The London Festival of Railway Modelling 2015

[PGC]

First things first - my thanks to Brush Veteran and Gareth Ashenden for recommending the Station Cafe.  The full English breakfast was just what I had in mind and good value at £5.90 including a cuppa. A hearty breakfast is just what a lad [lad? Who are you kidding?] needs before trudging round a show all day.

 

Letting in the crowds was accomplished more efficiently than in previous years when we were left outside in the rain or snow.  This time we were under cover by just after 9 am.  I understand that what was aptly described as the Horlicks in the car park was caused by the premature arrival of a travelling fair.  The resultant traffic chaos had an effect on the W3 bus service and provoked the driver of mine to honk, which wasn't a lot of use from 12 vehicles back from the obstruction but obviously made him feel better.

 

I like Empire Mills very much.  The builders have made it look windswept with the leafless trees and it isn't as crowded as some other china clay layouts.  The Western had more paint on it than might have been expected for a Laira loco given that depot's washer's reputation for eroding loco liveries but this is a minor nitpick.

 

I like Horfield as well.  I have friends who live nearby so I know the area and the builders have done a cracking job on making it look right.  I liked in particular the mixed rakes of coaching stock designs and liveries but the operating superintendent should take note that one does not run a B set with brake ends inward! 

 

Dennis Lovett's talk on research did a bit more than state the blindingly obvious.  In 20 minutes he set out the essentials concisely and informatively, though his reference to "out of the box thinking" should perhaps have been to "thinking outside the box".

 

It appears that quite a lot of RMwebbers were there.  I saw one other RMweb badge beside mine (well done, St Simon) but unless my hearing has taken another turn for the worse no-one made themselves known to me.  Friendly loot, aren't we?  One person thought that 'chrisf' actually read 'christ'.  Oh dear.

 

Chris

 

Can't you forgive him for such a minor mistake? Oh sorry, I'm addressing chrisF, not christ. 

 

Phil

[PGC]

 

I am surprised that the Health and Safety Elves have not yet banned rucksacks.

If I was hit once it must have been half a dozen times by inconsiderate bustards suddely turning.

Perhaps wearing a rucksack gives you a lack of spacial awareness and other people around you.

Back tomorrow wearing padding on my upper body and my cycle helmet!!!!

 

Heard that some people have had a night mare journey on the NCR, one taking 4hrs to get from Ally Pally to Brentwood.

 

The Lea Valley Viaduct on the North Circular Road is closed Eastbound for bridge maintenance work.

This is at the Walthamstow Avenue / Advent Way (Cooks Ferry Interchange).

The flyover above the Cooks Ferry Interchange is closed eastbound (Towards the M11) all weekend, from 22:00 on Friday 27th March 2015 until 05:00 on Monday 30th March 2015.

Long delays expected throughout Edmonton and Tottenham  over the weekend.

The diversion is via the slip roads and roundabout underneath the flyover.

 

 

Alternatively, go up the A10 to the M25, turn right, come off where appropriate and avoid the trouble completely!

 

Phil

[The Stationmaster]

What an interesting mix of views - wonder if we all went to the same show but then as someone pointed out our tastes do vary.  And to begin at the beginning -

 

Getting there - following what was almost a pierhead jump at KX we duly arrived at Ally Pally (GN) to find considerable confusion on the footbridge among those detraining and this continued to a lesser extent at the 'bus stop giving the impresssion that there were quite a few around who hadn't been before, a good sign I think.  Oyster Card (mine) and One Day Travelcards (family members) all worked well on the W3 vehicles and of course an Oyster Card isn't essential - just buy the Travelcard.

 

Exhibition queue to pay (by card) working well apart from a few queue jumpers (that's not an organisational thing of course - just oafishness).

 

Exhibition guide - not too bad for a quid and I don't need layout plans so no complaints on that front from me.  But on a point of semantics why, oh why, oh why are traders called 'exhibitors'?

 

Catering - Station Cat said it all but it's fully appreciated it is not down to to either the MRC or Warners.

 

People - yes, as ever great to meet lots of friends and RMweb members old & new; a important part of the day out.

 

Trade presence - the usual mix but as Ron observed some interesting stuff on the electronics side (and more of it than in the past I thought) and the sort of mix I expected; but then I don't go to this show expecting the sort of trade presence I find at, say, Railex and I  think I appreciate the financial importance of a wide trade presence to the show's cost base.

 

Layouts - an excellent mix but then I do have a catholic taste in railways and its not much different when it comes to model railways.  Thus I liked Horfield despite its seeming simplicity; loved Sandford & Banwell not just for the superb modelling but having 100& accurate signalling and, on a 56XX, what is probably some of the most realistic Western steam sound I have ever heard on a model - in fact its probably the only realistic Western steam sound I have heard in 4mm scale; liked Star Lane for the trains and operation of something which needs a lot more care that at first appears to be the case; enjoyed numerous other layouts for their variety ranging from Muz's Fisherton Sarum and it Salisbury/Southern atmosphere to the eclectic Francophilia of Mer Les Bains, the realism of Copenhagen Fields, the atmosphere of Leicester South, or the sheer scale and breadth (length) of The Long Line.  Others were also enjoyed but I'm not here to list, some didn't float my boat but were none the worst for that.

 

Overall - a good day out, no complaints (queue jumpers apart - but that's a symptom of the world we live in and not the exhibition), plenty of nice folk to meet and talk to, nice trains, nice layouts, and all I bought was a wagon and a couple of magazines.  It did cost more than some other shows but it offered more and I reckon overall it was pretty good value for £12.

[Phil Parker]

Trade presence - the usual mix but as Ron observed some interesting stuff on the electronics side (and more of it than in the past I thought) and the sort of mix I expected; but then I don't go to this show expecting the sort of trade presence I find at, say, Railex and I  think I appreciate the financial importance of a wide trade presence to the show's cost base.

 

I'd agree with this and also think it's important to remember that the trade don't go for fun, they need to sell. Railex has the sort of visitors who will buy more esoteric items than those at Ally Pally. Nice as it would be to see High Level & Judith Edge there, they wouldn't cover the fuel costs of a mainstream show like this.

 

Anyway, I like a bit of vartiety. Makes it worth visiting lots of different shows during the year!

[Ron Ron Ron]

 

Nice to see more and more layouts adopting DCC and getting good running as a result.

Some really good examples of smooth running and slow shunting on display

 

 

Good smooth running and slow shunting is not the sole prerogative of DCC, and I get angry at people who make comments like the one above.

 

Phil, I suggest you read my comments properly before jumping the gun.

 

 

.

[Hippo]

I'd agree with this and also think it's important to remember that the trade don't go for fun, they need to sell. Railex has the sort of visitors who will buy more esoteric items than those at Ally Pally. Nice as it would be to see High Level & Judith Edge there, they wouldn't cover the fuel costs of a mainstream show like this.

 

Anyway, I like a bit of vartiety. Makes it worth visiting lots of different shows during the year!

Phil.. High Level were there    

 

Owen

[colin penfold]

Just to add to Mikes comments about queue jumping. I certainly witnessed quite a lot and whilst I agree there's a big element of oafishness/antisocial behaviour in that, it was encouraged by some misleading signage, a lack of physical guide barriers and frankly disinterested "stewards"

[Phil Parker]

Phil.. High Level were there  

 

Owen

 

Oops. You're right. Sorry - I hadn't checked the trade list. Now I have, there wasn't much you couldn't get, was there? (Prepares for long list of obscure items from someone)

[Ron Ron Ron]

Just to add to Mikes comments about queue jumping. I certainly witnessed quite a lot and whilst I agree there's a big element of oafishness/antisocial behaviour in that, it was encouraged by some misleading signage, a lack of physical guide barriers and frankly disinterested "stewards"

 

I arrived at around 1110 on the Saturday. Didn't see any queue jumping at all.

There was a very polite and helpful steward on the outside door calling for advance ticket holders and ushering them through a separate door.

Inside another couple were separating cash and card payers into the respective lines. They seemed quite jolly.

 

I paid by card and the process was quick and efficient. The people on that desk appeared to be in good spirits and were also quite friendly AFAICS.

 

.

[Baby Deltic]

I got there early this year. I managed to get a Bachy class 25 and 42 for £30 each, plus a Hymek for £40 as soon as I got in there. There was also a green class 306 and blue/grey class 309 going on the same stand, but economic stingencies mean't I couldn't buy them. D for Diesels 6 and 7 bought my book collection up to date, plus the new Larkin NPCS book. Left about 12:30 then queued up the A10 because the A406 E/B was jammed solid.

[The Stationmaster]

I arrived at around 1110 on the Saturday. Didn't see any queue jumping at all.

There was a very polite and helpful steward on the outside door calling for advance ticket holders and ushering them through a separate door.

Inside another couple were separating cash and card payers into the respective lines. They seemed quite jolly.

 

I paid by card and the process was quick and efficient. The people on that desk appeared to be in good spirits and were also quite friendly AFAICS.

 

.

We can't have been far behind you and found the card/cash queue separation not to well organised at the tail end and some queue jumping took place in those queues.  But I agree entirely about the card operation working well - quick and efficient (until I pressed the wrong button on the handset but that was cheerfully sorted).  I normally pay by cash at the Warley show as those queues seem to move a lot quicker than the card payment queues but I found the card payment queue at Ally Pally yesterday was working as well as the cash queue - top marks to those 'doing the business' with the card machines.

[glo41f]

I went to the show at Ally Pally on Saturday and I enjoyed the experience. Nick Freezer and his team at the Model Railway Club are to be congratulated on assembling a wonderful variety of layouts. However, I did come away with a few niggles and I wonder what others feel about them

 

The standard of layout operation varied considerably. I watched some incredibly complex layouts such as the Shipley Club’s one, being run well with the operators knowing what to do and barely a spoken word between them. The trains ran well and were a joy to watch. Contrast this to some of the smaller, less complex, layouts where it was clear that the operators were pretty clueless as to how things worked with the result that there were long periods of no movement at all usually interspersed with sometimes heated discussion by those trying to make things go. At the very least when presenting your work for public appreciation a layout owner should have operators who know what they are doing and can provide a reasonable show to the paying public. My personal favourites were the peerless Copenhagen Fields, the aforementioned Shipley line and the rather basic but well run SR electric line in the smaller hall which two gentlemen kept an intensive service of trains going so that there was always something moving.

 

I also noticed that DCC often caused problems resulting in calls between operators on the lines of “what is that one’s number?” in their efforts to get control over a particular loco. It was a common feature of these layouts which again showed bad practice and a lack of familiarity with the technology. (I remain to be convinced about it myself!)

 

There were a lot of ”demonstrators” many being representatives of specialist scales and interests. (Perhaps too many?)  In my view they are there to engage with the public to advance their point of view of the hobby but clearly a large number were to be seen with their heads down, avoiding contact and whittling away at some project. A notable exception was the gentleman on the MRC stand who made exquisite buildings from cardboard and who was to be seen showing his work enthusiastically to all who passed by. I saw him on several occasions passing models to folk to appreciate what was involved.

 

I was also struck by the number of traders who were not equipped to take payment by card. At such a show with the decline in cheque books and an almost universal use of plastic money, it seemed “odd” to have “cash only” stands. This also means that any comeback over goods purchased would be very difficult to handle as there are no receipts or guarantees such as those which come with a card transaction. I can understand those with a minimum card transaction value based on the cost of the service but I can only conclude that trying to sell high value items for cash only means that sales are limited for those traders.

 

I must also say that I felt that the catering was of a good standard and not at rip off prices which one comes to expect in large venues.. I was surprised then to see that others felt differently.

 

Not much to buy in my scale so came away tired but happy

 

 

Martin Long

[Baby Deltic]

I went to the show at Ally Pally on Saturday and I enjoyed the experience. Nick Freezer and his team at the Model Railway Club are to be congratulated on assembling a wonderful variety of layouts. However, I did come away with a few niggles and I wonder what others feel about them

 

The standard of layout operation varied considerably. I watched some incredibly complex layouts such as the Shipley Club’s one, being run well with the operators knowing what to do and barely a spoken word between them. The trains ran well and were a joy to watch. Contrast this to some of the smaller, less complex, layouts where it was clear that the operators were pretty clueless as to how things worked with the result that there were long periods of no movement at all usually interspersed with sometimes heated discussion by those trying to make things go. At the very least when presenting your work for public appreciation a layout owner should have operators who know what they are doing and can provide a reasonable show to the paying public. My personal favourites were the peerless Copenhagen Fields, the aforementioned Shipley line and the rather basic but well run SR electric line in the smaller hall which two gentlemen kept an intensive service of trains going so that there was always something moving.

 

I also noticed that DCC often caused problems resulting in calls between operators on the lines of “what is that one’s number?” in their efforts to get control over a particular loco. It was a common feature of these layouts which again showed bad practice and a lack of familiarity with the technology. (I remain to be convinced about it myself!)

 

There were a lot of ”demonstrators” many being representatives of specialist scales and interests. (Perhaps too many?)  In my view they are there to engage with the public to advance their point of view of the hobby but clearly a large number were to be seen with their heads down, avoiding contact and whittling away at some project. A notable exception was the gentleman on the MRC stand who made exquisite buildings from cardboard and who was to be seen showing his work enthusiastically to all who passed by. I saw him on several occasions passing models to folk to appreciate what was involved.

 

I was also struck by the number of traders who were not equipped to take payment by card. At such a show with the decline in cheque books and an almost universal use of plastic money, it seemed “odd” to have “cash only” stands. This also means that any comeback over goods purchased would be very difficult to handle as there are no receipts or guarantees such as those which come with a card transaction. I can understand those with a minimum card transaction value based on the cost of the service but I can only conclude that trying to sell high value items for cash only means that sales are limited for those traders.

 

I must also say that I felt that the catering was of a good standard and not at rip off prices which one comes to expect in large venues.. I was surprised then to see that others felt differently.

 

Not much to buy in my scale so came away tired but happy

 

 

Martin Long

 

My newly acquired Hymek produced smoke on the rolling road once I got it home. Luckily the motor is Ok.

[chris p bacon]

My newly acquired Hymek produced smoke on the rolling road once I got it home. Luckily the motor is Ok.

When my brother was a part owner of 7029 they offered to rename it "Clunk" Castle to gain access to the GWS at Didcot.......maybe you've got that one...

[Geoff Endacott]

My newly acquired Hymek produced smoke on the rolling road once I got it home. Luckily the motor is Ok.

 

Realistic then.

 

Geoff Endacott 

[railroadbill]

Went there yesterday with my wife - this is the one show she likes going to,  because the selection of layouts often have interesting settings and details.

 

Interesting that there were several TT or 3mm layouts which covered the differences in that size.

 

The guy on the MRC stand mentioned above who was demonstrating how his buildings were made was very helpful - gather some of the stone walls were made using cornflakes with polyfiller over them.  The fact that many people on layouts and stands are only too willing to share their knowledge  makes this show one that you can come away from with lots of good ideas.

 

Had to wait towards the end of the show to get close to Copenhagen fields - and one of the people there was very helpful in pointing details out. I hadn't realised before that the cast of "The Ladykillers" are getting out of a taxi outside the station. Something I spotted was the stripped down biplane (DH2) being towed behind a lorry along the street - rigged, with all the ribs showing! In 2mm scale! Worth going just for that layout.

 

But frankly with layouts from gauge 3 to z gauge there's so much there that you just have to come away inspired. Loads of specialist dealers too. Got various hard to get detailing parts and my wife got some scenic stuff as well.

 

It was nice getting to see for instance Fisherton Sarum (now thinking of taking the roof off my engine shed) and Star Lane.

 

Most talked about on way home were Copenhagen Fields and Long Line the 106ft n gauge layout that was great to watch.

 

Good day (we found plenty to watch from 11am to 5pm)  despite the vile journey home, as others have reported it took a long time reaching the A10 for the M25.

 

On the down side, there could have been more seating, they've made the space for it.

[Huw Griffiths]

Getting there - following what was almost a pierhead jump at KX we duly arrived at Ally Pally (GN) to find considerable confusion on the footbridge among those detraining and this continued to a lesser extent at the 'bus stop giving the impresssion that there were quite a few around who hadn't been before, a good sign I think.  Oyster Card (mine) and One Day Travelcards (family members) all worked well on the W3 vehicles and of course an Oyster Card isn't essential - just buy the Travelcard.

 

Given the choice, I normally avoid Ally Pally railway station. I find the waiting for trains at KX - and the long walk up the hill from Ally Pally station to the venue - somewhat irritating.

 

In practice, I don't need any of these. Once I get off the coach at Victoria, I cross the road and call into Sainsbury's above Victoria railway station - "last minute" food sorted (well, more sorted than it would be at any venue). I then get the Victoria line to Finsbury Park - where I jump onto a W3, which takes me to the door.

 

 

Exhibition queue to pay (by card) working well apart from a few queue jumpers (that's not an organisational thing of course - just oafishness).

 

... nothing that a pair of size 9 Totectors can't sort out.

 

(Joking aside, I don't do violence. I do, however, get slightly irritated at all the queue jumping that goes on at Victoria coach station. I'm also less than keen on a small number of jobsworth staff there, who insist on repeatedly doing their "jailer" routine - locking and re-locking all the gate doors - leaving waiting passengers "kettled", for ages, in what seems like an airless box.)

 

 

But on a point of semantics why, oh why, oh why are traders called 'exhibitors'?

 

Catering - Station Cat said it all but it's fully appreciated it is not down to to either the MRC or Warners.

 

People - yes, as ever great to meet lots of friends and RMweb members old & new; a important part of the day out.

 

At trade shows, all the companies who turn up to sell / promote their wares are generally referred to as "exhibitors" - so this is just standard terminology within the exhibition industry.

 

As for food, I buy mine before I get to the venue - mostly the day before, from Asda / Morrisons / Aldi / Lidl - and any "last minute" stuff at a local supermarket, on my way from the coach to the venue.

 

 

Despite being very "quiet", I also like the "people" aspect of shows - particularly hobby shows, but even trade shows.

 

If the truth be told, it isn't always necessary for these people to be going to the same shows as me. A few months ago, at Ally Pally, I visited the model engineering show (which was rather good) - but I also enjoyed a chat with some people visiting the snooker (probably not much of a surprise - after all I've liked snooker for most of my life).

 

A couple of years earlier, when I went to the "Warley" show, I popped out at lunchtime and found myself chatting with a couple of guys, who were visiting the motorbike show. Even though I've never ridden a motorbike in my life, it was surprising just how much we all had in common.

 

 

High Level were there  

 

Oops. You're right. Sorry - I hadn't checked the trade list. Now I have, there wasn't much you couldn't get, was there? (Prepares for long list of obscure items from someone)

 

I was glad to see them, too - though I'm not quite so sure that my wallet was ... .

 

Anyway, it's not as if there's anything obscure about Peco OR-50 O-16.5 narrow gauge coach side sections - or 1:48 scale GA drawings of Wismar railbuses or AGEIR boxcab locos - or ... .

 

 

Huw.

[Scale7JB]

Apologies if I was one of those head down demonstrators Martin, generally I like to get on with building something whilst folk are watching and then engage them (if they haven't already engaged me) if I've seen they are there for more than 30 seconds or so, and so showing a general interest and have questions. I'm more than happy to spend a goodly amount of time with one person talking about general building above and beyond the reason for which I'm there, in this case promoting the Scale7 group and their wheel-track standards.

 

All too often at the non-specialist shows, speaking to the public can scare them off when they just want to have a look at what you're doing..

[John M Upton]

I definitely think that this year was noticeably better than last year.  Good selection of layouts and trade, Hornby's stand was a bit of a tired shambles, the RSPB was a very odd choice, Hattons stand was big but contained very little of interest for such a large space and the free guide (it was free if you were an advanced ticket holder) was pretty decent.

 

I avoided the catering bar a cup of tea (brought my own this year, I have learned!) laughed at the Bachmann scrum when the doors opened on Saturday three minutes early and they struggled to get the blind down to make their wares available but did manage to pick up some nice N gauge bargains, the scrum for that bit is far easier to access than the OO section.

 

Also left with heavily filled bags including the tool set fro subscribing to BRM.

 

All in all a decent day was had.  When is next years?  I need to book the day off pretty sharpish!

[stewartingram]

I then get the Victoria line to Finsbury Park - where I jump onto a W3, which takes me to the door.

 

A tad late for this year I'm afraid, but worth noting for next year?

An alternative to the W3 from Finsbury Park, which takes a rather circuitous route, is to head along the straight route to Manor House station (which is 1 stop on the Piccadilly), then left at the crossroads along Green Lanes to Wood Green station (the next one again). This is covered by the route 29 from Finsbury Park, I believe I'm right in saying it doesn't enter either bus station, but stops under the railway bridge at the south end. Once at Wood Green of course, you can the pick up the W3 or the Shuttle bus to get up the hill to Ally Pally.

I offer this an an alternative route for those wanting to use the bus rather than tube or mainline, and take advantage of their GOG card (Grumpy Old Git)/bus pass!

 

Stewart

[Ron Ron Ron]

.....Hornby's stand was a bit of a tired shambles....

I was going to mention that in my earlier post, but thought it would stir the ire of the Hornby fans.

 

It was a very poor stand, devoid of anything worthwhile.

SK was running RailMaster on a small laptop, but it was turned away from the visitors, but then there were very few at their stand anyway.

Mind you he was being harangued at the time by a gentleman, probably complaining about the wrong bolts or missing flange cover on a pre-Grouping loco of some sort?

 

Mind you, I seem to recall a while back that Hornby were going to reduce their show presence and budget. If my memory is correct, they've been true to their word.

 

 

 

.

[PanzerJohn]

A grand day out (Sat). Arrived just after the doors opened and was suprised at the number of cars already there, I had to park up at the bottom in the Paddock carpark almost by the gate there,but the walk did me good I suppose. No prob getting in, the card queue was fastest and gave me more cash to spend.As a first time visitor I had been told it would probably be uncomfortably busy but i didn't think it was too bad, big scrum around the bit of the Bachmann stand selling the reduced price items. so I didn't bother.Viewing the layouts could often be problematic, esp the smaller ones could often be two or three deep with spectators. I was suprised to the Hornby stand wasn't selling anything exept catalogues but I had a chat with Simon Kohler which was nice.

Met up with some friends and had a sit down over a cup of reasonably priced coffee and then back into the fray. Got my hands on a nice super detail boxed Hornby Britannia with a bit of easily fixed motion damage for £50 and had another go at the Bachmann stand, 3rd try, (now 2pm). I manged to get a place and was able to score a City of London for £62,I've been after one for ages so was very happy, apart from a bit of damage to the box and missing parts pack it's mint. All in all it was good, I'll be back next year.

[Ravenser]

Some sporadic comments:

 

Someone earlier suggested that there could be restricted view tickets for model railway exhibitions too- get in cheaper but you don't get to see all the layouts. This in fact exists- it's called "stewarding"

 

Someone asked about photos of the Bachmann N gauge layout. If I'd seen the posting earlier, I would have taken one, as the layout is remarkably good for a trade display layout - basic double circuit with an added multilevel dogbone circuit . All Bachmann products , but a convincing GC small station , power-station and unloading terminal at the back , and a surprisingly convincing Midlands look to it

 

The N Circular was indeed a disaster on the Saturday - it took me over an hour from the  show to the A10 turnoff via Muswell Hill, at which point I tried to cut my losses and fought my way onto the A10. That was much better but still very bad - it took almost another half hour to reach the M25. I heard of one gentleman who took 5 hours to get home to East London. This evening seems to be rather easier .

 

An Oyster card can be bought at main railway stations, and once you have the thing it can be used as required and topped up ad hoc. Do not top up with a debit or credit card though - that automatically reports your identity and address to TfL, and Boris can see who you are and track your movements.......

 

I very much liked Empire Mills, which had atmosphere, also Billton Goods. Horfield was good . I liked the GW welsh branch near the entrance which has been in BRM I think, and I only caught a glimpse of what seemed to be an excellent L&YR layout. I've seen Warren Lane a number of times - good as it is, this meant it was less of a highlight

 

High Level had a replacement Pacer chassis on display. Having started a Branchlines one, I wasn't really in the market for another but would be interested in people's views how the two options compare

[polybear]

We arrived in the car park at 09-40 and were surprised to see how busy it was already - I'm normally parked somewhere around bay 6 but ended up in bay 13. Favourite layout was probably Leicester South Central - amazing (the OH described it as " a great big load of nothing" though - sorry lads.  I've locked her in the basement until she comes to her senses).

I managed to pick up an unstarted Maygib Jinty kit for £24 (hopefully it's all there) and in the afternoon a Bachmann Returns Class 40 in Green with SYP (apparently with non-working tail lights) for 47 quid - hopefully that'll be the only issue.

A little disappointed with the quality and/or interest factor of some layouts, though in fairness they exceeded anything I've constructed so far.  Copenhagen Fields was as stunning as ever - if only I could have got close    Very impressed with the Turntable on the Golden Age Models stand - especially the mechanism.  I'll need to save some pennies to afford it though.

 

polybear

p.s.  Not enough seating though

[RichardS]

Before visiting AP today (Sunday) I had read the posts from yesterday, keen to know 'what was hot and what was not.' Thanks to the info regarding the closure of the NCR I had  planned an alternative escape but it still took me 40 minutes to reach the M25 via the A10. Still 2 hrs 30 to Norwich is not bad - 2 hrs dead on the way down. Arrived about 9.20 missed the car park turn and went all the way through the park and had to go back!  Doh! In the foyer about 9.35, no queues anywhere, purchased ticket for cash, got a cuppa £1.70 not too bad. Read the programme and in the hall about 10.05. 

 

Bachmann Scrum - bit of a non-event. Stand must have been stripped Saturday. Curious lot of Class 44s and 105s. But surely those '105s' were not 105's in the boxes? (101s/108s? Couldn't tell, not a dmu guru!) Bought nothing there. Nice to see samples of the new products - LBSC E4 looks fantastic (as does the DJM O2 on the Kernow stand) and the GN Atlantic is lovely. The O gauge Terrier from Dapol also looks delightful.

 

Spent the morning in a surprisingly quiet hall looking at the trade 'exhibitors'. Seemed a very wide selection from trashy s/h to super fine stuff. Lots of electronics as somebody else observed. Not too many real bargains or show specials that I could see. I can get rtr stuff for similar prices at my locals shops

 

Afternoon spent looking at the layouts. Was it me, or did you have to search for some amongst the traders? Bit of something for everybody it seemed. My preferred scale of 4mm was represented by layouts in all three main scales - OO, EM and P4. Overall I spent longest watching Sandford and Banwell. Well modelled, well presented, active, some novel ideas. Drain pipes for legs and fascia supports - genius. DCC sound - previously unconvinced - I am now (a bit more). Not too loud, subtly adding to the ambience. Ran beautifully.

 

I found myself gravitating to the finer scale traders and layouts. Even bought some S&W couplings to try. Interesting chat with folk on MERG and Scalefour stands. The only drawback I find with the fine scale exhibits is that many seem to be small shunting dioramas which despite the great modelling are not always the most rewarding to watch - to me at least. Hence I found Sandford and Banwell to my liking. The demo buildings on the MRC's own stand were very, very good. The use of 'Weetabix' (I have no connection to the manufacturer of this breakfast biscuit in case you wondered) in the rendering was very effective and the roof work was full of character. (Other breakfast biscuits are available btw) ;-)

 

Despite plenty of space I was still hit by a few backpacks - a group of hikers had obviously taken a wrong turning off the Pennine Way! (What do they bring?)

 

Overall an enjoyable day, but I don't think the AP show is one I want to visit every year. I hope it was a successful event for the MRC and their sponsors and supporters.