Warley National 2013

[Grasslands]

I must say that I had a very enjoyable time at Warley on Saturday.

 

Having a mortgage looming over me, I decided to distance myself from the trade stands. Most of the bigger exhibits were surrounded by people, so I took the chance to have a chin-wag. I Had a chat with Andy about Laira Yard and the Hattons Garratt (1st radius curves, wow!). I had a chat with RT Models and congratulated his impeccable taste in models. I visited the 009 society stand and found out which group I can join after my house move. I also had an interesting discussion with Phil Parker too.

 

The most enjoyable time for me and my dad was watching the Warley test track exhibit. Seeing all those happy faces as their newly purchased models glide into life.

 

Once the crowds died down I was able to have a good look at The Gresley Beat (amazing). My single purchase was a photo guide to P2s.

 

Sorry, no videos from me this year. I decided I should focus on packing up my flat rather than editing videos.

 

Cheers

 

Tom

[Crantock]

Someone else's viewpoint - ie human interest from the Birmingham Post. Run through the slidehsow...

 

http://www.birminghampost.co.uk/news/local-news/train-fans-flock-model-railway-6336728

[shortliner]

Can't get the gallery to work - it just stays on pic 1

[Grasslands]

We've just finished unloading and disposing of the van after exhibiting 'RHYDWYN FAWR STEEL', and now the rest of the 'workforce' and myself are still coming to terms with the fact that we actually won the award for the 'Best 7mm Layout 2013' - Absolutely, and totally unexpected - We've all got grins from ear-to-ear!     :-D     :-D     :-D     :-D     :-D

 

It was wonderful to watch and listen to. It really depicted how tough a job in a steel mill must be. I call that effective modelling

 

[Pete 75C]

Can't get the gallery to work - it just stays on pic 1

Seems to work OK for me, but the best bit is the link underneath the video: "Warley club members on the irresistible attraction of toy trains".

That innocent journo comment always raises a few hackles!

[5050]

Well, I went to the first NEC show and haven't been since.  Even then I thought it was to big and cumbersome.  I was 'persuaded' by a mate to go yesterday and, sadly, my view hasn't changed.  i found it all a bit overwhelming, especially all the box shifters.  If you're looking for a bargain, how do you keep check of all the prices!  I bought a book from Roger Carpenter (and found me in it in a photo at Ruabon from 1957!) and that was it.  It took us from 10.00 am to 4.30pm to get round and even then a lot of it was skimped.

 

I liked the informal seating areas though, great for sandwich consumption.

 

Oh, and joining the Patriot fund and being the 1000th member. signed up.  That WAS memorable!

 

I was also perplexed by the parking charges.  £10 is a pretty large amount but why was it only £8 if you were going to the motorcycle show?  This difference was shown on the NEC website and when buying the parking ticket at the car park 'booth' I was asked which show I was going to.  Still being somewhat asleep after an early wakening I said 'model railway'.  If I had said 'motorcycle' would I have been charged £8 and how would they know I was going to 'the other place'?!

 

Sorry Warley, can't see me going again and that goes for my travelling companion too.  It was an 'experience' but one I'm not in a hurry to repeat.

[Pete 75C]

I have been tempted to go to a large exhibition, but some of the comments here have been a little off-putting. The last truly big show I went to was the old London show but recently I've been tempted by the smaller / medium sized shows. A favourite was the Shoeburyness MRC show at Cliffs Pavilion, although I believe recently it's moved to Garon Park.

Back on topic with regard to Warley (and big shows like it), is it at all possible to see everything you want to see in one day or is there now just too much going on?

[roundhouse]

/rant on

 

My biggest bugbear this year was the increasing number of people using iPads/Tablets as cameras.

No discretely held camera which causes little interference with those viewing the layout, instead a lump the size of an A4 pad held at arms lenth blocking several peoples view.

IMHO These things should be banned from places where space is at a premium, I've seen people using them at other locations and they can be quite irritating.

 

rant off/

 

Keith

 

 

EDIT: glad I was not the only one that found "Fremo" somewhat underwhelming.

Looks like I had better put a sign up saying NO IPADS OR TABLETS and stop using mine then!

 

They aren't the best devices to take photos or video but I often use it so I can more easily edit then post photos on RMweb.

 

Ian

[Chris89]

Quite enjoyed the show, since first time going there and was invited behind the Selsey Town Station layout by Keith Smith, Which was very kind and got to sort through my photographs.

 

Girlfriend also enjoy the show as well, although she did get pushed out the way by quite a few members of the public sadly. Also didn't get to see about 4/5 layouts due to the grounds one of those being the LNER Gresley one. But did spot a P2 on it, Was that a kit/scratched built or Hornbys new model?

 

Also for myself it didn't seem as well laided out as Model Rail Scotland though, which those advertising it at Warley said they had heard that a lot.

Chris

[melmerby]

Can't get the gallery to work - it just stays on pic 1

Shockwave locked on first attempt, but it worked on a second attempt.

 

Keith

[big jim]

Someone else's viewpoint - ie human interest from the Birmingham Post. Run through the slidehsow...

 

http://www.birminghampost.co.uk/news/local-news/train-fans-flock-model-railway-6336728

some really good pictures in that gallery, of course no "toy train show" gallery wouldn't be complete without a photo of a bloke with a crazy moustache or pete waterman so they ticked the boxes with that one!

 

Looks like I had better put a sign up saying NO IPADS OR TABLETS and stop using mine then!

 

no offence but going by the age of some of the punters in warley if you put a sign up saying NO TABLETS st johns ambulance would be overwhelmed come medication time!!

[paulr1949]

I downloaded the plan and marked the layouts and traders I wanted to visit in advance - just didn't get round to all of the!

[melmerby]

I downloaded the plan and marked the layouts and traders I wanted to visit in advance - just didn't get round to all of the!

I usually scan a copy of the plan from the guide and do likewise.

I did manage to visit all the traders I listed and obtained most of my list.

I also saw all the layouts, some only briefly due to crowds, others at leisure.

Al in all a successful Warley for me.

 

I notice several layouts for sale.

"Shades of Harz" is available because of the sad demise of it's creator. If you don't buy it, it will be scrapped. The rolling stock is already listed to be auctioned off next year.

You will need a big building!

 

Keith

[melmerby]

 

They aren't the best devices to take photos or video but I often use it so I can more easily edit then post photos on RMweb.

 

Ian

Carry a small compact (which probably has more resolution and better lens), then put the memory card into the tablet to edit etc?

 

Keith

[truffy]

some really good pictures in that gallery, of course no "toy train show" gallery wouldn't be complete without a photo of a bloke with a crazy moustache or pete waterman so they ticked the boxes with that one!

By "that one" I was expecting a photo of Pete Waterman with a crazeeee 'tache!

[roger440]

Well, I went to the first NEC show and haven't been since.  Even then I thought it was to big and cumbersome.  I was 'persuaded' by a mate to go yesterday and, sadly, my view hasn't changed.  i found it all a bit overwhelming, especially all the box shifters.  If you're looking for a bargain, how do you keep check of all the prices!  I bought a book from Roger Carpenter (and found me in it in a photo at Ruabon from 1957!) and that was it.  It took us from 10.00 am to 4.30pm to get round and even then a lot of it was skimped.

 

I liked the informal seating areas though, great for sandwich consumption.

 

Oh, and joining the Patriot fund and being the 1000th member. signed up.  That WAS memorable!

 

I was also perplexed by the parking charges.  £10 is a pretty large amount but why was it only £8 if you were going to the motorcycle show?  This difference was shown on the NEC website and when buying the parking ticket at the car park 'booth' I was asked which show I was going to.  Still being somewhat asleep after an early wakening I said 'model railway'.  If I had said 'motorcycle' would I have been charged £8 and how would they know I was going to 'the other place'?!

 

Sorry Warley, can't see me going again and that goes for my travelling companion too.  It was an 'experience' but one I'm not in a hurry to repeat.

 

 

 

Dont really understand what your point is. Sure, its big, but thats partly why i go. I only get time to do one or two shows a year, so this is ideal. I get to see lots of layouts all in one go.

 

I thought it was great. As good as ever. Lots of inspiration. Dont see why it would be overwhelming?

 

Box shifters im not inteterested in. You can pretty much get everything on the internet anyway. Id rather do that then take rush around wasting valuable layout viewing time.

 

As for the parking, its the NEC. Thats how it is. Same the week before at the Classic car show.

 

All in all, great show. I'll be back next year!

[TomJ]

I quite liked the fact there was a comic fair on at the same time. Certainally livened up the walk from the station to the Hall with all the fancy dress. And it felt quite odd to be honest not to be going to the geek-iest show!!! One year I went it was the same weekend as the Clothes Show. No confusing which show people were going to then!

[Neal Ball]

Looks like I had better put a sign up saying NO IPADS ......

 

Oops! that was me - although in fairness I used my iPad to check details on my impulse purchase... like how large is that wheel I need ! - Plus it kept me company at Wetherspoons :-)

 

To be honest I thought the aisle space was better this time round so maybe the Warley club had taken a slightly larger area than, say, a couple of years ago (when some of it was awfully overcrowded) although even wider aisles were not helped by folk standing aimlessly in the middle of them in the busier areas.

 

As we're on more general points (maybe) i will make a few - most of which are not aimed at the Warley club but at the venue although as a regular custimer of teh NEC they might have some influence?

 

1. Payment and entry - excellent, well organised as ever (I usually don't bother with an advance ticket as it's out of sync with my train arrival times).

2. General layout was good and some aisles definitely felt wider plus there were plenty of seats (although I did my sitting down at Wetherspoons as it happens).

3. Good range of layouts in just about every way you care to think of them - nationaiity, style, scale, gauge etc but too many for me for one day (but there is a 2 day ticket of course).

4. Good range of trade as usual - I got what I went for (which wasn't much) and also got a few other things as well).

5. Absolutely atrocious toilets - I realise a lot is down to the users but the floor was filthy in the early afternoon with little or no apparent attempt at keeping up with cleaning, also extremely busy which suggest inadequate provision to me.

6. The new 'Oak Kitchen' catering outlet was a shambles - if they had served breakfast (did they) it finished at 11.00 in a venue where people had been travelling from early in the morning so why not an 'all day breakfast'?  And even at 11.20 there were no signs that hot food was likely to be available much before 12.00 while the filled rolls on display were being touched, and rejected, by all & sundry.  Hardly a 'premier exhibition site' establishment in my view.

7. By contrast however the food area in the far corner of the hall wasn't bad and the cleaner was doing a good job.  

 

Overall however in relation to the size and 'national' nature of the exhibition the catering wasn't much to write home about - Wycrail do a better job on a floor area:floor area basis (and their tea was very palatable this year).

 

8.  As others have observed there did seem to be quite a few rude - or do I mean impolite? - people about not helped by the 'aisle centre hoggers'  And I hardly dare say it but I did suffer one back pack 'interface' (although I think I probably came out of the encounter a bit better off than the person wearing it who seemed to lack any sort of spatial awareness of his increased upperbody dimensions - although he has probably finished rotating by now).

 

But in mitigation I would say that any sort of rudeness in the hall came nowhere near the level I encountered when trying to get on the train home where the vestibule appeared to be inhabited by special sub-species of the brain dead and stupidly selfish.

 

I also went on the Saturday, for the first time in 15+ years. I enjoyed it, but won't rush back next year - it's probably one of those events that every few years (maybe not 15!) would be ok.

 

I will add some points after Mike's list

 

9. Can we have some action please! - I went to 2 layouts at different times and there was nothing going on. Both were huge and nothing....

10. The layouts were (always) 3 or 4 deep. At Chelsea they have a staging system so people behind can see over... I know it's expensive and takes up space but it's a suggestion.

11. Catering & Toilets, up to my expectation really. Although I fancied another beer as I was leaving and Wetherspoons only had Mild - err that's a no! I eat earlier at the Pasty shop outside the Motorbike show, which was adequate and not too pricey. 

 

I did manage to spend more than just a few quid, but: 

 

12. Did some of the box shifters stand resemble TK Maxx? (aka a Jumble Sale!) 

 

These are of course only my random thoughts!

 

Thoroughly enjoyed the Virgin Trains service from Euston and would do that again when going to the NEC.

[t-b-g]

Quite enjoyed the show, since first time going there and was invited behind the Selsey Town Station layout by Keith Smith, Which was very kind and got to sort through my photographs.

 

Girlfriend also enjoy the show as well, although she did get pushed out the way by quite a few members of the public sadly. Also didn't get to see about 4/5 layouts due to the grounds one of those being the LNER Gresley one. But did spot a P2 on it, Was that a kit/scratched built or Hornbys new model?

 

Also for myself it didn't seem as well laided out as Model Rail Scotland though, which those advertising it at Warley said they had heard that a lot.

Chris

 

The P2 on Gresley Beat was scratchbuilt by Cliff Parsons a long while ago. I seem to recall that he might have said 43 years ago.

 

Sadly, it was on static display "on shed" as it was playing up slightly and as we had many spare locos and not much space and time for workshop facilities, it will be attended to back at base.

 

Does anybody have photos of the "Great Gathering" of A4s on Sunday afternoon, or the two P1s working double headed?

[MarkSG]

 

I was also perplexed by the parking charges.  £10 is a pretty large amount but why was it only £8 if you were going to the motorcycle show?  This difference was shown on the NEC website and when buying the parking ticket at the car park 'booth' I was asked which show I was going to.  Still being somewhat asleep after an early wakening I said 'model railway'.  If I had said 'motorcycle' would I have been charged £8 and how would they know I was going to 'the other place'?!

 

The standard NEC parking fee is a tenner. Show organisers can, if they want. subsidise that. But doing so means adding it on to either the ticket price or the stand fee for traders. Either way, it comes out of the income for the show. Warley ticket prices are already higher than average; if they stuck another couple of quid onto the price in order to reduce parking costs then I think a lot of people who don't use the parking would, justifiably, be rather miffed.

 

As for telling a porky to the parking attendant, they can't tell which show you're going to and rely on you being either honest or ignorant.

[Chris89]

The P2 on Gresley Beat was scratchbuilt by Cliff Parsons a long while ago. I seem to recall that he might have said 43 years ago.

 

Sadly, it was on static display "on shed" as it was playing up slightly and as we had many spare locos and not much space and time for workshop facilities, it will be attended to back at base.

 

Does anybody have photos of the "Great Gathering" of A4s on Sunday afternoon, or the two P1s working double headed?

 

Thank you Did wonder. Wish could have got a closer look at the layout, but sadly couldn't due to all the people.

 

Nope i haven't/ wasn't able to catch them.

 

Chris

[Geoff Endacott]

some really good pictures in that gallery, of course no "toy train show" gallery wouldn't be complete without a photo of a bloke with a crazy moustache or pete waterman so they ticked the boxes with that one!

 

That's probably got something to do with Movember.

 

Geoff Endacott

[Trainshed Terry]

The standard NEC parking fee is a tenner. Show organisers can, if they want. subsidise that. But doing so means adding it on to either the ticket price or the stand fee for traders. Either way, it comes out of the income for the show. Warley ticket prices are already higher than average; if they stuck another couple of quid onto the price in order to reduce parking costs then I think a lot of people who don't use the parking would, justifiably, be rather miffed.

 

As for telling a porky to the parking attendant, they can't tell which show you're going to and rely on you being either honest or ignorant.

 

I thought they did with entry fee of £13 and they forgot to deduct from the cost of the ticket.

 

£13 for entry to the show on the day. As I have to work every weekend in my current job, and the days off are during the week, I have to think do I get a ticket in advance or not. And when I do get an weekend off it is a spur of the moment to decide to go.

 

I did that for Alley Palley this but had to work so I lost the advantage of a a cheaper ticket .

 

That I hope should clear things up

[bingley hall]

Went yesterday and had a great time - first ever visit - no grumbles whatsoever - not really sure what all the whingeing is about.

 

Went shopping in ASDA today, people blocking the aisles, pushing in front of me all the time, banging into me with their trolleys.

 

I won't be shopping at ASDA again 

[PaulRhB]

Take a layout and they let you in for free

 

To be honest plan to stay all day and do the popular layouts in the last hour and it's usually very civilised. I've done this several times and got good pictures from several angles, got to talk to the exhibitor if I wanted and been able to enjoy it without feeling rushed to let someone else in.

I got to the front in two places on Gresley Beat within 5 mins and got to hear some interesting chats with the guy behind the buildings. Once I'd got some nice pics and video I moved back as I'm a bit of a view block and can let shorter people or kids in and still enjoy it. I think allowing a full day, plus patience allows you to get best value at Warley and bringing a carful to split the parking 4-5 ways.