Wigan Model Railway Exhibition 2010

[beast66606]

2nd funniest complaint from people leaving the show

 

"Only one complaint, I couldn't find the show"

 

Funniest

 

"Only complaint, I couldn't find the show this year, and I couldn't find it last year either"

 

[mr roarke]

Well done to everyone concerned in organising and running the Wigan show. Many thanks for the great show from the footplate crew on Upsan Downs. We had a really good time running trains and chatting to the visitors (even if they were not into Souther Region) We are looking forward to the 2011 show when we will be bringing Oak Ridge Canyon. If you missed the show this year, Put it in your diary NOW so that you go next year as it is one of the best shows around.

Joan and George

[mike knowles]

Only a 220 mile round trip from E Yorkshire (so on the doorstep really!) It was most bizarre to come from waist high snow and ice to somewhere without a flake!

Anyway just to say what a fantastic show. Didn't spend much (sorry traders, blame the layouts as they were so good I spent most of my time watching trains).

Highlight had to be Apethorn Junction, that working breakdown train was something else. Another reason to consider a move to the "senior scale"

Well done organisers, hope to be back again next year. Only complaint - too much pepper in the potato hash.

[Sam - WFRM ADMIN]

Indeed - or even both B)

 

 

 

It's the teacher in him, authoritarian

 

 

 

totally agree - great nights out with great friends!!!!!

the sooner the better..... and more throughout the year!

we are still up for the sat night in liverpool if we are still invited..... as and when you start back after Christmas!

[Sam - WFRM ADMIN]

2nd funniest complaint from people leaving the show

 

"Only one complaint, I couldn't find the show"

 

Funniest

 

"Only complaint, I couldn't find the show this year, and I couldn't find it last year either"

 

 

 

 

must admit i thought this was very funny....... as he made a point of complaining when he was leaving.....

..- well if he couldn't find it how did he get there!!!!

[mike50001]

Great show, nice to see a mix of kettles an proper trains(especially the yellow ones). lots of good layouts there, firmly on the calendar for next year.

 

a comment on the signage for finding the place, maybe a brighter colour would make them easier to spot, a black an white sign on a white post isnt easy to spot when you dont know the area.

[158722]

Many thanks to organisers from the Airthrey Park crew who battled through snow and ice to get layout down from Menstrie. Ironically the operators came from Biggar, Edinburgh (x2) Hamilton, Fallin, LISBON!!, Chester, Stoke, and Peterborough (one Phil Sutton, no less).... a truly inernational team then?

great show and superb organisation. Many thanks to all involved......can we come back please??

[beast66606]

a comment on the signage for finding the place, maybe a brighter colour would make them easier to spot, a black an white sign on a white post isnt easy to spot when you dont know the area.

 

The local council spend £37,000 on brown and white tourist signs and won't allow us to put up any others I'm afraid - but at least you know where it is now

[mike50001]

The local council spend £37,000 on brown and white tourist signs and won't allow us to put up any others I'm afraid - but at least you know where it is now

 

yes, hopefully remember for next year, i blaim our navigator.

[Wibble]

I'd echo the compliments regarding the show. A big thank you to the organisers (both WFRM & the other WFRM) for the hospitality, content and friendliness.

 

Having exhibited at far to many shows to mention, this last weekend has to be one of the most memorable and enjoyable ones.

 

Apethorne Junction was worthy of the trophy, although the mix of era specific rolling stock could have been better co-ordinated....... just an observation.

 

I hope to be back next year as a punter.

[Leander]

Sorry I didn't get to the show this year - just too many pre-Christmas commitments to attend to on the domestic front and the need to get in some credit points before the first weekend in February in the New Year.

 

Well done to the Wigan lads, supported by the Wirral Finescale Fraternity, for what looks like a really cracking show. I hope to get over next year.

 

Anyone take photos of the OO L&Y layout 'Calderwood' BTW?

[beast66606]

Hi Peter, shame you couldn't make it, you missed a good show.

Sorry but I didn't get chance for any photos but we did have an official photographer who, hopefully, will have got some. It was very nice and had a very near miss on the Saturday morning, of course I wouldn't dream of embarrassing Mike Turner who nearly destroyed their fiddle yard, armed only with a ladder, a low wire and a big speaker ... - fortunately no damage apart from a very red face, and they took it well.

[Eaton]

It is with some relief that we finally can say that this year's exhibition is done and dusted. The group would like to thank all those people who supported us over the weekend. Without the layouts there is no show and we are very conscious that long distances where travelled by many to bring their exhibits to Wigan. Equally our supportive traders made brave efforts to arrive from snowed in parts of the country. We thank you all.

However for the nine of us putting on an exhibition of this size, it would be impossible without considerable assistance so freely given. The 'Wirral Guys' are a marvellous team when it comes to setting up the show and take a lot of the strain from the organising team who by that time are beginning to wilt. Trevor Gibson, Merrick Tomlinson and Mark Henshaw also do a lot of the unglamorous logistical moving over the weekend. The Ladies dishing out endless cups of teas in the Exhibitor's Lounge and the cashiers on the admission desk are also volunteers. Thank you, you are invaluable.

Lastly, thank you to our visitors; you did not let us down when the weather was so problematical. On Saturday it was very busy and was approaching the venues capacity. As it was the refreshment areas got very crowded, and even with wide aisles, movement was not always easy if like me you needed to rush about. Sunday was a little quieter and much better for spending time leaning on the barrier, although by then the Club Sales Stand was stripped bare. All in all we were very happy with the numbers through the door and much more cheerful than we were ten days ago.

We are very pleased that so many people enjoyed the exhibition but we are also happy to hear any ideas for improvements, but please be aware that road signage, car parking, in house catering and venue access are issues over which we have little control and very minor infuence.

[peterl]

A bit late, still recovering from the Show, but a big thank you for inviting my layout 'Gox Hill Quarries' to this year's Show.  Will be back to annoy you next year with 'Crumley and Little Wickhill!'

 

Again a great Show and well organised.

 

Peter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[pharrc20]

I'd like to add some thanks to the Wigan crowd on behalf of Hazel Grove & District MRS for a superb weekend we had with our 'Hazel Valley' layout. Lots of interest in the layout and a particular type of wagon that we had running round all weekend. Exhibitors lunches most welcome by all who helped to operate from our club. Thanks to you all.

 

Cheers Paul Harrison

[Steven B]

The Wigan show is probably my favourite of all those I attend and this year's exhibition didn't diaspoint either.

 

Plenty of space to move about (unless a certain O Gauge crane was in operation!), and what feels like a good ballance between traders and layouts. Far to many shows feel like there's much more trade than railway - this is the other way round which is great.

 

Personally I've never had any trouble parking at the show.

 

Looking forward to next year's show already!

 

Happy modelling.

 

Steven B.

[Northern Maiden]

I headed down for the first time to this show with a couple of the guys from the club. A very impressive set of layouts on show in a range of scales and I noted that many of the layouts had appeared in the hobby mags. It was nice to see Airthey again and gave repeat visits to Dalry Road, Peffermill, Wibdenshaw and Port William. Definitely be back to this one next year.

 

Oh and many thanks to the kind gentlemen at the Exhibition who helped me with doors etc as I had an arm in a sling....stars

[Eaton]

If you visit our website at www.wiganfrm.org.uk you will be able to view a collection of photographs taken at the exhibition.

[Eaton]

We were indeed fortunate that our exhibition was last weekend, for whilst other parts of the country had snow, even preventing some layouts making the show, at least in Wigan we had none. Not so a week later. This Friday, exactly a week ago we would have been setting up the Exhibition, it has been snowing for three hours and we have inches of the white stuff. We were very, very lucky.

That is two years on the run that we have avoided the worst of the weather, do we risk it for a third year, or do we need to find another week either earlier or later in the exhibition season?

 

It certainly is a worry!!

[Coombe Barton]

Move it and you stand a greater risk of clashes.And people like me have a limited number of weekends where we can get away. Wigan is just at the right time.

[Eaton]

Given the weather this week, if our show had been this weekend, in all probability we would not have cancelled. Layouts from the north would have struggled to get here, and now he have snow on the ground in Wigan. So given these circumstances would you vist the show tomorrow. I suspect that you and a lot of others would not. End result a financial disaster, would you take the risk?

[Coombe Barton]

Everyone takes the risk with weather - remember the July floods around the Severn?

[Coombe Barton]

I've just had a look at the monthly temperatures since 1908 in Bradford (your nearest) on http://www.metoffice...uk/stationdata/

 

From 1908 to 2009 the December minimum temperature recorded has been above zero in 87 of those years, and at zero or below in 15 of those years. Making decisions on a single year's weather is rather flimsy evidence for that decision, which is why I'm saying what I'm saying. The Hadley centre of the Met Office retains data on UK weather, which is where these figures come from.

[David Bigcheeseplant]

Dependent on your insurance cover you should get paid if the show was cancelled for a good reason, although there would be plenty of things that would have been paid out that you would not be able to claim on, also you would loose any profit you would have made.

 

As I understand Wycrail came close to being cancelled to to the explosion and fire at the caretakers house next door, it would be interesting to find out from shows that have cancelled this year what the situation is.

 

David

[Eaton]

We are insured, and this year we took out extra 'foul weather insurance' so our pre-exhibition expenses would have been covered but not, as you say, any expected profit. If we stay in December then we are going to have to think hard and long about reducing those pre-exhibition expenses. We do a lot of advertising and this is our single biggest pre-exhibition expense so we may need to rely a lot more on word-of-mouth and the Rmweb and our own website.

In our area I know of two shows that were cancelled due to last years bad weather, Preston and Workington, and both have changed dates. Like you I would like to hear of their experiences with the insurance situation. I believe it was not plain sailing with the Workington club.

 

We also have to be aware of the willingness of exhibitors and traders to travel in December. We lost three layouts this year due to the weather and one trader, and what this means is a lot of extra work for the organising team finding late replacements (if possible) and rearranging the floor plan. We were on version 5 by the time the show opened.

 

We manage our exhibition budget with military precision and we know exactly how many visitors we need through the door to make a reasonable profit and we also know what is the halls capacity. We need to operate with some kind of certainty between these two figures. Our last two exhibitions have generated our expected profit but only because we have been very, very lucky with the weather. We are now starting to think that with all the effort we put into this exhibition should we really be trusting to luck to such a degree.