The London Festival of Railway Modelling: March 18 & 19, Alexandra Palace

[Clearwater]

1 hour ago, Oldddudders said:

Sir, that pic is priceless. However i am also guilty of missing whole areas at an exhibition, so have some sympathy. 

I was there today and didn’t find the seating area until after we’d sat on the floor and eaten our lunch.  Felt another seating area was needed near thr pizza outlet area.

 

Enjoyed the show however was surprised to see the odd pigeon flying about in the main hall.  If that had decided to deposit on my layout I’d be seriously annoyed.

 

David

[PaulRhB]

25 minutes ago, Vecchio said:

sometimes I feel I am old enough to be grumpy.... Lets forget that, you were right, the Austrian layout looked great. Especially the viaduct. But there was some great narrow gauge stuff as well...  Just a small selection.

A very good show all round this year I thought, my feet were suffering until I found the oasis 😆 Just don’t want you to miss out in future because the signs are missing 😇

[thirty2a]

I went today the layouts looked good and picked up a couple of bargains, a bit of a gripe about getting in though, standing in the rain until after 10 when some created their own queue and pushed in. lack of marshals and  security, barriers appeared around 10. It's a pity as it had been quite good for the last few years. 

 

[digger62]

Agree about the queuing. We got there just before 9:30 and queuing for 30 minutes in the rain and wondering why it was moving slowly until we saw everyone getting off the buses, looking at the queue and then going straight in. Please don't tell me they thought we were all waiting to pay to get in as there were hundreds of us. First time I've noticed this. There were no staff outside as I guess it was raining. Very annoying. 

[polybear]

18 hours ago, Craig1989 said:

Going tmwr and was wondering what the catering is like? 
 

cheers Craig 

 

Tea £2-30

Fish & Chips £12-50-ish

Someone in front of me got a pack of sarnies plus a Tea (or coffee) and the bill was just over eight quid.

 

I usually invest in a Tea, but take my own sarnies

 

12 hours ago, Vecchio said:

I am sorry guys, I was exactly there, people, me included, were sitting on the floor. Last year a lot of additional seating area was near the entrance. When has this photo been taken? 16:00? 

 

 

Certainly around lunchtime there were real problems finding chairs - there were lots (50+) sitting on the floor.

 

12 hours ago, oleander said:

I got the impression there was less specialist trader in the small hall than in previous years.
Over all great show and glad I went. Great they kept the free parking.

 

This was my first exhibition since before the very first lockdown; it certainly was noticeable to me that there seemed to be a lot less specialist traders.  This may well be due to such traders either retiring or deciding to concentrate on mail order only, which is understandable given the costs and effort involved in attending Exhibitions.

I was a little surprised that Hornby didn't have a stand though.

 

10 hours ago, digger62 said:

Agree about the queuing. We got there just before 9:30 and queuing for 30 minutes in the rain and wondering why it was moving slowly until we saw everyone getting off the buses, looking at the queue and then going straight in. Please don't tell me they thought we were all waiting to pay to get in as there were hundreds of us. First time I've noticed this. There were no staff outside as I guess it was raining. Very annoying. 

 

It's possible that some had advance tickets - IIRC this allows the holder to get in from 9.30am onwards?

Edited March 19, 2023 by polybear

[Marcoblanco]

No Hornby? wow ..

[mezzoman253]

We drove to the show and were surprised to see several car parks with a sign saying "£3 for parking". We eventually found the free one but were asked "Would you like to make a donation". Not sure as to what the donation was for, there were no signs, I didn't ask and declined. If it was for Red Nose Day I might have said yes, but there was no indication or explanation as to what I was donating.

 

We've visited several times before the pandemic and the entrance stewarding outside the venue has always been non-existant. People turn up not knowing that you can enter by any of the doors as there are several separate bag checks before joining the pre-booked queue. This resulted in people who had arrived earlier being "overtaken" by those coming a little later, as the former had formed a queue outside which the latter bypassed. As it was tipping it down this morning those in the queue outside were rightly a little disgruntled.

 

The pre-booked queue was sign posted once inside, and clearly visible. However we noticed the signage for pay on the day tickets was a right angles to the doors and not immediately visible. A minor issue but may have caused some a problem.

 

A plus point was the airport style waiting area after the ticket validation. This alleviated the pressure on the pre-booked queue allowing more people inside prior to opening at 9:30AM.

 

Seating: This has been a issue every time we've visited. There are simply not enough and there seems to be no reason for this other than to force people to buy something at the food outlets to be able to sit down. After an initial wander round my wife suggested I walk round on my own whilst she would find a seat somewhere. We found two seats a the back of the small hall at round 10:45. She sat on one and I left her reading her book. On returning an hour later there were more chairs in place(but only about 30) and many people were sitting on the floor eating their food, and many wandering around with hot beverages because there were no avaiable seats. We decided to get some air around 12 o'clock and saw chairs being brought in as we walked along the corridor to the pass out area. Far too late IMO. There's really no excuse for this lack of general seating.

 

We'd taken a snack with us, but at the bag check the steward said we couldn't consume it inside. This would not be a problem on a dry day as we could go outside, but not today. If this is policy, could someone please explain the rationale.

 

The picture in an earlier post shows seating where the main food outlets were. I naturally assumed this was only for people who had purchased items from these outlets. The same applying to the areas off of the small hall. Being advised we couldn't consume our own food inside re-inforced that assuption. 

 

No. I didn't have a bad day. The drive to and from the venue from Essex was smooth, the shuttle bus was fine, the stewards polite and friendly, the layouts great.🙂 But please sort out the seating.🙄

 

Rob

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 18, 2023 by mezzoman253

[Darius43]

Three of us went today using bus tram tube and bus - which didn’t take much longer than the regular (non strike) train trip.  Really enjoyed the exhibition.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers

 

Darius

[Paul C]

2 hours ago, digger62 said:

Agree about the queuing. We got there just before 9:30 and queuing for 30 minutes in the rain and wondering why it was moving slowly until we saw everyone getting off the buses, looking at the queue and then going straight in. Please don't tell me they thought we were all waiting to pay to get in as there were hundreds of us. First time I've noticed this. There were no staff outside as I guess it was raining. Very annoying. 

I was in "the other queue" because there was a single member of staff outside: I and several others asked when we arrived up the steps if this was the prepaid queue, and we were told that it was. Only later they changed their minds when more staff came out! It was totally disorganised. Why were people with prepaid tickets having to queue with people without?

 

Anyhow, don't want to gripe too much as it was a strong selection of layouts this year, though shocked that Hornby weren't there - I'd been hoping to get a look at the TT120 stuff.

[The Stationmaster]

Thanks for the pics Paul _ I wonder how you fought your way through the growds to get some of those angles.  James Street was incredible - no other word for it it and the ÔBB layout was very impressive.

 

Generally a pretty good show and interestingly quite a good proportion - compared with the past - of families with youngsters which was great to see.  the venue is one of the best I thing for this tyoe od show as the verall atmosphere of the hall is a pleasure in itself.  A far, far, nicer venue than the NEC (sorry of that is damning with faint praise)

 

Good points - seemed pretty busy and very difficult to get to see some layouts (yes that is a good point because it means the show was seemingly well attended).  Plenty of room in the aisles in most places.  

Good 'modelling' trade representation but it seemed a bit overdone with minor traders all offering similar things although I suppose it does give them a chance against the bigger concerns.

Catering not bad and nothing like the worst of London prices (and unlike the last Warley show I don't think that I've ended up with food poisoning  from this one).

Didn't have time to sit down but did get a seat when we stopped fora bite to eat and a drink.

 

Bad Points -

The shuttle 'bus failed to stop at Ally Pally station - just drve straight past (but it might have been quite full and there were plenty of us waiting there).  But as ever the W3 came to teh rescue only a few minutes later (although one boaeding passenger held up others by trying to pay with cash - nothing to do with the show of course.

Queue for the bag check was outdoors but fortunately when we arrived it wasn't raining - it wouldn't have been very nice if the skies had been emptying.

 

Value for money - Dunno as it cost me nothing to get there and nothing to get in - so for me it was amazing value!

[John M Upton]

Good show this year, very busy though.  Probably the best trade I have seen for some years (the noticeable drop in specialist traders not withstanding, missed Replica Railways and the N Gauge Society, two of my must visits now no longer there) with plenty of keenly priced second hand available and even for a change a decent selection of N scale on the stands.

 

Came away with a discounted Dapol Class 33 and some cheap as chips US HO scale stuff plus a book and some bits.

 

The free bus shuttle service seemed to be all but non existent when I arrived at Ally Pally mainline station about half ten though so walked up the hill, the catering I didn't bother with as it is too long to queue up and exorbitant, seating as mentioned needed some better sorting out, and lose the silly bag checks, this is a model rail exhibition, not a political convention!

 

Bizarrely with the strike on, the rail connections were the best in years, complete with a proper four an hour service from King's Cross, none of that rattling over to Moorgate nonsense, only thing was I had to start heading home an hour earlier than I would have to ensure I didn't miss the last train down to the Sussex Coast late afternoon.

 

[Erixtar1992]

Only 2 things for me to note, 

i wish the Dapol stand was a little further back, its very cramped here when busy and at times you couldnt get through.

 

also more seats under the organ in the main hall, we struggled at 3pm to find any.

 

good show otherwise, enjoyed it once again.

[PaulRhB]

5 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

I wonder how you fought your way through the growds to get some of those angles.

Mostly patience and with Wolfstatt getting a load before the show opened as they were testing 😉

James Street is superb but badly needed barriers a foot or so back as people were tight against the front and leaning in over it making seeing views difficult let alone photographs so you just had to wait, I binned probably two thirds of pics because a hand or head dived in as I took a shot 😆 Even those little springy holders with a foot of dowel and a rope would just stop people blocking the huge panoramas. 
I know many complain about layout height being too high but when you you’re tall and layouts with box displays or low valances have no barrier I struggle to see them as I can’t stoop that low without something to lean on if people are trying to push in front. Something to think of with people at the opposite end of the spectrum to the usual perspective on it 😉

I’m getting a second chance as helping a friend with his layout so will be grabbing a few more pics before resting the feet, no one complained about me sitting in the bar area when I found it and there were several there who were still there as I left. 

[PaulRhB]

5 hours ago, John M Upton said:

and lose the silly bag checks, this is a model rail exhibition, not a political convention!

I doubt that’s an option as the venue will insist on it as standard policy. 
I found the MRC and venue stewards very helpful and polite. 

[Trains4U]

Well, we have a lovely spot for our stand!

yesterday felt quieter than last year, but overall we had a pretty good day and surpassed last year’s takings.

 

We are now looking forward to day two!

 

do come and say hello if you are there today.

 

[bodmin16]

A few thoughts on my visit yesterday, but firstly some context, I am not a fan of big shows and don't generally do them these days, preferring smaller shows and added to that I probably only go to 2 or 3 shows a year.  I'm usually happy to pay £8 to £10 to see a goood selection of layouts and if there are 2 or 3 that blow me away i am quite happy spending a whole day at a show.  Some years ago I would do the NEC and Ally Pally every year.  Although this is the second year in a row I have done Ally Pally which is not the norm.  Last year we arrived at about 10 and stayed pretty much until closing time and I think we missed a few bits, this year however we were ready to leave by about half 3, either we had seen the layouts several times before or they did not really float my boat, that says more about my preferences than the layouts on display.  Don't get me wrong there are some fine layouts at Ally Pally this weekend and hats off to all the exhibitors and owners.  The only comment I could make about the catering was the cups of tea were good and welcomed, and the food being served looked okay, I always take my own lunch etc.  Yes there are a lot of the larger traders, which I don't tend to buy from, however it was interesting to see some of the huge variations in prices, one example we looked at at ranged from £90 to £175 for the identical brand new product.  The only criticism is well documented here and is the seating, so I will say no more on that.  All in all for the £15 admission and 2 cups of tea, it was an enjoyable day and good vfm.  I don't include travel costs as I considerr that a separate topic.  The show organisers gave me a good days entertainment at a fair price IMO.  Thank you.

[Darius43]

We got there at around 11am and got in with no queuing.  We were able to sit down in the small cafe by the second hall and in the larger seating area in the main hall.  I thought it less crowded than previous years - probably due to the rail strike - and by 3pm it was decidedly “quiet”.  We stayed until chucking out time and had a good look at most of the layouts.  My only purchase - a pen from the Austrian Railway Society.

 

I also met Galteemore and David Holman from the Irish Railway Modeller website, which was really nice.

 

Cheers

 

Darius

[polybear]

8 hours ago, John M Upton said:

The free bus shuttle service seemed to be all but non existent when I arrived at Ally Pally mainline station about half ten though so walked up the hill,

 

 

There certainly seemed to be a long time between buses to/from the station - and at times the drivers were hanging around for quite a while before setting off again, despite having a lot of people on board (almost like the Boss had told them to go easy on the Diesel.....).

 

8 hours ago, John M Upton said:

.......and lose the silly bag checks, this is a model rail exhibition, not a political convention!

 

 

I don't mind bag checks - but they're pointless if not done properly......

It also seems that aerosols were on the prohibited list - did anyone tell the traders that were selling them?  🤣

As for the Security Guy that said packed lunches couldn't be consumed on the premises......🤣

[trevor7598]

Ally Pally is always must for my mate and I. We always go on Saturday, but rail strike cancelled that this year.

We elected to go today ( 19th ), checking train times from Wadhurst, there was a good service.

On arrival at Wadhurst we were greeted with a cashless parking notice, neither of us have a smart phone

which is the only way to pay, so being unable to pay or risk a fine we gave up and came home.

So the exhibition lost out, as did some traders I always visit, and South Eastern lost 2X  London travel cards.

 

Hopeless.

[polybear]

1 hour ago, trevor7598 said:

On arrival at Wadhurst we were greeted with a cashless parking notice, neither of us have a smart phone

which is the only way to pay, so being unable to pay or risk a fine we gave up and came home.

 

 

A lot of car parks seem to be going that way now; I've a feeling that some may have a number you can call (assuming you have access to a phone) so you can pay by card over the phone.

I also noticed that many were getting a "normal" bus (i.e. not the free courtesy bus) up the hill as they were appearing much more often than the free bus; fine if you have one of those Oyster thingies, but cr@p if you don't as it looked like money wasn't an option from what I could see.

[Darius43]

18 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

A lot of car parks seem to be going that way now; I've a feeling that some may have a number you can call (assuming you have access to a phone) so you can pay by card over the phone.

I also noticed that many were getting a "normal" bus (i.e. not the free courtesy bus) up the hill as they were appearing much more often than the free bus; fine if you have one of those Oyster thingies, but cr@p if you don't as it looked like money wasn't an option from what I could see.

You can tap in to pay for the bus and tube with a regular contactless debit or credit card - as I did yesterday.  You don’t need to have/use an Oyster card.  We got the regular W3 bus to and from Ally Pally from Wood Green tube yesterday.

You can do this all day up to a maximum aggregate charge of £12 after which you don’t get charged any more.

 

Cheers

 

Darius

 

Edited March 19, 2023 by Darius43

[caradoc]

11 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

The shuttle 'bus failed to stop at Ally Pally station - just drve straight past (but it might have been quite full and there were plenty of us waiting there).

 

I got the shuttle bus from Wood Green (just after 1000), was lucky to get one of the last seats upstairs, and a number were told they could not stand upstairs; Whether they found space downstairs or had to wait for another bus, I do not know. Hence the bus did not/could not stop at Alexandra Palace station!

 

By the time I got to Ally Pal the queuing seemed to have become organised; It was long but moved quickly, although more delay was caused queuing to pay on the day (due to internet issues?) The bag search I found intrusive and unpleasant, have not encountered this at any other model railway show, including big ones such as Glasgow and Warley; But I presume this is a venue requirement and beyond the control of the show organisers. 

 

Coming back there was a lack of shuttle buses so I had to pay for the W3 (my Scottish pensioners' bus pass not being valid south of the Border). 

 

As to the show itself, it was indeed excellent, with wonderful inspiring layouts (my favourite being Blowers Green) and more traders than I have ever seen in one place before! Thanks to all involved in organising and running it. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Andy Hayter]

11 hours ago, John M Upton said:

 

 

, and lose the silly bag checks, this is a model rail exhibition, not a political convention. 

 

11 hours ago, John M Upton said:

 

 

 

 

 

Sadly the Ariana Grande concert was also not a political event.  Neither was the Bataclan attack in Paris.

I am afraid these inconveniences are stuck with us for a long time.

[IamDaniel]

5 hours ago, polybear said:

I don't mind bag checks - but they're pointless if not done properly......

It also seems that aerosols were on the prohibited list - did anyone tell the traders that were selling them?  🤣

As for the Security Guy that said packed lunches couldn't be consumed on the premises......🤣

 

This is Ally Pally's policy, unfortunately - I attend the snooker every year and the bag search gets worse and worse; this year my deodorant from my wash bag had to be binned (I checked into the hotel after the match finished) and on another day they tried to take a metal fork away that lives in the bottom of my rucksack in a clear plastic bag.  

Edited March 19, 2023 by IamDaniel

[AY Mod]

24 minutes ago, IamDaniel said:

the bag search gets worse and worse; this year my deodorant had to be binned

 

That would have caused surprised raising of security eyebrows at the show as an obviously suspect item.

 

I'm wondering if it should be retitled as The London Festival of Railway Moaning next year after the last couple of pages.