If there was another MRJ exhibition…

[Anglian]

As so often happens, one thought leads to another and on the 'What happened to Hursley?' thread (link below) the conversation turned to dreaming of the possibility of another MRJ show. I think its fair to write that 20 years later that Central Hall wouldn't be a suitable venue however, may I open up the subject for wider debate here…

 

Do you feel that 20 years later the time is right for another ground breaking MRJ show, the best of the best? Has the hobby advanced enough in the last 20 years to make this a worthwhile exhibition or do you feel the MRJ show of 1990 really was and should remain as a one-off?

 

Where would you like to see the show, London, Birmingham (NEC) or elsewhere?

 

Importantly which layouts do you think make the grade?

 

 

And just for interest the thread that inspired this topic…

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php/topic/26274-whatever-happened-to-hursley/page__pid__270045#entry270045

[Pixie]

Importantly which layouts do you think make the grade?

 

Pempoul, without a millisecond of doubt.

 

Pix

[arty]

Would the exhibitors still have to wear white coats ?

 

RT

[David Bigcheeseplant]

The point of the MRJ exhibition was that most of the layouts were prised out of lofts or other places and only ever shown the once and it was only the influence of Paul Karau that made it possible. It was really a one off event, I queued around the building to get in although didn’t bother joining the queue for Hursley.

 

The costs for staging the show in 1990 were high and would even give an exhibition manager now quite fright even now!

 

As for layouts, many layouts I have loved I have seen over the years at shows anyway, I feel the layouts seen at the MRJ would still stand the test of time twenty years on anyway.

 

David

[Andy C]

You dont need an MRJ show today as there are plenty of exhibitions pulling together the best of finescale modelling these days, as well as the specialist sociey shows. As an exhibition manager that show influenced me greatly that you can attract good viable numbers to a finescale event, and that there are no reasons to put lowest common denominator layouts into a show. To be honest I really think a repeat MRJ show would look exactly the same as Railex, St Albans, Manchester, Wigan and all the other shows where the accent is firmly on finescale and the best layouts that there are around.

 

The best bit coming out of the MRJ show you can see a whole host of good finescale modelling EVERY year now at a venue near you and without having to queue round the building!.

[Stubby47]

If we're talking of layouts that are not on the normal exhibition circuit, but were 'prised out of lofts or other places', then I'd love to see, at a special exhibition :

 

Buckingham Great Central (ok, I have seen this, but that's not the point)

Tetley Mills

Pendon & Madder Valley

 

then there's a few which do get out and about :

 

Widnes Vine Yard

Birmingham New Street (when completed)

Pempoul

Shell Island

and anything/everything by Mr Nevard

 

 

[BlackRat]

Some of the best layouts I have seen wouldnt actually qualify for it!

 

Why?

 

Snobbishness about hand built track etc!

 

Handmade doesnt necessarily mean better, and some of the layouts being built these days with lots of prop items can only be described as stunning.

 

Apart from track standards pick up BRM, or even HM or MR and many a layout there would grace the MRJ were it not for its phillosophy.

 

And lets not forget some of the lyouts here, amazing!

[Guest jim s-w]

Pretty sure Widnes has been featured in MRJ and that uses Peco track. I dont see any snobbery myself, A few decades ago perhaps.

 

But I suppose, like it or not, a great prop item layout will never be as good as a great layout with the right scale track. Thats not to say that all p4 layouts are better than all 00 layouts, far from it but all other things being equal it would be the case and this thread is discussing the absolute pinnacle, not just very good.

 

Think of layouts without any compromises - 00 track is a compromise.

 

I suppose its the difference between Andy Murray and Rafa Nadal or Nigel Mansell and Ayrton Senna. All great but some just that little bit more great.

 

I hope Mr Nevard wont mind me using him as an example as his stuff is truly a work of art. With scale track it would be just that tiny bit better!

 

Cheers

 

Jim

 

PS - before anyone thinks I am a P4 snob. Of my favourite 3 layouts, none are P4 and 1 is 00

[298]

 

PS - before anyone thinks I am a P4 snob. Of my favourite 3 layouts, none are P4 and 1 is 00

 

And the title of the next thread...."Which layout is Jim's favourite...?"

 

 

Can I also add :

 

John Wright's "Federal St.", P87

Hull MRS "Crumley & Little Wickhill", 009

MRC "Copenhagen Fields", 2mm

Nottingham MRS "Deepcar", 00

 

plus a few others, when I can think of them..

 

Maybe its because of the perception that the quality of today's layouts is alot higher, the select few that are outstanding don't stand out as much as they would have 20 years ago. One place where I wouldn't want to see such a show is at the NEC....

[Captain Kernow]

To be honest I really think a repeat MRJ show would look exactly the same as Railex, St Albans, Manchester, Wigan and all the other shows where the accent is firmly on finescale and the best layouts that there are around.

I completely agree, Andy. The standard has increased in the last decade or so, and the internet also reveals more quality layouts to exhibition organisers.

[RANGERS]

Borchester still warrants a place as undoubtedly would at least part of Buckingham. one of my own favourites of the past 20 years was Acton Mainline (now known as Dragonby) which is a true masterpiece in N. Other must haves would be Dewsbury Midland, Wibdenshaw, or if it's finished, Hornsey Broadway. I could go on but a good starting point would be the layout listing from Railex in 2009 which was just about perfect.

 

As for venues, how about Bletchley Leisure Centre, paying homage to the great Expo EM events which were held there on and off for 20+ years.

[Talltim]

Strangely the Hursley thread had made me think of starting an 'Ultimate Exhibition' thread, but I think its probably redundant with this thread. The concept is, the best 15 layouts ever, but covering a good spread of interests, as you need to as an exhibition managert

[beast66606]

Andy C has summed it up nicely, so no need for me to repeat things.

 

Pretty sure Widnes has been featured in MRJ and that uses Peco track

 

Only bits of it Jim, the editors were changed before the article made it, although the cover of MRJ 171 (with the bracket doing Xmas lights) does show the Peco track rather too well (it's straight down the points so very obvious)

[David Bigcheeseplant]

Borchester still warrants a place as undoubtedly would at least part of Buckingham. one of my own favourites of the past 20 years was Acton Mainline (now known as Dragonby) which is a true masterpiece in N. Other must haves would be Dewsbury Midland, Wibdenshaw, or if it's finished, Hornsey Broadway. I could go on but a good starting point would be the layout listing from Railex in 2009 which was just about perfect.

 

 

It's weird as what layouts some people like other dislike, from feed back some people said Railex 2009 was not as good as 2008 while others said 2009 was better or 2010 was the best, hopefully each year there is a good balance, but maybe a show with all the best layouts in one year would have been like seeing the Beatles, Rolling Stones the Who and Led Zep at the same concert sounds good on paper but would it have worked!

 

David

[James]

Pretty sure Widnes has been featured in MRJ and that uses Peco track. I dont see any snobbery myself, A few decades ago perhaps.

And Pengwynn Crossing in MRJ 50, pure PECO Code 100 too!

[sixteen 12by 10s]

Is it strange, that other than Hursley, no one has picked another 7MM layout yet.

 

Oh yes, my favourite, send a plane to Canada and bring back Chee Tor, Manchester MRS 2mm

 

Gary

 

 

[Dave777]

The question is in danger of getting fudged - is it an exhibition of the 'best' or an exhibition of 'favourites' and 'most significant'?

 

Buckingham is a favourite and undoubtedly significant... but would it make an exhibition of the 'best'?

 

For me, 'best' means 'realism', and despite it's many strong attributes Buckingham would be a long way down a list generated on that basis...

 

 

[Lambton58]

At the risk of having to demolish Chris Pendlenton's house, I'd love to see North Shields brought back.

 

Ralph

Lambton58

[t-b-g]

The question is in danger of getting fudged - is it an exhibition of the 'best' or an exhibition of 'favourites' and 'most significant'?

 

Buckingham is a favourite and undoubtedly significant... but would it make an exhibition of the 'best'?

 

For me, 'best' means 'realism', and despite it's many strong attributes Buckingham would be a long way down a list generated on that basis...

 

I couldn't agree more. As you say, if you were to say "most significant" or even, that horrible word "iconic" then Buckingham would be right up there but in terms of pure realism, it has been surpassed by many layouts. What Buckingham is, perhaps more than anything else, is a reminder of where finescale modelling came from. I could pretty much guarantee that if it was to appear at a show (which I can safely say is not going to happen!) then it would be the only layout of any significant size where pretty much everything was scratchbuilt by one person. When I go to shows nowadays, the number of layouts where any proportion of the stock has been scratchbuilt (or even kitbuilt) seems to have diminished and many layouts seem to display what people have bought, not what they have built.

 

One thing about the MRJ show (I was there!) was that nearly everything there had been made by people, not bought. Proper modelling!!

 

I did once talk to Paul Karau about the possibilty of another MRJ show. We were in the company of Roy Jackson (he of Retford). Paul said (pretty much tongue in cheek!) that if Roy would exhibit Retford when it is finished, he would put on another show with it as a centrepiece. Shows like the ones mentioned have really taken up where the MRJ show led the way. I don't think that the modelling world needs another MRJ show as much as it did 20 years ago but it would be nice........

[John B]

At the risk of having to demolish Chris Pendlenton's house, I'd love to see North Shields brought back.

 

Ralph

Lambton58

 

I did queue for Hursley. Yet for me, North Shields was by a country mile the star of the MRJ show. I can't think of an exhibition layout that has impressed or influenced me more, before or since.

[RANGERS]

I did queue for Hursley. Yet for me, North Shields was by a country mile the star of the MRJ show. I can't think of an exhibition layout that has impressed or influenced me more, before or since.

 

I'd second that one

[Kenton]

The question is in danger of getting fudged - is it an exhibition of the 'best' or an exhibition of 'favourites' and 'most significant'?

It always has been fudged - what you, or anyone, might list as "best" is not going to meet with universal agreement. We all have quite private definitions of what is required to be "best" they range from prototypical identification through convincing trackwork to degrees of weathering. We could never agree. So it would always be a collection of favourites from those that organise any such event and those that can be prized out of their current situation to such an event.

 

The prime condition probably should be an appearance in MRJ and my personal choice would restrict those selected as not being currently active on the circuit. But even with that big choice I can think of quite a few that I do not consider up there or that I have no real interest in seeing. But I guess that is because I don't blindly like everything that gets into MRJ.

[br2975]

Some of the best layouts I have seen wouldnt actually qualify for it!

 

Why?

 

Snobbishness about hand built track etc!

 

Handmade doesnt necessarily mean better, and some of the layouts being built these days with lots of prop items can only be described as stunning.

 

 

Must say I don't detect an air off snobbishness about most features in MRJ - I just think ...........

 

The contributors of MRJ achieve standards that I can only aspire to, I'm sure there are some who were left a fortune by a long gone maiden aunt, so bought a large country house, don't work, never married, don't own a t.v. or a computer, eat at their workbench and have a bed alongside their layouts !

 

Me, I have to prioritise, employment, housework, child minding ..............

[Guest jim s-w]

And the title of the next thread...."Which layout is Jim's favourite...?"

 

 

Hi Andy

 

I like Pempool, Wibdenshaw and Farkham as my top three (dunno what order though). I would love the opportunity to see North Sheilds too.

 

Cheers

 

Jim

[Mucky Duck]

P4, EM, 2mm or OO isn't as important to me as realism in terms of atmosphere and attention to detail.

 

I would dearly, dearly love to see North Shields. When I bought on old copy of MRJ in which it was featured, it really opened up another dimension for me.

 

Blackgill is also right up there… would love to see that photographed in natural light.

 

Alas, Owdham ticks all my boxes but it's gone to a home far, far away!

 

Byworth is also shaping up to be a cracker.

 

Wibdenshaw is another and there must be others that I can't think of right now.