THE Christmas Model Railway Show - Manchester 2022!

[woodenhead]

Nice and packed, queuing to get in at 11:15.

 

 

[woodenhead]

More...

[woodenhead]

and more...

[woodenhead]

Keep going...

 

 

Edited December 10, 2022 by woodenhead

[woodenhead]

and finally

 

[woodenhead]

No pics of Hills of the North, simply could not get close enough to do it justice, there are other layouts too that I don't have pictures off, but overall this was a very good exhibition.

 

I am glad I got out of bed this morning to make the half hour trek on foot and train to Manchester in the slush.

 

Expected temperatures like it had been all week and it was 2 degrees above freezing today and I was sweating by the time I had walked to the station.

[pete55]

Thanks for those Woodenhead,

Looks like no barriers infront of layouts!

[woodenhead]

4 minutes ago, pete55 said:

Thanks for those Woodenhead,

Looks like no barriers infront of layouts!

Flimsy bits of rope and some wooden dowels, for the volume of visitors it was probably not enough.

 

However, people were being very well behaved and the place was full of families as well.  Really encouraging actually given how bitterly cold it has been that layouts were hard to get in front of because of the volume of people.  It was also warm inside - not hot, but warm enough that no-one operating looked cold.

 

The only small issue was the queue to get in, somehow the marshalls managed to make it so that the people paying on entry queued through the left entrance and the pre-paid through the right.  Fine, except, the reception for pre-paid visitors was to the left of the paying queue so the pre-paid visitors had to snake through the queue of pay on entry visitors.  I am sure there is a pun about signalling and complex trackwork to justify having one queue snake through the other.

[woodenhead]

I saw Moors View for the first time today, I understand now why a simple two track layout with no points outside of the fiddleyard has been so popular.  It was stunning modelling, I was particularly impressed by the subdued lighting of the station, buildings and stock plus the grey background drew a chill onto the whole model.   Then over in the other hall was Drwys y Nant, a 2mm in the landscape layout, but this time feeling very much like a beautiful summers day.

 

What I've also learnt is my eyesight it getting worse, but I don't notice it on the N/2mm layouts, it's on the 4mm stuff I notice it.  It's lucky I am modelling in N again then isn't it, always blurred but I don't care.  😀

[Not Jeremy]

Thank you very much for sharing your pictures and impressions of the show Woodenhead, it all looks and sounds absolutely fabulous.

 

So much to like, and a wonderful variety of subjects and approaches, just fantastic.

 

Simon

[Respite]

Excellent layouts of a wide variety of types.

The queue for the inadequate refreshment stall was the only negative.

Glad I had taken my own.

[MarkC]

An unexpected opportunity to go to this show today - 2 1/2 hours each way from Durham, but well worth it.

 

It must be 44 years since I did the Manchester show last - I was part of the EM group of Merseyside MRS, & we had a layout at the show. (At UMIST(sp), as I recall?).

 

Good selection of layouts - well done by the organisers

 

Anyway, a great show, with 2 comments - the previously mentioned catering, and the lack of a trader selling builders' needs - paint, couplings, wheels etc.

Edited December 10, 2022 by MarkC

[TheSignalEngineer]

Excellent layouts all round. Good to chat with a few societies and suppliers.

Looked well attended and the halls much better than previous venues.

Thanks for your efforts.

[richard brown]

Hi all what a amazing show here is my video of the show 

 

Manchester Christmas model railway show 2022

 

richard

trains in the attic 

[Barry O]

As an exhibitor...the hall Hills of the North has been freezing all day, queues for food and hot drinks very long But..Nice to see and talk to visitors. Plenty of room to move around as well.

Perhaps a review of how to get people into C/D Hall to keep the icy blast from the main entry door away could be arranged to try and get the hall a bit warmer.

 

Baz

[t-b-g]

Had a splendid day at the show today. Well worth the long trek from deepest South Yorkshire.

 

It was great to see what looked like healthy crowds had turned up.

 

We went out to find food, having seen the queue for the catering and hearing about the wait. It wasn't a problem to find somewhere nearby and had a nice omelette and a cuppa.

 

Our visiting party of 4 all enjoyed it although only one came away with some goodies from the traders (A Judith Edge loco kit). 

 

It was also good to meet up with old friends and to meet some folk for the first time. It is always good to put a face to a name for RMwebbers.

 

All in all a great day out and I hope anybody deciding whether or not to go tomorrow makes the trip. It is a show worth supporting.

[LNER4479]

6 hours ago, woodenhead said:

No pics of Hills of the North, simply could not get close enough to do it justice.

Sorry about that! We were three deep from about 11 till 2. MMRS stewards report in excess of 2000 through the doors today so certainly nice to be part of a busy show. At least all that body heat helped to warm the place up a bit. Layout definitely a bit sluggish in the first hour or so whilst it thawed out!

 

Here's to another good day tomorrow.

[Steamport Southport]

2 hours ago, Respite said:

Excellent layouts of a wide variety of types.

The queue for the inadequate refreshment stall was the only negative.

Glad I had taken my own.

 

City Centre Manchester though? Loads of places.

 

They gave you wrist bands so you can come and go, why bother with the meagre facilites provided. We went the pub twice and then came back!

 

Wasn't paying £2 for a soft drink out of the machine.

 

 

 

Jason

[Barry Ten]

10 minutes ago, t-b-g said:

 

It was also good to meet up with old friends and to meet some folk for the first time. It is always good to put a face to a name for RMwebbers.

 

All in all a great day out and I hope anybody deciding whether or not to go tomorrow makes the trip. It is a show worth supporting.

 

It was very nice to chat at Sherton Abbas, Tony.

 

We reckon it's the busiest show we've attended, a good sign for the organisers and the hobby.

 

[woodenhead]

51 minutes ago, Barry O said:

As an exhibitor...the hall Hills of the North has been freezing all day, queues for food and hot drinks very long But..Nice to see and talk to visitors. Plenty of room to move around as well.

Perhaps a review of how to get people into C/D Hall to keep the icy blast from the main entry door away could be arranged to try and get the hall a bit warmer.

 

Baz

It felt quite warm to me, but then I had layered up expecting it to be colder than it was outside - my new scarf must have added a couple of degrees as well.  When I think back now, one of your number on Hills of the North was stamping his feet at one point, my lack of awareness didn't pick up on this as a probable signal he was feeling a breeze.

[Barry Ten]

I'd say it was positively tropical compared to the set-up yesterday, which did a good job of feeling like Scott of the Antartic only with model trains.

[Axlebox]

1 hour ago, MarkC said:

An unexpected opportunity to go to this show today - 2 1/2 hours each way from Durham, but well worth it.

 

It must be 44 years since I did the Manchester show last - I was part of the EM group of Merseyside MRS, & we had a layout at the show. (At UMIST(sp), as I recall?).

 

Good selection of layouts - well done by the organisers

 

Anyway, a great show, with 2 comments - the preciously mentioned catering, and the lack of a trader selling builders' needs - paint, couplings, wheels etc.

Last time I was here it was 1968 or 69…53 years ago at least! Uncle Porcy went looking for paint and came back empty handed…

[TheSignalEngineer]

57 minutes ago, Barry O said:

As an exhibitor...the hall Hills of the North has been freezing all day, queues for food and hot drinks very long But..Nice to see and talk to visitors. Plenty of room to move around as well.

Perhaps a review of how to get people into C/D Hall to keep the icy blast from the main entry door away could be arranged to try and get the hall a bit warmer.

 

Baz

I did spot you when I was watching Hills of the North but just the back of your head as you were engrossed in something round the back. 

Probably something to note for the future as the fiddle yard was more or less directly in the draught from the door at that end. There is another way into the hall from the corridor by the toilets. May be better to direct people through that way.

 

25 minutes ago, LNER4479 said:

Layout definitely a bit sluggish in the first hour or so whilst it thawed out!

When I first walked past just after opening time the Banker was coming down the hill. Looked to be running a bit unevenly, but when I came back for better look later it was running fine.

 

14 minutes ago, Barry Ten said:

We reckon it's the busiest show we've attended, a good sign for the organisers and the hobby.

There seemed to be quite a number of families with children this morning.

 

When I've attended past shows in the City Centre back to the Co-op days it was always well attended and plenty of people willing to chat.  It was at the Co-op that I was introduced to Comet Models by the late Geoff Brewin and to RMweb by an exhibitor named Andy York.

[Philip1812]

Well, the end of the first day, which went much more smoothly than the get in yesterday.

Good attendance and lots of positive comments about the layouts and the mix of trade.  The big problem was the inadequate catering.  The outside caterer had been told about our advance ticket sales (up by 37% on 2019) and our projected attendance over the weekend, but didn't really believe us - hence inadequate staffing levels and horrendous queues. 

The only other significant complaint from the visitors about the shuttle bus.  If we run it again next year, we will make improvements, but we may decide that it is not a cost-effective solution, and let visitors make their own way from Piccadilly, which, after all, is not the nearest station to the Sugden Centre - that's Oxford Road.

For reasons I don't fully understand, there was a significant temperature difference between the two halls.  It may be that it was caused by the wind direction.  The colder hall had a loading door facing north, so when opened the breeze in was a bit chilly today!

The get in, yesterday, was not good.  We need to modify the registration procedure and try to improve the exhibitor parking arrangements.

All in all, for a first exhibition at a new venue I thought it was good but with poor catering.  There were some  weaknesses, which we will address for next year.  We did not have time to arrange the Scale & Gauge display, or to set up properly the family and children areas in the dining area and the lobby, but all of the layouts were good and the Society judges had a very hard task to select the winner of the "Best Visiting Layout" prize which went to Bron Hebog. 

 

Philip 1812

Exhibition Coordinator, Manchester Model Railway Society

[TheSignalEngineer]

On 10/12/2022 at 22:06, woodenhead said:

It felt quite warm to me, but then I had layered up expecting it to be colder than it was outside

I was going to leave off one layer then I looked out of the window this morning and put on an extra scarf as well as full Dark Peak Explorer gear.

 

On 10/12/2022 at 20:11, MarkC said:

the lack of a trader selling builders' needs - paint, couplings, wheels etc.

Yes, There's a couple of things I need shortly but couldn't get. Last time it was someone like H&A Models and Eileen's who took home a lot of my budget.

Edited December 12, 2022 by TheSignalEngineer