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Stafford Railway Exhibition 1st & 2nd February 2020


ELTEL
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On 31/01/2020 at 23:32, ELTEL said:Exhibition Update - Nothing to Report 
 

23:00 Brexit Done

23:00 Football Transfer Deadline Day Closed

23:00 Local Pub Closed

23:00 No snow forecast 

23:00 Time for bed it redness to play trains at Stafford Railway Circles 2020 Exhibition

 

Shame about this evenings Stoke result.

 

Terry 

 

 

 

 

 

8 hours ago, 70000 Britannia said:

 

Looked like a decent evening last night.

Brexit signed and done.

2 decent signings.

 

Then Stoke result spoiled it.

 

Never mind, looking forward to visiting on Sunday.


I personally saw nothing wrong with the Stoke result! Was seriously tempted to visit on Saturday wearing my Derby shirt, but decided I might not be allowed in. Nice show, with some good layouts. The n gauge layout with the working vehicles on the roadway being my personal favourite. There were not as many layouts that  appealed to me this time around but that is down to personal preference. Catering was as good as always and there seemed to be more seating than previous years which was most welcome. 

 My one (very minor) gripe concerns the opening of the show. The gates were opened to allow the front of the queue to reach the pay desks, but then those that had purchased tickets were halted just beyond the desk and made to wait until the official opening time. This did cause a bit of jostling as it blocked those behind from getting to the desks. This seemed a pointless exercise. Much better to open the desks at the point the show officially opens in my personal opinion. Like I said, only a minor gripe. Congrats to the organisers for another good show. I always look forward to this event.

 

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7 hours ago, andyram said:

 


I personally saw nothing wrong with the Stoke result! Was seriously tempted to visit on Saturday wearing my Derby shirt, but decided I might not be allowed in. Nice show, with some good layouts. The n gauge layout with the working vehicles on the roadway being my personal favourite. There were not as many layouts that  appealed to me this time around but that is down to personal preference. Catering was as good as always and there seemed to be more seating than previous years which was most welcome. 

 My one (very minor) gripe concerns the opening of the show. The gates were opened to allow the front of the queue to reach the pay desks, but then those that had purchased tickets were halted just beyond the desk and made to wait until the official opening time. This did cause a bit of jostling as it blocked those behind from getting to the desks. This seemed a pointless exercise. Much better to open the desks at the point the show officially opens in my personal opinion. Like I said, only a minor gripe. Congrats to the organisers for another good show. I always look forward to this event.

 


The time of opening is 10:00 on both days and as such both layout operators and traders man there layouts and trade stands knowing we will be open at 10:00

 

As a large exhibition it’s not practical to check with each trader or layouts  operator to ask if they are ready.

 

I go to other large exhibitions IPMS & Telford and Caravan exhibitions at the NEC at likewise they open the doors to the public at the published times.

 

Im glad you enjoyed the exhibition.

 

Regards

 

Terry 

 

 

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7 hours ago, andyram said:

I personally saw nothing wrong with the Stoke result! 

 

 My one (very minor) gripe concerns the opening of the show. The gates were opened to allow the front of the queue to reach the pay desks, but then those that had purchased tickets were halted just beyond the desk and made to wait until the official opening time. This did cause a bit of jostling as it blocked those behind from getting to the desks. This seemed a pointless exercise. Much better to open the desks at the point the show officially opens in my personal opinion. Like I said, only a minor gripe. 

 

 

Agreed about the football result . . . . . 

 

At the Derby Roundhouse show we sell tickets in the queue outside so that we have a few hundred paid up visitors ready at opening time to go straight into the show without having to wait to buy tickets. Then the only ones who need to pay at the desk are those who arrived after opening time.

 

Mike

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My wife and I visited yesterday, arriving at the same time as ChrisF so we went to the cafe for our first cuppa and a catch up.

 

A very good show as always with plenty of variety. Particular favourites of mine were Hope-under-Dinmore, Harlyn Pier and Wickwar. I enjoyed the 3mm section and noticed there were a few London Underground layouts which add something different, plus a fix of panniers. Can’t forget to mention Under the Chandelier. 
 

Congratulations to all involved.

 

Brian

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I was in the queue outside. Everyone seemed to be happy. The queue moved at a good pace once the show was open. Colin, the exhibition manager, was doing a great job of keeping a high throughput at the ticket sellers.

 

As a seasoned exhibitor the last thing I need is a show letting the public in even five minutes early. It's often a time of last minute tweaking.

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Nice exhibition as well. Perhaps no blockbuster layouts but a lot of very high quality layouts and a good variety too. Wickwar deserves a special mention as being a wonderful piece of modelling. Good spread of trade exhibitors. That is exactly what I expect from Stafford. Well done chaps.

Edited by Chris M
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42 minutes ago, ELTEL said:
The time of opening is 10:00 on both days and as such both layout operators and traders man there layouts and trade stands knowing we will be open at 10:00

 

As a large exhibition it’s not practical to check with each trader or layouts  operator to ask if they are ready.

 

I go to other large exhibitions IPMS & Telford and Caravan exhibitions at the NEC at likewise they open the doors to the public at the published times.

 

Im glad you enjoyed the exhibition.

 

Regards

 

Terry 

 

 

No issue with opening time Terry. My comment was based on the practice of letting visitors through to buy tickets five minutes early, but then stopping them entering beyond the pay desk thus causing the  jostling behind as the held queue of people who had paid blocked the pay desk for others. If the opening time is 10am then it would have been better to simply open the gate at that time and allow the visitors to buy tickets and go straight through. I had misjudged the opening time (forgot to check the advert...doh!) and arrived at 9.15. I was happy to wait the extra five minutes to buy tickets to avoid the situation that I have observed at the last two Stafford events. The practice that Mike Bellamy describes regarding the selling tickets to the queue before the gates open seems to work well. Please regard my comments as constructive criticism. Like I said, it did not reduce my enjoyment of a show I look forward to each year. Yourself, and the rest of the organisers deserve huge credit for putting on such a great event. I hope the rest of the weekend is a success.

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6 minutes ago, Chris M said:

I was in the queue outside. Everyone seemed to be happy. The queue moved at a good pace once the show was open. Colin, the exhibition manager, was doing a great job of keeping a high throughput at the ticket sellers.

 

As a seasoned exhibitor the last thing I need is a show letting the public in even five minutes early. It's often a time of last minute tweaking.

See my previous comment. I am not suggesting they should have let the queue through five minutes early. I feel my comment has been misunderstood. 

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The three of us from Barnstaple had an early start, arriving in time for a coffee in the car park. Much better with not needing to share parking with antique fair! Joined the long queue about 10 min opening but through pay desks very efficiently. 

 

We had a great day, plenty of great layouts and met up with several fellow modelled. Didn't spend a great deal but bought mostly what I wanted.

 

Always an enjoyable and high quality show. Definitely worth our 3 1/2 hour drive each way! Back next year with a layout. 

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Great show as always have been a visitor and past exhibitor at Stafford for a number of years now. Yes the queue yesterday morning was long almost to the end of the arena paddock but it kept moving. Got a nice bargain off the club sales stand and some bits I needed. The tables and chairs in hall 2 and 3 were nice to see to eat your own lunch at or just have a sit down for a bit.

 

One small observation - would it be acceptable to allow persons with a mobility or disability to be admitted at the door? Rather than make them push if with carer/helper or hand wheel their wheelchair, or walk on crutches all the way to the end of the queue? Have a steward outside the main door who can direct them to join the queue at their say so.

 

Cheers Paul

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4 hours ago, woodenhead said:

What happened with the Jaguar?

 

Was it towed or did the owner finally appear?

 

3 hours ago, andyram said:

 I wondered the same thing.

 

What did the Jag do wrong?

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What an excellent show.

 

I spent way too much money - (sorry for anyone looking for 3/8" by 1/8" Brass Rod as I think I bought the lot!), and I particularly enjoyed :-

Addison Park

Aldgate Hill,

Billton Goods,

Burdale Quarry

Deadmans Lane,

Duncrievie Fuelling Point,

Kinlet Rd Shed,

Old Market,

Smallwood (My favourite), and

White Acres.

:)

 

I somehow managed to miss:-

Neuburg, and 

Canalside Iron Works. (One I particularly wanted to see!!)

:(

 

Thanks for all the hard work and I will try very hard to come next year too.

:) :)

 

 

Kev.

No problems with parking or backpacks - yes I had a backpack and didn't have a single (soft) collision!

All very polite.

;)

 

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1 minute ago, polybear said:

What did the Jag do wrong?

Parked in the wrong place and ignored requests to move!

By the time of the ‘final warning or it gets towed’ there was a palpable “Oooh!” round the halls.

Paul.

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Just back from an excellent day at the show. Of the layouts I hadn't seen before, my favourites were Hope-under-Dinmore and Farmers Drove.  The latter, in particular, is very evocative of where I grew up and the trains I used to travel on when I was growing up there! But it was good to see some old favourites as well, including Wickwar, Harlyn Pier and Avyn-a-Llyin.

 

Came away with a mixed bag of goodies from C&L Finescale, Ten Commandments and Eileen's Emporium, all of which will fill a gap on my current project. All in all, a very rewarding day.

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3 hours ago, dagrizz said:

I too enjoyed the show - I usually prefer the larger layouts at shows but today I particularly liked Canalside Iron Works and Farmers Drove. Both were very evocative in their different ways.

 

Well done to all involved. 

 

Graham

If I recall the layout correctly, Canalside Iron Works looks even more impressive from the back - whenever I see it I think of an old organ.

 

Whoever built this is clearly a craftsperson, because the frame in which the model sits is a work of art in itself, it looks like every screw and bolt has been carefully positioned and then the whole thing stained and varnished in a lovely old dark stain with brass fittings

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