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Warley National Model Railway Exhibition 2018 - 24th and 25th November

Liam

By Liam,
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Phil Parker

Phil Parker

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Not so much a comment of the layouts on offer (once you've worked out what is there without buying a guide beforehand), one issue with Warley is there are many times the number of people than at normal show, all wanting to see the show stopper (or join the Bachmann scrum). You can't fit more people around the layout, and there is no suggestion that the punters are able to manage the situation themselves, in fact if the layout is perceived to be running slowly then someone is more likely to stay longer.

 

A better way to view such layouts is to watch them on youtube, something I was able to do from the comfort of my own sofa on Saturday evening thanks to some quality filming. And having felt that is seen the show, didn't feel the need to attend in Sunday.

 

Except that you can't ask questions or chat with the exhibitors or other show attendees. More to the point, if no-one goes to shows, shows won't exist and most of the layouts won't be set up, so they won't be filmed. Oh, and lots of clubs will close as they rely on the show income. 

 

The logical result though is that you will build a layout for one filming session and then scrap it. Or simply just do the lot in CGI and save a lot of money, And then all the trade will close down as well. 

 

Trebles all round!

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chrisf

chrisf

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An afterthought from me:

 

Where was the sample of the forthcoming Bachmann 117 on display?  I orbited the Bachmann stand twice and could not see it, but then I am notorious for not beng able to find things in shops when I'm standing right next to them.

 

Chris

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298

298

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The logical result though is that you will build a layout for one filming session and then scrap it. Or simply just do the lot in CGI and save a lot of money....

Isn't that what happened with Thomas the Tank Engine...?

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PaulRhB

PaulRhB

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IMHO the problem with using smartphones rather than tethered handsets could get worse if more layouts start using them.

There is only limited bandwidth available (check the number of channels on your home router) and interference due to proximity could get worse.

 

 

3 years ago there were 300 odd WiFi addresses live and I’m guessing the motorbike show next door adds a lot of those.

We noticed at that show that a lot with pc based WiFi were having issues but none of the three Z21 systems around us did. Our WiFi worked fine all weekend so I assume their setup with a pre set unique channel helps there. We had smartphones and a wireless Roco throttle and apart from the length of the Warley day, 9 hours on Saturday, meaning recharging / replacing the batteries was essential around 5pm they all worked without fault.

 

Sidmouth was running nicely when I stopped to take pictures and there’s oodles of detail to absorb inbetween trains. Beautiful!

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ThaneofFife

ThaneofFife

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I thoroughly enjoyed the show - got there at 0830 and suprised to see a large queue to get in so decided to have a coffee while I waited for the doors to open. Once the doors opened, we moved relatively quickly. First visit was to Lime Street before it got completely crowded. Stunning modelling and had a quick chat with the operators/builders. The engineering and logistics involved was lovely to see up close. I do appreciate that it needs to run to a realistic timetable and yes, you do need to crouch down to get the best view, but in my mind, it was still the highlight of the show.

 

There were loads of layouts with plenty of trains running, especially the live steam layouts - I spent ages just watching them whizz round. The Gauge 1 layout was superb as were the Ch 5 programme layouts.

 

Completely blew my budget and spent way too much, but purchased lots of tools, consumables, a few kits and lots of goodies from Alan Gibson/Brassmasters. 

 

I would love to see Lime Street in a later guise circa 1983-86 complete with overhead catenary, class 40s, 08s, EMU/DMUs, Peaks, 47s, 31s, 81-87 electrics on the Londons/Bhams, loco release moves out into the tunnel etc. 

 

the station is an absolute masterpiece and the mind boggles at the electronics needed to control it all.

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Darius43

Darius43

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An afterthought from me:

 

Where was the sample of the forthcoming Bachmann 117 on display?  I orbited the Bachmann stand twice and could not see it, but then I am notorious for not beng able to find things in shops when I'm standing right next to them.

 

Chris

post-29162-0-81871300-1543246293_thumb.jpeg

 

Look above the 37’s.

 

Cheers

 

Darius

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Waterloo

Waterloo

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In light of your comments you might be surprised to learn that "this lot", as you so dismissively state, won both the inaugural Sir William McAlpine award for best layout but also the Bachmann award for best 4mm layout. So, we must have been doing something right, I guess.

 

As to "nothing moving yet again", you cannot have stayed very long, because we invariably run trains every two minutes or so. For goodness sake this was a single track branch line that boasted a maximum of 15 trains each way a day. The service we run is in accordance with a strict sequence, is very varied in nature to interest the onlooker and involves completely prototypical movements. Furthermore, it is vastly more intense than was ever the case in 1959/60. Let me tell you that the sequence and the layout took a lot of time and effort to put together and my team and I do not appreciate being kicked into touch in the manner you have employed. If you think we are not pleasing you, the public, then talk to us and tell us what you think should be happening, rather than hiding behind a nom-de-plume and posting these unhelpful comments. Richard Harper, owner of Sidmouth.

Well said Richard.

 

Well done on the well deserved awards.

Steve

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'CHARD

'CHARD

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I would love to see Lime Street in a later guise circa 1983-86 complete with overhead catenary, class 40s, 08s, EMU/DMUs, Peaks, 47s, 31s, 81-87 electrics on the Londons/Bhams, loco release moves out into the tunnel etc. 

 

the station is an absolute masterpiece and the mind boggles at the electronics needed to control it all.

 

1983 - 86 could see it rechristened Liverpool Lima Street and operated with only RTR corporate BR stock from a well-known Italian manufacturer   :angel:

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Kelly

Kelly

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"Hello Hattons. I'll take that snow plough blade you have on the stand. Just fix it on the front please..."

 

"Ramming speed!"

I have had similar thoughts in the past, though not usually about the Warley show as in comparison to say comic con it is a doddle to get around with the majority being considerate and looking where they're going etc. At comic con you get storm troopers and ewoks tripping over the scooter...

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Barry O

Barry O

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before the mad rush on Friday afternoon..

 

post-7650-0-12961500-1543247144_thumb.jpg

 

and then the demonstrators started to turn up...

 

post-7650-0-08102200-1543247306_thumb.jpg

 

One or two can't make next year but we already have replacements lined up!

 

Baz

Edited by Barry O
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298

298

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I have had similar thoughts in the past, though not usually about the Warley show as in comparison to say comic con it is a doddle to get around with the majority being considerate and looking where they're going etc. At comic con you get storm troopers and ewoks tripping over the scooter...

Don't Stormtroopers have genetic eyesight defincies? That's why they never seem to hit anything. And can I ask if anyone has said "Wow, a Dalek with the lid off.." ?

 

(Sorry, known Comicon joke from my Trekkie Neighbour whose Wife also uses a Scooter).

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Ron Ron Ron

Ron Ron Ron

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.....Where was the sample of the forthcoming Bachmann 117 on display?  

 

 

In a glass cabinet, as Darius has shown above in post #558.

 

This cabinet was located inside the Bachmann Collectors Club area, so unless you were able to flash your members club card, or sign up for membership on the day (they had a membership joining area for that), you wouldn't have been able to gain access.

 

It's no great shakes, as there were only a few "new" tooling in there.

 

Apart from the Class 117, in the adjacent cabinet was an un-painted example of the new Class 159.

This is a very detailed model.

One of the nice Bachmann chaps took one of the coaches out of the cabinet so we could see the under frame.

Wow!!!

There is an amazing amount of detail under there, which won't be completely visible when the train is standing on a track.

 

With all the new kids on the block aiming for and delivering increasingly high fidelity models, this is now the only game in town.

Bachmann are fully aware of this and obviously don't want to be left behind.

This poses even greater challenges than before in getting the price/detail balance correct.

 

.

Edited by Ron Ron Ron
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'CHARD

'CHARD

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I noticed these strikingly proportioned Class 37s, and they are way better than anything I could fettle, but what was the issue with the front face of the loco, the proportions of the nose were, well, a bit snub-nosed somehow?  

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Willie Whizz

Willie Whizz

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I didn't visit the show this year but, having seen the otherwise excellent Lime Street previously, I wasn't at all impressed by the "sawn-off" arches hanging in mid-air.

 

The black paint on the cut ends just draws unwelcome attention to their incompleteness - if they were finished to match the modelled part, they'd be much less obtrusive IMHO. 

 

John

 

And yet, as one who has criticised the 'view-ability' of the layout earlier on this thread, I actually find the ingenious "sawn-off arches" helpful, because at least when you're standing opposite them, you can see running trains fairly clearly.  From most other angles around the station, you can't.  If the arches were completed, you'd see even less.

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cravensdmufan

cravensdmufan

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Fabulous photos, thanks for posting.

 

The first one I looked at was the last one of your set as I was scrolling upwards, and I thought it was a real scene!  That modelling is absolutely superb, and fair play to you for capturing it so well.  

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Steamport Southport

Steamport Southport

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I would love to see Lime Street in a later guise circa 1983-86 complete with overhead catenary, class 40s, 08s, EMU/DMUs, Peaks, 47s, 31s, 81-87 electrics on the Londons/Bhams, loco release moves out into the tunnel etc. 

 

the station is an absolute masterpiece and the mind boggles at the electronics needed to control it all.

 

Have it a little bit earlier and you can have Deltics on the Trans Pennines.

 

You missed out the Class 25s. There was always one or two lurking about like rats doing nothing in particular.  :dontknow:

 

 

Jason

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Willie Whizz

Willie Whizz

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Hi Phil

 

It is getting a balance of modelling and running. I have seen Liverpool Lime Street in the past....goodness how I missed it at Warley when I was there all weekend...and I have been impressed by the modelling but for a big layout there is very little movement. All layouts will have period when there isn't a train moving but this should be kept to reasonable minimum.

 

It is the small scale moving models that sets railway modelling apart from many other forms of model making. There are other wonderful modelling pursuits where movement in important  but unlike aero modellers or powered boat modellers, our modelling is one that can take place indoors. Therefore layouts were there is little movement can become very well modelled dioramas not model railways.

 

100% agree, Clive.  I do wonder whether exhibitors where "the modelling was great but nothing much was actually running" have given much thought to the fact that a show the vast size of Warley can take an entire day to get around and you still don't get to see everything.  So unless you've explicitly gone there to see that one model - or have been completely captivated by one model and willingly sacrifice seeing other things - the most time that most of us can hope to devote to any single exhibit is measurable in minutes, and then maybe go back again towards the end of the Show to the half a dozen that made the most impression.

 

I gave Lime Street three goes and - other than the truly spectacular scenery and structural work (which I reiterate I'm glad to acknowledge) - there was little to see in action, even if you could see it over the heads of the crowd and the operators and behind the canopies.  You couldn't bend down for a proper look for any period of time as one poster suggested, there was no room, and I have an iffy back anyway.  I'm sorry, but that's how it was for me.  I cannot really comment much on Sidmouth; I hung around for several minutes (not just two) admiring the (again wonderful, though very different) scenic effects, but once more nothing moved, and at this point if memory serves there was barely even any stock standing around the layout to observe.  Whether they were having operational problems I don't know; no-one was standing close behind the layout to ask.  Frustrated more than disappointed, I viewed it and promptly forgot it, and never found my way back.

 

It's not rocket-science and I accept just "running something - anything will do" isn't appropriate; but at the end of the day, if it's a busy public model railway exhibition, not an architectural museum diorama display, run some chuffing trains!

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Jenny Emily

Jenny Emily

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I really enjoyed Warley. Last year was my first ever year and I was impressed enough to come back! Footage that I filmed whilst there:

 

 

Note that the audio was unusable due to excessive noise and because it contained conversation that participants might not have been aware was recorded. To avoid it being a silent video, I therefore added music. If you don’t like the music then YouTube has a mute button.

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7013

7013

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Up the line was a superb layout, the constant sound of the artillery barrage in the background reflected on a small scale what it must have been like every day....very poignant.

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Darius43

Darius43

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Fabulous photos, thanks for posting.

 

The first one I looked at was the last one of your set as I was scrolling upwards, and I thought it was a real scene! That modelling is absolutely superb, and fair play to you for capturing it so well.

 

Agreed, the modelling on that last layout was sheer brilliance - one of my favourites of the show. And there was plenty of activity on the tracks as well :)

 

Plus, having grown up in Newcastle-under-Lyme in the 1970s, I had to visit this layout :)

 

post-29162-0-13840100-1543252478_thumb.jpeg

 

Cheers

 

Darius

Edited by Darius43
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