s (all body types) and a hand painted FL66 sample were on hand, also the fact that the EM2? Speaker has been specified for Hattons 66s which is a bigstep forward and we hear the Legoman sound decoder will be too. (more of that later) The RHTT samples were final paint ones I think? Looked pretty much full production quality and I assume once signed off will be produced pretty quickly. So early 2019 looks a good bet? Very impressed with Hattons staff and stand. Knowledgelable, friendly, keen to listen too. 'Hats off to Hat-tons!'

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Hi,

I'm sure I have seen a video of Graham Heald (Bewdley) being presented with some silverware but can't remember whether it was facebook or twitter. I can't find it now. Does anybody know what the cups were for? Oh and yes I have seen the magazine article :imsohappy:

 

Alasdair MacDonald tells me it is on Hornby Mags Facebook page of them being presented with Best in Show - Public choice and Hattons best scenic layout. Well Done!

Edited by Stephen Freeman
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From our point of view (The Glenfinnan Team) we had a thoroughly enjoyable show, Venue is good, transport links pretty easy, the accommoodation worth of mention in how excellent the staff at The Holiday Inn Express were too. Mike and his Hornby Mag team were thoroughly hospitable throughout. The Show was a great mix of good layouts and excellent traders. Any shortcoming seemed mainly around public catering (which is an MKOne external contract and not influenced by Hornby Mag) who had estimated staff and food for 'about 1000' on Saturday, we were informed, when 4000 people turned up. Sad for them! Like someone said it was a 2 minute walk to ASDA and there are loads of other eateries around the venue. Nice to have a Modellers and trade and press prize giving drinkies once the public had left on Saturday too, and noticeable that 'Rapido' did rather nicely for Prizes (The Dynamometer Car and 'Single' taking the big gongs) and also noted that by the end the contingents from Liverpool, Yorkshire, Ireland and Scotland were the last remaining in the bar (you know who you are!) Thanks again to Hornby magazine and hope that we can return again some time?

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There did seem to be alot of problems which affected 4mm layouts mainly, with Whitby, Newhaven and Grosvenor Square all having various DCC issues. Loudwater, Ashington and Readham suffering with some major derailments. 2mm however seemed to fair much better, with Vale of Oxbury, Brinklow, Hatch End and Peakstone all running well.

Southwick running in night mode didn't work for me. If you light buildings and coaches, then there needs to be some interior detail added, and it also showed up dirty track or a lack of DCC power, as the coach lights flickered with the exhaust beat on some trains.

 

Dave

The derailments on Readham were due to some occasional ‘early setting’ of the next route by keen ‘following operators’, not track issues. Apologies for this, it was the first time we’ve had routes in action, we’ll do better next time ;) Edited by SteveC32
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Guilty as charged Milud! 

 

Must try harder....in mitigation have to claim lack of familiarity with those fandago colour lights, whatever happened to proper signals????  :senile:  :senile:

 

 

 

Phil

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A further thought and to pick up on a theme for many large venue shows. It is absolutely essential for layouts to be properly lit. Some great layouts badly let down by a lack of lighting and when one has seen images in magazines which have clealry been lit by the photographer it is a shame to peering through the murk at them in a dingy big hall like MKOne. LEDs are cheap and excellent now, weigh very little and are available in a range of hues from cold/daylight/warm white etc. Greig McKenzie's Poulton-Le Fylde shows how it should be done and sadly the wonderful layout next to that was unlit.....

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Greig McKenzie's Poulton-Le Fylde shows how it should be done and sadly the wonderful layout next to that was unlit.....

Thanks! I presume that’s our ‘Loftus Road’!

 

We had a lighting calamity sadly, we left 2 key support parts of our lighting gantry back in the clubroom so while we had the gantry in the van, we had nothing to secure it above the layout without the risk it’d fall and hurt anyone (or worse, damage the scratchbuilt scenery!!!)

 

Great fun show and thanks to the organisers and all the lovely public and fellow exhibitors and RMWebbers who popped by to say hello!

 

Cheers,

James

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Thanks! I presume that’s our ‘Loftus Road’!

 

We had a lighting calamity sadly, we left 2 key support parts of our lighting gantry back in the clubroom so while we had the gantry in the van, we had nothing to secure it above the layout without the risk it’d fall and hurt anyone (or worse, damage the scratchbuilt scenery!!!)

 

Great fun show and thanks to the organisers and all the lovely public and fellow exhibitors and RMWebbers who popped by to say hello!

 

Cheers,

James

 

Hi James..... fair dos , hadnt realised that it was meant to be lit. Layout is ace BTW.... there were several others that failed the lighting test not due to calamity. 

One day I might get an invite, you never know 

Think you (generally) have to get layout in the magazine first?

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Yeah, odd that .....

 

Maybe June 2010 is too long ago

 

Invite yourself, I did and Much Murkle appeared last year. They are not always aware that a layout is available for exhibitions, or still available. Just send an email to Mike Wild and I'm sure you will be welcomed for a future year..

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