expoEM Bracknell 14-15 May 2011

[BluenGreyAnorak]

I went back again this afternoon, making good use of my weekend ticket, especially as it's just around the corner. Had another very pleasant stroll around the layouts and took some pictures this time, as the crowd was thinning out.

 

I loved Longcarse West - from the disused platform to the partially lifted track, it just oozes atmosphere:

 

 

The operational authenticity of Tower Pier was impressive. Unfortunately, my pics of the fully operational signal box instruments and levers didn't come out so this will have to do:

 

 

The obligatory picture of Leighton Buzzard, which was nice but not really my thing:

 

 

Western Road Diesel Depot was right up my boulevard...

 

 

 

...although it did feature this oddity:

 

 

Finally, for me, was Mostyn in all it's gigantic, extended glory:

 

 

 

The fiddle yard, of which this is only half, is truly a sight to behold:

 

 

Mostyn won the 'best in show' cup, which was well deserved in my book. I spent quite a lot of time chatting to various members of the team about the logistics in exhibiting something that big, and it's difficult to not be impressed by the commitment required.

 

Towards the end of the afternoon some strangers appeared on what I can only assume must have been a railtour. The gathered crowd were exactly like a bunch of trainspotters when these two showed up

 

 

Finally, I think I made the day of the chap on the Dart Castings stand when I asked him for some dolphins that my daughter had spotted yesterday. I don't expect they're his fastest moving item of stock

[St. Simon]

Hi,

 

Had an enjoyable couple of hours at ExpoEM on Saturday, after seeing 2 Black Fives through Saunderton!

 

Very nice exhibition, enjoy it every year, some very good layouts, partically Mostyn. I thought that Leighton Buzzard (despite not evening being born when it was in Railway Modeller!) stood the test of time and didn't seem to look dated next to more modern layouts. I really liked that Diesel Depot on Western Road (I think )

 

Would of brought something as well if the members sale stand took checks

 

Simon

[craigwelsh]

I saw that on the trader's stand but didn't on the Bring & Buy - I also thought that the marked up price was way OTT though so passed it by. I guess the trader has to make a profit, but .... Probably at that price it is still there today ready to be reduced to a more appropriate amount as it doesn't sell. Though I'm sure one went recently on ebay for an even higher amount (IIRC over £100 !)

Ironically the eBay one had been bought off a bring and buy for £15 and yes it did reach about £100.

 

The new Mostyn is massive and rather expensive and didn't end up at Scaleforum now which was disappointing.

 

I was made aware of some good buys on the bring and buy I missed as unfortunately my only May show is Railex with petrol prices what they are now..

[t-b-g]

Back home again safe and sound! That was a wonderful weekend. A big thank you to everybody for their kind words in support of the exhibiting of Leighton Buzzard. Apart from a very baffling fault on saturday afternoon, which took quite a while to sort out, the running was very pleasing.

 

It just wouldn't have been right without a timetable and the block bells and as the sequence devised for the MRJ show have survived on the fiddle yard, it only took a bit of logical thinking (what!!! me!!!!) to work out the station moves.

 

What made it even more special was having Peter's three sons there, two as operators and one as a visitor, along with Mike Kippax, who became one of the regular Buckingham operators around 37 years ago.

 

My favourite moment was when a father and son were watching and the father was saying to the son (who was quite young, possibly around 8 years old) that the layout was being operated like the real thing, with the block bells etc. We chatted and I found out that dad was a real railwayman on the big stuff! Before long the son had a go at ringing the bells and not long after that he was in my seat operating the layout and he was a top rate operator! He left with a big smile on his face and he put one on mine too!

 

With regard to the numbers attending, I don't know the overall figures and will leave that to the organisers if they wish to say anything (over to you Graeme!) but I understand that they were up on Saturday by a decent margin.

[David Bigcheeseplant]

Expo EM was good as always, Tower Pier was my personal favourite, I thought Mostyn looked better in its original size than with the new extension and in my mind the layout looked like a rather well endowed lady having a huge breast enlargement, and now unbalanced.

 

Observing from the Wild Swan stand all weekend I thought Saturday was busy but Sunday seemed very quiet.

 

David

[davefrk]

I guess if you had your wheels pulled out to EM B2B you would have running problems too

 

I wonder what the combined age of the layouts was - most had been around for quite a while, as good as they are and as busy as the trade seemed to be, is EM becoming less popular I wonder as the "no compromise" committed modellers now go for P4?

 

 

Hi Kenton, and how do you know the poster wasn't referring to the P4 layouts...... Te He...

 

All the best,

Dave Franks.

www.lanarkshiremodels.com

[betehumane]

This was my first EM Expo and I had a fantastic time. Possibly one of the best exhibitions I've been to in terms of quality and quantity across the board, from layouts and traders to demos and lectures. Dare I say it knocked Sc**ef***um into a cocked hat? :-)

 

One minor comment as relative newbie, I would have loved to have brought my first-EM effort railbus to run on the test track, but despite searching the programme and pre-show blurb had found no evidence that it would actually be there. I was told its always there, so I'll know for next year but would have preferred not to have learned the hard way!

 

Congratulations and thanks to all those involved for making it a grand day out.

[Penlan]

....One minor comment as relative newbie, I would have loved to have brought my first-EM effort railbus to run on the test track, but despite searching the programme and pre-show blurb had found no evidence that it would actually be there. I was told its always there, so I'll know for next year but would have preferred not to have learned the hard way!......

ExpoEM layout owners don't bite, I'm sure anyone of the layout owners would have been (more than) willing to let you run the Railbus on their layout.

That's the nature of Expo (and Scalexxxx). Be not affraid.

 

I've had some exotic stuff running on Penlan at exhibitions, we're here to help.

 

 

[mike morley]

anyone of the layout owners would have been (more than) willing to let you run the Railbus on their layout.

 

I was a few seconds too late to see it for myself, but late on Sunday afternoon the rather bemused owners of Axe Edge Colliery told me their layout had just been visited by a Southern electric!

[Timara]

I was a few seconds too late to see it for myself, but late on Sunday afternoon the rather bemused owners of Axe Edge Colliery told me their layout had just been visited by a Southern electric!

 

Someone has photos of that ......

 

Just about recovering from a very long weekend at Expo. Thoroughly enjoyed it, even if I was run off my feet and trying to be omnipresent!

 

Highlight for me was Leighton Buzzard. I've long wanted to see even part of Rev'd Peter Denny's Buckingham in my lifetime, so that's one of the "thing to do before ye die" done!

[t-b-g]

I guess if you had your wheels pulled out to EM B2B you would have running problems too

 

I wonder what the combined age of the layouts was - most had been around for quite a while, as good as they are and as busy as the trade seemed to be, is EM becoming less popular I wonder as the "no compromise" committed modellers now go for P4?

 

Was EM ever the thing for "no compromise" modellers?

 

I always thought that P4 was for them and that EM was for people who just wanted a nearer scale track gauge than "OO" while still accepting a small compromise. There is no doubt that any P4 or EM layout will take longer to produce and stock up than the equivalent in "OO". There is also no doubt in my mind that a P4 layout takes longer than an EM layout to build because you need to take more care to get track alignments and levels more precise. Leighton Buzzard would never have run as a P4 layout as the track gauge is based on an average of around 18.25mm but varies by at least 0.5mm either side of that. In EM it works. What LB would do is bump up the average age of the layouts!

 

So if an EM or P4 layout takes longer to do than a "OO" one, perhaps that is why there are not as many new ones appearing on the exhibition circuit.

 

I do agree that there are not the number of newcomers onto the scene that there were before. When I started in EM in about 1980, I was 20 years old and the new kid on the block. Now I am 51 and with a few exceptions (including you Tim!), nearly everybody exhibiting at EXPO EM seemed older than me, so I am still the new kid on the block.

 

I know a number of people who are not now considering lugging new layouts around exhibitions because of their age and the hard work involved.

 

The next generation of modellers may never come along, so perhaps we should enjoy the hobby for what it is, while there is still one to enjoy!

 

I also thought Tower Pier to be an excellent layout, with some fine modelling and an interesting operating system. I would go so far as to say it is inspirational and that doesn't happen too often to me nowadays! Perhaps not ideal as a general exhibition layout because of the restricted viewing angles (as the operators said themselves) but well suited to something like EXPO EM. I was very pleased that they brought it along as it was worth a close inspection.

[Jon020]

I had a very enjoyable visit on Sunday... starting with a chat with Brain and Mike at Extreme Etchings (showing my deltic progress) and then with Colin Craig and his marvellous turnouts - more of which I need to understand and venture in to. Had a nice few minutes talkign to Peter Johnson on Canada Road (his Deltic was one of my orginal inspirations) and quite a while with David Furmage on Longcarse West, a nice compact layout that has really shown me what can be done as I start out having turned my back on OO... It'll be interesting to see what comes next if this was David's first try.... and fun watching the 26 and 27 shunting the wagons - even if the buffer stops did need a little finger cushoning a couple of times. It was nice to chat Gareth too. It was nice to compare Deltic chassis drop methods with Peter Hill... and thanks for the overview of the Craven conversion... and for some really useful advice from Ian Rathbone - which I consider priceless. Of the other layouts, Mostyn was... well, it was wasn't it! Superb really I suppose - although the Class 40 din did echo around the hall a little. And as for those fiddle yards - lummy! Western road - again very nice - gave me some ideas there too.... time I started doing somethign about that. This was my first visit and I'll be back. Excellent displays, very informed and helpful traders and excellent advice... without the crowds. Well done to all involved.

[Kenton]

Hi Kenton, and how do you know the poster wasn't referring to the P4 layouts...... Te He...

I don't. However the 3 P4 layouts performed faultlessly IMO whereas most of the EM layouts seemed to have minor issues. But it wasn't all about the smooth running and uncoupling with all of the layouts it was more about engaging with the public.

 

As I said above I was pleasantly surprised by this appearance of Mostyn. Not only had the operators had a total rethink about running but also despite its size they were all up front and happy to interact. This made the whole layout much more approachable and interesting than the last time I saw it.

 

ExpoEM is just a friendly event, for some undefinable reason more so than any other show.

[Penlan]

......... I know a number of people who are not now considering lugging new layouts around exhibitions because of their age and the hard work involved......

Yup, I have the 'T' shirt ready, just a few commitments to complete and that's that.

[Gee Vee]

OK..... where to start? I'm gonna start by thanking all the stewards and them's in the background for all their help before and during the weekend because they are almost invisible when a show runs smoothly but without them there would be no show. so a very public thank you to you all.

 

Thanks too for all the very postive comment here and to all the traders, lecturuers, demonstators and of course all them's on layouts. Also thanks to Eileens Emporium for sponsorhip of the programme.

 

Interesting reading people's perceptions on numbers - The reality is an uplift of about 15%. So a big thank you to all who contributed to that figure. Thanks also for spending your hard earned green and folding with the traders - one of whom commented at the end that it was his most successful expoEM))).The perception of less busy that some have commented on is I think brought about as a consequence of wider aisles than last year which would give an impression of less people. Aisles last year were narrowed cos of an inaccurate tape measure! (or could it possibly have been an error on the design of the floor plan? surely not!!).

 

On layout choice whilst 3 of the layouts had been to expoEM before - all were some time ago and whilst I don't routinely re-invite I did have particular reasons for these cases. The others were all new to expoEM even if some may have been around for a while. The 1970s theme was a deliberate ploy given what appears to be the growing popularity of that era.

 

Test track was I think an omission to the programme so apologies for that. (I had a new chassis to run so it was never not going to be there!!!!)

 

Even though I am from a different generation it was great to see Leighton Buzzard and I was delighted to meet so many of Peter Denny's family - I hope we put on a show, the quality of which was a suitable tribute to a fine modeller

 

Lastly allow me to indulge in a few comments about Mostyn. Firstly congrats on their (extremely narrow) win. If you don't know the team they are a great bunch and are absolutely committed to putting on a great display (thought the handouts on the layout were a great idea). Whatever you think about the layout you have to admire the effort and dedication required to built and run a finescale layout of that size. For exhibitions managers thinking about cost, a few observations. Richard worked hard to keep costs within budget (even given the fuel price increases of late) to which I am very grateful. But as a consequence of the shear size of Mostyn we had fewer layouts this year (for which I have not heard any criticism). So although they don't come cheap, consider how much it would cost to fill a similar space with "average size layouts" and also consider how much of a draw it might have on pulling in the punters.

 

2011 is well in hand..............

 

Graeme

 

 

Graeme Vickery

expoEM Manager

[Davidjsmith]

My favourite moment was when a father and son were watching and the father was saying to the son (who was quite young, possibly around 8 years old) that the layout was being operated like the real thing, with the block bells etc. We chatted and I found out that dad was a real railwayman on the big stuff! Before long the son had a go at ringing the bells and not long after that he was in my seat operating the layout and he was a top rate operator! He left with a big smile on his face and he put one on mine too!

That Father & son was Me & my Lad[he's 10 in August] he has not stopped talking about it since!!He wants to go to the Manchester show & operate Leighton Buzzard,while I look round !!!!Thanks for your kindness this show was really friendly & relaxed.Well done to all involved.

[ChrisMitchell]

My first ExpoEM as well, and a truly excellent event.

 

I fully agree with Graeme's comments about Mostyn pulling the punters in.....I travelled from Belgium for the day, specifically because Mostyn was there.

 

Chris

[Tim V]

 

 

2011 is well in hand..............

 

Graeme

 

 

Graeme Vickery

expoEM Manager

 

I hope so Graeme, coz it was last weekend, did you miss it?

[davefrk]

Hi Kenton, and how do you know the poster wasn't referring to the P4 layouts...... Te He...

 

All the best,

Dave Franks.

www.lanarkshiremodels.com

 

To be fair though, the OP said they were in first thing on Saturday when most layouts are still to settle down after moving from the club/railway room to a cool hall which then warms up when the crowds get in there. I've been involved with a good few layouts which would be running perfectly by the Saturday pm. At least at Glasgow it's a three day show so the layouts have had all day Friday to expand/contract etc.

I think most Society shows are good friendly affairs with no barriers and the few kids that are there are interested and under control.....

All the best,

Dave Franks

wwwlanarkshiremodels.com

[chrisf]

I was there both days and encountered but a small proportion of those who have said that they were there! Nonetheless I seem to have spent most of my time nattering, which is fine as it is good enough a show to attract people with whom it is good to natter.

 

There wasn't a duff layout there [that's not duff as in Class 47, you understand]. It was good to see Tower Pier again but if ever a layout was in dire need of DCC it is that one! I hope they bought long-life section switches when the layout was built. I wish I had spent longer watching East Wold, which has more than a little East Anglian charm. Mostyn seems to have banished the gremlins that banjaxed it at Ally Pally last year but, fond as I am o fthe dulcet tones of a Class 40, I would rather hear them next to the layout than from the opposite corner of the hall! Even with a partially functioning left ear [temporary I hope] I found it intrusive at times.

 

Tiring? Oh yes. Worth it? Definitely.

 

Chris

[Kenton]

I think most Society shows are good friendly affairs with no barriers and the few kids that are there are interested and under control.....

With that I have to agree. Mostly committed modellers and the future of the hobby. Davidjsmith's son an obvious example, when children show that much care and attention they deserve to be involved and welcomed, praise to t-b-g for the effort.

 

Some shows are much less friendly, but it is easy to understand why when you see sticky fingers poking the layouts ... and that's not just the adults.

[t-b-g]

That Father & son was Me & my Lad[he's 10 in August] he has not stopped talking about it since!!He wants to go to the Manchester show & operate Leighton Buzzard,while I look round !!!!Thanks for your kindness this show was really friendly & relaxed.Well done to all involved.

 

You are most welcome. If you let me know your son's name (by PM if you prefer) I will have an operator's name badge made up for him for Manchester and he can stay as long as he likes (or until you have to drag him away!). He doesn't just show promise as a good operator, he already is one. Perhaps in a few years he will be the one giving me a chance to operate his layout at a show! He really did make my weekend for me.

 

I remember my first exhibitions as a visiting youngster. It was help and encouragement of others that got me into this wonderful hobby and if I can pass a little of that on to others then I am all in favour.

 

Those that didn't get to EXPO will hopefully have a chance to see Leighton Buzzard at other shows later this year and in 2012 as we have a number of confirmed and provisional invitations.

[Jon020]

A few shots from me:

I enjoyed watching this 26 running back and forth on Longcarse West - this was mostly under Gareth's "control". I'm not sure what it is, but there's something lovely about the 26 - I must get myself one!

Canada Road's wonderful scenic shunting

Mostyn length trains

Some interesting traffic on western Rd

And my deltic next to Brian's originals on the EE stand... hmmm, I wonder if Brian chose Extreme Etchings' name so that it'd have those initials . He did didn't he

[bbishop]

Me and the bike took 50 minutes to get to Virginia Water. The bike asks me to thank Graeme for providing undercover accommodation at the Leisure Centre.

 

Thoughts of an operator:

 

a much better floor plan than Scalefourum, with layouts separated from traders

 

lunch sufficed with quick service, with tea and coffee available all day

 

overnight accommodation was palacial (we only need B & B) and was an easy stagger from Wetherspoons (with pirates' molls)

 

the team and stewards were friendly and efficient - it was pleasing that all the exits were manned to ensure that only exhibitors were in the hall once the show had closed.

 

one concern - the power supply crossed the ailses, whilst protected by high viz tape perhaps the EM society could invest in rubber sleeves

 

Bill (apologies for the typos, too tired to correct)

[clarkea1]

All in all what a wonderful show!!! I really enjoyed myself and particularly spent a lot of time in front of Canada Road, Longcarse West, Western Road and Mostyn.

 

Good choice of demonstrators and trade stands - came away with some more wagons to build and bits to embellish them with

 

That and Scaleforum are the two shows I try to get to each year, if only because they offer so much inspiration. Does leave me wondering, having seen all the P4 Track Company bits, if I haven't plumped for the wrong finescale gauge though....