End of Warley National Show - but now it's not the end of a show at the NEC.

[adb968008]

Gosh this is sad news.

 

I’d have a hard time in even saying my own thoughts on where it may have gone wrong, because I think theyve only ever done it right.

Warley was a fantastic mix… it had all you needed, a wide variety of layouts, all scales, and international. It had retailers of all aspects including harder to get bits. It had the trade support, It had the showpiece, it had the community…

Its the only show that interests my wife.. so thats saying something !

Even my daughter will be upset as she’s been coming with me for a few years.

 

and above all attending Warley was the whistle that signalled Christmas starting a week later !!!

 

Ive always made a weekend of it, because it took two days to do it properly.

Its been a favourite show in my calendar for years.

 

wow thats a hole in my calendar.

 

thanks for the memories, the team have done very well and should be rightly proud.

 

[TEAMYAKIMA]

9 hours ago, Revolution Ben said:

Have you met and chatted to Francis?  I have on a couple of occasions- he's genuinely enthusiastic about railways, real and model, and his enthusiasm is infectious.  How he presents, with the reversed go-pro camera etc, may not be to your taste but he is certainly not 'fake.' 

 

I'd also say it's quite likely that his social media presence (2.2 million followers on Instagram alone) has probably done more to promote and 'normalise' an interest in railways and railway modelling than all the published magazines and web forums put together.   On the Class 313 farewell tour I went on there were dozens of young men and women - ie younger than 25 - queueing up at each stop to meet him and grab a selfie, along with some not-so-young enthusiasts!  

 

Whereas your post suggests that he, and other young people like him with an unashamed intereset in railways, are to be derided as 'loonies.'   And we wonder why young people are put off the hob

 

I thought I had never seen or heard of Francis Bourgeois until I was reading through this thread and then when I read your post just now I suddenly realised I had ....................... by total co-incidence, two days ago a female friend sent me a link to one of his instagram reels which she had just found with the message from her "Train spotters are Tic Toc sensations now!" and so, like him or not, he is getting noticed by the general public.

 

Enthusiasm is infectious !

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

12 hours ago, JSpencer said:

So what will bring back this demographic again?

If I knew that, I would be investing in it!

12 hours ago, JSpencer said:

...larpers...

And that's today's new word for me.

[newbryford]

I went to the first NEC show as a punter and have only missed a couple since - usually due to inconsiderate holiday planning by Mrs NB.

(I can get away with that as she doesn't frequent RMW....)

 

In the many years since, I've also attended with layouts - from just being an operator, to taking the club and my own layouts. 

Like others - driving around the hall was quite surreal, although taking a van in with the turning circle, the size of a small country wasn't easy late Friday afternoon.

 

I've also been there doing demos and as part of a trade stand on numerous occasions. 

(Thanks to @Barry O for the car park pass to get near on Sunday to load up!)

 

The "hardest" shows were as a layout exhibitor - the added pressure of a national show and wanting to make sure it all worked as it should with 3-4 deep crowds.

(Not that I don't want it to work at other shows!)

 

But I loved every show in whichever way I've attended, in their own way.

 

RIP the Warley NEC show, but it wouldn't surprise me if someone else takes on the mantle of a "national" show.

 

Mrs NB is now looking at holiday dates in late November.

 

And finally - a big thank you to all those who made the show happen over the many years.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 12 by newbryford

[ELTEL]

4 hours ago, Chris M said:

I am sure a number of Warley club members will offer their help over the weekend of the Stafford show. Always a great show and it is a pleasure to be part of it.

Hi Chris 

 

Yes please, we will certainly welcome the support of the Warley members over the Stafford Exhibition weekend as in previous years.

 

Terry 

[Not Jeremy]

I sadly, and for my own reasons, couldn't make the 2023 Warley NEC show, but have previously attended over a good number of years, latterly with the Wild Swan books stand.

 

I loved going to Warley, in whatever capacity, it was so spectacularly and terrfyingly large, and was always an ambitious celebration and exposition of a great hobby. I am, and will remain, in awe of everything that the Warley club have achieved with the NEC show. So very good on so many levels as many have eloquently expressed in this thread.

 

Apart from all of the layouts, meeting so many friends and names in the hobby, the fantastic trade support and the opportunity to see manufacturers and their new products, what I really loved about it all was the excitement and pleasure it gave to so many people, seeing the enjoyment on the faces of so many people gathered in one place was just epic.

 

It gave you a great feeling of being part of a fantastic hobby, and the insane size of it was definitely part of this appeal, to me at least.

 

I'm sure whatever comes next will be great, but thirty years of success at the NEC is one hell of an achievement, and so I want to add my thanks and great appreciation to everyone at the Warley club for giving us all so much enjoyment over so many years.

 

Got to be worth a few OBEs, at least!

 

Simon

Edited January 12 by Not Jeremy
too to

[RobinofLoxley]

Since I got back into the hobby Warley was my go-to event, despite the real train I had to take to get to it always being crushed-standing room only. The main reason was that despite the crowds the sheer size meant that you could always get a spot to study a layout, within a few minutes, even at the busiest times, something that isnt true of all exhibitions.

 

In my working life trade fairs were a big part and they were always episodic with regard to format, location, etc. Resets are always needed. My Congrats to Warley MRC for the sheer longevity of their efforts, but others will take up the slack. I should add, its more amazing that they kept going so long than surprising they have decided to stop.

 

As for getting in new enthusiasts, good example would be Chester Cathedral where the spectators were predominantly families, with the possibility for kids to drive trains from a mobile, tech they can instantly identify with.

 

Whereas, my personal view, Tiktok and Youtube are a bit like a trip to the zoo. Look at that nice gorilla, but I dont want one as a pet, thank you.

Edited January 12 by RobinofLoxley

[PaulRhB]

20 minutes ago, Not Jeremy said:

 

Got to be worth a few OBEs,

Order’f Beers Everyone 😉

[1E BoY]

17 hours ago, 101Voodoo said:

Sad news I recall a warley show I attended as a child with I believe a new voyager as the 1:1 centrepiece,

 

It was a Pendolino driving car enroute from Bristol Docks to Washwood Heath which appeared at Warley in 2000 to coincide with the release of the first Dapol Pendolino's. The body shells were produced at the former Fiat Ferroviaria plant at Savigliano near Turin, the company being acquired by Alstom shortly after the first driving car was completed. The vehicles arrived in Bristol fully painted - everything else being undertaken on the Washwood Heath production line. Alstom undertook a giant kit build using parts which were transported from the other side of Birmingham and transformed it by adding the lights etc. using double sided tape before our eyes. The interior was empty (we used if for storage) so it must hold the record for being the biggest model ever to appear at a model railway exhibition! It left the hall on the Sunday evening and was on the production line at Alstom by start of work the following day. 

 

Everyone wanted to know what number it was - to this day I have no idea which one it became!

 

Photo Chris Dixon / Virgin Trains

Edited January 12 by 1E BoY
correction

[big jim]

3 hours ago, adb968008 said:

Gosh this is sad news.

 

what will you do with your ikea bags now? 

I hope a Nice memory was footplating 70000 in 2022 on the strike day before the doors opened 

 

[adb968008]

2 hours ago, big jim said:

what will you do with your ikea bags now? 

I hope a Nice memory was footplating 70000 in 2022 on the strike day before the doors opened 

 

And to think on that day, that was the first and last train of the day!

 

A few years back I arrived at Warley fresh from a US trip, jet lagged, disturbed by the little one… then meandered to the door circa 6am !

 

my little folk will miss this too…

 

I will miss meeting many from here at Warley.

We need an RMWeb social !

 

 

Hours of planning (well actually hours of drinking and a few mins with a marker)..  planning my attack strategies..

 

gosh… I will miss that.

 

and the queues to get in…

 

 

Edited January 12 by adb968008

[David Bigcheeseplant]

I have been to Warley at an exhibitor, trader and a paying visitor in 2023 and was exhibition manager of Railex in Aylesbury from 2005-2019. I had heard rumours after the last show it would be the last one so was not surprised to see the announcement.

Putting Warley together is a huge undertaking with eye watering costs done by volunteers just organizing Railex for me was a major undertaking and with no shows for a couple of years due to covid made me realise I wanted to step down, as the effort to organize a show became a chore not a pleasure. I expect this what the organizing team at Warley felt too.

I had noticed that the number of smaller suppliers at Warley had been getting smaller year on year. I think the cost of taking a stand and the costs just didn’t make it viable for most traders. I think my only purchase in 2023 was a book.

What of the future of model railway show? We have lost some major shows since covid, and I sadly think there will be more. Nobody will stage a show if it’s going to make a loss. Just because shows have been a success in the past does not guarantee they will work in the future. Many local shows still have the same look and vibe as they did in the 1970s and 80s. Costs are increasing and staging a show is a major undertaking plus finding the people who want to and are capable of organizing an event is always an issue.

I must admit Warley did drain all life out of me, although but I think that was the NEC venue itself and the November dates.

David

Edited January 12 by David Bigcheeseplant

[john new]

1 hour ago, David Bigcheeseplant said:

I have been to Warley at an exhibitor, trader and a paying visitor in 2023 and was exhibition manager of Railex in Aylesbury from 2005-2019. I had heard rumours after the last show it would be the last one so was not surprised to see the announcement.

Putting Warley together is a huge undertaking with eye watering costs done by volunteers just organizing Railex for me was a major undertaking and with no shows for a couple of years due to covid made me realise I wanted to step down, as the effort to organize a show became a chore not a pleasure. I expect this what the organizing team at Warley felt too.

I had noticed that the number of smaller suppliers at Warley had been getting smaller year on year. I think the cost of taking a stand and the costs just didn’t make it viable for most traders. I think my only purchase in 2023 was a book.

What of the future of model railway show? We have lost some major shows since covid, and I sadly think there will be more. Nobody will stage a show if it’s going to make a loss. Just because shows have been a success in the past does not guarantee they will work in the future. Many local shows still have the same look and vibe as they did in the 1970s and 80s. Costs are increasing and staging a show is a major undertaking plus finding the people who want to and are capable of organizing an event is always an issue.

I must admit Warley did drain all life out of me, although but I think that was the NEC venue itself and the November dates.

David

Total cost of attendance including the accommodation, general expenses and van hire etc., was why the SLS stopped taking a stand. We were still taking income from selling our Society books and photographs but overall making a loss. Warley club were excellent hosts, the stand fees weren’t excessive, but overall it ceased to be worthwhile. Add to that the previous volunteers were giving up, the age demographic again, and younger people (by that I mean even the 50+ age band) were not coming forward therefore those doing it were all either already 70 or getting close to it. 

[Ben B]

I feel saddened by this... it's understandable, and better to go out on a high, but still sad. I used to go to Warley when it was at the Mitchell centre, but I had several trips to the later NEC show when I was growing up, as it fell near to my birthday. I hadn't been for years though, I reckoned my kids were too young for such a massive show, then the Covid pandemic, then the train strikes... ah well.

 

And to give my own perspective on the comments people have been making about age and the hobby... I'm nearly 40, last year I went along to my local club who meet on Thursday evenings, with an intention of joining the G gauge group. I'd not been able to previously, as Thursdays was choir night for the kids, but they're older now, and can get themselves there, or easier get lifts with mates.

But... I was apologetically told that the G gauge group now meet on Tues afternoons. No doubt suits the predominently retired members, and their reasoning was understandable (feeling vulnerable coming out of a big, old building after dark in a not terrifically safe area). But for younger members in full time jobs, not possible.

I'm also a Scout Leader; we have a real crisis in getting new leaders. We used to have 4 younger leaders in their early 20's, but lost them all to job pressures. Evening shifts, unsociable contracts, pressure to relocate to avoid redundancies... Even my supposed 7.5 hours a day, weekdays only job frequently turns into 10, 11 hour days with little warning. Modern working conditions just aren't geared towards regular volunteering hobbies in a lot of cases.

 

I don't think there's a shortage of youngsters who could get into the hobby; in my experience with Scouts and prior school DT jobs, kids love practical tasks, when given opportunity and encouragement (and don't get me started about funding cuts to DT and art departments). But the problem seems to be the current long hours, irregular, short or zero-guarenteed-hours contracts common to the job market, which just culls free time.

[1E BoY]

I have just realised that in one form or another, I have been an exhibitor at every Warley since 1998, when I was one of the Milton Keynes MRS operating team on Mandlebury, the clubs then N scale exhibition layout. I remember Graham Farish were there (before the take over by Bachmann) and Peter Graham-Farish dishing out cards for us to put our future wish list on. Our operating team included two Virgin train drivers who made it very clear what should be put on them. I had little idea then that I would be in the hall a year later helping launch Virgin Trains liveried models from the Farish stand alongside our MD, Chris Green. Chris opened the show that year (1999) and the following year we were exhibiting in our own right with a rather large model train (see my previous post). From receipt of request to reproduce the livery on Farish models landing on the MDs desk to launch of products (sold in the hall by Farish dealers on the day) took less that six months! I got to know Peter and his team very well over the next few months taking drawings and samples back and forth to their Holton Heath factory. It later resulted in a Class 47 (47747) carrying the Graham Farish name.

 

Having been involved in various club shows (and one large one at Cannon Street in 1986) I know how much work goes into each one. To have hosted 30 shows at the venue, without a commercial operation to oversee it, is a massive achievement and one which demands nothing but total admiration to all the volunteers over the years that pitched in to make it happen. 

 

My thanks to Paul, Alf and the rest of the Warley team for providing what was a great showcase for our hobby. I wish Warley MRC all the best in the future. 

 

 

 

 

[ruggedpeak]

I flew in from Switzerland for the 2023 show, was always a great place to meet former colleagues who shared an interest in trains.

 

Thanks to all the organisers and exhibitors over the years.

 

Despite the less than great news this week there is plenty to be positive about in the hobby and Warley won't be forgotten.

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

2 hours ago, David Bigcheeseplant said:

What of the future of model railway show? We have lost some major shows since covid, and I sadly think there will be more. Nobody will stage a show if it’s going to make a loss. Just because shows have been a success in the past does not guarantee they will work in the future. Many local shows still have the same look and vibe as they did in the 1970s and 80s.

First step back on the leading question , to what was the origin of most MR shows? MR Clubs.

And second step back, what was the origin of those MR clubs?

 

Now we get a flood of answers: interest in the railway, socialising with like minded folk, chance to participate in much larger modelling projects than individually possible, learning new skills, opportunity to harangue other folks on 'my way or the highway', < insert yours here >.

 

Some of those will no longer be the draw they were, because there are readily accessible alternatives, or they have gone out of fashion, or < nominate others here >

 

The above very much a simplified picture, but the underlying message is that change is inevitable; and the end result unpredictable.

 

 

 

[newbryford]

3 minutes ago, 34theletterbetweenB&amp;D said:

First step back on the leading question , to what was the origin of most MR shows? MR Clubs.

And second step back, what was the origin of those MR clubs?

 

 

 

 

To build a bigger trainset than you could have at home?

😀

[Barry O]

Its great having youtube and instagram.. but what happens when there are no shows for the "new generation" of enthusiasts to video??

 

As the demos organiser at Warley for a few years I changed the demo area to include more "hands on" demos using a number of other ways to help people move forward in the hobby (remember the 1957 "Model Railways Shop"? or SHAP showing the big hill in years up to the end of steam? )  I hope it helped people to move on.. 

 

Baz

Edited January 12 by Barry O
grammur

[leavesontheline]

11 hours ago, Chris M said:

It was just one of those things. Back in the early 1990s the hobby felt in the doldrums and Paul Jones of Warley club wanted to put on a showcase exhibition to help improve our hobby. It just happened that, at that time, Warley club had a group of members with the right skills and knowledge to go for a show at the NEC.  I looked after the trade for the first shows. Back then I had to send letters to model railway businesses asking them to join us - there was none of this new fangled email nonsense! That shows how things have changed over the years of the Warley NEC show. None of  us involved had any knowledge or experience of putting on a big exhibition, all we had done up until then was a good show at the local drill hall. The first show was a huge risk and it would have been very bad for the club if it had gone wrong. In the end it became far more successful and bigger than any of us expected.

 

As this show was put on by a club the ethos was to put on a great show rather than maximise profit. Yes the show did make a profit every year, including 2023, but the profit margin was always thin, probably far too thin for a proper business to accept. I am very proud of that ethos and it is one reason I kept giving up my free time to work on the show for so many years. Warley club is in a good position and will continue very happily without an NEC exhibition. Interestingly, I have heard it said that the club might be better for this cancellation as the NEC exhibition was maybe "the tail wagging the dog". 

 

Thanks for this reply Chris, really interesting how these things start out!

 

I think it is safe to say that the original aims of the club and the whole ethos of the show has clearly been a resounding success!

 

I wonder how many other shows came into existence or grew because those organisers thought "well if they can do that at the NEC I'm sure we can do x, y and z"?!

 

It would be impossible to quantify the lasting legacy of Warley on the hobby as a whole and also on individuals who have visited over the years. Everyone involved should be very proud of what they have achieved!

[brushman47544]

Very sad news. Being abroad, coming back for exhibitions only really makes sense for the larger ones so Warley will definitely be missed. On the occasions I have made it, I have taken advantage of the range of retailers to look at new products and/or see them operating on layouts, which you can’t really do as well looking at retailer images on the internet or YouTube videos. Now that many products sell out to pre-orders, what you see running on layouts may well not be available so one reason for my going has been getting less relevant. I will still miss it though as a place to meet friends and have a natter.

 

Thank you Warley MRC.

[MarkSG]

I'll be honest, I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I've always enjoyed going to Warley, and it's always been a fixture in my calendar. So I will miss it.

 

But. In the times I've been recently, I haven't enjoyed it quite as much as I used to. Maybe that's at least partly me getting older, and no longer having the stamina to traipse around the hall all day. But I have had the feeling that the show itself, not just me, was getting tired. Quality is, of course, always subjective, but there haven't seemed to be as many showstopper layouts as I remember from the past. The trade stands seem a bit less inspiring, and I've bought less from them. Autumn is, also, an increasingly crowded time of year, especially now that Stafford has moved to September. There's also the Great British Model Railway Show in October, which is well within my travel radar but I've never been to because it's too close to Warley. So I had been wondering whether to give Warley a miss anyway this year. That decision has now been taken out of my hands, and in some ways I'm quite comfortable with that.

 

That's not anybody's fault in particular, and this isn't intended as a criticism of the Warley club or its members. I've been involved in putting on an exhibition in the past, and being an operator at an exhibition, and I'm fully aware that it's a thankless task which involves considerable time and effort for no reward other than the satisfaction of putting on a good show. Those involved in running the Warley show have done a sterling job over the years and deserve to be loudly applauded for it.

 

 Time hurries on, though, and the green shoots of enthusiasm turn to brown. Without an influx of new volunteers, the burden on those doing the work will only ever grow. There have been signs for a while that Warley was struggling to keep the show on the road. The lack of a show guide last year, because there wasn't anyone to produce it, was one such symptom.

 

So it looks as if the club has made a sensible decision. Sometimes, knowing when to call it a day is the most important decision an organisation can ever make. And communicating it properly, at the right time, is equally important. Warley MRC has done both of those well. So I wish them all the best for the future. Birmingham is within my show travel radius, so if they put on a smaller, more local exhibition, I may well go to that anyway.

 

 

[Chris M]

7 hours ago, Not Jeremy said:

 

Got to be worth a few OBEs, at least!

 

That has set me wondering. Paul Jones was the Warley NEC exhibition manager from 1993 to 2019. He is an exceptional person and the exhibition would not have succeeded without his presence. Even the 2022 and 2023 exhibitions would have struggled to happen without Paul’s significant input. Paul was always a “down to earth” manager and at 19:00 on the Sunday of the show he would be there folding curtains with the rest of the club. He really was the main man who made it all happen mainly through his dedication and patience. All of this was of course done without any financial reward. Maybe some of us at Warley club should nominate Paul for an honour? Wonder if there is any chance? I think he deserves something.

[Colin_McLeod]

7 hours ago, 1E BoY said:

Alstom undertook a giant kit build using parts which were transported from the other side of Birmingham and transformed it by adding the lights etc. using double sided tape before our eyes. The interior was empty (we used if for storage) so it must hold the record for being the biggest model ever to appear at a model railway exhibition!

 

The ultimate 304.8 mm/ft model.

[Ninefingers]

21 hours ago, JSpencer said:

 

Of course tiktoks with identity influencers saying "I identify as a railway modeler and my pronouns are choo/chuff".

Hmmm That would probably work actually....

Yeah, that'll get them on board 🙄