terry.ecmr Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 Thanks to everybody associated with Railex for making it an enjoyable experience. Met some friendly and interesting new punters as well as a few people who had visited 'Earl's Court' in the past. Had a good chance to look round early both mornings and I have to agree that the standard of layouts was exceptional. I shall return as a visitor next year, bookings permitting. Once again, thanks to everyone. Terry 'Earl's Court' ecmr.webs.com Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Endacott Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 Frankly I thought Eunice Yobble sounded like quite a nice girl........... She is - which is why I have invited her to Trainwest next year along with her friend Earl Scourt. Geoff Endacott Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcm@gwr Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 So long as their journey doesn't get interrupted by Elaine Closure! Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
black and decker boy Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 So long as their journey doesn't get interrupted by Elaine Closure! Jeff Or her more mischievous cousin, ms Dee Tour..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold martin_wynne Posted May 25, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 25, 2014 Lockers? Available? OK I admit I didn't even think to ask. Mentioned on the web site, visitor information page: http://www.railex.org.uk/railex2014v.htm Martin. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
David C Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 Just to add my congrats to Mr Cheeseplant. Railex is undoubtedly the best exhibition currently in terms of the quality of layouts and traders. The venue may be hot and characterless and the catering may not be of the highest standard, but frankly, this is immaterial to me! I'll be there next year, barring accidents! David C Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold martin_wynne Posted May 26, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 26, 2014 The hall is a big metal box so does get hot, we did open the doors to try and cool it down. Hi David, Next year, try here: http://www.andrews-sykes.com/ventilation/ventilation-fans/ Had it been a hot sunny weekend I wouldn't have come to the show, having heard how hot it gets in there. Glad I did though -- many thanks for an excellent show. Martin. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Bigcheeseplant Posted May 26, 2014 Author Share Posted May 26, 2014 A few answers to the questions that have been raised. Air con/Heat : I can't think of any medium or large model railway exhibition that has air con. last year the weather was hotter all weekend yet the heat in the hall seemed hotter inside this year, I can remember when it has been really cold in the hall at Railex. We will look at any option that may be possible but when you fill a building with a two thousand people at one time on the Saturday and their body heat it will get a bit warm. Bus Stop: We have been asked why the bus can't drop people in the front of the stadium, a couple or reasons for this it gets very busy with car traffic and adding a bus to the this would make things a bit crazy, (Railex gets three times as many visitors to Scalefourum) and would also delay bus time departures. The second reason (and we did try it) is that that we use a routemaster bus with a low platform at the rear due to the camber in the road the platform touches the road fully load the bus and it would scrape the floor! We intend to run to run more trips next year we had a full load of 72 people with another eight people we had to leave to the next run this year. We do have to include the drivers half hour break at some point in the day too. Chairs: We put a couple of row of chairs in the hall this year which seemed to go down well there were also other placed at the far end of the hall and in other places. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jol Wilkinson Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 I wasn't able to get to Railex this year, but the ventilation difficulties mentioned are fairly common with sports halls. Unfortunately we do not have many, if any, local exhibition halls such as are apparently found in many German towns and cities. So using a facility designed for another purpose will always be a compromise, whether it is HVAC, catering, toilets, seating, parking, etc. I've been too hot, too cold, in the dark (literally), had my nostrils assailed/got my feet wet in flooded toilets, etc. over the years. I think that the problem is exacerbated to an excess of shows, which makes it difficult for an organiser of an exceptional show like Railex to charge higher entrance fees (let's not mention the average attendees unwillingness to pay a proper price for what is effectively a major but specialist "visitor" attraction). Only with a better income could more suitable facilities be used where they exist or additional benefits such as temporary ventilation be provided. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Zero Gravitas Posted May 26, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 26, 2014 Had a splendid day at Railex yesterday. I will sum it up by saying that if I could only visit one exhibition each year, it would be this one. Thank you very much to all concerned. Best Regards, ZG. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 Regarding the heat. Saturday was the worst, for me Sunday was quite pleasant, we were next to a wall rather than being in the centre which may have helped. I guess being a sports hall it is designed for far less people and no lights etc which generate heat. And all the gubbins in the ceiling may be heaters. An option may be to have the 2 outside doors open, but this would need extra manpower to police and will depend on which way the wind blows (if there is any wind at all) and it may just encourage even hotter air in!!. Though normally could encourage a flow of cooler air through Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold queensquare Posted May 26, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 26, 2014 We had a great weekend at Aylesbury, Wadebridge performed very well and generated lots of interest. David and his team yet again assembled a superb selection of layouts and traders. For my money the best show of the year. Too hot, - its late May in a big metal box full of lots of people. As I was once told, there is no such thing as inappropriate weather, just inappropriate dress. Card payments for entry and no cashpoint. You know you are coming to the show so get some cash out before you get there - its not rocket science! Jerry Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Bigcheeseplant Posted May 26, 2014 Author Share Posted May 26, 2014 It was raining on the Saturday and cooler outside on the Sunday but hotter inside, Sunday it was a hot day outside and cooler inside, so I guess the heat was generated by the mass of people rather than just the outside weather! The ice cream van outside always seemed to go down well even in the rain on the Saturday, it was run by my friend Nicolina who gave me a couple of feebe 99's! on the Sunday. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Colin Posted May 26, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 26, 2014 A very rare combination - quantity AND quality! Another very fine show, aimed at the modeller (kits n' bits traders very evident rather than just loads of box-shifters and secondhand sharks). IMHO a super mix of layouts (in particular I'm looking forward to seeing Wadebridge again one day). Nice to see a few familiar faces too! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alant Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 We had a very enjoyable weekend with Factory Lane Sidings and a few tentative enquiries for future bookings. Big thanks to David and the team for another good show. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 Today I discovered that a £600 pair of glasses are not good enough to even see a 2mmFS Beattie Well-tank properly. What are John Greenwoods eyes like? Is he related to anyone named Hubble? Can he please leave his eyes to medical science?.... Should have gone to Specsavers? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crantock Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 My first time visiting Railex. I agree, an excellent show with no poor exhibits. On Sunday it was warm but not too crowded. Excellent traders and a good layout such that there was no dead corners. The only dud on a Sunday was the society stall. I assume it was simply cleaned right out on a Saturday! By Sunday it really was models of yesteryear. Spent a fortune on the trade. On the way back up north I stopped off at Quainton Road, a much underpublicised site so generally a great day out. Someone, comments on the admission price being high (£8+£1 for the guide). This is the South but remember there is free parking, on my day out the diesel would have cost twice that, the postage on something I ordered from the trade was £10, Quainton admission was £13 and the Quainton Ice cream £3. Railex is value for money. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Castle Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 Hi All, Yet another 'me to' post I'm afraid but when they are richly deserved they need to be written! The exhibition was absolutely superb yesterday, the layouts were on the whole excellent (I could have watched some of them for hours had there been a nice comfy armchair and a mug of tea available - now there's an idea for the organisers*...), the trade support was excellent, the people there (organisers, traders and layout owners alike) were very friendly and the whole day was topped off by meeting up with a gaggle (we must come up with our own collective noun - how about a 'geek'?!) of my fellow RMWEB members. THE exhibition highlight for me this year so far without doubt. With our Didcot commitments we don't manage to get out to too many so to get this level of quality from one of the ones we chose to do was an absolute bonus! We were there last year and will be again next. Well done and many thanks to all concerned from the me and the members of the No. 4144 overhaul team that came with me. You never know, It might even inspire me to get my finger out and get busy again and get on with the Little Didcot fleet... Now then, where's that scalpel? And the kettle... And the biscuits... All the best, Castle *that has my tongue firmly planted in my cheek! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Dunsignalling Posted May 26, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 26, 2014 Well worth the 0630-ish start on Saturday morning and we (unexpectedly) arrived in time to get one of the last 3 spaces in the main car park so were spared the hike from the overflow this year. I have made it to Railex every year so far, having been one of the Bath Green Park crew at the first one, but I came as a punter this time. Absolutely brilliant show, yet again, with a high standard of exhibits and an excellent selection of traders. If anybody out there has any influence, can the pressure washing of Hampshire be scheduled for a different weekend next year!!!! John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
IGRL Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 On behalf of the Desperados (Cliffhanger) I would like to thank all those involved in making us so welcome and for running a wonderful show. For the first time Cliffhanger suffered from electronic problems on Saturday and was operated manually. By Sunday these were largely resolved except as the temperature built up we have an isolation joint close up which shorted out a sensor block (so there were a few 'Hand of God' incidents') so we apologise for that. I had built some new locomotives which have been described on this forum and while they ran perfectly on County Gate, there were a few modifications needed 'on the hoof' before they ran well on Cliffhanger. Apologies for this but these things happen. I would, if I dare, comment that it was sad to see so many higher layouts at Stoke Mandeville, of all places. They really cannot be seen from a wheelchair and there were some strong comments from several wheelchair bound folks about this. A contradiction in terms! Thanks again to you, David, for running this excellent show. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted May 26, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 26, 2014 It was raining on the Saturday and cooler outside on the Sunday but hotter inside, Sunday it was a hot day outside and cooler inside, so I guess the heat was generated by the mass of people rather than just the outside weather! The ice cream van outside always seemed to go down well even in the rain on the Saturday, it was run by my friend Nicolina who gave me a couple of feebe 99's! on the Sunday. I do wish she had been selling real dairy ice cream instead of the whippy stuff - but it was still a nice part of the 'facilities & catering' and even the whippy stuff was appreciated on a warm day. Yesterday (Sunday) there were a few chairs by the doors and it was a nice cool spot giving a chance to cool down although overall I found the hall cooler this year than it was last notwithstanding the warm day outside, hope it wasn't a result of lower visitor numbers. It's also a question of dressing for it as others have already said and while this is, or can be, difficult for those arriving by public transport past experience said 'shirtsleeve order' to me hence part of the reason why I remained 'comfortable I expect. As far as price is concerned I can't really see the show as 'over-priced' - to me it represents excellent value for money as is the guide, which is superb value for £1. As with many things it is not so much what you pay but what you get for your money and Railex continues to deliver big time in that latter respect. Well done David. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Re6/6 Posted May 26, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 26, 2014 Another 'me too' but you need thanking David for the usual 'quality+'. The only downside was the thinness of my wallet at the end. The SWAG/DRAG outing from distant Devon was very convivial and it was good to meet up with all the regulars ('usual suspects') that we always bump into a few times a year. Top stuff. Thanks again. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Bigcheeseplant Posted May 26, 2014 Author Share Posted May 26, 2014 Did anyone notice the sign on one of the wooden huts on the other end of the car park DISABLED SHOOTING EVENT Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbishop Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 I would, if I dare, comment that it was sad to see so many higher layouts at Stoke Mandeville, of all places. They really cannot be seen from a wheelchair and there were some strong comments from several wheelchair bound folks about this. You could have hired a periscope, he writes, ducking for cover. Actually I agree with you and set the height of my layouts to be just below eye level for a wheelchair user. So I get complaints from the operators that the layouts are too low. Can't win. We have debated this topic before; no harm in repeating the exercise but could I suggest a separate thread? Bill Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold martin_wynne Posted May 26, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 26, 2014 I would, if I dare, comment that it was sad to see so many higher layouts at Stoke Mandeville, of all places. They really cannot be seen from a wheelchair and there were some strong comments from several wheelchair bound folks about this. If layouts were lower, the first row of spectators (and the operators) could be seated. This would allow the second row standing behind them to see better, so making it easier for more people to see the layouts. Those wanting an eye-level view could either wait until a seat becomes free, or hire a periscope and use it the other way up. Martin. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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