What makes a good exhibition layout?

[Whetstone Bridge]

I’m planning a new N gauge layout for the garage.  Rather than have it fixed and use the whole space, I’m thinking of a long, modular option.  Is it worth planning to exhibit it?  What makes a good exhibition layout?  Importantly, how do you get an invitation to exhibit?

[Phil Bullock]

My personal views…

 

Yes if you are so motivated it is worth planning to exhibit it. But dont forget that exhibiting a layout needs further thought at the planning stage… transport, crew, lighting etc.

 

How to get invited? Approach organisers with photos and information about your layout. Best way is to visit their shows and talk to them. Start locally….

 

What makes a good layout? Just back from the Cheltenham show today with a variety of good layouts with different features…

 

Dent …. A railway in the landscape layout, my personal favourite idiom… stand and watch prototypically accurate LMS main line trains passing.

 

Paynestown …. An urban branch line terminal in BR(W) territory full of atmosphere and detail

Tellindalloch … a minimalist rural branch line terminus with minimalist trains but wonderful scenery, a whisky distillery and DCC sound

 

These are my own personal views …. N gauge does lend itself to railway in the scenery, Blueball Summit is a favourite. 

Go to shows and decide what works for you. Try to find something that makes your layout stand out from the crowd.

 

Hope that helps

[TheQ]

From my observations at shows,

The general public prefer roundy roundy more than end to end.

They don't like periods of nothing happening.

 

Make it light weight and easy to set up.

I've seen a layout that needed 4 people to lift in each board to a show , several hours set up time. that's a nightmare.

I've seen a layout, that trundled in on wheels, with the two boards facing each other vertically in a frame. Each was pulled up and horizontal then pushed together. Set up time.. 10 minutes, by one man.

Think long and hard about it's transportation and assembly.

 

Getting invited 

Contact model railway clubs in your area that have shows, with photos,

info on the layout, scale, period modelled, etc.

Then they need to know what size it is, what additional space you need to operate it. How many people will attend with you, Whether you'll need a club assistant for lunch and other breaks.  What costs you would want for exhibiting.

 

[Mark Forrest]

I suspect you’ll get many different answers to this, but for me there are three things that come to mind when I think about what makes a good exhibition layout, those are:

1. A consistent approach to detail across the whole layout and stock
2. Presentation - well lit, near eye level, high back scene
3. Reliable and realistic operation 

Whether it’s worth planning to exhibit is very much a matter of personal choice.  If at the planning stage, it’s certainly worth making allowance for the layout being transportable.  Exhibiting is time consuming and adds some degree of pressure and deadlines to the hobby.  It can sometimes require a bit of a thick skin, as inevitably you’ll find some critics amongst the punters viewing the layout.  On the flip side, it can be a hugely satisfying experience and a great way to socialise with like minded people.  Exhibition deadlines can provide the impetus to get elements of the layout finished too.

[woodenhead]

Don’t go down the route of designing a layout to suit others.

 

Design it to be portable by all means, useful if you move for example.  But being exhibitable should be a bonus not an aim especially if you have not done it before.

 

Ultimately design a layout that you will enjoy building and operating first, exhibit second 

[ikcdab]

Personally I far prefer layouts with something going on.  Yes it's not prototypical but I've spent far far too many hours at cold linesides waiting for a train and I don't want you do it at exhibitions too. So plenty of action please and not too much self-indulgent shunting!

[Cowley 47521]

Some good points raised above. I’d also add that an exhibition layout has to keep the general public interested for a few minutes, preferably with something moving all of the time. That might not be what you want to do when you’re at home.

 

They’re definitely two different sets of criteria in my humble opinion although not impossible to come to a good compromise with a bit of planning.

[Nearholmer]

1. It must work flawlessly.

 

2. It must be to a visually good standard.

 

3. It must be manageable by you and whatever crew you can muster.

 

Beyond those things, “good” can mean a huge number of different things to a huge number of different viewers, which is why good exhibition managers try to include variety of styles, sizes, prototypes etc, and why very different layouts can attract attentive audiences ….. even some where nothing much happens train-wise.

 

BTW, don’t read “visually good standard” to necessarily mean “mega finely detailed and photo realistic”. I intend it to mean well constructed, as opposed to messy, with grossly poor workmanship on display. As an instance, vintage Hornby Dublo layouts will attract an appreciative audience, and most of them are not photo-realistic or intended to be, but the guys who display them present a neat, well finished article.

 

IMO N-gauge is hard to get right for exhibition, but when it is right it comes across really well. It has to be pin-sharp neat, which sometimes means leaving tiny things out, rather than including less than neat attempts at very fine detail, a bit like traditional architectural modelling, and it seems to work best for “train n the landscape”, while being especially difficult to carry off successfully for tiny BLT layouts, although a few experts achieve it. IMO, it also seems to work better for diesel/electric than steam pro types for some reason.

 

Tracks across baseboard joints ….. a real challenge to get spot-on at 9mm gauge, so worth putting a ton of effort into them.

 

 

[ColinK]

If possible I would build it with exhibiting in mind - things like making the boards a prortable size.  One of my friends decided to make his first layout on one very long board.  Made it hard to move at home and too long to take to an exhibition, a great shame as he astounded himself by making a layout which is of such high quality it would probably been the best layout at shows.

 

Exhibiting is also about entertaining, everyone has different intetests.  I’ve been at shows where ‘the best layout’ as voted by the public has been a playmobile layout, another show where the public voted a lego layout as the best, both well deserved and you couldn’t get near them.  One the clubs I’m in has several layouts made specifically for children to operate, always a challenge to get the kids to go home at closing time.

 

[Phil Parker]

1 hour ago, Nearholmer said:

3. It must be manageable by you and whatever crew you can muster.

 

This is very important. An exhibition layout is far more than just the model railway - there's a load of infrastructure to consider too. Lights, legs etc. These need to be transportable, ideally in a car, and you MUST have a team to operate it. Ideally, that team also has a hand in the building, so they all care about the layout in the same way. Never assume that the exhibition can provide you with a supply of competent operators to allow for lunch breaks etc. or to move the thing in and out of the show. That's your problem. They might help, but don't rely on it.

[Flying Pig]

2 hours ago, ikcdab said:

Personally I far prefer layouts with something going on.  Yes it's not prototypical but I've spent far far too many hours at cold linesides waiting for a train and I don't want you do it at exhibitions too. So plenty of action please and not too much self-indulgent shunting!

 

I agree.  I much prefer non-self-indulgent shunting which adds to the atmosphere of a working railway.  I'm not keen on meaningless processions of trains.

 

 

[Peter Kazmierczak]

The best artists, the best photographers, the best writers do their stuff for themselves. Not to please others.

 

Build the layout you want. 

If folks like it at an exhibition, that's a bonus.

[Dagworth]

2 hours ago, ikcdab said:

Personally I far prefer layouts with something going on.  Yes it's not prototypical but I've spent far far too many hours at cold linesides waiting for a train and I don't want you do it at exhibitions too. So plenty of action please and not too much self-indulgent shunting!

 

34 minutes ago, Flying Pig said:

 

I agree.  I much prefer non-self-indulgent shunting which adds to the atmosphere of a working railway.  I'm not keen on meaningless processions of trains.

 

 

Which just proves that you'll never appeal to everyone

 

Andi

[4firstimes]

What makes a good exhibition layout? This question has been asked many times , if you attend many exhibitions just have a good look around at those which attract the crowds. The local railway club / society exhibitions are always a good gauge for what people like. The actual layout itself should be built so it’s light enough to be transported and suitable size that it can be managed easy . I’ve built layouts on 4ft 6 inches x 1ft baseboard , light weight or baseboard weight , transporting from the back of a car van or other chattel into a venue often requires manual dexterity twisting and turning through passage ways. Almost certain is some form of lighting rig as most venues the lighting is poor to show off your layout. The layout should run faultless, the hand from the sky distracts people’s attention and they walk away. Remember to build legs into your baseboard and ensure they are adjustable and floors are seldom flat and level. Layouts built as home designed very seldom render themselves for exhibition purposes, and remember when you design the layout it needs to pack down into a way that is transportable . 
Layouts in which something is moving all the time attracts interest , take the lessons from Some of the famous layouts on the exhibition circuit , simple to operate , not overlaid with track , but something moves all the time. The most important element to remember the layout should breakdown easy and be quick to load into the transport at the end of the show, the operators are tired , enthusiastic to get home but that’s only the small part as when you get home it’s unloading the car and then re building in its home till the next time. Those os use with layouts which are shown away from home when the layout is dismantled is the only time the railway room gets a look with the vacuum cleaner . As the builder of coffin layouts, transporting a layout needs early consideration when building. Nearly forgot to say some form of drapes are required to hang on the front to disguise the dumping ground under the layout , this I find is the first thing to be forgotten. 
When  you have your exhibition masterpiece, the smaller layouts are more likely to be invited to the local shows, many model railway clubs and societies usually have a couple of local shows not necessarily exhibitions but model shows of the work of the local club these are the ones to attend initially before the local exhibitions and further afield, they attract families and this is what promotes interest in your masterpiece. In my town we have a modellers day in which several of the model railway clubs exhibit layouts in the museum, this is a free event , and at Christmas prior to covid a show in one of the local shopping centre. This way you learn how to make your layout exhibition ready and appreciate the layouts that maintain interest. The enthusiasm at the start is not the same as the last hour of the show, that’s what makes exhibiting layout’s interesting. As an owner of a layout which is able to be exhibited, my operators usually have plenty of nibbles and refreshments available.

 

[Schooner]

12 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

1. It must work flawlessly.

 

2. It must be to a visually good standard.

 

3. It must be manageable by you and whatever crew you can muster.

 

👆 This.

 

With those in mind, I'd suggest three routes to a compelling exhibition layout:

 

1. Narrative

 

2. Aesthetic

 

3. Complexity 

 

If you tell a convincing story, fill every scene and every move with meaning and purpose, then people will follow along to find out how it ends.

 

If you set a coherent scene, present a convincing picture, then people will buy in to the illusion and want to spend time in that world.

 

If you present activity, it will attact attention. People admire technical skill, are hard-wired to focus on movement, and respond well to distraction. 

 

I'd suggest the most successful exhibition layouts end to do at least one of these particularly well. However, @Nearholmer's points are absolutely vital to get right. Without those nothing else will matter!

 

[Southernfrance]

I think a lot of the same rules apply for a successful exhibition layout in N as they do to any other gauge. It must be well modelled, have a bit going on to keep both purists and non-enthusiasts happy, and must, in my view, be a credible model. I like to see things kept to one era and one region if it is to be convincing, which is where a lot of modular layouts fail for me. You can go for the "Old Master" approach and try to make everything crisp and perfect, or go for the "Impressionist" approach and get the sense of place and feel right and not be so finely detailed. I'm in the scenery stage of my N layout, which I would like to get to shows at some point. I'd approach local shows first, to get some learning of how it will work for you, before going off around the country. As part of the "James Street" team I have learnt a lot of things about exhibiting, and one of the key things is make it as easy as you can to transport everything. If you have to squeeze it into a car, then design around that. If you have access to anything bigger, then indulge yourself. The less boards joint, the better, and use a good system of getting the rails across the joints, because if one thing is going to go wrong at a show it will be them. If you are "of an age", as I am, they you may find that in the time you exhibit the layout that your abilities change, so make it as easy to move about as you can from the start.

 

Here's where I am to date. Based on an area - South London around Stewarts Lane, etc,. and in an era of 1958-62. No big fiddle yard, only two boards (very heavy, but they will go in wheeled and pivoted frames to make transport easy in a van). All ply boards for stability, all buildings based on the prototype as no proprietary ones available), but a lot of work to do!

 

Dave

[Chris M]

I think that what makes a good exhibition layout is a builder who knows what he wants to achieve from his or her layout. Layouts can be very simple to very complex, they can be anything from a trains set to an exact scale model of a real place. The important thing is to work out what you are trying to achieve before you start.

 

N gauge layouts do lend themselves to having trains passing through the scenery. N gauge also allows a good representation of a main line with realistic length trains in a reasonable space. A branch line terminus is always going to struggle to be impressive in N but I have just started building one because I want to. I don't expect my N gauge BLT will get to many if any exhibitions but you never know. 

 

One big problem you have to consider is that exhibition layouts and home layouts have one fundamental difference. Exhibition layouts are designed to be viewed by visitors rather than operators whereas for a home layout you, as operator, want to have the best view of the layout. This is a very important thing to consider otherwise you will either end up with a layout that isn't good to run at home because you don't get a great view of it or a layout where you are in the way of the viewing public at exhibitions. My current N gauge layout has two full control panels - one at the front and one at the back. I use the one at the front when at home and the one at the back when at exhibitions. 

 

Getting invited to exhibitions is usually easy if you are a member of a club because there will always be people in a club who have exhibition manager contacts. If you cannot join a club then you will have to try other methods to get your first invite - maybe social media, or forum or speaking with exhibition managers at shows. Once you are at your first show your layout is likely to be invited to other shows if it is any good. You can also offer your layout to magazine editors to be featured in their magazines. You will get a good response if your layout is any good and being featured in a magazine is a good way of showing your layout is good enough to exhibition managers. If you are unlucky you might have a good layout that isn't what the magazine editors are looking for at that time.

 

You also have to be prepared to accept that if you take layouts to exhibitions it is much more likely to suffer accidental damage than it will if it stays at home. Well that's my experience. I did this myself with one little clunk re-assembling the layout after an exhibition.

 

It makes sense to measure your car to work out what you can get into it. Exhibition managers are more likely to have layouts from someone who isn't known to them if they can be transported by car rather than by van.

 

Whatever you decide - enjoy the whole experience.

[Peter Kazmierczak]

Just had another thought...🤪🤪

 

For me, the most important thing actually isn't the layout at all. Good, bad, indifferent - one can learn by looking at others.

BUT, for me, it's the interaction between those operating the layout, and the punters. The layout might be the bees-knees, but if there is no interaction - just stony-faced unapproachable operators - then I'm not interested. On the other hand, an enthusiastic operator willing to chat, even if their layout is c---, is where I'd spend my time.

[The Stationmaster]

15 hours ago, Flying Pig said:

 

I agree.  I much prefer non-self-indulgent shunting which adds to the atmosphere of a working railway.  I'm not keen on meaningless processions of trains.

 

 

Having spent several hours operating a top notch layout (not mine I hasten to add) at an exhibition a month or two back it was great to see just how many people, of all ages, were interested in watching shunting.  And especially so if it was done for a reason and they were told why certain wagons were going to or coming from particular sidings or spots on those sidings.

 

So believable scene, track layout with a reason for everything, a consistent standard of modelling, and good, reliable, running, then even if it is not a roundy you will be able to keep a surprising mnumber of people entertained

[DCB]

1 hour ago, Peter Kazmierczak said:

For me, the most important thing actually isn't the layout at all. Good, bad, indifferent - one can learn by looking at others.

BUT, for me, it's the interaction between those operating the layout, and the punters. The layout might be the bees-knees, but if there is no interaction - just stony-faced unapproachable operators - then I'm not interested. On the other hand, an enthusiastic operator willing to chat, even if their layout is c---, is where I'd spend my time.

100% agree.   Especially the positively rude operators who have no time for young modellers, some of whom know more about the trains than the  operators.   I have no problem with a succession of trains, as long as they run at realistic speeds. but they tend not to, everything moves at a scale 30mph, 25moh unfitted freight,  90 mph express all trundle around at the same speed.

Branch line termini stuffed with locos rolling stock.   Unpainted shiny brass locos posed among beautifully weathered stock, and trains which slow down as they disappear from view on to a traverser also annoy me....   

[fulton]

18 hours ago, woodenhead said:

Don’t go down the route of designing a layout to suit others.

 

Build what you like, you will never build a layout that everyone thinks is good, we all have personal preferences, lots of good advice above on the the practical side, I find the general public will take an interest in all layouts, but some modellers will dismiss a layout out of hand, or even be rude, if it is not their particular interest, scale, location, company etc.

Edited April 2, 2023 by fulton
Correction

[Mark Forrest]

Reading the responses above, aside for the points about operators, it occurs to me that much of what makes a good exhibition layout, actually makes a good layout in general.

[Nearholmer]

2 hours ago, fulton said:

find the general public will take an interest in all layouts, but some modellers will dismiss a layout out of hand, or even be rude

Very sound observation.

 

Some enthusiasts can be very closed-minded, and some are frankly a bit socially-ill-adjusted, so you just have to have a slightly thick skin, and draw comfort from the majority, who are polite, and in some cases very interested indeed in what you are displaying.

[Whetstone Bridge]

Thanks everyone.  Some really interesting comments and all sorts of things that hadn’t crossed my mind.  

 

Top things seem to be:

- have a (novel) viable story

- have the knowledge and enthusiasm to talk about the story when asked/challenged

- think about entertaining non-enthusiasts

- make it robust/manoeuvrable/small enough to go in a car 

- quality of finish & reliability over detail

- go to a local club first then make contacts to go further afield

- it’s worth trying to get a magazine feature 

 

I’m currently considering ideas around the summer ‘Skeggy Express’ services from the East Midlands to the Lincolnshire coast in the 1980s.  It would be a good story to talk about and allow a crazy mix of rolling stock.  I probably need to find a stretch of track with interesting infrastructure and build around that.

[Chris M]

9 hours ago, Peter Kazmierczak said:

Just had another thought...🤪🤪

 

For me, the most important thing actually isn't the layout at all. Good, bad, indifferent - one can learn by looking at others.

BUT, for me, it's the interaction between those operating the layout, and the punters. The layout might be the bees-knees, but if there is no interaction - just stony-faced unapproachable operators - then I'm not interested. On the other hand, an enthusiastic operator willing to chat, even if their layout is c---, is where I'd spend my time.

I love chatting to visitors, especially discussing aspects of my layout, but I find it impossible to run trains well and hold a good conversation at the same time. If there are paying visitors watching I will always prioritise running trains well for all to see over chatting to one person. I hate it when as a visitor the layout operator spends his time chatting with one person for ages and during this time no trains are run. Interaction is good but not if it causes the whole layout to stop.