The Festival of British Railway Modelling - 10 -11 February 2024 - Doncaster

[LNER4479]

14 minutes ago, davepallant said:

We had a great time there with Euxton Junction.

 

A nice touch (or perhaps happy coincidence?) to have the two WCML layouts back-to-back. I did come over to have a quick look, as I'm not sure I've seen Euxton Junction before at a show - familiar enough with it from the magazibe articles. I see you were also running No.6201? Although very different eras - on Shap, she's in charge of the 1937 'Midday Scot'!

[CUCKOO LINE]

4 hours ago, AY Mod said:

 

It's a costly venue so there has to be a certain amount of trade to make it viable. Saying it looks like a swapmeet is harsh and I'm sure would upset some of the trade; should we only admit trade which spend a lot on their stand such as TMC?

Seems to me it us pretty standard practice for most shows to have a balance of traders and layouts and advertise as such. For me these days with it not being easy just to pop into a well stocked local model shop, although I can get a lot on line it is still nice to browse and 3xam8ne real hardware etc rather than pictures and often get some inspiration for odd things that I wouldn,t have otherwise thought about, plus those things that adding postage makes less economical sense. So to me a good show needs a good balance of quality layouts and a good variety of traders. For example I can't see that the good mix for me at Bristol has changed much since Warners took over.

[Barry O]

TMC and some other traders did put on a very good stand display..but it shows which traders do it for a full time business (including one of the "smaller" traders 247 Developments).

 

I do know my way around Donnie..  so I knew there was an upstairs... not everyone gets a map of what's were.. 

 

Upstairs was interesting but difficult to negotiate through.

 

Specialist societies are ... well specialist.. unless you can point me to the scenery society  or the fixing locos society, or the basic modelling society.. not sure how these areas (among others) can be covered by societies alone...

 

Baz

[Phil Parker]

2 hours ago, Barry O said:

I do know my way around Donnie..  so I knew there was an upstairs... not everyone gets a map of what's were..

 

Yes they do. Everyone was handed a free BRM sampler, into which was slipped the exhibition guide, with plan.

 

2 hours ago, Barry O said:

Upstairs was interesting but difficult to negotiate through.

 

It's a single room with layouts and stands around the edge. Navigating from the car park to the show would be harder, and that was simple.

 

I notice you've not taken up the challenge of how we might better signpost upstairs. After all, you tell us we've been doing it wrong for years, so other ideas are appreciated.

 

2 hours ago, Barry O said:

unless you can point me to the scenery society  or the fixing locos society, or the basic modelling society

 

Tony Wright always covered fixing locos - he even offers a clinic where he fixes them for a donation to charity, so I think we have that covered. Chris Mead and I both did some basic scenery talks, but the best people doing this at any show are Bachmann with the Woodland Scenics hands-on demos. They will be at Ally Pally.

 

It still comes down to space though. That hall is full, and not getting any bigger. Maybe we might squeeze an extra table into the difficult-to-find and navigate upstairs, but otherwise, a large demo area would come at the cost of layouts, so a decision has to be taken which the public would prefer.

[ERIC ALLTORQUE]

4 minutes ago, Phil Parker said:

 

Needs a Dalek.......enjoyed the show and the modern image layout beside your stand,you were awol though as we passed

 

[georged]

Hi. I saw the Spirit of Shap layout yesterday and was very impressed. Speaking to Graham, I'm told the formations are all based on photographs. This got me trying to find photos of the more unusual combinations seen which included the Derby Lightweight comprised of one car in BR green and the other in BR blue (as seen on a picture on this page) and the other I believe was a local train comprised of 2 BR (LMS) blood and custard portholes and 2 BR (LNER) teaks. Has anyone seen pictures of either of these? I have had no luck finding any.

[stewartingram]

We had quite a number of mixed colour dmus in the Cambridge area. Our local Derby LtWts and early Met-Camms, along with 105s; also 'foreign' intruders such as 101s & 104s. In fact, despite my modelling being the green era, I have both a 101 3-car and a 104 3-car, each with one car in blue.

[Barry O]

4 hours ago, Phil Parker said:

 

Yes they do. Everyone was handed a free BRM sampler, into which was slipped the exhibition guide, with plan.

 

 

It's a single room with layouts and stands around the edge. Navigating from the car park to the show would be harder, and that was simple.

 

I notice you've not taken up the challenge of how we might better signpost upstairs. After all, you tell us we've been doing it wrong for years, so other ideas are appreciated.

 

 

Tony Wright always covered fixing locos - he even offers a clinic where he fixes them for a donation to charity, so I think we have that covered. Chris Mead and I both did some basic scenery talks, but the best people doing this at any show are Bachmann with the Woodland Scenics hands-on demos. They will be at Ally Pally.

 

It still comes down to space though. That hall is full, and not getting any bigger. Maybe we might squeeze an extra table into the difficult-to-find and navigate upstairs, but otherwise, a large demo area would come at the cost of layouts, so a decision has to be taken which the public would prefer.

I wasn't given any documentation at all.. but how thevidea of having a large floorbplan on display at various points around the Hall..  as used at the NEC by Warley MRC?

 

Yes Tony does do " fixing locos" and hascdobe for manybyears.. perhaps I shouldbof said "fixing dcc fitted locos"? It's a growing need..

 

BRM did try to emulate the area set up at the Warley Show for children to have a go at building plastic kits, basic scenery (including static grass etc. But that seems to die the death as it takes up space which is required  to get more trade in to generate money to keep the show going.

 

Baz

 

 

[Phil Parker]

11 minutes ago, Barry O said:

BRM did try to emulate the area set up at the Warley Show for children to have a go at building plastic kits, basic scenery (including static grass etc. But that seems to die the death as it takes up space which is required  to get more trade in to generate money to keep the show going.

 

Except at Ally Pally where it's successfully run by the MRC. You see loads of kids walking around carrying Dapol kits, and little scenic dioramas from the Woodland Scenics stand. 

 

And it still comes down to space. The Young Modellers area in London isn't far off the size of the upper floor at Doncaster, so even if a group WAS willing to run it, you have to bin four layouts and the society stands. 

[Barry O]

9 hours ago, georged said:

Hi. I saw the Spirit of Shap layout yesterday and was very impressed. Speaking to Graham, I'm told the formations are all based on photographs. This got me trying to find photos of the more unusual combinations seen which included the Derby Lightweight comprised of one car in BR green and the other in BR blue (as seen on a picture on this page) and the other I believe was a local train comprised of 2 BR (LMS) blood and custard portholes and 2 BR (LNER) teaks. Has anyone seen pictures of either of these? I have had no luck finding any.

@georged  lots 9f photos of the " Cumbrian" green blue set. An example is on page 6 of the RCTS "DMUs in Colour" published in 2023. That osnt the original,photo I used to provide the set for Shap. It is a dc kits unit with Cumbria fitted safety bars over the drp lights in the doors. There are a fair fewhotos of this pair.

 

I have seen the photo used to provide the other set.. I didn't set that up so I don't have the photo although I was sent it to help work out what the coaches are. @LNER4479 generally has a book of "cuttings" from magazines with the layout at shows. 

 

Generally photos are shared across the build group who have 3nough knowledge of coaches and rolling stock to set up/make prototypical trains up for usebon the layout.

 

Baz

[LNER4479]

DMU image is here:

https://www.rail-online.co.uk/p324083191/h46601703#h46601703

(can't post image on here directly - copyrighted)

 

The 4-coach local set we run is actually three Gresley teaks and a Thompson. It's based on several images of this working which made use of a NER region set that was otherwise idle during the middle of the day at Carlisle, having worked a morning service in from Newcastle and subsequently an evening return. The LMR used it for a Carlisle-Oxenholme and return working. Several pictures of it - always with one of Carlisle's Stanier tanks - by Erics Bruton and Treacy(!) As it runs in 'early BR' era, I make use of a couple of old PC teak coaches, supposedly awaiting repaint into the new corporate image. So it was not a 'one off' but a regular, booked working.

 

 

[Mallard60022]

11 hours ago, georged said:

Hi. I saw the Spirit of Shap layout yesterday and was very impressed. Speaking to Graham, I'm told the formations are all based on photographs. This got me trying to find photos of the more unusual combinations seen which included the Derby Lightweight comprised of one car in BR green and the other in BR blue (as seen on a picture on this page) and the other I believe was a local train comprised of 2 BR (LMS) blood and custard portholes and 2 BR (LNER) teaks. Has anyone seen pictures of either of these? I have had no luck finding any.

If those Trains appeared on Hills of the North then those Trains existed.

Phil