expoEM 2014 Bracknell 17-18 May 2014

[Bungus the Fogeyman]

Just got back from Expo, having thrust Trevanna Dries onto an unsuspecting public. Was pleasantly surprised by the amount of attention it received. Thank you to those who gave it more than just a cursory glace before rushing to look at Calcutta Sidings. Enjoyed chatting with everybody too....from a personal point of view, I think Phil will get it right with Calcutta. Certainly when I had a look mid afternoon today things seemed to be swinging along nicely on there!! FWIW my favourites were Nottingham Goods and Rowntrees Sidings..........and of course Trevanna Dries!! Well it did behave ok all weekend!

 

Disgusting of Market Harborough

[woodenhead]

Doesn't Calcutta sidings share its fiddleyard with Jim Smith-Wright's Birmingham New Street, so in effect it is just the warm up act for the opus.

[Tim V]

'Twas a good day. Bumped into loads of friendly faces.

 

I was quite pleasantly surprised by Roundtrees Sidings, not my sort of layout at all, but it had a sense of place that felt quite alien to me from the South West. As it should being set in the North East!

[Horsetan]

 Yes and really too big. For me it just looked like one enormous test track and after waiting what seemed like an age for one long train to pass there was little to occupy the mind until the next one. All that glorious trackwork with so little actually running. I returned to it several times during the morning, well you could hardly miss it, and each time a long wait was rewarded with just one passing long train (a bit like the prototype maybe).....

You haven't seen Brinkley, have you?

[ullypug]

Back home from another very enjoyable Expo. It's one of the must go to shows every year. I always enjoy exhibiting there.

Thanks to Graeme and all the team for their hard work in putting on another good un.

It seemed a little quieter than usual but there were still a fair few folks in. I guess quite a few choose between going to Expo or RailEx.

Thanks for all the nice comments (and photos!). Roll on next year.

[beast66606]

Doesn't Calcutta sidings share its fiddleyard with  Birmingham New Street, so in effect it is just the warm up act for the opus.

 

Tim Horn owns the fiddle yard I think, and he's making Tring

[Gee Vee]

thanks for the comments guys.

thanks too my teams of willing volunteers for helping us to put on another successful weekend - particularly to the stewards and chief steward Richard Stevenson - they are largely an invisible band of willing men (and women) without which we would not have a show.

Numbers a little  down - dunno why?  weather maybe?

Scrum at the start is always a bit problematic but no one seemed to queue more than I think 10 mins to get in and those with presold tickets were all in the hall within a few mins of opening the doors.  Nevertheless I will have a look at that ahead of next year.

Feedback from last year resulted in out making a rest area in the hall - I think we'll make it smaller next year so we can squeeze a bit more in. 

We only had 10 layouts this year than the usual 12 - because the of size of Calcutta (and cost) but will be back to normal next year - talking of which 2015 is the 60th anniversary of the society - we have a special show organised - more anon - but get the dates into your diary now - 16 17 May 2015 (not 9/10 as some had throught)

 

Thanks again to all who supported us - if you enjoyed yaself then tell ya mates - if you didnt then tell me.....

 

Graeme

[cmajrail]

Thoroughly enjoyed Expo again this year. Lots of interesting layouts, although Clevedon and Great Bardfield were probably my favourites. Calcutta Sidings does nothing for me. Acres of empty space and nothing moving. Nottingham Goods was interestingly different.

 

Mixed feelings about Brixcome. The modelling is fantastic, and the early-GW period stock they were running on Saturday is really nice. I really want to like it. but every time I see it, the track layout screams 'wrong!' And that impacts on the way it is operated, which detracts from the believability.

[woodenhead]

Tim Horn owns the fiddle yard I think, and he's making Tring

I've just checked on the Calcutta thread it is indeed a shared fiddleyard Calcutta, Tring and BNS.

[Horsetan]

Tim Horn owns the fiddle yard I think, and he's making Tring

Pity he wasn't able to have the late Bill Richmond's WCML layout shipped over from Down Under. He'd have had Tring and Tring Cutting all up and ready to go....

 

Wonder what became of that layout?

[barrowroad]

You haven't seen Brinkley, have you?

 

As an operator of Brinkley at many shows over the past ten years the point you are making is what exactly?

[David Bigcheeseplant]

A good weekend at Expo on the Wild Swan Stand, some very nice modelling that was on the demo stands. Calcutta Sidings was very big, but suffered from one of my layout bugbears in that trackwork was parallel to the front of the baseboard, a slight curve or the track at a slight angle would have the viewing much better.

 

Maybe the numbers were down due to the hot weather, but all in all a good weekend.

 

David

[Kenton]

 

Feedback from last year resulted in out making a rest area in the hall - I think we'll make it smaller next year so we can squeeze a bit more in.

We only had 10 layouts this year than the usual 12 - because the of size of Calcutta

The seats while welcome do need to be spread about more, probably at the back of layouts / along the wall in 2s or 3s rather than a central focal point and certainly not at the expense of gangways or layouts

 

Calcutta was not worth the space or any additional cost. I'm not a great fan of the big roundy layouts but there are some considerably better ones out there. The crew on this one seemed to be more interested in discussing the fiddle yard than sending trains out for the public. Perhaps they were having problems with the layout/stock, perhaps a bad Friday night out, who knows? But staring at long straight track with nothing much else happening does get rather tedious - no matter how good the track and how parallel the track. Sorry guys this one should stay in the club room where there is no public to entertain.

 

BTW - I didn't mention that the guide was excellent!!! colour, glossy, TRACK PLANS, and free! Outstanding and useful - just shows to others it can be done.

[Kenton]

 

but every time I see it, the track layout screams 'wrong!' And that impacts on the way it is operated, which detracts from the believability.

Can you explain, I have looked again at the plan and cannot quite see the problem. Perhaps the shed size and location are not quite what I would have done but they are not unbelievable. There was if anything, too much stock moving around the yard at times, but that is in keeping with showing it off to the audience and "keep something moving" principle.

[t-b-g]

Back home safe and sound after a lovely weekend with Sutton Dock.

 

It is the first time we have had Sutton Dock out for a couple of years and I was very pleasantly surprised at how well it was received. For what is a very simple layout, it seemed to really hold the attention of people for far longer than I had ever expected and some people seemed to stay watching for ages. That and a few further invitations and I have come away feeling that it is a layout that has really come into its own and I am allowing myself a small amount of self satisfaction!

 

I am also encouraged to press on with the last bits of detailing and with the completion of a number of suitable loco and rolling stock builds that had previously stalled. 

 

Many thanks to Graeme and the rest of the organising team. EXPO EM is one of those shows that is very much a "social" do and it is always a good place to catch up with people that we don't see other than at model railway exhibitions.

 

Here's to next year and the 60th Anniversary show.

 

Tony

[PGC]

 The seats while welcome do need to be spread about more, probably at the back of layouts / along the wall in 2s or 3s rather than a central focal point and certainly not at the expense of gangways or layouts

 

Calcutta was not worth the space or any additional cost. I'm not a great fan of the big roundy layouts but there are some considerably better ones out there. The crew on this one seemed to be more interested in discussing the fiddle yard than sending trains out for the public. Perhaps they were having problems with the layout/stock, perhaps a bad Friday night out, who knows? But staring at long straight track with nothing much else happening does get rather tedious - no matter how good the track and how parallel the track. Sorry guys this one should stay in the club room where there is no public to entertain.

 

BTW - I didn't mention that the guide was excellent!!! colour, glossy, TRACK PLANS, and free! Outstanding and useful - just shows to others it can be done.

Kenton

 

Yours is a personal opinion - please make sure you state such things as you've just really pi**ed me off. I think it's a great layout and thoroughly enjoyed looking at it.

 

Phil

 

PS - Which layout are you going to exhibit and where? Let me know and I'll come along and pass public judgement on the value of exhibiting it.

[PGC]

thanks for the comments guys.

thanks too my teams of willing volunteers for helping us to put on another successful weekend - particularly to the stewards and chief steward Richard Stevenson - they are largely an invisible band of willing men (and women) without which we would not have a show.

Numbers a little  down - dunno why?  weather maybe?

Scrum at the start is always a bit problematic but no one seemed to queue more than I think 10 mins to get in and those with presold tickets were all in the hall within a few mins of opening the doors.  Nevertheless I will have a look at that ahead of next year.

Feedback from last year resulted in out making a rest area in the hall - I think we'll make it smaller next year so we can squeeze a bit more in. 

We only had 10 layouts this year than the usual 12 - because the of size of Calcutta (and cost) but will be back to normal next year - talking of which 2015 is the 60th anniversary of the society - we have a special show organised - more anon - but get the dates into your diary now - 16 17 May 2015 (not 9/10 as some had throught)

 

Thanks again to all who supported us - if you enjoyed yaself then tell ya mates - if you didnt then tell me.....

 

Graeme

 

I'll tell everyone - a great show that I thoroughly enjoyed.

 

Thanks for all the hard work, Graeme and team.

 

Phil

[chrisf]

Tony is absolutely right about ExpoEM being a social do and long may this continue.  I too was there both days and spent far more time nattering than looking at layouts.  I must have been standing near Kenton at some stage.  One day some kind soul will introduce us and we shall put the world to rights over a cup of tea if it isn't too expensive!

 

I welcomed the rest area.   Exhibitions get to my knees after a while and the group of chairs in the hall enables me to munch on my sarnies and abandon my empty tea cup whilst retaining the flavour of what is happening around me and freeing space in the refreshment area for those who need it.

 

I'm not going to say which layout did not appeal as much as the others because I have never exhibited one myself - physician, heal thyself and all that.  I did like Roundtrees Sidings very much for being just that bit different.  It was helpful to view it after the lecture by Lee Davies on aspects of how the layout came into being.  Diesels in the Duchy won best layout and quite right too.  Ullypug's Clevedon was delightful - I know of no-one else who has attempted to replicate the WC&P and if anyone does try it in the future they will have one heck of a benchmark.  Sutton Dock provided much operational interest in a small space and I loved that jackshaft shunter even more after Ken Hill told me that he had driven one as a boy.  The operators of Brixcombe were very kind when I wanted to know more about one of their coaches and I now feel much happier about taking my own attempt forward.

 

New to me this time was the experience of offering some items for the plague of locusts, aka the bring and buy sale.  Forgive me if I do not divulge what I offered and what proportion of it was snapped up but I was pleasantly surprised that the revenue exceeded my admittedly zero expectations.  The best bit was when I was retrieving the leftovers at the end of the Saturday session and a fellow punter offered to buy one of them privately!

 

What am I to say of Saturday night in the pub?  When I arrived there was a huddle in front of a large TV screen.  Those watching appeared to be fascinated by what turned out to be a game of association football about which I know nothing and care even less.  Some of the bar staff also appeared to be interested in this tribal warfare, leading to the following exchange.  Bartender:  What is he doing?  Me:  I'm guessing he's not drinking a pint of Rebellion.  Bartender:  Oh sorry.

 

Finally there is good and bad news about Bracknell town centre.  The good news is that some of it has been reduced to rubble since my last visit.  The bad news is that the rest hasn't.

 

Chris 

[60526]

Went on Sunday and had a leisurely time looking around, went more for the trade than the layouts but you've got to take a step back if you’re criticising a layout. CS2 is a massive train set, layout wise it is what it is a very long main line with a bit of shunting and as a P4 layout it did really well, didn't see any derailing, a Cl 37/5 is lost on me but I did see some very well detailed models, scale length HST's stretching their legs and long freights. And this comes from an Eastern steam modeller. Not my cup of tea but as a diorama Diesels in the Duchy is a fantastic model, the detail is really excellent. Only downside perhaps - Great Bardfield, I don't know how many times I've seen it, but after all this time it shouldn't be having derailments? If pushed my favourite was Brixcombe, I can't quite understand the long line up to the turntable, perhaps that GW practice, but a very nice layout, some good models. Perhaps some layouts should advertise who's models they are showing. After finding out who made the Fruit D on Brixcombe, Mr Geen received some of my money for one. Anyhow, I can't really criticise I don't have my own layout to exhibit yet, but as a challenge I've gone away from an easy OO layout back to where I was over 25 years ago and rejoined EMGS, the challenge being to model an EM 1950's ex GW branchline, something that I can get in the back of my car anyway. I did consider P4 but I might eventually end up making a loco with Walschaert valve gear and I can see myself getting into a mess with this, I'm not a John Brighton and I won't be running 9F's in virtually straight lines like on Backgill, 3' minimum radius, 4' would be nice if I can find the space. Hence my visit for the trade, High Level for a Pannier chassis and Gibson for the wheels. Looking at the HL etches and instructions this is going to be fun, gauges and copperclad from EMGS stores, away we go.

 

[Michael Delamar]

I had a great time helping out stewarding and with Chris Hewitt on his demo of part of his next layout Liverpool Sandon goods yard, spent some time playing with my locos on that. Only snaps I took a were of my locos on the layout and of Chris below.

 

 

Thanks again to Graham and everyone involved.

[Paul Cram]

Kenton

 

Yours is a personal opinion - please make sure you state such things as you've just really pi**ed me off. I think it's a great layout and thoroughly enjoyed looking at it.

 

Phil

 

PS - Which layout are you going to exhibit and where? Let me know and I'll come along and pass public judgement on the value of exhibiting it.

I think the fact it was posted under his name suggests that, it doesn't require re stating.

[t-b-g]

Sometimes it is rather too easy to be negative in a very public way about some modelling that some poor soul has sweated blood and tears over.

 

All the old chestnuts come out. The "I have a right to an opinion", the "Just because I don't build and exhibit layouts doesn't mean I don't know when one is poor" the "People need feedback so that they don't carry on building bad layouts" and the "Show managers need to know that we paying punters don't like what was on show".

 

'Tis true. Everybody does have a right to an opinion and I would never say otherwise.

 

There are many ways and means of airing such views without dismissing the hard work and effort of a fellow modeller as a "waste of space" on a public forum.

 

Tony

[Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71]

Aft'noon all,

 

What happened to just describing a few favourite layouts at the show and why they appealed to you? There will be ardent supporters of many of the layouts there and it doesn't take long when reading a thread such as this, to understand which were the most popular ones and why. The whirlpool of negativity which starts to spin once we criticise others hard work doesn't do anyone any favours and just serves to give members of other modelling websites the chance to have another laugh at the infighting on RMWeb.

 

Dave 

[PGC]

Sometimes it is rather too easy to be negative in a very public way about some modelling that some poor soul has sweated blood and tears over.

 

All the old chestnuts come out. The "I have a right to an opinion", the "Just because I don't build and exhibit layouts doesn't mean I don't know when one is poor" the "People need feedback so that they don't carry on building bad layouts" and the "Show managers need to know that we paying punters don't like what was on show".

 

'Tis true. Everybody does have a right to an opinion and I would never say otherwise.

 

There are many ways and means of airing such views without dismissing the hard work and effort of a fellow modeller as a "waste of space" on a public forum.

 

Tony

 

Exactly what I wanted to say, but didn't word it any where near as well.

 

Phil

[Kenton]

 

Yours is a personal opinion - please make sure you state such things as you've just really pi**ed me off. I think it's a great layout and thoroughly enjoyed looking at it.

Yes it is a personal opinion but it was echoed by several fellow watchers standing along the edge wondering what was the point of it all. One guy even asked me if it was the test track. My reply was very much along the lines of it could or might as well be.

 

I know i have said it before on here about other (usually large) layouts just what is the point of putting them in shows if there is no effort to show off modelling or to provide entertainment. The team operating this one appeared to make no effort to do either.

 

As for my own layouts - as you are well aware of by now - I do not finish layouts as all my time is spent building locos. Though if I gave up that occupation I probably could build lots of long straight EM track use a B2B gauge to stretch the wheels on a few RTR locos and fill a quarter of the hall with the effort. I doubt though, indeed I would hope not, praise for the model would be forthcoming.

 

You will note that the criticism for this layout has been tempered by praise for at least one other layout at the show - I could probably give praise to all the others - some of which I have praised at other shows. The problem is that when I praise a layout it often goes unnoticed. It is also difficult to continually praise a layout the has already achieved excellence when you see it for the 10th (or more) time.

 

As for modelling on this particular layout I am afraid I did not see any (other than the track). I still think it was ill-conceived as an exhibition layout and still fell short of the mark on entertainment with the crew being disinterested in the public. That is constructive feedback something to put right for the next outing. If you need a big crew it needs to be justified. In this case with all that track a few more departures from the FY should have been possible. Perhaps it was their first outing from the club room into the real public arena but I hope they gained something from the experience.

 

 

What happened to just describing a few favourite layouts at the show and why they appealed to you?

As said above praise on here is often ignored and lost in the "like" repetitiveness. I prefer to actually speak to the operator of a layout I really admire to congratulate them on their work or/and ability to make my visit to the show worth the entrance fee. It is in these exchanges that you can often learn something. The interaction only goes to add to the praiseworthiness.

 

 

just serves to give members of other modelling websites the chance to have another laugh

AFAIC there are no other websites just poor ME2 copies, so am totally indifferent to their misinterpretations.