Great Model Railway Challenge - Channel 5

[Golden Fleece 30]

But it's made for a British audience. You just need to visit virtually any model railway exhibition and see the lack of people even glancing at foreign layouts or narrow gauge for that matter. Most just walk past.

 

 

 

 

Jason

I admit I do, if it is not British standard gauge outline it has no interest at all to me (the same way I cannot stand sound and I pass those too).  I can appreciate they model what they want, and skillful at it, but it does not appeal to me in the slightest.  I could watch it on this TV programme as it would be part of the competition but that is all, certainly not at a show.

 

Garry

Edited October 22, 2018 by Golden Fleece 30

[Andy Y]

Two lengths of straight track laid diagonally across the boards.

 

I'd have thought you may have gone for a dog-bone approach.

[Steamport Southport]

 

We all partake in this hobby in a way that suits us, even if that means abandoning Fn3 (never heard of it, tbh, but that's my ignorance) in favour of writing.

 

I had to Google it. After much looking it seems to be an American Narrow Gauge for garden layouts with a gauge of 45mm.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transport_modelling_scales

 

 

 

Jason

[Colin_McLeod]

It's pleasing and illuminating to note that the average post counts for contributors to this topic appear lower than may be typical for RMWeb as a whole....

Unlike RMweb in general, this thread does not permit criticism and is moderated to a stricter degree than normal with an unknown number of posts removed.

 

That's as far as I dare comment

[colin smith]

That's what I thought, which is why I was surprised that you said Bachmann make RTR. I've got some 10mm on 16.5 track in January's Garden Rail by the way.

 

I think the problem is that you don't like any show like GMRC and have a very narrow idea of what you define as a model railway - so it's not a surprise that you don't like the show. However, it comes back to my point that if you can find another million people with the same opinion, you CAN have a TV show that would please you. Until then, we get GMRC which seems to be keeping a lot of people happy.

 

 

I agree that a big part of the problem is I prefer BBC4 science documentaries to 95% of 'popular' TV. A model railway, to me, is a 'model' (defined as a three-dimensional representation of a person or thing or of a proposed or actual structure, typically on a smaller scale than the original.) railway and not just anything that runs on rails.

 

But Bachmann do make RTR in both On30 and Fn3. 

 

18" gauge is sweet. 

Edited October 22, 2018 by colin smith

[colin smith]

I'd have thought you may have gone for a dog-bone approach.

 

Fn3 doesn't like sharp radii and anything under 4' radius is sharp. Plus the footprint of any building in OO is sixteen times bigger in Fn3 so you'd need the depth of a 5x10 board.

[Phil Parker]

Unlike RMweb in general, this thread does not permit criticism and is moderated to a stricter degree than normal with an unknown number of posts removed.

 

That's as far as I dare comment

 

I have seen all the moderated comments and out of 997, we are looking at just over 10. Those have included abuse in capital letters aimed at one of the teams (twice by one "contributor") followed by a threat to the admins, 3 repeats of one post and some for swearing.

 

As was said in the OP, this is a very public thread and a massive majority of contributors have taken part in this spirit. Personally, I'd rather not have to spend so much time at odd hours of the day keeping an eye on it, but then I'd also like the people taking part in this hobby to be presented as the intelligent, interesting, polite and tolerant individuals that most are. Like most of life, this can easily be ruined by a few who fail some or all of those criteria.

[Coryton]

yes I saw the blue boxes of new PECO track - amazed in this day and age the word "PECO" wasn't marred by hellish pixellation!

 

Given that they are one of the sponsors, I don't see why.

[sharris]

Given that they are one of the sponsors, I don't see why.

 

Indeed, I'm surprised that the sponsors aren't more heavily promoted during the show.

[colin smith]

But it's made for a British audience. You just need to visit virtually any model railway exhibition and see the lack of people even glancing at foreign layouts or narrow gauge for that matter. Most just walk past.

 

 

Are you a returner by any chance? As I think your comments suggest you haven't followed model railways in the last twenty years or so and are from the 1980s or earlier. I think the reference to GWR branchline termini is extremely outdated. I think I can count on one hand the amount of those I've seen on the exhibition circuit in the last ten years and I visit approximately ten shows a year.

 

90% of layouts I see are BR steam/transitional or current.

 

I'm a left and haven't come back, though I am tempted by the much better variety that's on offer now in rtr. It would be tricky finding a prototype as I'm torn between French tramways, Mediterranean island railways, and Chilean nitrate carriers. Either way it would have to be something I haven't seen done, or only rarely done.

 

For me, the parochialism is part of the problem. You see much the same in US magazines where hardly anyone models anything outside the US and most are doing diesel or steam/diesel transition.  I've always been attracted to the new and the exotic.

 

I agree my GWR branch line termini reference is dated and agree that 90% of layouts are BR steam/transitional or current. Those are the ones I walk past as I have no interest in personal nostalgia. Perhaps growing up next to the Hastings branch was uninspiring compared to railways visited on holidays, such as the Isle of Man, Talyllyn, or La Rhune in France.

[Pete Thorpe]

Given that they are one of the sponsors, I don't see why.

During the final I was being interviewed about the item I was building which was scratch built apart from a Peco part. When I referenced this I was asked not to, even though Steve was one of those conducting the interview.

Edited October 22, 2018 by Pete Thorpe

[Zomboid]

Probably rules around product placement meaning extra hoops for the broadcaster to jump through.

[Pete Thorpe]

Apparently John of Deluxe Models isn't too happy about not seeing his products on display, though we did leave them in prominent positions on the layouts during the build.

Edited October 22, 2018 by Pete Thorpe

[Coryton]

Apparently John of Deluxe Models isn't too happy about not seeing his products on display, though we did leave them in prominent positions on the layouts during the build.

 

It does seem a curious form of sponsorship, where the companies get a line in the credits and not much else.

 

Maybe, given the cost of TV advertising, that's all you get for what they contributed.

 

 

During the final I was being interviewed about the item I was building which was scratch built apart from a Peco part. When I referenced this I was asked not to, even though Steve was one of those conducting the interview.

 

Ah yes - the editor of a magazine published by one of the sponsors but which may not be named on-air.

[Mike Storey]

Probably rules around product placement meaning extra hoops for the broadcaster to jump through.

 

I agree - that is much more tightly controlled on UK channels, as opposed to the US, for example. But all sponsors are acknowledged in the final credits - just don't blink.....

[Penlan]

I expect I've missed it somewhere over the last 6 odd pages, a reference re. beach huts in Friday's broadcast, 
but why did that chap, seemingly spend the whole time, in some discomfort, assembling and painting the beach huts?
Could they not have been a 'pre-assemble' item.

[2mmMark]

I see someone collects ultramarines . Was forever trying to get a look at what space marines you used

 

I tried collecting ultramarines but it just gave me the blues.

[Barry Ten]

Not necessarily. There are thousands of great prototypes that you never see modelled. There are thousands more models of GWR branch termini than there were actual GWR branch termini, but when was the last time you saw anything modelled from South America, or North Africa, or Scandinavia, or Russia? Railways don't end at Dover.

 

In fairness, there have been models of prototypes from most of those areas, if not all of them, in the popular mags. Model Railroader had a Brazil-based layout not all that long ago, Russia has been featured in it as well, and Scandinavian prototypes do pop up quite often in Continental Modeller. MR has also featured an outstanding Finnish layout. I don't know about North African-based layouts but I wouldn't be surprised if one hadn't appeared. So I'd say you need to read the mags a bit more if you're not aware of these subjects, as they are being covered.

[Pete Thorpe]

I expect I've missed it somewhere over the last 6 odd pages, a reference re. beach huts in Friday's broadcast, 

but why did that chap, seemingly spend the whole time, in some discomfort, assembling and painting the beach huts?

Could they not have been a 'pre-assemble' item.

I don't think they expected them to take so long, Matt appeared to be having issues with his air brush (he was sat behind me in the workshop area, or "art room" as it become on the telly).

[Penlan]

Thank you Pete Thorpe,
There had been a couple of comments re., the beach hut assembling over coffee at Cardiff Show over the weekend.
.
Locally (west Cornwall) I think the number of people commenting on the Show, though nothing to upset Andy Y 

have been in the ratio of 1 : 20 , that's 'Modeller' to 'General Public'.
So it's obviously making some sort of impact. 
Of course it might be that Modellers on the ground 'Way down West' are as numerous as hen's teeth.

[Robin2]

and not just anything that runs on rails.

 

I like anything that runs on rails if it achieves what its maker had in mind.

 

...R

[TEAMYAKIMA]

But again, it's not about what's televisual but about the modelling.  

 

 

Sorry, but GMRC is about the televisual - and it's the best publicity that the hobby has had for years - lets build on that.

[PaulRhB]

Bachmann certainly do make stock in Fn3 and 1:22.5. Track is an issue I admit.

 

That's Bachmann USA though and although they share a parent company a totally separate entity . Since the demise of the Lil hauler range though like LGB you’d barely get a loco and couple of wagons in the total budget they had.

There’s room to be creative with things like the Smallbrook kits on Hornby chassis for 016.5 but as I said earlier the budget garden kits and something like a Gn15 using OO chassis is about as far as the rules would let them go.

Think of this as step one and write some constructive suggestions for future shows and send them to the production team, you never know

[Jeff Smith]

Sorry, but GMRC is about the televisual - and it's the best publicity that the hobby has had for years - lets build on that.

 

Yes, I agree, sort of....  It all depends whether the viewers are able to realize that this is a very contrived environment and that better results could be achieved with more time.  However it does show real people tackling and in some cases achieving the desired outcome.

[Phil Parker]

Yes, I agree, sort of....  It all depends whether the viewers are able to realize that this is a very contrived environment and that better results could be achieved with more time.  However it does show real people tackling and in some cases achieving the desired outcome.

 

I think the idea that more time would mean better results is common to all the challenge style shows. Bakeoff is particularly strong on this with contestants complaining about short deadlines. 

 

That said, many of the layouts we see sent into magazines for the "readers layouts" section aren't that much better than the models produced in GMRC. There are a lot of people who would get a terrific amount of pleasure building something like the models on TV themselves - and good for them. Better that then never make anything but always living under the impression that when you do it will blow Pendon away with its quality, and then criticise others on the basis of what you will "one day" do.