The Leamington & Warwick MRS 41st Annual Exhibition - 5th & 6th March 2016

[gwrrob]

Maybe I need new glasses but I don't see it on the plan!

 

Chris

It's at a secret location Chris.

[peter220950]

Maybe I need new glasses but I don't see it on the plan!

 

Chris

Chris,

 

I've just spent 11 hours looking for it at the College! - but I'm assured that elves and pixies will be working all night to sort out signage to point you in the right direction on site. I think there was a bit of left hand not knowing what the right was doing when it was arranged, but I'm sure it'll be alright on the night, or even in the morning. - I'll try to make sure that all the Stewards know of it's whereabouts as well.

.

 

Peter

[Crantock]

Well I suspect the talking point will be the venue. I have to say that it did not suit me.  Indeed looking at the plan before going the word "Nottingham" came to mind.  It is worth looking back to why the move: 

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/87598-leamington-warwick-mrs-40th-annual-exhibition-7th-8th-march-2015-stoneleigh/page-2

 

ie avarice on the part of Stoneleigh and a desire to be in the town centre.

 

However, I much prefer a layout like Stafford or York where it is easy to get from point to point.  Leamington felt a bit too dispersed.  It also felt trader heavy and layout light. 

 

Best layout for me was Ferring. Pre grouping LBSCR which is way off territory for me.  Also interesting that they had a boarded turntable.  Rarely seen and standouts much less as a feature than the common unboarded well.

 

On downside of a club running a show is that they don't have the manpower to run their own exhibits and steward.  Duxbury was good but Clarendon would have been appreciated even more (by me).

 

Anyway, this was try 1, no doubt it can be refined!

[Robert Shrives]

Hi gang ,

Just spent several good hours looking at great models and saying hello to traders at the show - the venue is as described - a great entrance and halls off main entrance all easily accessible, sports hall a bit of a 30 second stroll, free cash machine as well!

good layouts Tucking Mill at its best - pure time travel end of day a 153 was spotted on 2mmfs profiled wheels - Dapol turned down.  

Walsall cement also great to see again.  layouts in larger scales also available!

 

Thanks to all who organised and stewarded - all very relaxed and friendly to those I spoke with, Sat am was very busy, but the last few hours 14.30 - 17.00 I was able to enjoy the show at ease -  well worth attending .   

 

Robert 

[298]

Well I suspect the talking point will be the venue. I have to say that it did not suit me.  Indeed looking at the plan before going the word "Nottingham" came to mind.  It is worth looking back to why the move: 

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/87598-leamington-warwick-mrs-40th-annual-exhibition-7th-8th-march-2015-stoneleigh/page-2

 

ie avarice on the part of Stoneleigh and a desire to be in the town centre.

 

 

Note that Nottingham will be back at the usual Harvey Hadden Stadium next week.

 

I appreciate that there is a certain familiarity that comes with an existing venue, so much so that any negative aspects of a new one will go as far as to lead to a general ill feeling. Some shows seem to work at schools, others less so. Unfortunately I won't be able to enjoy the experience as I am having to work tomorrow, and will miss my first Leamington Show in a long time...

[D869]

My two pennorth is that I enjoyed the show very much.

 

For sure a school venue is a different experience from a big single hall, but I don't think that's a bad thing. I quite enjoyed finding all of the various nooks and crannies although I did need to sit down and study the guide to make sure that I'd seen everything.

 

The chicken curry that I had while studying the show guide was good too.

 

Going slightly off-topic, I've also enjoyed the Nottingham show during its stay at the school. It does give some opportunities such as the creation of themed areas (err... classrooms).

 

One problem that I did notice was with access to the sports hall. I saw one less mobile gent was having rather a struggle with the stairs. I think that the alternative was a walk around the outside.

 

The 'RMWeb Lounge' (err... classroom) appeared to be rather sparsely populated whenever I passed.

 

Oh, and the 153 was mine. I plugged a decoder in this morning before heading to the show but it seems that I did something wrong because it didn't want to play with Tucking Mill's DCC system. Not quite as 'plug and play' as the theory suggests.

 

Next week I'll be demoing on the 2mm stand back in the sports centre at Nottingham, so it will be interesting to contrast the experience with last year when I was demoing in the 2mm themed area (err... classroom) in the school.

 

Regards, Andy

[Kelly]

Was at the show all day today on the DEMU stand, so didn't get a great deal of time to have a proper look around. Back again tomorrow though, so hopefully will get more chance. But, layout of the venue aside, I did like what I saw and for me unloading into the Sports Hall was a doddle at least.

[exet1095]

I enjoyed the show very much, as did my ungrumpy child. The other one cheered-up when fed with the excellent and very reasonable catering. Well done to the club - all the members were friendly and helpful.

 

Highlights for me were Duxbury and Ilfracombe East. My son liked Hogsmead for Sodor, my daughter the impressive Tomy Thomas layout. The genuine and friendly welcome by the gentleman from the Stafford Railway Circle was brilliant. He had fun things for the children to do when not running trains, had a great manner and was very patient in the face of many pointy and sticky fingers. Thank you Sir!

 

So, if you're nearby, go to the show tomorrow as a Mothering Sunday treat!

[chrisf]

I visited the show yesterday.  The schematic map in the magazine ads and also issued as a flyer was mostly helpful to a driver not acquainted with Lemming town but missed out a couple of roundabouts and, more frustratingly, any indication of one way streets and prohibited left and right turns in the town centre!  Nevertheless I arrived in good tome and found parking the pale black Polo [the muck was not all washed off by the weather on the way] no problem.

 

Inside, the layout of the building reminded me of the substitute Nottingham venue of recent years and at one frustrated point I longed for the relative simplicity of the Hampton Court maze.  The labelling was well executed, complementing the useful map in the exhibition guide.  I was impressed that the elves and pixies had managed to produce labels for the RMweb lounge, which co-habited with MERG.  It appears that the latter group made far more use of it than we did!  What is it about RMwebbers that makes them so reluctant to congregate these days and get to know one another, except at Taunton?  Taken back far enough the logical outcome of this question is "why is there a universe?" but there are more relevant issues to address.  The venue offers scope for controlled expansion of the show and it would be nice to see this materialise as time progresses.

 

At most shows the second-hand stall is relatively inconspicuous.  Not here: it occupied a prominent and well-lit place in the atrium and Phil Parker wasted no time in trying to sell me loads of Airfix wagon kits.  I wasted none of his time by buying any but did snap up a couple of useful items before moving on.  As for trade in general, I found a balanced selection of retail outlets with rather less 'junk' than at some other shows and picked up some books to aggravate the shelving crisis still further.  The choice of layouts reflected many tastes.  I think that Duxbury, the host club's latest production, has a way to go before emulating its illustrious forebears Walford East and Clarendon but compromise is often necessary to maximise the involvement of Club members.  Billton Goods, mis-spelt in the guide, flew the 3mm flag and Tucking Mill did its usual good job as ambassador for 2mm finescale.  Leaving aside any bias I might show towards P4, I was impressed by its representative, Ferring, an LBSCR might-have-been which performed well.  What, I wonder, is the attraction of pre-grouping for so many P4 types?  This isn't the best place to ask!

 

I was of two mind about the catering.  Lasagne and the trimmings for £4 was a pleasant surprise, as was the discovery that if I had not been ravenous by the time I got to Daventry and eaten there I could have had breakfast as well.  On the other hand, the tea, though reasonably priced at 70p or 90p, would have been better if not left to the purchaser to make with the "aid" of a machine.  One might think that we modellers would be at ease with machinery but this was not always the case.

 

What else?  A brief and enjoyable natter with GWRrob about this and that and a chat with Kelly whom I interrupted whilst she was grappling with bits of plastic that will be EMUs one day.

 

Conclusion: a worthwhile day at a good show. 

 

Chris

[PenrithBeacon]

Just got back. A good show in a rather idiosyncratic venue. There seemed to be a multiplicity of notices saying 'More Layouts This Way', and quite often there were few layouts that way (sometimes only one) but also a fair few traders mostly selling the same elderly RTR tut. Never mind, saw Ferring which I haven't seen in years and Tucking Mill again but this time with an extension which I haven't seen before at all. Billton Goods was very good indeed but I was disappointed with Duxbury, perhaps a case of unrealistic expectations after Clarendon, sorry.

 

While wandering about I bought a few bits and bobs; tools, materials and three Bachmann wagons. I also took a few photos which I'll have a look at later and decide if they're worth publishing

 

 

I didn't try the catering, I took my own, but the catering hall looked good, as did the rest of the building, and the car park was perfectly adequate.

 

A good show, well worth the journey.

 

Regards

[chrisf]

What else?  A brief and enjoyable natter with GWRrob about this and that and a chat with Kelly whom I interrupted whilst she was grappling with bits of plastic that will be EMUs one day.

 

I neglected to mention that Trainshed Terry was manning the Kitmasters Collectors Club stand and proffered cheery greetings which I reciprocated.

 

Chris

[Phil Parker]

Never mind, saw Ferring which I haven't seen in years and Tucking Mill again but this time with an extension which I haven't seen before at all. Billton Goods was very good indeed but I was disappointed with Duxbury, perhaps a case of unrealistic expectations after Clarendon, sorry.

 

Duxbury is built by a different group to Clarendon - L&WMRS has 4 different groups working on layouts, hence, different standards. And scales.

[banburysaint]

Good show, good catering, lots of space and my little person loved operating hogsmede on sodor. Not bad for 28 months

[OldNick]

Thanks to everyone who attended this weekend, in any capacity, and by doing so helped to make the show a success.

It was our first show at the college, and it was their first model railway exhibition, so there will be points to learn from on both sides, but overall I think the show was a success. I believe that initial figures indicate it was a moderate success commercially too.

The building is what it is, something I became very aware of as the person responsible for designing the physical layout of the show, and while we can't rebuild it, there are things I can learn from from this year for next year (I have already volunteered to do the same job again).

As well as the volunteers from our club who stewarded we had volunteers from, in particular, the Coventry MRC who came along to boost steward numbers, and I would particularly like to thank them, and those LWMRS volunteers for whom this was their first LWMRS exhibition for buying into our ethos of presenting a cheerful and helpful face to public and exhibitors. This was helped massively by the positive attitude of the college staff.

We'd welcome any feedback from everyone who did attend, and look forward to seeing you next year.

[PenrithBeacon]

Bilton

 

 

 

 

A super model, the only criticism is that the lighting makes it difficult to photograph! 

 

Regards

 

 

 

[PenrithBeacon]

Kimbolton Town

 

 

 

Regards

[lmsforever]

Went on Saturday good venue and show good welcome by the club once I had studied the guide over a cup of chocolate I then worked my way round the exhibits ,liked Duxbury strange to see model of home in the midlands.Interesting trade with some interesting items for sale overall an interesting morning and the jorney back to the station interesting circuit of the town thanks for a good show.

[PenrithBeacon]

Woodfield Road

 

 

Ferring

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Regards

 

[Kelly]

Inside, the layout of the building reminded me of the substitute Nottingham venue of recent years and at one frustrated point I longed for the relative simplicity of the Hampton Court maze.  The labelling was well executed, complementing the useful map in the exhibition guide.  I was impressed that the elves and pixies had managed to produce labels for the RMweb lounge, which co-habited with MERG.  It appears that the latter group made far more use of it than we did!  What is it about RMwebbers that makes them so reluctant to congregate these days and get to know one another, except at Taunton?  Taken back far enough the logical outcome of this question is "why is there a universe?" but there are more relevant issues to address.  The venue offers scope for controlled expansion of the show and it would be nice to see this materialise as time progresses.

What else?  A brief and enjoyable natter with GWRrob about this and that and a chat with Kelly whom I interrupted whilst she was grappling with bits of plastic that will be EMUs one day.

 

Conclusion: a worthwhile day at a good show. 

 

Was good to have a brief natter. Sorry if I seemed distracted and not chatty, just a case of catching me at a fiddly point really. The EMUs have come along well since really:

 

[PenrithBeacon]

Duxbury

 

 

Tucking Mill

 

 

 

 

 

Regards

[PenrithBeacon]

Palmerston Road

 

 

 

 

 

That's it, thanks for looking.

 

Regards

 

 

[LWMRSNews]

Well I suspect the talking point will be the venue. I have to say that it did not suit me.  Indeed looking at the plan before going the word "Nottingham" came to mind.  It is worth looking back to why the move: 

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/87598-leamington-warwick-mrs-40th-annual-exhibition-7th-8th-march-2015-stoneleigh/page-2

 

ie avarice on the part of Stoneleigh and a desire to be in the town centre.

 

However, I much prefer a layout like Stafford or York where it is easy to get from point to point.  Leamington felt a bit too dispersed.  It also felt trader heavy and layout light. 

 

Best layout for me was Ferring. Pre grouping LBSCR which is way off territory for me.  Also interesting that they had a boarded turntable.  Rarely seen and standouts much less as a feature than the common unboarded well.

 

On downside of a club running a show is that they don't have the manpower to run their own exhibits and steward.  Duxbury was good but Clarendon would have been appreciated even more (by me).

 

Anyway, this was try 1, no doubt it can be refined!

 

A club policy is to include only one of our exhibition layouts in our show each year. Last year was P4 turn (Clarendon), this year was 'OO' (Duxbury), next year will be the 'N' group followed by 'O' in 2018. We want to attempt bring new layouts to the area for variety and to keep the exhibition fresh.

[LWMRSNews]

I visited the show yesterday.  The schematic map in the magazine ads and also issued as a flyer was mostly helpful to a driver not acquainted with Lemming town but missed out a couple of roundabouts and, more frustratingly, any indication of one way streets and prohibited left and right turns in the town centre!  Nevertheless I arrived in good tome and found parking the pale black Polo [the muck was not all washed off by the weather on the way] no problem.

 

Inside, the layout of the building reminded me of the substitute Nottingham venue of recent years and at one frustrated point I longed for the relative simplicity of the Hampton Court maze.  The labelling was well executed, complementing the useful map in the exhibition guide.  I was impressed that the elves and pixies had managed to produce labels for the RMweb lounge, which co-habited with MERG.  It appears that the latter group made far more use of it than we did!  What is it about RMwebbers that makes them so reluctant to congregate these days and get to know one another, except at Taunton?  Taken back far enough the logical outcome of this question is "why is there a universe?" but there are more relevant issues to address.  The venue offers scope for controlled expansion of the show and it would be nice to see this materialise as time progresses.

 

At most shows the second-hand stall is relatively inconspicuous.  Not here: it occupied a prominent and well-lit place in the atrium and Phil Parker wasted no time in trying to sell me loads of Airfix wagon kits.  I wasted none of his time by buying any but did snap up a couple of useful items before moving on.  As for trade in general, I found a balanced selection of retail outlets with rather less 'junk' than at some other shows and picked up some books to aggravate the shelving crisis still further.  The choice of layouts reflected many tastes.  I think that Duxbury, the host club's latest production, has a way to go before emulating its illustrious forebears Walford East and Clarendon but compromise is often necessary to maximise the involvement of Club members.  Billton Goods, mis-spelt in the guide, flew the 3mm flag and Tucking Mill did its usual good job as ambassador for 2mm finescale.  Leaving aside any bias I might show towards P4, I was impressed by its representative, Ferring, an LBSCR might-have-been which performed well.  What, I wonder, is the attraction of pre-grouping for so many P4 types?  This isn't the best place to ask!

 

I was of two mind about the catering.  Lasagne and the trimmings for £4 was a pleasant surprise, as was the discovery that if I had not been ravenous by the time I got to Daventry and eaten there I could have had breakfast as well.  On the other hand, the tea, though reasonably priced at 70p or 90p, would have been better if not left to the purchaser to make with the "aid" of a machine.  One might think that we modellers would be at ease with machinery but this was not always the case.

 

What else?  A brief and enjoyable natter with GWRrob about this and that and a chat with Kelly whom I interrupted whilst she was grappling with bits of plastic that will be EMUs one day.

 

Conclusion: a worthwhile day at a good show. 

 

Chris

 

Thanks for the comprehensive comment - you missed the fact that the plan of the sports hall was transposed at some point very close to printing the programme and consequently the wrong way round! Sorry if that confused anybody.

 

Lets hear what RMwebbers feel about using a lounge (classroom) - lecture room actually as the venue is a college not a school! There are many rooms available all with modern presentation facilities and internet connectivity. You could set up a series of talks if you wanted too as a group!

 

We plan to develop the show - your ideas would be welcome - did I mention the lecture theatre we didn't use this year?

 

Why not complete our survey please at http://survey.lwmrs.co.uk

[LWMRSNews]

Thanks to everyone who attended this weekend, in any capacity, and by doing so helped to make the show a success.

 

It was our first show at the college, and it was their first model railway exhibition, so there will be points to learn from on both sides, but overall I think the show was a success. I believe that initial figures indicate it was a moderate success commercially too.

 

The building is what it is, something I became very aware of as the person responsible for designing the physical layout of the show, and while we can't rebuild it, there are things I can learn from from this year for next year (I have already volunteered to do the same job again).

 

As well as the volunteers from our club who stewarded we had volunteers from, in particular, the Coventry MRC who came along to boost steward numbers, and I would particularly like to thank them, and those LWMRS volunteers for whom this was their first LWMRS exhibition for buying into our ethos of presenting a cheerful and helpful face to public and exhibitors. This was helped massively by the positive attitude of the college staff.

 

We'd welcome any feedback from everyone who did attend, and look forward to seeing you next year.

 

It was actually the first ever major weekend event that has been staged at college following the £12m development and so club and college staff were learning together.

 

Lots of feedback good and bad please at http://survey.lwmrs.co.uk

[LWMRSNews]

Went on Saturday good venue and show good welcome by the club once I had studied the guide over a cup of chocolate I then worked my way round the exhibits ,liked Duxbury strange to see model of home in the midlands.Interesting trade with some interesting items for sale overall an interesting morning and the jorney back to the station interesting circuit of the town thanks for a good show.

 

It looks from your remarks you used the college provided mini bus service from the station. There were traffic problems on the direct route I understand so some local knowledge perhaps avoiding sitting in a queue!

 

Please feedback at http://survey.lwmrs.co.uk