Warley at Statfold 12th & 13th October 2024

[Chris M]

Just released to the press.

 

The Warley Model Railway Club has teamed up with the Statfold Narrow Gauge Museum Trust Ltd to hold a brand new railway modelling showcase event at the Trust’s Statfold Country Park venue near Tamworth, Staffordshire.
Branded as Warley at Statfold the event is planned for the weekend of the 12 & 13 October 2024 and entry tickets will include an exciting new-look model railway exhibition, full access to the Museum’s locomotive and stock collection, unlimited train rides on both the 2' and 12½" gauge railways and the chance for visiting families to enjoy numerous children’s themed attractions also on the site.
The exhibition is to be hosted by the Warley MRC and will see up to 30 quality layouts displayed across a variety of scales and gauges, along with a choice selection of specialist retail trade stands and manufacturers. A revamped programme of modelling demonstrations is also being formulated that will reflect the emerging techniques, technologies and demographics of today’s modern and diverse hobby.
Statfold has the largest collections of narrow gauge locomotives in the country, all of which will be open to view in the adjacent museum, or in action on any one of the outdoor railway circuits where visitors can hop-on and hop-off the full size trains as they loop through and around the beautiful country park setting.
Warley MRC Exhibition Manager Nigel Smith said;
“This new and inspiring venture is not just the old Warley National Model Railway Show reloaded.
It’s about the club and our associated charity moving forward within the dynamics of this ever- popular hobby.
By joining forces with the people at Statfold, we can mitigate those daunting factors which resulted in the winding up of our NEC event, and continue the club’s endeavours and charitable aims to promote the benefits and merits of railway modelling to the wider public.
All-in-all this will make for a splendid and invigorating day out for established enthusiasts and family groups alike.”
The Statfold venue has ample on-site free parking. A free connecting bus service to and from Tamworth railway station and the town centre will be provided for those travelling by public transport. Catering services will also available, situated at various locations within the country park.
Further details will be available in due course via the Statfold Country Park web site:
https://www.statfold.com/ and the Warley MRC show web site: https://thewarleyshow.co.uk/
Or by emailing the club on: warleymrccio@gmail.com
Warley Model Railway Club, Unit 1F, Pearsall Drive, Oldbury, West Midlands, B69 2RA
Registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) Charity No: 1153792

Edited February 23 by Chris M

[Edge]

Well, out of one NEC show we now have two NEC shows, a new Warley exhibition and a second statfold model rail event. 
 

safe to say that I wasn’t expecting that

[Oldddudders]

I believe this is called not resting upon one's laurels.

[pete_mcfarlane]

44 minutes ago, Edge said:

Well, out of one NEC show we now have two NEC shows, a new Warley exhibition and a second statfold model rail event. 
 

safe to say that I wasn’t expecting that

 

I guess this is another sign that the hobby is in terminal decline.....

[Ian Hargrave]

And it’s just a 30 minute leisurely drive from where I sit. Easy free access from Tamworth by vintage bus. 

[PaulRhB]

Top stuff, we did the 009 Society 50th there last year and it’s a great venue! good lighting, food stalls,

 

 

Plus the roundhouse and mezzanine and trains to ride. 

 

 

Edited February 23 by PaulRhB

[Michael Hodgson]

I wasn't planning to go to the Warley show at NEC this year, but I have been meaning to visit Statfield one day.

But now maybe I can kill two birds with one stone!

[banburysaint]

Commendable to create a new event but this exhibition clashes with Great Electric Train show at Milton Keynes for 2024 and there is already a model event at Statfold earlier in the year. 

[2ManySpams]

Great news. Just 10mins down the road.

[Chris M]

33 minutes ago, banburysaint said:

Commendable to create a new event but this exhibition clashes with Great Electric Train show at Milton Keynes for 2024 and there is already a model event at Statfold earlier in the year. 

The clash with GETS is not a good thing. I normally visit GETS but the date we have was the only free weekend available at Statfold Barn. They are two quite different shows though. If I wasn’t involved I would probably go to one on the Saturday and the other on the Sunday.

 

Personally I would expect there to be two model railway shows at Statfold each year. They are 6 months apart and as a visitor I would happily go to both. In fact I am going to both as I am taking my layout to the April show. I’m not really a narrow gauge fan but I do love Statfold Barn Railway.

Edited February 23 by Chris M

[Chris M]

On 23/02/2024 at 17:20, Chris M said:

I’m not really a narrow gauge fan but I do love Statfold Barn Railway.

I’m also building an 009 layout . I must be more of a fan of narrow gauge than I thought.

Edited February 25 by Chris M

[stan williams]

Other events that weekend.

Hornby Magazine   Show,  Milton  Keynes,

Wakefield MRC Show.

Farnham & District MRC Show.

Cradley Heath Event.

 

Layouts and traders could be thin on the ground, as I presume these shows will have already booked them up.

[Fair Oak Junction]

Fantastic news!

[queensquare]

Excellent news, well done the Warley club,

 

Jerry

[steve45]

I wonder if this will be as widely reported in the national media as the news on Warley NEC cancellation and the subsequent demise of the hobby?

[JIJ]

Warley model railway club put on brilliant exhibitions, and Statfold is a great place to visit (much easier to park at and load layouts in too), so a win win in my book.

 

Well done to all involved!

[Chris M]

On 23/02/2024 at 19:49, stan williams said:

Other events that weekend.

Hornby Magazine   Show,  Milton  Keynes,

Wakefield MRC Show.

Farnham & District MRC Show.

Cradley Heath Event.

 

Layouts and traders could be thin on the ground, as I presume these shows will have already booked them up.

I would agree it is not the best weekend but it was the only one available at Statfold Barn this year. Next year's date will almost certainly be better from this point of view. I know GETS and Farnham are great shows as I have visited and exhibited at both of them.  I am sad that I will inevitably miss GETS this year but I am really looking forward to spending the weekend at Statfold Barn. It will be my second weekend there as I am exhibiting at the April Statfold Barn model railway exhibition.

 

I don't think layouts for the Warley at Statfold exhibition will be a problem as there are plenty of high quality layouts around. Traders could be more of a problem but I'm told the emphasis will be on attracting the smaller specialist trade stand; the kind that generally could not do the NEC. I have not seen many of those smaller specialists at GETS so hopefully getting the right traders will not be a major issue either. As the proposal to put on this exhibition was only finalised during last week nobody will have been invited yet. I know there are a number of club members working hard on who to invite at the moment.

 

I know I am not taking my Dawlish Warren layout as it was at the NEC last year and will be at Statfold Barn in April. That's more than enough!

[Enterprisingwestern]

 

For that true NEC feeling parking needs to charged at £25 per car, the catering prices quadrupled and overnight accommodation provided in Leicester and Stoke!

 

Mike.

[009 micro modeller]

On 23/02/2024 at 19:30, Chris M said:

I’m also building an 009 layout . I must be more of a fan of narrow gauge than I thought.

Surely everyone becomes one anyway after visiting Statfold? Like @PaulRhB I enjoyed the 009 Society anniversary event at Statfold so I like the sound of this. The event space used for the layouts themselves is very good, and I thought the roundhouse was a very effective and interesting museum space. When I was there it looked as though a new building next to the main 2ft gauge station was being fitted out too so I don’t know if this will provide any extra space for layouts as well?

 

In general I think the combination of full-sized museum/heritage railway and model railway exhibition is a good one that has worked well at other sites as well. It would be good to ride on the 12 1/4” line as this didn’t seem to be running when I was there last year.

[PaulRhB]

12 minutes ago, 009 micro modeller said:

It would be good to ride on the 12 1/4” line as this didn’t seem to be running when I was there last year.

It was running on the 009 society weekend but was rather hidden by the fence from the main hall. I saw it cross the road a couple of times. 

[009 micro modeller]

Just now, PaulRhB said:

It was running on the 009 society weekend but was rather hidden by the fence from the main hall. I saw it cross the road a couple of times. 

Was it running on the Sunday? I couldn’t make it on the Saturday and it didn’t seem to be running when I was there. Though in between traffic delays on the way there, looking at the layouts and helping a friend with operating his layout I didn’t have quite as much time to look at the real railway stuff as I’d have liked unfortunately.

[009 micro modeller]

On 23/02/2024 at 16:51, banburysaint said:

Commendable to create a new event but this exhibition clashes with Great Electric Train show at Milton Keynes for 2024 and there is already a model event at Statfold earlier in the year. 

 

On 23/02/2024 at 17:20, Chris M said:

The clash with GETS is not a good thing. I normally visit GETS but the date we have was the only free weekend available at Statfold Barn. They are two quite different shows though. If I wasn’t involved I would probably go to one on the Saturday and the other on the Sunday.

 

I haven’t previously been to GETS so can’t really comment on that show (though I’m told by others who have been that it is very good). It’s a bit of a dilemma for me as (assuming I’m not working that weekend anyway) GETS is much nearer to me but Statfold is probably preferable due to the full-size NG railway interest, but I virtually have to go via Milton Keynes anyway to get to Statfold. Maybe both (one each day) is the solution. In any case, there was a similar clash with the Warley NEC show and the Northampton 009 group show a few years ago.

[Chris M]

27 minutes ago, 009 micro modeller said:

Surely everyone becomes one anyway after visiting Statfold? Like @PaulRhB I enjoyed the 009 Society anniversary event at Statfold so I like the sound of this. The event space used for the layouts themselves is very good, and I thought the roundhouse was a very effective and interesting museum space. When I was there it looked as though a new building next to the main 2ft gauge station was being fitted out too so I don’t know if this will provide any extra space for layouts as well?

 

In general I think the combination of full-sized museum/heritage railway and model railway exhibition is a good one that has worked well at other sites as well. It would be good to ride on the 12 1/4” line as this didn’t seem to be running when I was there last year.

Before I went to Statfold Barn last April I had absolutely no intention of building an 009 layout, not even the slightest itch.  Some time last year I started coming up with plans for an 009 layout and now Warley club is building an 009 layout to my design. I am or course very much part of the team building this layout. Maybe the Statfold Barn visit provided inspiration for my change of direction. I might start a thread about the layout build.

[2ManySpams]

I personally don't see the clash with GETS as an issue. I've been once and don't think I'd bother going again. I can play the sardine game on my train trips to and from Birmingham or on the London Underground. 

 

The two events seem completely different and I think will attract different audiences. The Statfold event is certainly in my diary. I just hope they start beefing up the capacity of the catering to cope with the visitor numbers. 

 

Being only 5 miles down the road I'd happily offer my cameo layout for a show in 2025.

 

 

 

Photos courtesy of Jamie of this parish.

[PaulRhB]

2 hours ago, 009 micro modeller said:

Was it running on the Sunday? I couldn’t make it on the Saturday and it didn’t seem to be running when I was there. Though in between traffic delays on the way there, looking at the layouts and helping a friend with operating his layout I didn’t have quite as much time to look at the real railway stuff as I’d have liked unfortunately.

No idea which day it was, I struggled to look round the show too and only got one ride in on the 2ft line despite it being included! I only noticed as I heard the whistle and couldn’t see where it came from at first until I spied it in the distance by the road. The traction engine trundling about probably drowned it out. 
 

30 minutes ago, 2ManySpams said:

I just hope they start beefing up the capacity of the catering to cope with the visitor numbers. 

For the 009 do there was the main restaurant in the roundhouse and two more vans outside the exhibition hall under the ‘lean to’ on the side, one doing drinks and the other food. It’s a bit windy but sheltered from rain and a load of picnic benches to sit on. 
 

Just to left of the loco’s bunker you can see the lean to and some benches. That was busy but not rammed. It would be a bit cosy on a rainy day but they also have a bar inside that wasn’t open.

 

Overall it is a really nice venue but if it’s raining bring a brolly as the overflow car parks are about a 5 min walk. 

Edited February 25 by PaulRhB