Watford Finescale show 2014

[St. Simon]

I am looking forward to attending the show with Fisherton Sarum this coming weekend, making the first of its four appearances on the exhibition circuit this year

 

nevard_130213_FishertnSraum_DSC_4061_LR.jpg

Hi,

 

I'll be there helping Muz on the Saturday and might possibly be there as a punter on the Sunday, depending on how everything goes!

 

Come and say hello!

 

Simon

[mike morley]

_{Both Bricket Wood and Garston stations are about one and a quarter miles away (a twenty/twenty-five minute stroll) so the distance isn't the problem.}

 

_{It's that bl00dy dual carriageway!}

_{Crossing it when you get to High Elms Lane would be suicidal}

_{If you are coming from Brickett Wood, like I did, you cross it at the M1 junction where you have the choice of either a rather hair-raising crossing actually at the junction or a fairly lengthy detour to the footbridge that's some way up the road in the wrong direction.  Then, having crossed the road, you then find that there is no footpath on that side and you have half a mile of stumbling along a very rough (and, with the weather this year, extremely muddy) verge to look forward to.}

_{Coming from the Garston direction, on the other hand, you can cross at the nice, pedestrian-friendly traffic lights and once over the road I'm 90% sure there is a footpath all the way to High Elms Lane.}

[Bernard Lamb]

If you are getting a bus from Watford Junction take a 320, if that comes first, towards Hemel Hempstead. Alight at the stop the far side of the A405 at Garston.

Not much further to walk east along the A405 towards the Crem and then up the lane. It does save hanging around at the station. Buses in Watford are not exactly reliable in my experience.

Bernard

[justin1985]

I have heard good things about this show, and had planned to go on Saturday, assuming I could just hop on the train to Watford Junction. Having seen the location, I was starting to plan a journey, but the hopeless half-hourly bus service or unpleasant sounding walk made me realise I should be voting with my feet! So instead I'll be going to the Tonbridge show, right in the town centre, and with a pretty good looking lineup.

 

Having seen the recent St Albans show, with its supremely accessible location (both public transport and parking) I don't think I'll be venturing to any more inaccessible suburban school hall shows any time soon.

[Xerces Fobe2]

Always a good Show I will be there tomorrow. Any issues with flooding of the nearby roads?

 

Nigel

[Graham_Muz]

Loading the car with Fisherton Sarum has commenced early (the main boards were in last night in the dry) to avoid as much of the rain as possible wp.me/p1KqXI-Ul I look forward to seeing RMweb members over the weekend.

[Horsetan]

.... Any issues with flooding of the nearby roads?

 

 

 

Only on the Bricket Wood side (Mount Pleasant Road, etc) of the A405. I hack around there at weekends, and we get loads of large puddles during the ride. The fields next door to ours had some very impressive lakes last week.

 

The road leading to the Crematorium / Parmiters usually doesn't get flooded. However, the Parmiters site itself, being sunk below the level of the road, might have one or two puddles in it.....

[PenrithBeacon]

Only on the Bricket Wood side (Mount Pleasant Road, etc) of the A405. I hack around there at weekends, and we get loads of large puddles during the ride. The fields next door to ours had some very impressive lakes last week.

 

The road leading to the Crematorium / Parmiters usually doesn't get flooded. However, the Parmiters site itself, being sunk below the level of the road, might have one or two puddles in it.....

I've just got back from the show after assisting in setting up and there are no floods. A few puddles, but no floods. Looking forward to tomorrow.

 

Regards

[ELTEL]

I have heard good things about this show, and had planned to go on Saturday, assuming I could just hop on the train to Watford Junction. Having seen the location, I was starting to plan a journey, but the hopeless half-hourly bus service or unpleasant sounding walk made me realise I should be voting with my feet! So instead I'll be going to the Tonbridge show, right in the town centre, and with a pretty good looking lineup.

Having seen the recent St Albans show, with its supremely accessible location (both public transport and parking) I don't think I'll be venturing to any more inaccessible suburban school hall shows any time soon.

You could always get a taxi and support a local exhibition

 

Sorry half hour bus service come on

[David Bigcheeseplant]

I went today seemed better than the last couple of years in terms of layouts, although attendance seemed very quiet more like a Sunday than a Saturday.

 

David

[unravelled]

Thanks to the advice given I made it by 321 bus from Watford Junction. I came within 20 minutes of giving up as the buses were getting trapped by emergency road closures in the centre of town. They kept on going in but nothing came out for a long time. I'm surprised they didn't turn them short at the station.

 

Anyway I enjoyed the show, although I didn't have as much time there  as I'd hoped. Nice as a viewer to have a relatively uncrowded show, I hope it's a sign of plenty of space rather than poor attendance. Good to see some of the well known layouts, and discover new ones. Brimscombe was new to me (as a layout). I especially liked the St Marys crossing scene. It reminded me of trips long ago to Chalford and  other parts of that line.

 

I didn't do too much shopping for once, though I am now the proud owner of a C&L point kit with some potentially expensive decisions to make if I get on well with it...

 

Thanks

 

Dave

[alchemy]

Hi all,

 

I too went today and had a really enjoyable time. It did seem quieter than previous years I have been to on Saturdays but that suited me as I took my son to his first exhibition. With his buggy in attendance as well it was nice to get close to the layouts with plenty of space for everyone.

 

There was a good mix of layouts...my favorite was Alkham. Great modelling, amazing scenery....just fantastic.

 

I also thought that the organisers were very helpful as well.

 

Regards

 

Alchemy.

[Pacific231G]

I went there today and it was good to meet a couple of RMWebbers at Fisherton Sarum. Though there weren't many layouts reflecting my particular interests there was enough good modelling to make the trip worthwhile and I was particularly taken by Hemyock- possibly because I've just been reading Maurice Deane's articles from early RMs. Were there fewer trade stands than usual this year?

 

I came from West London via the M25 and no issues with flooding. I don't think the catchments north of London have been anything like as badly affected as the Thames basin.

I'm assuming the continuing gales reduced visitor numbers today which made it relaxed and easy to talk to people but not great for receipts. Tomorrow is looking much finer.  I don't know what the rest of the catering was like but the home made soup was excellent.

[PenrithBeacon]

Attendance was down at the show today, no doubt potential visitors were put off by Met Office warnings. In spite of these warnings Watford experienced a perfectly normal and pleasant February day after a very windy night. Hopefully there will be more visitors tomorrow not just for the receipts at the door but also because this is a seriously good exhibition and it deserves more visitors.

 

Regards

[edcayton]

I don't know how many potential visitors would come from the Thames valley area, but they may have more pressing matters to attend to.

 

Ed

 

I hope to get there tomorrow

[Leander]

An extremely easy trip down by car for the three of us from Derbyshire & Nottingham. I thought it was an excellent well balanced show and deserves a better turn-out from visitors than was evident today (although that's entirely understandable given the weather 'darn sarf' over the last week or so). Hard to pick an individual stand-out among the layouts but it was good to see Bodmin again.

[Xerces Fobe2]

I don't know how many potential visitors would come from the Thames valley area, but they may have more pressing matters to attend to.

 

Ed

 

I hope to get there tomorrow

I can assure you both visitors and exhibitors from the Thames Valley came flooding into the Show today!

 

XF

[Ravenser]

Some photos:

 

 

Alkham - Watford club

 

 

Foxup

 

 

Fisherton Sarum

 

 

Cut and shut Triang clerestories....

 

 

 

Scale societies this year, rather than line societies

[brightspark]

I must say a very nice show this year. Top marks for the catering, I had roast beef and Yorkshire pudding for Sunday lunch, off a china plate with metal cutlery!

If the catering team can repeat the quality next year (or even improve it!) then I would suggest that the organisers consider putting it onto the advertising.

[Graham_Muz]

Thanks to the organisers for putting on a good show, my operating team and I had a good weekend with Fisherton Sarum (especially after the switch to turn the heating on the sports hall was found on the Sunday morning!)  If you count the model of my grandfather, who was a ganger at Salisbury, there was 4 generations of my family represented on the Saturday as my Dad and Nephew were also part of the operating team!

 

Was great to chat to a number of forum members, some already known to me and some new which was good.

[chrisf]

I attended on Saturday and found an improved selection of layouts over some previous years.  It all comes down to what you mean by finescale, I suppose.  "Finescale is an attitude of mind" proclaimed a placard, displayed [to my mild surprise] on the DOGA stand.  It is a good enough definition.

 

As the paragraph that I just typed has disappeared due to an inadvertent combination of keystrokes, I must now try to remember what it contained.  Remembering is giving me trouble today.  I grasp vainly for the name of the very small shunting plank which I cannot find in the exhibition guide but it should give hope to those who desire a layout but have nowhere to put it.  For once, nearly all the layouts appealed and htere was a good balance of scales, gauges and genres.  Ashington had a fine selection of Southern units: one was noisy enough to wake the dead but the rest hummed as all good units should.  Alkham has one of the most natural groupings of buildings on the circuit.  Granted, it is based on a real place but so are many others which come nowhere near.  The home club's Callowland in P4 provided some interest in the form of two lady operators and a chance to see Dingham couplings in action.  Hmmm .....

 

Trade support was well balanced and catering more than adequate.  The pies looked appetising but I had brought my own sandwiches.  Tea was a sensibly priced 80p and drinking it at a table provided an opportunity to chew the fat [not the fat in my spam sarnies, you understand].  It was a pleasure to meet, at last, PenrithBeacon.  Up to now it has been like ships passing in the night.  Name badges are a good way of meeting people!

 

Chris

[hayfield]

I attended on Saturday and found an improved selection of layouts over some previous years.  It all comes down to what you mean by finescale, I suppose.  "Finescale is an attitude of mind" proclaimed a placard, displayed [to my mild surprise] on the DOGA stand.  It is a good enough definition.

 

As the paragraph that I just typed has disappeared due to an inadvertent combination of keystrokes, I must now try to remember what it contained.  Remembering is giving me trouble today.  I grasp vainly for the name of the very small shunting plank which I cannot find in the exhibition guide but it should give hope to those who desire a layout but have nowhere to put it.  For once, nearly all the layouts appealed and htere was a good balance of scales, gauges and genres.  Ashington had a fine selection of Southern units: one was noisy enough to wake the dead but the rest hummed as all good units should.  Alkham has one of the most natural groupings of buildings on the circuit.  Granted, it is based on a real place but so are many others which come nowhere near.  The home club's Callowland in P4 provided some interest in the form of two lady operators and a chance to see Dingham couplings in action.  Hmmm .....

 

Trade support was well balanced and catering more than adequate.  The pies looked appetising but I had brought my own sandwiches.  Tea was a sensibly priced 80p and drinking it at a table provided an opportunity to chew the fat [not the fat in my spam sarnies, you understand].  It was a pleasure to meet, at last, PenrithBeacon.  Up to now it has been like ships passing in the night.  Name badges are a good way of meeting people!

 

Chris

 

 

Chris

 

It was very nice to meet with you and have a chat, glad it was worth the trip from Bedford. I thought this year the mixture of scales/gauges was a bit less than previous, but I could be wrong. Also I was a bit restricted in looking at the layouts as I found it imposable to leave the club stand at times even to spend a penny, I did not spend as much as I anticipated I would, simply as I had so little free time 

[PenrithBeacon]

Some photos from me - first the home team, Callowland

 

Regards
 

[PenrithBeacon]

And more Callowland

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Regards

[PenrithBeacon]

The last of Callowland

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Regards