Exhibition Barriers

[JeremyC]

The club I'm a member of attends a number of shows throughout the year. Most larger exhibitions provide barriers, but smaller events usually expected us to provide our own barriers. For a number of years we have used a fairly heavy plywood barrier system, but these are now life expired and we need to replace them, preferably with something lighter. Various suggestions have been made, such as post and tape systems. I would be interested to know what barrier systems people who exhibit use and any comments on their pros and cons.

 

Jeremy

[MarkSG]

I can't answer from the exhibitor perspective, but having seen a fair selection of barriers as an exhibition-goer I'd say you need to make them either

 

a) clearly too lightweight and flexible to be leaned on (eg, post and tape), or

b) substantial enough to cope with being leaned on by even a significant number of well-proportioned people (eg, solid wood).

 

Anything in between is a recipe for disaster.

[chris p bacon]

Take a look at becoming a member of the CMRA (we are at East Beds)

 

There is shared equipment stored at 4 locations around the country  http://www.cmra.org.uk/services.html   as well as other benefits to members.

[bgman]

I do find some of the American layouts a bit awkward to view ....

 

 

Yours

Stan Guard

[ANT]

Hello Jeremy

 

Below is a system a friend of mine has developed for his layout, when he attends a show without barriers.

 

 

Thanks

SEEYA

ANT

Edited June 12, 2016 by ANT

[steve1]

It depends on how much you actually think you NEED barriers in the first place.

 

I'm happy enough to go with whatever the exhibition itself provides. If that means no barrier at all, then far enough. 99% of visitors are ok (even the photographers ) and the rest can normally be kept off by a Paddington stare or a polite request.

 

I suppose you could get an electric cattle prod but the H&S people might object...

 

steve

 

PS The point about the CMRA is good one too.

Edited June 12, 2016 by steve1

[LNERandBR]

Most of the show's I've taken my layout to have had no barriers. The only issue I've had is small children putting their hands on the front edge as they try to get a better look. I've got notices along the front saying 'Please do not Touch' and that seems to be enough for the parents to intervene. 

 

In my case the only bad aspect is that the front edge has needed some more green flock gluing down as the actual trains are a little way off the front edge. My next layout will probably have a low upstanding of perspex along the front for protection from little fingers.

[Phil Parker]

If a show doesn't offer barriers then I either decline the invitation or take a couple of the ones we built for the L&WMRS.

 

Too many close calls with adults unable to stand up for more than 10 seconds without leaning on something, and not caring what they lean on. Enthusiasts are sometimes the worst as they give you a "I know what I'm doing I'm an enthusiast" look when you ask them not to touch. Once had an anorak dragged along the front of a layout as it's wearer edged along with his back to us at the edge of a crowded isle. He didn't care what damage he did.

 

Best of the lot was a chap at York with hands the size of large plates of meat who arrived at the front of the layout with a BANG as the hand decended with it's owners full weight on the barrier. It was obvious that had we not had something to lean on then he'd have flattened a building instead.

 

You can see the L&WMRS barrier construction taking place here. No difficult construction, but stong enough for a fat railway modeller to sit in the middle.

[DLPG]

We have been fortunate with the Speenymoor shows. Loads of chairs at the venue that lock together. Backs facing the public and a very effective barrier

[brightspark]

I don't like the Perspex.

 

You can have it very short, and then people will grab onto it and will either pull on it or grind their fingers (I can't think of another description for this) the result is either layout being pulled over (if it is narrow) or the Perspex snapping. And with the finger grinding anything immediately behind the Perspex gets pulverised. I was involved with a club layout where the track ran close to the edge and all of the signals were ripped to shreds.

 

Alternatively you go for a high screen, but this reflects light ruining the viewers perception and ruining any photographers pictures. It doesn't stop the flash going off in your face though, it just ruins the photo.

Also the top of the Perspex splits the view of the layout. I tend to walk away as I find this distracting.

 

Another reason is that, as the guy who transports a layout with the Perspex option, is that the stuff is damn heavy and difficult to carry if you don't want it scratched.

 

The springy barriers using doorstops looks like the best option.

 

Andy

[MarkSG]

I dislike the use of Perspex as well. I find it seriously detracts from the appearance of the layout. It's rare that I linger long in front of one that uses it.

 

However, I prefer a layout to have barriers than not have them. Firstly, I do prefer to have something to lean on, particularly as my back can become painful after a few hours standing at a show. And if my children are with me, then they need to stand on a step or box to see the layouts, and a solid barrier gives them something to hold on to as they do. But even if they're the lightweight sort that can't be leaned on, barriers help to ensure that the layout is more easily viewed. 

 

If people can get too close to the layout, then they block the view left and right of where I'm standing - in some cases, you even find them leaning over the layout to get a better look. Unless I'm lucky enough to be the only one there, the presence of people either side of me means that I can really only see the part of the layout that's directly in front of me. But with barriers, there's a clear space to my right and left at 45 degree angles from where I stand, meaning I can see more of the layout from a single vantage point.

Edited June 13, 2016 by MarkSG

[LyttonCPR]

I agree with Ant on the use of door-stops. I mount them slightly differently, I screw the bases to the front of the layout and thread each "spring" on to them. I have 1/4 inch dowels cut to the required length inserted into the ends of the springs. These have holes drilled near the tips and a cord threaded through them. I paint the ends of the dowels red as an indication that they're there, don't want any eyes damaged! The advantage for me is that the baseplates are permanently fitted and the springs just screw on when needed. They take up minimal space in the toolbox and are there when needed. I've used them on layouts for a number of years, and remember at Loughborough one year being asked where I got the idea. The late Andy Calvert was next to me so I blamed him, and George Nutter was next to Andy and got the blame from him. I think George actually started the idea.

[Huw Griffiths]

99% of visitors are ok (even the photographers) and the rest can normally be kept off by a Paddington stare or a polite request.

 

I suppose you could get an electric cattle prod but the H&S people might object...

 

They sound like such a bunch of spoilsports.

 

I guess that rules out other, equally subtle, measures - like a baseball bat, or generous offers for anyone who interferes with a layout to experience the business end of a pair of Totectors.

 

 

Most of the shows I've taken my layout to have had no barriers. The only issue I've had is small children putting their hands on the front edge as they try to get a better look. I've got notices along the front saying 'Please do not Touch' and that seems to be enough for the parents to intervene.

 

I suspect there might also be scope for some electrical engineers amongst us to have a bit of fun here, with warning notices. (Fun - Schadenfreude - what's the difference? ...)

 

I've never made any secret of my background - or the fact that I went for the "heavy current" options in the final year of my HND.

 

I wonder how long it will be before the fronts of some layouts start acquiring notices along the lines of:

 

 

DANGER!!

 

All tracks and overhead line equipment are energized with 12,000,000.000 microVolts of electricity.

 

KEEP WELL AWAY!! (... If you know what's good for you ... .)

 

 

OK - perhaps not - but I'm sure the subtle approach would work with some people.

 

 

I don't like the Perspex.

... Another reason is that, as the guy who transports a layout with the Perspex option, the stuff is damn heavy and difficult to carry if you don't want it scratched.

 

 

The springy barriers using doorstops looks like the best option.

 

All your comments about Perspex (and similar stuff) strike me as fair comment - and I agree with your opinions about the stuff. It can also have another problem - sharp edges.

 

OK - I'm sure that some of the more ... antisocial ... layout owners might be tempted to run the top edges of some strips over a whetstone - to get a triangular edge and ensure that the sort of visitors who like touching everything learn a lesson they won't forget in a hurry.

 

Well, some of them might be tempted - but I suspect that the law might have something to say about stunts like this. It might also have something to say about other, equally subtle, methods like the cattle prod, a snooker cue or even old hacksaw blades bolted (jagged side upwards) along the baseboard edge.

 

 

In fact, I'd imagine that some other people might also have something to say about some of the more OTT crowd control methods - like the people who've got to transport and set up the layouts concerned. After all, if these methods could be hazardous to show visitors, they could also be hazardous to anyone involved in exhibiting and transporting the layouts concerned.

 

I'd also vote for the "rope and springy doorstop" method. In fact, if I were ever to end up with an exhibitable layout, I'd be very tempted to adopt this method myself - either that, or "toughen up" the front of the layout, so it doesn't need protecting.

 

To my mind, this sounds rather more inviting than the opposite approach - installing barriers a few metres away from the front of a layout - and expecting show visitors to view the layout concerned through binoculars.

 

Unfortunately, keeping viewers too far away from a layout creates the risk of alienating show visitors - in extreme cases, this can also lead to some of us not even bothering to give all your hard work so much as a passing glance. (I can confirm that this has actually happened with a certain short sighted Welshman - and a well known small scale NG layout. I don't doubt that the layout concerned is modelled to a very high standard - but, unfortunately, I was unable to check for myself, as I couldn't see it.)

 

 

Of course, there is another approach - to invite visitor participation - and design a layout in a way which makes it practically "idiot proof" (preferably using cheap locos, stock etc to reduce the "hit" if something gets damaged). However, I suspect that doing this in a way which maintains some visitor appeal might be challenging. It's a challenge I might enjoy at some time in the future - but it's not likely to happen any time soon.

 

 

Huw.

Edited June 12, 2016 by Huw Griffiths

[BG John]

I wonder how long it will be before the fronts of some layouts start acquiring notices along the lines of:

 

 

DANGER!!

 

All tracks and overhead line equipment are energized with 12,000,000.000 microVolts of electricity.

 

KEEP WELL AWAY!!  (... If you know what's good for you ... .)

There used to be similar signs around many years ago, but expressed in millivolts rather than microvolts I seem to remember!

[Joseph_Pestell]

We have been fortunate with the Speenymoor shows. Loads of chairs at the venue that lock together. Backs facing the public and a very effective barrier

 

I hate this option even more than having no barriers. Parents think the chairs are there for their children to stand on. Accident waiting to happen.

[Nearholmer]

Mark SG has got it spot-on.

 

Delineation is one thing, but anything that looks strong enough to lean on is another; it will get leant upon, and at one 80kg person per 500mm, possibly with others jostling from the rear (!), it needs to be b****y strong to withstand that safely.

 

You will notice that in most places where people have to think hard about this topic in their professional lives, delineation, in the form of Tensabarriers, or similar, is the name of the game, and that any "hard" barriers are very robust indeed - think football stadium entrances. Even galleries,which have to protect "up market" art works tend to use posh versions of Tensabarriers.

 

Surely the club that organises the event is responsible for the safety of visitors, so should decide on any barrier/delineation system, with layout-owners only needing to worry about damage to their hard work, and best avoiding getting involved with barriers as such, confining themselves to "fending off" systems like the rope-on-doorstops.

 

K

Edited June 13, 2016 by Nearholmer

[DLPG]

I hate this option even more than having no barriers. Parents think the chairs are there for their children to stand on. Accident waiting to happen.

Never had an issue and we put signs on the chairs. I've seen plenty of kids balanced on barriers, which are less sturdy and a greater accident risk

[Phil Parker]

Mark SG has got it spot-on.

 

Delineation is one thing, but anything that looks strong enough to lean on is another; it will get leant upon, and at one 80kg person per 500mm, possibly with others jostling from the rear (!), it needs to be b****y strong to withstand that safely.

 

You will notice that in most places where people have to think hard about this topic in their professional lives, delineation, in the form of Tensabarriers, or similar, is the name of the game, and that any "hard" barriers are very robust indeed - think football stadium entrances. Even galleries,which have to protect "up market" art works tend to use posh versions of Tensabarriers.

 

Surely the club that organises the event is responsible for the safety of visitors, so should decide on any barrier/delineation system, with layout-owners only needing to worry about damage to their hard work, and best avoiding getting involved with barriers as such, confining themselves to "fending off" systems like the rope-on-doorstops.

 

K

 

The Leamington barriers were strong enough for a 1 Neathercote placed on the middle between the legs. Assuming you don't get rotund people sitting on them, then they are fine. We never even see deflection, never mind breakage. It's a lot easier to deal with than you think - 2 X 6 inch deep 6mm thick plywood pieces are adequate beams. I suspect serious crowd control is aimed at crush loadings rather than a few people in front of a train set.

 

Tensa barriers are fine for guiding moving people but won't handle those standing. You'll see people leaning on the posts for want of anything else. If there is a solid looking model railway behind them, they will lean on this instead.

 

I've also have problems with chairs. Parents do stand children on them and old people sit down with thier backs facing the layout, even if they have to unlock them and spin them around! This is usually accompanied with a stern look at the exhibitor as if to say "How dare you lock these together when I want to move them". Once unlocked, they tend to migrate around the hall too, especially at lunchtime.

 

As for clubs being responsible, in theory yes, but in practise, many decide that the simplest solution is no barriers. If you've not exhibited your own layout, then you probably don't see the point in all that effort. A suprising number of shows are run by people who don't exhibit. Which is why I take my own barriers if none are provided. You may not see any value in protecting my models, but I do.

[dhjgreen]

Quote: DANGER!!

 

All tracks and overhead line equipment are energized with 12,000,000.000 microVolts of electricity.

 

KEEP WELL AWAY!! (... If you know what's good for you ... .) Unquote

 

Sorry to be a spoilsport but that is still 12,000 volts, I guess you just liked the run of zeros; or are you serious!

[Calnefoxile]

Take a look at becoming a member of the CMRA (we are at East Beds)

 

There is shared equipment stored at 4 locations around the country  http://www.cmra.org.uk/services.html   as well as other benefits to members.

I would just like to point out that the information about the location of some of the Barriers and Electrical leads in the link above is wrong.

 

The equipment that was in Kettering (I think) is now located in Chippenham (soon to be Calne) with BMRG. But the arrangements are the same, they are free for CMRA members to use and just need to be collected from BMRG.

 

We use them for our shows in Calne and Corsham.

 

Regards

 

Neal.

[Gordon H]

Sorry to be a spoilsport but that is still 12,000 volts, I guess you just liked the run of zeros; or are you serious!

 

Not so.

If you look closely the final punctuation mark is a full stop, not a comma - so it is 12V expressed to the nearest nanovolt.

It would take some doing to regulate your voltage to that level of accuracy!

[Joseph_Pestell]

Never had an issue and we put signs on the chairs. I've seen plenty of kids balanced on barriers, which are less sturdy and a greater accident risk

 

Agree with you about children balanced on barriers. That is why we went with "soft" rope barriers rather than anything sturdier.

[roundhouse]

I used to have the door stop springs with dowel fitted and rope but I found that kids would flick them backwards and forwards. Also the eyelets on the end of the poles could be harmful to kids whos eye level is the same as these poles. To get round that, plastic bottle tops can be fixed on the ends.

 

Since those days I have tended to try and keep delicate items away form the baseboard edge and any vehicles well and truly fixed in place plus any locos we tend ot keep away from the front edge if left stationary.

 

We do many shows that don't have barriers and have had far less damage than when we are setting up and dismantling a layout (we do approx 20 shows a year form small to large events)

 

Kids will often go under most barriers or parents sit the kids on them although I still do prefer barriers where they are available.

[David Bigcheeseplant]

I don't consider chairs as barriers.

 

There used to be a requirement in the Magnet insurance that used to require barriers to be used but I think this has now been dropped.

 

I would not take a layout to a show unless barriers are provided, Scalefourum and Expo EM exempt. The barriers to provide something to keep the public from the front of the layout avoiding damage and possibly theft. There is no need to be right up against the front of any layout just being back 18-24 inches just provides a gap that offers both protection and a means of an operator being able to access something without the need to push past people.

 

David

[Phil Parker]

From a punters point of view, I also like proper barriers for leaning on. I can stand but the slightly lower viewpoint is nice and it makes the whole show more comfortable.