Chris M

Just want to publicise this little show. Layouts list:- PenyboPenybontfawr - new OO layout Dunnage - minimum space O gauge Hortus Halt - G scale Little Aller Junction - N gauge mainline junction Todmorden Midland- N gauge terminus Burford - HO terminus The Ridgacre Branch - N gauge complete branch line in 44" by 27" T gauge layout Lego layout Awdry St Nicholas - Thomas layout operated by visitors Admission is £3 for adults and £1 for little ones

I used them for the first time last week and everything was good. I used eBay because I only wanted one item and the postage is cheaper. I’m impressed with the huge range of spares they have. I think it is reasonable that the buyer has to find the correct part and often part by number. First the owner has the model in his possession so is the only person who can see exactly what it is. It’s surprising how often things are incorrectly described on such places as eBay which suggests people sometimes don’t know exactly what model they have. Secondly it takes time to find the exact correct part. You can’t expect a business to spend much time asking the owner for details of the model and then searching through the parts list for a sale that is often worth less than £10.

Just to reassure folks - He won't actually be allowed to run the layout at a show.

He's pretty good for a two year old even if he does insist on holding the controller upside down.

My assistant operator is currently being trained up.

Just a couple of photos of Little Aller Junction

Looking forward to being part of it. The size quoted for mine is the layout size not the space required and so is correctly shown on the list above. As it doesn't seem to have been mentioned - the date is 2nd & 3rd February 2019.

Resurecting an old thread. This is shows my old and new warning devices.

I think signal boxes almost invariably had some windows open during the summer.

As an N gauge enthusiast there doesn’t appear to be much of interest.

My little fleet of over 20 Dapol locos all work hard. They require the odd bit of maintenance, especially the loco to tender wires, but non of them are shelf queens.

I can't understand placing an order now. They will get here eventually and there will be plenty of chance to buy one once they are on sale. Its like the 50s - I plan to buy one but I have every confidence that it will be possible to buy one once they are actually available. Has any N gauge model (except crowdfunded) completely sold out before it has arrived in the country? Judging by the struggle to get cash from people who said they would invest to get kings to a point where the tooling can be kicked off it seems unlikely that any new model will all be accounted for before they arrive or that all the pre-orders will turn into real sales.

LLS was better than some - that bus in the background never moved for the whole exhibition! The absolute definitive situation on size is that the exhibition has used the same amount of space every year since it has been in Hall 5. The void has always been there and always in the same space with standard walling put up by contractors. The exhibition slowly grew from the smallest hall in the NEC to the biggest one over a number of years. The space used is what the organisers at the time of the move to hall 5 thought was about the maximum size that was manageable for both organisers and visitors. The void is extremely useful during breakdown in helping tired exhibitors to get packed and away as quickly as possible. Everyone would of course like to get away quicker than they do.

I can confirm that the space used in hall 5 is the same as it has been every year the show has been in hall 5. The number of layouts is always around 90 and the space allocated for trade exhibitors has also remained the same. The proportion of floor space allocated to layouts is also about the same each year. I would have thought the 5" gauge and Warton Road layouts count as being large.

I think we need to agree that we are all different and enjoy different things. LLS is great modelling. I think it is a brilliant piece of work and I'm glad I saw it. I say that even though it isn't to my taste as I much prefer layouts such as holiday haunts. It's good to appreciate what the builder was trying to achieve and enjoy what has been built.

Apparently double headed kings were quite possible heading from Newton Abbot to Plymouth. At some point during the 1950s it was normal to take the king off the down Cornish Riviera at Newton Abbot and replace it with a pair of locos that could be used all the way to Penzance. The spare king would then work down to Plymouth by double heading the next westbound express to Plymouth. If the train engine from Paddington was a king on that next express then there would be double headed kings. So we all need to buy two kings!

I don't think anyone knows the answer to that. So far as I can remember all of those who organised the first show (and are still alive) are still giving many hours of their time for free to organise the show today. I can say that the date for 2019 is fixed and the deposit for the hall has been paid.

Dunno mate. All I know is there's a buz in the room.

As it is Birmingham corporation this is a buz not a bus. It's good to see a replacement bus service at a model railway exhibition.

Watch out for Sharks.

Warley special https://urbancarry.cc/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/OneBag-Ninja.jpg

Hawes Junction, Warley club's new N gauge layout is just about ready for its first show.

The timing of exhibitions is to some degree dictated by the venue. The Warley show when it was at the Harry Mitchell Centre was always the first full weekend in October. This was a good time as it was just at the start of what I see as the modelling season - when it starts to go cold and dark so playing outside is not so much fun. The move to the NEC caused a change and since then subsequent changes have occurred due to whatever else might be happening at the NEC. As you would expect, something like a whole week long booking for four halls will always get priority over a weekend booking for one hall. The current timing of the Warley show is good for me as it gives me plenty to keep me busy as the nights get darker and it brings us close to Christmas without thinking about it. I think there are more summer events now than ever before, possibly due to the risks of bad weather in the winter.

Ridgacre is off to the Warley show today! No not the NEC one which is next weekend but the St Hilda's Warley Woods exhibition which is a nice little one day show. I'm working on thoughts which will mean the end of his layout but we will shall see. I do have an idea for a replacement but it will be a fixed rather than exhibition layout. I've really enjoyed the exhibition scene and met some great people but maybe its time for a change. In the meantime the next exhibition is at Christ Church, Hagley Road West, Birmingham on 12th January 2019 so not far away. That just might be the last time out for this layout but you can never say never again.