Tolworth Showtrain 12th &13th November

[ColinW]

I went yesterday.  A good selection of layouts on display, I wasn't after anything in particular from traders, but unfortunately a couple had withdrawn from the show.  it was good to see some tables put out in the small hall off to the right by the main entrance.  I would say well done to the club, in making sure that there was separate queues to pay in cash, or card and to help people wishing to use the other facilities at the centre.

 

Colin

[Oldddudders]

1 hour ago, jonhall said:

You have been paying too little for entry to all model railway shows for years.

Your £9 charge would hardly buy a couple of decent drinks in the average London pub these days. Where do people get their ideas about the value of money in 2022? I paid a little more at the Stafford show a few weeks ago and thought the value was really good. We all realise that disposable income varies enormously among modellers, but budgeting for a couple of shows a year can provide all sorts of inspiration, new ideas, chances to actually see and handle new products, and opportunities to pick up essential supplies. 

 

Money well-spent. 

[Izzy]

I don't get the chance to go to shows much these days, but to my mind you've got to look at costs 'in the round'. The entrance fee is just a small part of what it's normally cost me to get to one, travel being a far larger part.

[SRfanJV]

We had a fabulous weekend exhibiting Bodmin General. Thanks to James for organising an excellent show. 

 

So many of the comments we received were lovely and we hope to comeback in the future. 

 

[grandadbob]

Enjoyed my visit today and spent an enjoyable three hours there.  Some excellent layouts on display (including Bodmin General)  and I would have stayed longer but had to get home for something else.   I can't understand how anybody thinks that £9 plus £1 for a very good show guide is overpriced in this day and age.  I did have a problem parking yesterday and had to abort as I didn't know that there was parking at the day nursery down the road.  (should have looked closer at the club's website)   Luckily I only live about 5 miles away so it wasn't much hassle to return today.

Many thanks to all concerned for a great exhibition.

 

[jonhall]

8 hours ago, Farang said:

 

The only alternative venue nearby is Sandown Park which would be expensive but no harm for the organiser to investigate the cost. There is a sports centre at Walton a few miles away. The Twickenham club held an exhibition there back in 2002.

 

 

HCMRS for many years organised the railway hall at Sandown Model Symposium, for the Elmbridge Model Club ( who were mostly a remote-control aircraft/boat/car club). EMC sold the rights  for the show to EMAP because the financial risk of something going wrong with the Sandown club was becoming eyewateringly large. We continued running the railway hall for a few years and the funds raised for the society provided the seed funds to hold our own show, although I believe EMAP eventually gave up (possibly as they had sold the hobby magazines? ). We also organised for EMAP a model railway show at Sandown, but the return wasn't sufficient for EMAP (who may have changed names by that point - it was a long time ago) to repeat it.

 

When HCMRS were looking for a venue prior to choosing Tolworth we looked at Walton Leisure Center, but concluded the drawbacks were worse than TRC. We did take a layout to Walton (was it really 20 years ago) when the Twickenham club organised their show there, but as I recall it was rather poorly supported, and we rather felt if validated our choices.

 

TRC has a number of problems that make organising a show difficult, but its the least-worst venue available to us.

 

Jon

[Mallard60022]

Being a tight wad, if the Show parking is limited, I try to find a free to park Supermarket within range of an Exhibition, even if that then involves a walk, as I am lucky enough to still be able to do some of that. Haven't lived in the South in that sort of built up area for over 30 years, so that sort of parking may just not exist I suppose?

As for £9...strewth, that's two 'Posh Coffees'. This Club are being very generous at that price. Well done.

Phil

[njee20]

It is pretty special to both complain it's too expensive and that the car park isn't adequately marshalled. I once got tricked into marshalling the car park at an event in support of Mrs njee20, and my god it was a hideous few hours. The car driving public are complete and utter entitled *insert choice expletive*.

 

Disappointed not to make the show this year, it's been a staple for a long time, and Hinksey Yard is always worthy of a good watch!

[Crocodile414]

13 hours ago, SRfanJV said:

We had a fabulous weekend exhibiting Bodmin General. Thanks to James for organising an excellent show. 

 

So many of the comments we received were lovely and we hope to comeback in the future. 

 

Seconded! James and his team did a fabulous job of organising the show. We all thoroughly enjoyed the weekend. Thank you to the club for the invite with Kleine Albula. 

[D1059]

Thoroughly enjoyed taking City Basin Goods to the show, some excellent layouts on display. Loved it when the operators of Solent Summit ran up their Big Blow gas turbine for me, that is one NOISY loco

[Invicta Informant]

On 13/11/2022 at 09:42, jonhall said:

You have been paying too little for entry to all model railway shows for years. If there was a better venue available in the area with better parking, it would also cost a lot more to organise, and the entrance fee would have to go up accordingly. Its not coincidental that of the neighbouring clubs, Richmond and Twikenham (a much larger club) haven't held a show for a decade or more, and Epsom and Ewell (also a larger club) have decided that they can't run the show at Nescot next year.

Absolutely. Organising a show in the Greater London area seems to be more expensive compared to other areas in the country. The Erith MRS show in January takes place in Longfield, a place difficult to reach by public transport from our base, but the venue offers the space we need for a large event. One neighbouring club, the Chatham & District MRC, have not organised a show for a few years now and they used to run one of the largest shows in the south east. The only other neighbouring clubs to us that currently organise shows are the Beckenham & West Wickham MRC, the Gravesend Railway Enthusiasts Society, the Tonbridge MRC, and the Orpington & District MRS.

 

I unfortunately could not attend Tolworth this year as I felt ill on Friday afternoon and I had to be fit for work on Sunday, but I am glad people who went there had a good time.

 

Plus I can sympathise when it comes to working in the car park. I have had many experiences of drivers treating you as if you do not exist, despite wearing a Hi-Viz vest or coat. And (when it comes to my line of work) you are pushing a line of trolleys as well.

[Simon D.]

@jonhall  Thank you for your considered response to my thoughts.  Apologies, I have only now been able to respond.  I had already thought  my comments on pricing were under informed - I have no idea of your overhead and there are inflation and energy prices added in.  Leisure and community spaces have been putting up prices steeply I know from elsewhere; and checking around about £9 is getting be about the norm now - the equally good Uckfield show in October was the same cost.  Always think before you post!

 

You obviously had thought about carparking!  Not all do however.  The issue with parking is common to many shared venues - Tonbridge can be a problem for instance - where there is the rush of Saturday morning kids going swimming etc.  Thanks for putting me straight.

[Farang]

17 hours ago, jonhall said:

 

HCMRS for many years organised the railway hall at Sandown Model Symposium, for the Elmbridge Model Club ( who were mostly a remote-control aircraft/boat/car club). EMC sold the rights  for the show to EMAP because the financial risk of something going wrong with the Sandown club was becoming eyewateringly large. We continued running the railway hall for a few years and the funds raised for the society provided the seed funds to hold our own show, although I believe EMAP eventually gave up (possibly as they had sold the hobby magazines? ). We also organised for EMAP a model railway show at Sandown, but the return wasn't sufficient for EMAP (who may have changed names by that point - it was a long time ago) to repeat it.

 

When HCMRS were looking for a venue prior to choosing Tolworth we looked at Walton Leisure Center, but concluded the drawbacks were worse than TRC. We did take a layout to Walton (was it really 20 years ago) when the Twickenham club organised their show there, but as I recall it was rather poorly supported, and we rather felt if validated our choices.

 

TRC has a number of problems that make organising a show difficult, but its the least-worst venue available to us.

 

Jon

Walton was a good show - the club spent a lot of money on radio advertising which was not effective. Any event needs to be publicised in all model magazines, club website, social media.

[Invicta Informant]

SP Rail has uploaded their footage of the show to YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCIf96JbWtQ