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Great Model Railway Challenge - Channel 5


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Another possibility would be an extra episode - all the best bits, that didn't make it to the broadcast episodes, due to time and editorial constraints.

 

Overall a worthy, entertaining and enlightening look into the world of railway modelling. Well done to all the teams that took part, to the producers and to Channel Five for showing the programme.

 

On a totally different but connected theme. As a long time fan of Kathy Millatt's youtube videos I would love to see what Kathy could do with the items from the scratchbuild challenges.

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Another possibility would be an extra episode - all the best bits, that didn't make it to the broadcast episodes, due to time and editorial constraints.

 

Undoubtedly we'd all like to see more but minutes cost money in terms of editing and production which would take costs beyond the producer's budget and unless there was prior agreement and financial commitment from the channel (in effect buying the additional programmes) for supplementary content and programmes.

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Flying Scotsman and Pendennis Castle were both set to run as 'star trains', as a tribute to the late Sir William McAlpine, who had owned them both at one time, but the Hitachi 800 unit caused so many problems (it either ran at scale 5mph or 500mph and nothing in between) that there was no time until after judging.

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A fantastic winner - looking forward to seeing it at Warley - if I can get close enough to it to see it. 

 

Aberdeen's layout showed the most imagination and that's what potential newbies want/need - to have their imagination stimulated - concerns about the number of rivets on a GWR smokebox door can come 20 years down the line.

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I suppose it was inevitable that Aberdeen would have 4472/60103 running through the clouds!

 

Well they did say the upper levels were for the higher (and obviously more wealthy) levels of society. ;)

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.

 

On a totally different but connected theme. As a long time fan of Kathy Millatt's youtube videos I would love to see what Kathy could do with the items from the scratchbuild challenges.

Do you mean wearing high heels and goggles while carrying a plunger? ;)

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However, I was rather disappointed by the final programme. The final really needed to be spread over two, one hour slots. Five teams working solidly over three and half days was really glossed over and there was no time to take in the detail and cameos of the final products. The replacement for the scratch-build challenge was edited out completely.

Yes. And presumably they could have been given the nod to re-edit for this during the run when the reaction and viewing figures told them they had a hit on their hands.

 

The Nim.

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Yes. And presumably they could have been given the nod to re-edit for this during the run when the reaction and viewing figures told them they had a hit on their hands.

 

The Nim.

 

Re-editing is one thing. Finding an extra week in the schedules to broadcast it is another.

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New member, just joined.

 

Watched the whole series and thoroughly enjoyed every episode. And after years of thinking about it, I've finally found the inspiration to start a small layout of my own. So it's definitely brought at least 1 new person into the hobby!

Welcome aboard oh oh, good luck with your build and dont be afraid to ask sruff no matter how trivial it might seem, we've all been there, enjoy!

Steve

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Welcome aboard oh oh, good luck with your build and dont be afraid to ask sruff no matter how trivial it might seem, we've all been there, enjoy!

Steve

 

Thanks v much.

 

I've posted some details and pics in the new members section.

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Well done to EVERYBODY involved, I thought any layout could have won, I couldn't pick the winner until the final reveal. Thought it was a fantastic series, got me talking to a few different people about the hobby and I hope we get another one :-)

Steve.

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I thoroughly enjoyed the whole series. The commentary was a bit dumbed down, but in that respect it was no different to the other "reality tv" programmes. If that's what it takes to get folks to re-emgage with the hobby then I'll put up with it.

 

At least by the end of the programme the presenters had realised that what they thought was narrow gauge was actually N gauge !

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The teams all had the same length of time to plan, design, purchase and prepare for the final build, although filming of the last heat had not completed by then, so all three teams in that heat were given the brief to think about, I believe.

 

Our timetable during filming:

Thursday and Friday- 12 hours of railway modelling

Saturday- judging day, found out we won, Malcolm articulated his enthusiasm to the camera Have the London Olympics idea

Sunday- 3 of us go to Gaugemaster to see what little figures can be bodged into an Olympic scene

Monday and Tuesday- design the layout whilst doing our day jobs

Wednesday evening- drive to High Wycombe ready for the final

 

We never thought we were going to win before we started as we had so little preparation done before we left. It wasn’t until we were told Missenden were as good as disqualified that we realised we might be in with a chance and started thinking about the final.

 

They cut quite a lot from the final- Basingstoke’s broad gauge deserved a mention and the (slightly rubbish) wagon bashing competition wasn’t featured at all. We would have had far more buildings on our layout but we didn’t have the man-hours to get all our kits built with 5 down to 4 during the second day.

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Visited my local model shop today (Woodchurch, Kent) and encouraged to be told that they had been very busy over the last 3-4 weeks, Partly due to GMRC I guess.

 

Let's hope it is sustained and helps local model shops stay in business.

 

Steve

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