The London Festival of Railway Modelling at Alexandra Palace

[corsair]

Hello can any one help with the trader selling br diesel cds please thanks 

[Darius43]

We had a great time at Ally Pally yesterday - so nice to be back at an exhibition.  Had nice chats with Accurascale and KR Models.  
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks again to RMWeb (Gold) and Warners for the free ticket.

 

Cheers

 

Darius

Edited March 20, 2022 by Darius43

[Darius43]

Some more pics from yesterday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers

 

Darius

 

[TrentValleyRailway]

A very busy Saturday with some areas feeling more spacious than others which were very crowded. Great range of layouts exhibited with highlights of some of them below 

 

[5 C]

A thoroughly enjoyable day yesterday. After fighting with the car park machines at Hitchin station, I made it in time to enjoy at least a few minutes of my advance entry.

 

I'd promised myself no major spending but nevertheless succumbed to a few useful bits and bobs of the kind you can only find by rummaging around trade stands.

 

I eventually took pity on a bargain priced Bachmann Mickey Mouse, looking rather forlorn in one of the baskets on the Ellis Clarke stand. It wasn't until I got it home that I realised its "weathering" pattern looked familiar: only down one side with motion and axle boxes picked out in a distinctive way in a very specific colour. That and the overwhelming nicotine stench and staining, made me think it was from the same collection as a Hornby Duchess I acquired on eBay a couple of weeks ago.

 

The two halls never felt crowded even at peak times, with plenty of space and fresh air, in contrast to my experience of GETS last year at MK, which at times had felt uncomfortably warm and crowded.

 

A high quality selection of layouts to enjoy. In particular Redbridge Wharf, Grindley Brook, Scout Green Crossing and especially Swaynton, with its friendly team of operators, which I returned to several times throughout the day. 

 

A bright sunny day outside as I walked back to the station, with a glorious view of London stretched out below. A great day out that even the extended wait at a freezing Welwyn Garden City on the return journey couldn't spoil.

 

 

[chrisf]

I was struggling a bit yesterday thanks to backache.  Fortunately there were enough chairs scattered about the halls for at least one to be available when I needed to rest my weary limbs. 

 

Since the show was last staged Nick Freezer, who selects the layouts for the MRC, has not lost his touch.  Among those that I liked were Rossiter Rise and Redbridge Wharf, neither of which I had seen before, and Swaynton, which it was good to see again.  As for Arun Quay and Copenhagen Fields, how can anyone not like those?  I would have liked to spend longer admiring Wainthrop Bridge and Oak Road and will look out for them again when I am less infirm! 

 

Shopping comprised two bottles of butanone and two hefty books.  My credit card took a pasting - more than it should have done, thanks to the venue's poorly publicised policy of not accepting cash.  I am relatively happy to use a card to pay for a round of drinks, but £2.20 for a cuppa?  Come on!  I cannot comment on the catering because a long time ago I learned to bring my own fodder.  It takes next to no time and not many pennies to make a few sandwiches!

 

In addition to the select few with whom I had a beer I met a good few that I know and that I only see at shows!  It's good to be back ...

 

Chris

[john new]

58 minutes ago, chrisf said:

I was struggling a bit yesterday thanks to backache.  Fortunately there were enough chairs scattered about the halls for at least one to be available when I needed to rest my weary limbs. 

 

Since the show was last staged Nick Freezer, who selects the layouts for the MRC, has not lost his touch.  Among those that I liked were Rossiter Rise and Redbridge Wharf, neither of which I had seen before, and Swaynton, which it was good to see again.  As for Arun Quay and Copenhagen Fields, how can anyone not like those?  I would have liked to spend longer admiring Wainthrop Bridge and Oak Road and will look out for them again when I am less infirm! 

 

Shopping comprised two bottles of butanone and two hefty books.  My credit card took a pasting - more than it should have done, thanks to the venue's poorly publicised policy of not accepting cash.  I am relatively happy to use a card to pay for a round of drinks, but £2.20 for a cuppa?  Come on!  I cannot comment on the catering because a long time ago I learned to bring my own fodder.  It takes next to no time and not many pennies to make a few sandwiches!

 

In addition to the select few with whom I had a beer I met a good few that I know and that I only see at shows!  It's good to be back ...

 

Chris

Horses for courses, these days I rarely carry cash, the old style cash only places therefore lose my trade. A bit in the car for car parks and that's it. However, for shows it will have to be a case of having some in case the smaller traders are still old hat ot can't get onto the venue wi-fi.

[john new]

4 hours ago, TrentValleyRailway said:

A very busy Saturday with some areas feeling more spacious than others which were very crowded. Great range of layouts exhibited with highlights of some of them below 

 

 

Thanks for this.  We are not there with an SLS promo, books and photos stand this year, and for personal reasons have also had to miss it and our London mini-break this year

[C126]

Just wanted to add my thanks to all for the weekend, and RMWeb Gold and Warners for the free ticket.  My first Ally Pally show, and I am very glad I went.  Bought too many goodies (including my first wagon kits), and the trains there and back were tolerable.  Thank you all for your hard work in making it an enjoyable day out.  Looking forward to the Birmingham show in November.

[TrentValleyRailway]

Some more of the layouts to share including the modern image Deadmans Lane

 

 

[Michael Hodgson]

 

44 minutes ago, col.stephens said:

Yeah right!  Maybe if you are twenty years old and jog regularly.  I bet Google failed to take into account that your average railway modeller is some old geezer with dodgy knees or a dicky heart!  Did Google also mention that it is uphill all the way?  

That's me you're talking about! 

Knee replacement a few years ago, and irregular heartbeat for over 30 years !

 

Yeah, well I wasn't too sure about how well my train service would be running so I went by car for the first time this year, as there hadn't seemed much point in renewing seem my senile railcard when it expired at the start of covid and I've still not caught a train since then!

Parking wasn't a problem, and I didn't even have to walk up the hill from there.  Then I got in for free thanks to the generosity of the kind lady who had sat next to me on the courtesy bus, as she had a spare advance ticket! 

[Huw Griffiths]

On 18/03/2022 at 12:44, 5 C said:

Google Maps reckons 12 minutes for the walk from Ally Pally station to AP itself ...

 

Yes. Right ... .

 

 

55 minutes ago, col.stephens said:

Did Google also mention that it is uphill all the way?  

 

There might have been a small clue inside Ally Pally - in the form of a drawing, referring to the location as "Muswell Hill".

 

It's always possible that this might not have been apparent to the guys at Google.

 

It's also possible that their camera car / drone / satellite photos might not have told them about streams of chartered and service buses - stopping every few metres to pick up show visitors, at the point of collapse during their "short stroll" up the hill. Perhaps this might have been where they got their "12 minutes" from - who knows?

 

[Sitham Yard]

Very enjoyable show with plenty of space. Hope it was busy enough for everyone to make it viable.   

 

With regards to catering I think the website should specifically mention the restaurant downstairs. Reasonable quality hot meals were on offer and although expensive were in line with what I would expect from that type of venue. I consider them to be better value than the hot snacks available in the hall and there were plenty of pleasant, helpful staff on hand. 

Andrew   

[richard brown]

Hi all here is my video form the show 

Ally pally model railway show

I felt it was a good show but a bit of a trip from Nottingham 

 

richard

trains in the attic 

 

[Graham_Muz]

7 hours ago, chrisf said:

 

 

Since the show was last staged Nick Freezer, who selects the layouts for the MRC, has not lost his touch.  

 

Chris

Just for correctness Nick is no longer involved with the layout selection for the show. 

[Huw Griffiths]

I also enjoyed my visit yesterday.

 

This was the first big show I've been able to visit for several years.

 

I liked seeing a good selection of layouts - traders - demonstrators - and societies.

 

I also enjoyed the chance to chat with a number of people - some traders - some visitors - some demonstrators - some people from a number of societies (I wonder how long it'll be before I join more of these).

 

Whilst I think of it, I also had a most enjoyable chat with Howard.

 

 

As for getting to and from the venue, the journey there went remarkably smoothly except for having to change Circle Line trains at Edgware Road.

 

The journey home was rather more "interesting" - the short hop from Kings Cross to Paddington (supposedly one line!) involving a string of changes, followed by a mad dash to just catch a train to South Wales. As this train consisted of two short trains joined together, I found myself stood in a vestibule until Reading, chatting with some very likeable guy from the Rhondda. The moment the train reached Reading, we followed the train guard's advice and moved to the front half of the train.

 

We then had a table - and continued our conversation until I left this train at Newport, where my journey home stalled.

 

The station screens, plus a long  stream of announcements, described a train to Chester as "delayed" - how long for was anyone's guess - certainly nobody working at the station had been given any meaningful information - not a good sign. Eventually though (probably about an hour later), the northbound train appeared, with loads of passengers (plus a few British Transport Police officers) already on board.

 

Once a number of people disembarked, I was able to board. I didn't see much point trying to push my way into a seat in the middle of the car - especially as I was only going one stop and had some "baggage" - so I spent this part of my journey chatting with several people standing in the vestibule.

 

As for the people travelling on this train, most seemed to be sports enthusiasts - slightly noisy perhaps - some of them might also have had one or two "shandies" - but they seemed decent enough people. I certainly doubt if the police on this train would have been kept too busy.

 

After leaving the train at Cwmbran, another pause whilst I spent the next half an hour trying to find a taxi firm actually answering the phone. After another half an hour, there then followed a short taxi ride, with a very pleasant driver.

 

On arrival at home, I thought I'd sit down for a few minutes before turning in - well that was the theory. In practice, what actually happened was that I slumped into a reclining armchair - and didn't wake up until about lunchtime - then back to "business as usual".

 

I'm also glad to be able to say that model railway shows appear to be back.

 

 

Edited March 20, 2022 by Huw Griffiths

[5 C]

2 hours ago, col.stephens said:

Yeah right!  Maybe if you are twenty years old and jog regularly.  I bet Google failed to take into account that your average railway modeller is some old geezer with dodgy knees or a dicky heart!  Did Google also mention that it is uphill all the way?  

Surprisingly, the walk did actually take me 12 minutes. In fairness, my pace could described as "brisk" and "purposeful" and I was deliberately trying to see whether I could match or beat Google's timings. The walk was made all the more interesting by having to dodge the hordes of Park Runners and MAMILs coming in the opposite direction.

 

My step count for the day, should anyone be interested, was just shy of 14.5k. Don't let anyone tell you this is a sedentary hobby! 

[terry.ecmr]

3 hours ago, TrentValleyRailway said:

Some more of the layouts to share including the modern image Deadmans Lane

 

 

Nice video of Rossiter Rise,  which we thoroughly enjoyed exhibition. 

[terry.ecmr]

9 hours ago, chrisf said:

I was struggling a bit yesterday thanks to backache.  Fortunately there were enough chairs scattered about the halls for at least one to be available when I needed to rest my weary limbs. 

 

Since the show was last staged Nick Freezer, who selects the layouts for the MRC, has not lost his touch.  Among those that I liked were Rossiter Rise and Redbridge Wharf, neither of which I had seen before, and Swaynton, which it was good to see again.  As for Arun Quay and Copenhagen Fields, how can anyone not like those?  I would have liked to spend longer admiring Wainthrop Bridge and Oak Road and will look out for them again when I am less infirm! 

 

Shopping comprised two bottles of butanone and two hefty books.  My credit card took a pasting - more than it should have done, thanks to the venue's poorly publicised policy of not accepting cash.  I am relatively happy to use a card to pay for a round of drinks, but £2.20 for a cuppa?  Come on!  I cannot comment on the catering because a long time ago I learned to bring my own fodder.  It takes next to no time and not many pennies to make a few sandwiches!

 

In addition to the select few with whom I had a beer I met a good few that I know and that I only see at shows!  It's good to be back ...

 

Chris

We thoroughly enjoyed exhibiting Rossiter Rise 

[chrisf]

2 hours ago, Graham_Muz said:

Just for correctness Nick is no longer involved with the layout selection for the show. 

Thanks, Graham.  Well informed?  Moi?

 

Chris

[Pacific231G]

1 hour ago, terry.ecmr said:

We thoroughly enjoyed exhibiting Rossiter Rise 

I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Rossiter Rise Terry. It and Arun Quay were, for me, the two stars of the show though there were several other layouts that I also enjoyed.

[RJS1977]

3 hours ago, Huw Griffiths said:

The station screens, plus a long  stream of announcements, described a train to Chester as "delayed" - how long for was anyone's guess - certainly nobody working at the station had been given any meaningful information - not a good sign. Eventually though (probably about an hour later), the northbound train appeared, with loads of passengers (plus a few British Transport Police officers) already on board.

 

 

"Delayed" usually means that the train is being held at a station en route (or hasn't left the depot yet) and that the nature of the delay means that it is difficult to predict how long the delay will be.

 

For example, if a patient is taken ill on a train and cannot be moved until paramedics arrive, it is difficult to predict how long it will take for them to arrive and get the passenger off the train so that the train can continue on its way.

 

As soon as the train starts moving again, the boards then give an estimated arrival time, as it is easy to calculate how late the train is in departing the earlier station.

[Merfyn Jones]

1 hour ago, RJS1977 said:

 

"Delayed" usually means that the train is being held at a station en route (or hasn't left the depot yet) and that the nature of the delay means that it is difficult to predict how long the delay will be.

 

For example, if a patient is taken ill on a train and cannot be moved until paramedics arrive, it is difficult to predict how long it will take for them to arrive and get the passenger off the train so that the train can continue on its way.

 

As soon as the train starts moving again, the boards then give an estimated arrival time, as it is easy to calculate how late the train is in departing the earlier station.

I wonder if this was the same train (Cardiff - Holyhead) I was waiting for at Chester, which was shown as "Delayed due to Emergency Services dealing with an incident"  left Chester 40 down ?

[Huw Griffiths]

3 hours ago, Merfyn Jones said:

I wonder if this was the same train (Cardiff - Holyhead) I was waiting for at Chester, which was shown as "Delayed due to Emergency Services dealing with an incident"  left Chester 40 down ?

 

The train I travelled on from was timetabled to leave Newport at 2109 on Saturday - I'd imagine it would have been due at Chester about half past midnight (give or take the odd few minutes hours).

 

 

[5944]

8 hours ago, RJS1977 said:

 

"Delayed" usually means that the train is being held at a station en route (or hasn't left the depot yet) and that the nature of the delay means that it is difficult to predict how long the delay will be.

 

For example, if a patient is taken ill on a train and cannot be moved until paramedics arrive, it is difficult to predict how long it will take for them to arrive and get the passenger off the train so that the train can continue on its way.

 

As soon as the train starts moving again, the boards then give an estimated arrival time, as it is easy to calculate how late the train is in departing the earlier station.

The delays at Newport would've been down to someone falling between a train and the platform at Cardiff after the rugby and suffering life changing injuries.