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Great Model Railway Challenge - Channel 5


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I think it may have been mentioned earlier but we felt we were more in competition with the clock than the other teams, shown by the fact that we helped each other out where we could and from what I've read on here that happened in the other heats too.

I can only echo this sentiment. There was a lot of help going round. I know Fawley's captain spent a good 40 mins under the Railway childrens layout towards the end of day 2. If you look carefully at the overhead shot of the Railway Childrens layout sometimes you'll notice the faces are blurred so you can't see (if you pause it right) who is working on the layout. That secret is safe with me :-)

 

I'd imagine it was a bit more kick/scramble in the final as there was (someone correct me if I'm wrong?) no pre building allowed. But I'm sure the call of "anyone got a staple gun" still got answered by a team with one.

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I think it would be interesting for there to be a more formal (and visible) scoring system with the judging. The scratchbuild challenge could then award additional points - maybe not revealing the winner of that until the end? All minor tweaks.

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Well, one secret I can reveal is that on the last evening of the Grand Final, a certain museum key holder let all the teams have a few extra hours after the Production team had gone home for the night. Shhh, don't tell Kathy.

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I did not recognise Locolaurie on the Great Model Railway Challenge but he did win the Best in Show with his 'Cato Pass' layout at the Isle of Purbeck Exhibition at Harmans Cross near the Swanage Railway. It shows that the public like to see an original, small layout with plenty of action. I think that the TV series has done a lot to create interest in model railways. One local lady has started an N gauge layout so I am pleased to see ladies take part in what has been a male dominated hobby. Perhaps we can have a ladies' team to compete in the next series if they are doing one.

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Unless it's a subtle way of leaking the much-rumoured Bachmann-Peco merger.

 

Ah, Bacco, publisher of the new modelling magazine for unusual and non-mainstream layouts, 'Whacko Bacco'.

 

 

Yeah, man!

 

"Mainline" railway modelling "gear" - for the average addict enthusiast ... .

 

On second thoughts, perhaps not ... .

 

 

Huw.

Edited by Huw Griffiths
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I think it would be interesting for there to be a more formal (and visible) scoring system with the judging. The scratchbuild challenge could then award additional points - maybe not revealing the winner of that until the end? All minor tweaks.

 

Come on - it would just cause more arguments as everyone disagrees with every mark awarded!

 

The judges have to choose between 3 very different projects, it's a lot easier just to let them make their minds up without picking over every detail. I would guess this is why Bake Off adopts the same format. Remember, viewers don't get to see everything.

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I did not recognise Locolaurie on the Great Model Railway Challenge but he did win the Best in Show with his 'Cato Pass' layout at the Isle of Purbeck Exhibition at Harmans Cross near the Swanage Railway. It shows that the public like to see an original, small layout with plenty of action. I think that the TV series has done a lot to create interest in model railways. One local lady has started an N gauge layout so I am pleased to see ladies take part in what has been a male dominated hobby. Perhaps we can have a ladies' team to compete in the next series if they are doing one.

What people want to see at an exhibition/show is invariably trains moving. That wouldn't be the same for tv viewing like the GMRC, where more "drama" is needed, however falsely created.

 

I think "female disinterest" is a more appropriate description than "male domination", which rather implies a positive discrimination against women. However, what we don't want either is positive discrimination on behalf of women, but a team of ladies who want to take part for their own satisfaction and enjoyment.

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I can only echo this sentiment. There was a lot of help going round. I know Fawley's captain spent a good 40 mins under the Railway childrens layout towards the end of day 2. If you look carefully at the overhead shot of the Railway Childrens layout sometimes you'll notice the faces are blurred so you can't see (if you pause it right) who is working on the layout. That secret is safe with me :-)

 

I'd imagine it was a bit more kick/scramble in the final as there was (someone correct me if I'm wrong?) no pre building allowed. But I'm sure the call of "anyone got a staple gun" still got answered by a team with one.

 

And I can only echo the echo! Despite the fact that our team got more help than it gave out, I do remember that a measly bag of ballast was slipped under the table ;)

 

The show was worth doing it for the friendly folk alone and, though I think it's safe to say that 'Fire And Ice' was a two horse race from the start, if the show gets another series (and we're not blacklisted!), I'd personally love a reunion/rematch with the other teams.

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Well, one secret I can reveal is that on the last evening of the Grand Final, a certain museum key holder let all the teams have a few extra hours after the Production team had gone home for the night. Shhh, don't tell Kathy.

 

That can be allocated as "tinkering time". ;) Scrapheap Challenge actually had a whole day of it (not the alleged hour or so they alluded to)

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According to Thinkbox.tv, the BARB figures for episode 3 are still at nearly 1.2 million (including +1 and time shifted viewing) (733.000 watched live), and is beating the Walking Disused Railways programme that follows it.

 

Not sure if the figures quoted earlier in this thread for episodes 1 and 2 included the +1 and time shifted or not.

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I took the figures directly from the BARB website, and I'm not sure if they include +1 (they dont say) but I think so.

 

They have GMRC as the 9th most watched show on C5 that week, with 1,180,300 viewers. Thats up nearly 100,000 on the Episode 2, but down 120,000 from the opening show. 

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Peter, from the South Dorset Modellers, built a model of a narrow gauge railway ending up in Poole Harbour. It had real water in the harbour with a wave making machine that rocked the boat by the pier. I think that the water leaked when he took it to an exhibition and his latest layout has a stream with water made from layers of epoxy resin.

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I've just had a copy of "Railway Magazine, Guide to Modelling" (November issue)

It's a Freebie newspaper given away at model railway retailers.

 

I think it gives the results away.

I was starting to read one of the articles when I dawned it was commenting on the final result, so I quickly stopped reading to save the spoling effect of watching a competition I already know the result of.

 

Be warned.

 

Keith

I think you may rest easy; I have now seen the piece and it actually refers to the heat aired on 12 October rather than the final but it could easily be read the way you did. Fundamentally it was a poor piece of writing as they also had Callum's first and second names wrong.
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I think you may rest easy; I have now seen the piece and it actually refers to the heat aired on 12 October rather than the final but it could easily be read the way you did. Fundamentally it was a poor piece of writing as they also had Callum's first and second names wrong.

Everyone always seems to forget the second L ;) 

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Just put together a video showing the rebuild of our Heat Layout "Go Forth" at Signals Model Shop in Midsomer Norton. 

Think we've spent more time so fair rebuilding it, that we did building it first time around! Hopefully it will give a bit more of an insight into how, our Animations worked too. 

Hope it's of interest!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B96wt091hXE

post-20663-0-79352600-1541093817_thumb.gif

Edited by SDJR7F88
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