Cancelled due to vandalism- Stamford show 18th May

[Steamport Southport]

In my experience I would say petty vandalism is more prevalent in small towns than big cities. You hardly see any in places like Liverpool, London or Manchester apart from graffiti. Plenty of art in the street that never gets touched. Serious crime is higher though.

 

People have better things to do.

 

 

Jason

[adb968008]

Shocking, really shocking.

 

We all know its not money thats the issue, insurance etc can help, the real issue is time and skill.

 

Maybe if an inventory of the status was made and make a fix list produced, with required parts as a community i’m sure the parts required can be sourced...next is time.

 

Rather than an exhibition perhaps the club could do a group repair weekend and invite modellers to a repair workshop, i’d be happy to bring my tools, indeed much of my workshop and spend time to Help with repair / reassembly, i’m sure others could ?

Edited May 18, 2019 by adb968008

[robmcg]

Deeply upsetting, my heart goes out to those who have lost their creative work, absolutely terrible.

 

 

[ianmianmianm]

2 hours ago, friscopete said:

Its just a thing dumb kids do .I watched my late  friend demolish a phone box  in seconds when we were at the local grammar  school .All because he couldnt get through to his MUM .He ended up a policeman   .Another fine upstanding lad  I went to school with used to break in anywhere he could .He stole food ,guns ,ammo ,anything ..he was our favorite source for  stolen 22 ammo .He later became a teacher  who dabbled in model railways.His father would have died on the spot if he had known .Our villages known drug dealer to the local  kids was the son of an officer in  the drug squad ..if his parents had bothered to look out of their upstairs window they could have seen him in action .

Its very sad  to see our models defiled stolen etc but kids are dying for less.

 

Curious. When these kids became earners, did they fully repay the financial cost of their crime, with interest then?

 

[ELTEL]

10 hours ago, polybear said:

 

And if they are kids, then bleed the parents dry.  Might stop them letting little Jimmy wander the streets at 3am.

 

There's another thing that worries me.  No doubt there will be those who will now feel that exhibiting their layouts at exhibitions just isn't worth the risk anymore, which will be to the detriment of all of us.

As many have said before me, my thoughts go out to the modellers who will have spent many hours building there layouts to entertain fellow modellers and the general public.

 

Also my thoughts to the traders and Market Deeping Club 

 

As a regular exhibitor (with a layout at exhibition this weekend)  I did not sleep easy last night.

 

Wearing my other hat as part of the exhibition team at Stafford we have employed a professional security company who supply a security guy on both the Friday & Saturday nights during our exhibition weekend and have done for almost the last 20 years.for both our peace of mind and to all attend the exhibition.

 

It is now up to the law and insurance companies to sort this mess out and compensate for the loss and damage to the layout owners and club.

 

The club will of course suffer the financial loss of income that would have been generated over the weekend unless they have insured against this.

 

One would hope that the traders will have been insured as it is not normally the case that host club insure traders goods.

 

I for one will support any action that RMWEB can offer.

 

regards

 

Eltel 

[PaulRhB]

7 hours ago, lightengine said:

Having read your suggestions about nightwatchmen.  Somebody sleeping in the parking lot of the exhibition place with a mobile phone connected to a sensor/s positioned in the hall would maybe suffice.  I guess exhibitors might have campervans/mobile homes.

The story says the caretaker responded quickly so I doubt the outcome would be any different. You’ve got to remember if a lone person had gone up against them they could have been pushed over and hurt as they escaped making it worse or they could have claimed assault and got that person in trouble!

The Caretaker and Police did an excellent job and caught them, let’s not forget that, but they didn’t need much time to cause that mayhem. 

[phil-b259]

7 hours ago, Ian Hargrave said:

 

Small market towns are not immune from such problems.Nowhere is.

 

 

Indeed - but the risk is considerably less in rural areas / small towns and as such the levels of security will be less formidable than areas where the risk is perceived as grater.

[Neil]

I have huge sympathy for those affected by the mindless vandalism. In their position, though welcome, any insurance payout would only go part way to compensate me for the loss incurred. The models of most value to me aren't necessarily those that have cost the most but are those which have the most of my creative input, those which I feel I've done a particularly good job on.

 

Stepping aside from the specific and personal impact of this particular event will there be repercussions for the wider hobby? It's hard to say but I suspect that all will check that the insurance value of their layout and stock properly reflects it's true, replacement value. I guess that many (like me) have only considered what the layout will have cost them to build, not what it would cost to have a replacement built for them. In my case I get more fun from building than owning, I'm not sure that having a replica built for me would be something I would want to do. Will this incident put modellers off taking layouts to exhibitions? For those not directly affected, after the initial shock has worn off, I doubt that it will; this is the first act of deliberate vandalism targeted at a model railway show (that I know of) so at the moment doesn't constitute a worrying trend.

 

My last thought has to do with the perpetrators. We, as a society, need to look beyond the heartache and anger caused by the wilful destruction at our eventual preferred outcome. I'd suggest that the best outcome is that the perpetrators become upright and responsible citizens, the worst that they never engage with society and they progress from vandalism to thievery and violence. I'd hazard a guess that the offenders in this case will fall into the category of youths. It's well understood now that the brain isn't fully formed until our mid twenties so, as has been mentioned earlier in this thread, there is hope that lives can be turned around.

 

 

[Bucoops]

As someone who is realising just how much work is involved in building a kit, let along scratchbuilding or building a layout, this whole mess makes me feel physically sick. I'm so glad the little cherubs who did it have been caught - perhaps the organisers could go with some kind of private legal action to recover costs from them and their parents/guardians?

 

I'd be more than happy to chip in to a fund for that or towards one of the exhibitors? Traders at the show affected - let's all buy an extra item this month from them?

 

Additionally, if someone does put together a list of what was lost we could all have a rummage through our roundtuit piles to see if anything is suitable that could be spared? After all many kits aren't available now. 

Edited May 19, 2019 by Bucoops

[Titan]

1 hour ago, PaulRhB said:

The story says the caretaker responded quickly so I doubt the outcome would be any different. You’ve got to remember if a lone person had gone up against them they could have been pushed over and hurt as they escaped making it worse or they could have claimed assault and got that person in trouble!

The Caretaker and Police did an excellent job and caught them, let’s not forget that, but they didn’t need much time to cause that mayhem. 

 

I do wonder if the prompt response by the caretaker, residents and police was the reason why not only were the perpetrators caught, but they did not smash up the layouts in the other room.

[Northroader]

Just caught up with this terrible news. I really felt it when I saw the recent photos of the wreckage with the exhibitors going round taking it all in. It must be totally devastating to be one of those involved to come in and see what’s happened to the models you’ve spent years of creative work on just trashed. Hope everyone can recover from the shock and push on.

[lapford34102]

I think my feelings and range of reactions have been more than adequately expressed by everyone else.

 

I see there is an update https://www.stamfordmercury.co.uk/news/youths-released-on-bail-after-break-in-at-stamford-welland-academy-9070678/

 

Happy to support any appeal to help those affected.

 

Stu

[Bucoops]

17 hours ago, Mike Storey said:

I am not sure if this has been posted above already, bu it is a quote (from the Rutland & Stamford Mercury) on a facebook thread about this, that does not appear in the on-line Stamford Mercury article:

 

 

Peter Davies, Chairman of Market Deeping Model Railway Club, which had arranged the exhibition that was due to take place today, said: "This is devastating. I have never seen anything like it.

"One of the locomotives had been built by a man who has terminal cancer. Not only was it worth in the region of £8,000, it had also taken him a lot of time to build and because of his cancer he will never be able to rebuild it.

"He had also brought along a layout that he had created over 25 years. Again, this is something he will not be able to remake.

 

 

I really hope that these yobs are made to realise just what they have done.

 

 

 

I keep coming back to this post - I wonder if perhaps something special could be done for this chap? Perhaps some kind of day out at a preserved railway?

[5 C]

1 hour ago, Titan said:

 

I do wonder if the prompt response by the caretaker, residents and police was the reason why not only were the perpetrators caught, but they did not smash up the layouts in the other room.

It was a great response from the community. So often people don't want to get involved - even to the extent of dialling 999.

 

It was also a great response from Lincolnshire Police and Cambridgeshire Police. I posted this earlier, but it's worth noting the level of response:

This is a predominantly rural area and resources would be spread far and wide. The dog unit came from Cambridgeshire and there was even an Armed Response Vehicle. The dog would most likely have been sent in first, so the offenders would have been confronted with a very angry police dog and who knows, maybe even a couple of firearms officers.

 

It may well have been the shocking reality check they needed.

 

I followed this story throughout yesterday and the pictures that have emerged are truly heartbreaking. The support and sympathy on here and from the wider modelling community is encouraging. One thing is clear though, no amount of money can replace that most precious of commodities - time.

[eldavo]

As everyone else has said this is truly awful news.  There is no way the time and effort can be repaid or the emotional attachment healed.

 

As a practical matter I note some have suggested that stock should be removed from layouts and taken to overnight accommodation.  If you intend to do this please, please check your insurance very carefully.  My understanding of the usual show insurance cover is that your items are covered on the journey from home to the venue, while at the venue and the journey back home.  If you remove items from the venue overnight you will likely need your own insurance policy to cover this.

 

Cheers

Dave

 

[Tricky-CRS]

17 hours ago, snitchthebudgie said:

I have mentioned the possibility of a site for donations on N Gauge Forum. I'm sure that there would be support across the modelling fraternity.  Jon 

It has also been suggested that insurance may pay less out, as it will take the combined sum. Fund raising should I would suggest be held back until insurance has paid out or as a urgent hardship fund.

 

This is truly shocking and my thoughts are with loss effected.

[298]

1 hour ago, Neil said:

Stepping aside from the specific and personal impact of this particular event will there be repercussions for the wider hobby?

 

This is something worthy of a separate thread, but it's definitely got me thinking of the risks involved and how well covered my models are. I've been exhibiting for a long time and although I do so infrequently now, I'm concerned that exhibition insurance values are treated a little blaise where the only information asked for is a value of the layout (sometimes broken down to layout/stock/tools), and occasionally a separate list of items over a certain value. 

 

Looking at that in terms of my nearly finished project, I could quickly put an insurance value on everything from a commercial perspective plus a quotient of building time as nothing has any real sentimental value, and one of the considerations of exhibiting that I'm now reminded if is what happens in the event if damage or total loss not only to vandalism but also theft (including from the car) flooding, an accident going to or from the show, etc.

 

The exhibition circuit will definitely become a poorer place for it, but myself and I'm sure others are starting to think that anything of sentimental or high value will be staying at home, and we'll be seeing replaceable layouts with identikit buildings and RTR stock. This is one of the few hobbies where we tend to hold onto our "Art", hard up 19th century artists sold their paintings and Banksy is known for leaving his in public places, likewise the time spent building something has to be seen to be repaid unlike Cycling or Golf where the participant merely sees it as enjoying their hobby or furthering their skills.

[Jonboy]

2 minutes ago, Tricky-CRS said:

It has also been suggested that insurance may pay less out, as it will take the combined sum. Fund raising should I would suggest be held back until insurance has paid out or as a urgent hardship fund.

 

Does this mean if we fundraise as a community it will help keep any increased financial  burden to other clubs down, as any payout  is reduced, or will the fact this is a single incident over many decades mean the impact is negligible anyway?

[newbryford]

5 minutes ago, 298 said:

 

The exhibition circuit will definitely become a poorer place for it, but myself and I'm sure others are starting to think that anything of sentimental or high value will be staying at home, and we'll be seeing replaceable layouts with identikit buildings and RTR stock.

 

In today's world of batch production of models - even the RTR stuff can become virtually irreplaceable.

['CHARD]

20 minutes ago, Bucoops said:

 

I keep coming back to this post - I wonder if perhaps something special could be done for this chap? Perhaps some kind of day out at a preserved railway?

 

I think it should be done, and made very special indeed, and posted all over social media to show the creeps, their families and friends what good, decent behaviour really looks like.

[MRDBLUE17]

Absolutely shocking mindless vandalism. My thoughts go out to the club and all those affected by it.

 

Mark

[Bucoops]

5 minutes ago, 'CHARD said:

 

I think it should be done, and made very special indeed, and posted all over social media to show the creeps, their families and friends what good, decent behaviour really looks like.

 

 

Yes and no - I like the idea of that but perhaps the gentleman may not like too much of a fuss being made. I'm not sure how to go about such a thing but I guess the first bit would be to find out where his favourite might be? I guess the model railway club would be a good starting point? Is there a representative on here?

[EEType4]

Words fail me, I am so sorry for all those affected by this, please don't let the b*****ds responsible beat you.

 

This is such a harmless hobby involving kind and generous people, the polar opposite of the morons that have perpetrated this.

 

Ken

[kipford]

On holiday so only just seen this. So shocked at the mindless actions of a few. My sympathy to the all those affected.

[Baby Deltic]

Unfortunately this is a fear we have all had at shows that has been realised in the worst possible way. Many of us fear the venue being broken into after we have set up our exhibits but up until now, the fear has always been the motivation being theft of stock, not mindless vandalism like this. Absolutely shocking. I cannot even begin to imagine the pain and heartache being felt by all of those affected by this.