RMweb Premium Mike Bellamy Posted January 4, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 4, 2014 I would have expected to find a decent website promoting the opening (and cataloguing construction etc.). This is how the ModelWorld project in Norfolk started - but no news for some time http://www.themodelworldproject.co.uk/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grovenor Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 Likewise I would have expected to find a decent website promoting the opening (and cataloguing construction etc.). Indeed, especially for someone described as a "Marketing expert". Keith Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edge Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 Well, I've contacted them and apparently am popping up there on Sat to see what's what I'll be sure to report in Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter220950 Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 Well, I've contacted them and apparently am popping up there on Sat to see what's what I'll be sure to report in I'm getting a bit worried about this, either it's so good that Edge want's to keep it to himself or more worryingly I think he may have been kidnapped and is even now chained to the leg of a layout being forced to lay track, with only a bowl of gruel a day - Should we arrange a search party?.... I can't help but think there might be railway modelling version of this going on. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edge Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 No such luck Didn't get a chance to go last weekend, but I will be heading up there tomorrow Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edge Posted January 18, 2014 Share Posted January 18, 2014 Ooooookay then. Well. First off let me begin by saying that Mr Smith is a most courteous and nice man who I believe is doing this out of love for a hobby and for no ulterior motive etc. However, the project itself appears to be on more than slightly shaky ground in my opinion. Despite the Easter opening target, there was only a single layout that had track down, and what stock there was appeared to be ancient Hornby and Lima affairs. The plans for each layout appeared optimistic at best (especially considering the timescale) with vast and impressive lists of features. My main concern is that the quality of the layouts and models is very unlikely to be up to standard. There were large numbers of very old card kits, but no plastic, skaledale or the like, and each board was laughably small for the list of items that were planned for it. GWR seaside branch line to modern football stadium and shopping centre in 20ft? Hmmm. Furthermore it's location has been badly chosen in my opinion. The Ludgate hill area of Birmingham is neither friendly not easy to get to on foot. Should this project prove to be a success, Mr Smith will have earned it. I regret to say however, that success does not look terribly likely to me... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 It already sounds like a tribute to the tired and unloved model railways that continue to be flogged like dead horses at minor attractions off the beaten track around the country. It'd be a shame for the project to fail at this stage for not featuring quality layouts featuring suitable content, it'd be like having an art gallery full of inane doodleing... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
westerner Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 Hate to say it. It almost sounds like the Wroxham effort. I hope in both cases I'm wrong. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scalescenes Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Peter Smith contacted me yesterday re donating some kits etc. Happy to help out but reading this thread does make me think twice, a collection of hastily assembled (if Easter 2014 is correct) is not really the best advertisement for Scalescenes. I'll see if I get some more info/images of the progress to date... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edge Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 As I said before Peter Smith is a very nice man who I'm sure will put all items to good use, and would be most grateful for anything you could do for him. My issue was with his timetables, quality and expected opening date. One of those three things would have to give in sooner or later, and from what I saw it was definitely going to be the quality. Luggage Hill is also an extremely bad choice of area. I have to cross a busy dual carriageway by a bridge (impossible if you have a pram or a wheelchair incidentally, as the bridge has steps) and cut through an unfriendly pub area if I want to get there. When I was coming back from my meeting with him I had to dodge detritus from the Saturday night (cans, cigarettes, broken glass and rather disgustingly a few soiled rubber items), all of which point out to me that this is most definitely not going to grab the children and family market that should be the places bread and butter. I also note that the Wonderful World of Planes and Trains does not have a website. Assuming that the opening is at Easter in approx 1 month, how on earth can that be justified? It's easy enou to start up a website and compared to the costs for the exhibits the cost would be tiny. As I said before, and I shall say again, Mr Smith is definitely not a con artist, and would no doubt feel immensely grateful if you were to donate him some kits. But I do question whether he is capable of making this project a success. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted February 26, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 26, 2014 Luggage Hill is also an extremely bad choice of area. I have to cross a busy dual carriageway by a bridge (impossible if you have a pram or a wheelchair incidentally, as the bridge has steps) and cut through an unfriendly pub area if I want to get there. Which end of Ludgate Hill is it? I assume mentioning the "pubs" that it St Paul's Square end. If so it would be better to approach from Newhall Street, which has traffic lights with a pedestrian phase as it crosses Great Charles Street Queensway and cut through https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Great+Charles+Street+Queensway,+Birmingham&hl=en&ll=52.482088,-1.903231&spn=0.010977,0.01929&sll=47.73855,12.508827&sspn=49.758745,79.013672&oq=great+ch&hnear=Great+Charles+Street+Queensway,+Birmingham,+United+Kingdom&t=m&z=16&layer=c&cbll=52.482215,-1.903456&panoid=4QNHfYeVBUj4POEPiUuekg&cbp=12,312.44,,0,0 Keith EDIT Found it's in Mary Ann St. (Derwent Foundry which houses some desirable flats!) Best approach from Livery St (alongside Snow Hill Station) there's a subway under great Charles Street with ramps for wheelchairs/prams. It's very close to the north entrance of Snow Hill Station. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Y Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 There's some images on a Facebook page they've set up - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wonderfulworldoftrainsplanes/197665167095028 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coombe Barton Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Looks a bit 'bare boards', unfortunately. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete_mcfarlane Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Having read this thread, and looked at their Facebook page, I'm slightly confused by the whole thing.The progress in the pictures appears to be really slow, and I'm also confused as to whether this is a commercial venture or not, if they're asking for donations of kits and people's time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
37255 Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Not sure I see the logic behind this one. Would it not make sense to form a club in the normal way, then arrange an exhibition (even a permanent one) once the layouts are approaching completion*? It's a shame, as I would've liked to have got involved with this one, but it just doesn't seem viable to me. * I know, whose layout is ever 'completed'? But substitute 'presentable'! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Etched Pixels Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 yeah it is all rather late in the day for an Easter opening. No chance unless people donate small nearly finished exhibits. all a bit odd really.......i was hoping this might be the UK version of germany's wunderland model railway when i read the OT. Does seem a bit odd - and seems to be a commercial venture, so presumably they are paying the minimum wage ????? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete_mcfarlane Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 They now have a website: http://www.wonderfulworldtrainsplanes.co.uk/ So far it just seems to be a splash page with an incorrectly set up link to their Facebook profile. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mike Bellamy Posted March 3, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 3, 2014 Phil Parker from Model Railway Express has been for a visit - his report and photos are here http://www.mremag.com/news/bulletin.asp . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThaneofFife Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 Even MW has yet to build a UK based layout because they simply dont have the space as yet and theyve been there for years so the various countries being represented here seems ambitious - the Easter deadline just doesnt compute. It might have been in the planning for 3 or 4 years but why has this Peter chap only now decided he needs to start recruiting "help". That should have been one of his top priorities from the word go. I will take a look at the ThinkTank website and see if there is any info...... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ian Posted March 3, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 3, 2014 Phil Parker from Model Railway Express has been for a visit - his report and photos are here http://www.mremag.com/news/bulletin.asp . Well, looking at Phil's photos I'd say that unless he has a team of full-time modellers coming in this morning there is no chance of having much to show the public at Easter. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
black and decker boy Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 So less than 7 weeks to go and the track isn't finished, there is no scenery, no buildings or structures and no 'presentation' The first photo on MREMag was interesting, a flat crossing over running lines. Not sure an automated, remotely managed layout is an ideal place for that. For maximum reliability, I would have thought a straight loop, no points etc would have been best? Any idea how this is to be controlled. Having watched a programme on the Hamburg modelworld and their CCTV & vast control room, I wonder how such things can be up and running in 7 weeks. Perhaps they will be thinking of volunteers to run the layouts manually - a tall order to find enough and of suitable quality I would imagine? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJS1977 Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 However, the project itself appears to be on more than slightly shaky ground in my opinion. Despite the Easter opening target, there was only a single layout that had track down, and what stock there was appeared to be ancient Hornby and Lima affairs. Dare I say it though - perhaps the old Hornby & Lima locos would prove to be more reliable/long-lived in service? I bought a modern Hornby pannier tank a few years ago and was quite shocked to read in the manual that the motor needed replacing after every 100 hours running. Run continuously at an attraction open 8 hours a day that's a new motor every 2 weeks - and that's just one loco! Personally my view is that in order to get an attraction like this started, one needs to either start small and work up (as MW and Pendon have done) and/or start with a collection of bought-in ex-exhibition layouts (or even ex-home layouts) that are too good to scrap (which seems to be the Ashford approach). Maybe even take on some Pecorama cast-offs and give people in a different part of the country chance to see them (sad to see from the latest RM that the Seaton Junction layout is no more). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ian Posted March 3, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 3, 2014 MW in Hamburg gets through locos at a terrifying rate - they wear them out very quickly. RTR locos are not designed for that sort of punishment. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted March 3, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 3, 2014 MW in Hamburg gets through locos at a terrifying rate - they wear them out very quickly. RTR locos are not designed for that sort of punishment. Best buy a few HD Castles then! Keith Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyMay Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 MW in Hamburg gets through locos at a terrifying rate - they wear them out very quickly. RTR locos are not designed for that sort of punishment. Just out of interest what would the design life of a kit built locomotive be before you had to change its motor? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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