Announcement: Bristol Model Railway Exhibition

[SteveCole]

Warners Group Publications is delighted to announce that it has taken over the management of the Bristol Model Railway Exhibition, which will take place in Spring. 

 

Already managing two of the country’s biggest model railway exhibitions – The Festival of Railway Modelling in Doncaster and The London Festival of Railway Modelling in Alexandra Palace – Warners sees a show in the West of England as a great addition to its events portfolio. It will continue to work in close partnership with the Association of Model Railway Clubs Wales & West of England to ensure the show remains one the country’s best.

 

Steve Cole, publisher of Warners Group Publications’ railway portfolio, had this to say about the show: “Since we started talking to the Association, it was apparent that we both wanted the same thing…to make the Bristol Model Railway Exhibition even bigger and better than before! We plan to work closely to attract the best model railways, leading traders and further improve what is already an excellent exhibition.”

 

Mike Tucker, treasurer of the Association of Model Railway Clubs Wales & West of England, commented: “The Bristol Model Railway Exhibition has been the premier model railway show in the West Country since 1968. To help us make the show bigger and better we felt that the time had come to enter into a partnership with someone who shared these goals. Warners Group Publications shares our passion to achieve these aims and we are very happy to team to ensure that together we bring the best layouts from around the country alongside leading traders to the show, thus ensuring the exhibition continues to expand and improve for the future.”

 

The 2022 exhibition is confirmed for April 29, 30 and May 1 and will take place at Thornbury Leisure Centre, Alveston Hill, Thornbury, Bristol, BS35 3JB. Tickets and further information will be available soon via the Association’s website (www.bristolmodrailex.uk) and www.world-of-railways.co.uk. Both websites will be updated to include the list of the 30 plus attending layouts, traders and demonstrations.

 

Warners Group Publications is the publisher of market-leading magazines - BRM (British Railway Modelling), Traction, Garden Rail, Narrow Gauge World and Engineering in Miniature – plus two of the country’s biggest websites: www.world-of-railways.co.uk and www.RMweb.co.uk.

 

Pictured are three layouts confirmed for the exhibition: Herculaneum Dock, Launceston Steam Railway and Rumbling Bridge.

 

[H2O]

Good to hear. Perhaps I've missed it but where will it be held?

 

Bit OT, the 'news' section of one of the linked sites (presumably the updates will go there) goes to a page with white text on a very light b/w background. For my poor aging eyes: Artistic impression 10/10, readability 1/10.

Edited December 20, 2021 by H2O
Add info

[MarkSG]

45 minutes ago, H2O said:

Good to hear. Perhaps I've missed it but where will it be held?

 

It does say in the announcement that it will be at Thornbury Leisure Centre, which is the same venue as previously.

 

45 minutes ago, H2O said:

Bit OT, the 'news' section of one of the linked sites (presumably the updates will go there) goes to a page with white text on a very light b/w background. For my poor aging eyes: Artistic impression 10/10, readability 1/10.

 

Yes, indeed. Hopefully one benefit of the change is that Warners can put their own web team in charge of the event website.

[woodenhead]

A positive vote for physical exhibitions given where we are right now which sees any larger January/early Feb exhibition either cancelled or at risk.

 

Might need a bus shuttle from Parkway for those travelling some distance

[Huw Griffiths]

5 hours ago, woodenhead said:

A positive vote for physical exhibitions given where we are right now which sees any larger January/early Feb exhibition either cancelled or at risk.

 

Might need a bus shuttle from Parkway for those travelling some distance

 

Couldn't agree more.

 

Fair comment about shuttles - it's a bit of a nightmare to get there by public transport. As for nearby (like within several miles) significant transport hubs, it might be worth looking into Bristol Parkway rail station - perhaps also Cribbs Causeway, as lots of bus routes serve the bus station at the shopping mall.

 

 

[LNER4479]

Good to hear. 

 

I note no reference in the OP to Peterborough being one of Warners shows going forward - is that quietly dropped then?

 

Makes sense. Ally-Pally for the capital and home counties; Doncaster for the north (-ish!) and Bristol for the west.

[Captain Kernow]

Thornbury Leisure Centre is a great venue for a large show (albeit remote from any railway station) and always seems to have plenty of car parking, with an adjacent field being used as a spill-over car park, IIRC.

 

I haven't been for a few years, but I do recall that the catering was pretty lousy each time, hopefully Warners will be able to do something about that as well!

 

[009 micro modeller]

11 hours ago, LNER4479 said:

I note no reference in the OP to Peterborough being one of Warners shows going forward - is that quietly dropped then?

I wondered that as well.

 

 If I ever get down to Bristol for this show I will have been to all four (Ally Pally loads of times, Doncaster two or possibly three, Peterborough only once but including the cake box interviews).

[MarkSG]

4 hours ago, Captain Kernow said:

Thornbury Leisure Centre is a great venue for a large show (albeit remote from any railway station) and always seems to have plenty of car parking, with an adjacent field being used as a spill-over car park, IIRC.

 

I haven't been for a few years, but I do recall that the catering was pretty lousy each time, hopefully Warners will be able to do something about that as well!

 

 

Exhibitions at leisure centres do often seem to have a problem with the catering. Railex at Aylesbury suffers somewhat from below par catering as well, as did the Manchester show when it was at the Armitage Centre. But I think that's a weakness of the type of venue, and not one that the show organisers can easily fix. In their everyday use, leisure centres don't generally have a particularly large demand for catering, it's basically just drinks, snacks and light meals for people using the facilities.  That's quite different to the demand generated by a conference or exhibition type of event, where you have a much larger number of people spending much longer on the premises.

 

A lack of catering on the premises isn't necessarily a problem if there are alternatives. The Robin Park Arena, used by Wigan, is similarly under-supplied with on-site catering. But the arena is on a retail park with lots of other eateries scattered around, so it's easy enough just to  take a short break from the show and go elsewhere. Thornbury Leisure Centre, by contrast, is a standalone site on the edge of the built up area with nothing but fields and houses within walking distance. Unless the venue can improve its catering provision, therefore, I don't think Warners can do a lot about it.

[Rivercider]

22 hours ago, woodenhead said:

A positive vote for physical exhibitions given where we are right now which sees any larger January/early Feb exhibition either cancelled or at risk.

 

Might need a bus shuttle from Parkway for those travelling some distance

I have been to that exhibition quite  a few times over the years. There used to be a shuttle bus from Bristol Parkway which I used, but I believe that was dropped a couple of years ago. There are bus services that run between the two locations, but I have not used them,

 

cheers 

Edited December 21, 2021 by Rivercider
tidying up.

[Captain Kernow]

8 minutes ago, Rivercider said:

There used to be a shuttle bus from Bristol Parkway

There is (or was, certainly) a good chippy in Thornbury itself.

 

Perhaps we also need a shuttle bus between the exhibition venue and the chip shop.

 

[Gilbert]

4 minutes ago, Captain Kernow said:

There is (or was, certainly) a good chippy in Thornbury itself.

 

Perhaps we also need a shuttle bus between the exhibition venue and the chip shop.

 

The Leisure centre is about 0.5k from both a Tesco superstore and the high street - out of the venue and turn right....

[AY Mod]

17 hours ago, LNER4479 said:

I note no reference in the OP to Peterborough being one of Warners shows going forward - is that quietly dropped then?

 

TBC pending communications with new site owners.

[woodenhead]

10 minutes ago, AY Mod said:

 

TBC pending communications with new site owners.

Quite a big change, lets hope we don't have an exhibition on the same weekend as an axe throwing competition, but they do see a future for the arena itself so lets hope you can negotiate a good deal to keep the show on.

 

Bellway are building 130 homes on part of the land as well.

 

 

[St. Simon]

Hi,

 

If you are looking for layouts, I plan to finish my new layout Collingwood within the next couple of months and would be available.

 

See here: Collingwood - A Privatisation Era Southern Region Layout

 

Simon

[Captain Kernow]

48 minutes ago, Gilbert said:

The Leisure centre is about 0.5k from both a Tesco superstore and the high street - out of the venue and turn right....

Hmm.

 

It's a lot further if you turn left...

 

[009 micro modeller]

2 hours ago, MarkSG said:

 

Exhibitions at leisure centres do often seem to have a problem with the catering. Railex at Aylesbury suffers somewhat from below par catering as well, as did the Manchester show when it was at the Armitage Centre. But I think that's a weakness of the type of venue, and not one that the show organisers can easily fix. In their everyday use, leisure centres don't generally have a particularly large demand for catering, it's basically just drinks, snacks and light meals for people using the facilities.  That's quite different to the demand generated by a conference or exhibition type of event, where you have a much larger number of people spending much longer on the premises.

 

A lack of catering on the premises isn't necessarily a problem if there are alternatives. The Robin Park Arena, used by Wigan, is similarly under-supplied with on-site catering. But the arena is on a retail park with lots of other eateries scattered around, so it's easy enough just to  take a short break from the show and go elsewhere. Thornbury Leisure Centre, by contrast, is a standalone site on the edge of the built up area with nothing but fields and houses within walking distance. Unless the venue can improve its catering provision, therefore, I don't think Warners can do a lot about it.

Similar remarks were always made about ExpoNG (also held at a leisure centre) in magazine and blog reports - the advice in said reports was always to visit the bakery in the town, although I found the café by the swimming pool at Swanley to be OK and better than the smaller one within the area used for the exhibition itself.

 

In my experience catering at exhibitions held in large exhibition centres (like the other BRM shows, or Warley) can be very good but often a bit overpriced - again though if it’s provided by the venue I don’t think this is something the show organisers really have much influence over.

[Huw Griffiths]

7 hours ago, Captain Kernow said:

Thornbury Leisure Centre is a great venue for a large show (albeit remote from any railway station) and always seems to have plenty of car parking, with an adjacent field being used as a spill-over car park, IIRC.

 

I haven't been for a few years, but I do recall that the catering was pretty lousy each time, hopefully Warners will be able to do something about that as well!

 

I don't recall much in the way of on site catering.

 

I think there might have been a bar upstairs - with a very limited range - but it's a number of years since I last got chance to visit this show. (To go there, despite the "service" and fares I encountered with Great Western, I'd need to be pretty determined!)

 

For some people, the preferred catering option is a mix of:

• A stainless steel flask, filled with filter coffee - and
• A visit to Lidl* or Morrisons* (* other supermarkets are also available), on the way to the train station.

 

2 hours ago, Rivercider said:

I have been to that exhibition quite  a few times over the years. There used to be a shuttle bus from Bristol Parkway which I used, but I believe that was dropped a couple of years ago. There are bus services that run between the two locations, but I have not used them

 

I don't recall the local service buses being exactly frequent - or affordable. Obviously, they might have improved in the last few years (yes, right) ... .

 

 

As for the shuttle buses, they were dropped a few years ago.

 

They were first introduced about a quarter of a century ago, when the show moved from Bristol waterfront to Thornbury. When they started, they were preserved buses, with a "donations box" near the entrance. For the first few years, they ran to / from Temple Meads, Filton Abbey Wood and Parkway stations. After a while, Temple Meads was dropped.

 

Further along the line, Filton Abbey Wood was also dropped and the frequency reduced. (If I remember correctly, trains to / from South Wales were hourly - as were the shuttles - and they always seemed to just miss, in both directions!)

 

The next step was to use a local bus operator - with an old, high floor, coach and a fare (£1 each way to from Parkway, if I remember correctly).

 

Finally, the shuttles went the way of the dodo.

 

 

On a more positive note, I always used to enjoy this show - partly because there was usually something of interest to me - partly because it offered me a chance to meet up with some people I've known for decades.

 

 

 

[NHY 581]

Good news regarding the involvement of Warners. Dare I say it, I feel that there is a need to generally  re-invigorate the show. 

 

Oh, and I can confirm that the catering is pretty poor as was the customer service from the catering staff.

Certainly won't go there again with my daughter straight from school on the Friday with an expectation that food be available. 

 

Rob. 

[Rivercider]

29 minutes ago, NHY 581 said:

Good news regarding the involvement of Warners. Dare I say it, I feel that there is a need to generally  re-invigorate the show. 

 

 

Rob. 

I remember making many visits to the show when it was held in Bristol. The move to Thornbury coincided with my waning interest in attending shows due to other interests. Fifteen years ago I started visiting shows again including the Bristol show and I would say the standard has been variable, but much improved in the last couple of years, so I hope that continues. Personally I found the Bentley Group Trainswest exhibition and the Taunton Rail-Ex to be just as enjoyable,

 

cheers

[37114]

Great to see this is coming back, I haven't been for a few years.  Always surprised it is a 3 day show, presume that is to spread the load on the car park?  

[Captain Kernow]

1 hour ago, Huw Griffiths said:

on the way to the train station

I beg your pardon?

 

[Huw Griffiths]

2 hours ago, Huw Griffiths said:

• A visit to Lidl* or Morrisons* (* other supermarkets are also available), on the way to the train station

 

32 minutes ago, Captain Kernow said:

I beg your pardon?

 

I kinda guess I could have added "from the transit terminal, several blocks away" - but I thought that some people might not be too keen on it.

 

Seriously though, my mind was elsewhere when I typed my earlier post - a little matter of having a load of DIY to deal with before I can even think of doing some modelmaking.

 

This site doing its time-honoured routine of automatically logging me out when I was in the middle of typing didn't exactly help, either. Saying that, I guess I'd managed to stay logged in for a full minute before this happened - so I shouldn't complain ... .

[rezot]

No just say station or railway station. We are British 

[Graham_Muz]

12 minutes ago, rezot said:

No just say station or railway station. We are British 

Except the term 'train station' was recorded as being used in Britain as early as 1845...