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andyram

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Blog Entries posted by andyram

  1. andyram

    10 days to go!

    By andyram,

    As I wrote the date on the board in the classroom this morning I realised that there are only 10 days to go until the Weston on Trent show. A slight panic set in. There is still lots to do before the day. At least it is not just me flying around like a maniac though. A fellow staff member seemed to appear at my door every five minutes today to discuss the rota for the day. There is the kitchen to organise, ensuring we have enough people to cook the food for the public, lunch for the exhibitors and serve the hungry masses. Then there is the washing up to do and also the door and car park duties to organise. Trying to get enough people can become a bit of a job at times. Thankfully it looks like there are plenty of people willing to help out this year. Once again members of the Ilkeston Woodside group will help out with the car park and we are very thankful to them for that.
    This evening I have completed the draft floor plan and have made some progress on the show guide. After sending the confirmation letters out I have received some replies further confirming the attendance of the layouts. One reply came from my one major doubt. With that layout confirmed I feel confident that we will have 21 layouts. That is a record for the show. A full layout list now appears on the show's RMWeb thread. Amongst those layouts there are some I am really looking forward to seeing. Last year's best in show winner "Up the Line" is always worth a look and I can't wait to see it in its extended form. I am also looking forward to seeing the developments on Foster Street, as well as counting the number of Jubilees that Paul has managed to sneak onto the roster. I didn't get enough chance to view this layout last year so I will make an extra effort this time around. Both of these layouts are exhibited by RMWeb members.
    Other RMWeb member layouts look set to be show highlights. Steam on the Cambrian is an outstanding model and one I was so pleased to add to the show line up. I was so impressed when I saw it at Butterley last year. I can't wait to see it again.
    The one layout I really want to see is "Victoria Bridge". It is one of the smallest models in this year's show, but after following the blog for the model, it is one that I eagerly anticipate seeing.
    Of course I hope these, and other layouts, bring enjoyment to our visitors. I hope we will have plenty of people through the door. This is the time my fingers start to cross that our publicity has drawn enough people in. Have we reached enough people? Time will tell. But, as one person has already told me, a £3.50 entry fee for 21 layouts is pretty good value for money.
     
    More updates soon...
  2. andyram

    2013 Here we go again!

    By andyram,

    More details on the Weston-on-Trent, South Derbyshire model railway show!
     
    Here we go again!!!!
     
    2012 did not exactly have the most optomistic of starts. I saw the year in, practically on my own, whilst watching the BBC's "New Year Live" coverage on the lowest possible volume setting in order to avoid awaking my sleeping wife. My 2 week old daughter sucked away on her late night bottle before bed and I made do with a small glass of celebratory wine. I did wonder how much time I would find to indulge in railway modelling. At the time I thought that there would not be much.
     
    How wrong I was!
     
    During 2012 I managed to visit approximately 15 model railway exhibitions, built my first ever exhibition layout and displayed it for the first time at Weston-on-Trent model railway show. This was an event I suggested to my school's headteacher as a fundraising idea and promptly landed the job of organising it. Having had no previous experience of organising a show - no wonder I titled this blog "What have I let myself in for?"
     
    Well guess what?
     
    It is happening again! The Weston-on-Trent show will take place on Saturday 16th November 2013 and I have the organising role again and so here we go once again!
     
    The show
    As mentioned above, the date for the show will be Saturday 16th November (10.30 - 4,30). I have begun the search for layouts once again. Last year I did not start the planning until February, this time I have something of a head start. Several of the trade stands who attended in 2012 have rebooked for this year. One trader is not returning so I will be on the look out for a replacement. I have an idea, but need to check their availability.
    A number of exhibitors from 2012 own more than one layout and several have already confirmed that they will attend this year with something different. At the last count I have 6 layouts booked with four more in the pipeline. Last year we had 17 layouts attend and I hope to reach that total again. Once again I am appealing for help. If any local RMWeb user has a layout they would be interested in bringing to the Weston show then please do get in touch. The event is being held to raise funds for the school so we are looking to keep our expenses down as much as we can but we can pay small amounts in some cases as we did last year. I am keeping my fingers crossed!!!
     
    Skaleby West
    Skaleby West is the name of my exhibition layout. It has a scenic section of four feet x one foot with a fiddle yard of equal length. This was built from February 2012 and debuted at the Weston show last year. Technically it is available for other exhibitions and I am planning to exhibit at the Weston 2013 show again and so I plan to further develop the layout during the year. But what is there to do?
    I outlined in an earlier entry that there are a few jobs to finish on the original scenic section. This includes wiring the points, hiding the underneath of the cutting by adding a front to the layout, replacing the goods shed and undertaking some repair work. With the latter job in mind I have moved the layout back into the lounge and plan to tackle this over the next few weeks. I have already given the track a thorough clean in order to get the trains running again. The layout was tested with my Bachmann "Jinty" which was used a lot to test the layout during last year's build.
     
    The testing showed up an issue with the points. One or two do not seem to be making a good electrical contact so I will need to look at these to try and solve the problem.
     
    The thing is - even if I complete these jobs it may improve, but not really change the look of the layout. I feel like I want to do something else to make Skaleby West look different for the next Weston show. In my mind I am thinking of an extension to the scenic section, possibly by adding a second scenic board. The current layout has a three sided back board. I am not sure I want to cut this to fit in a second board so I may build the second board in a similair way, effectively making Skaleby West a modular layout. I have not got a final plan for any extension yet - mind you I have not gained planning consent from the wife yet!
     
    Until next time.....
  3. andyram

    3 months to go

    By andyram,

    Where did the last month go? All of a sudden there is just 3 months left until the model railway show and the alarm bells were beginning to sound. I have been off work for almost 3 weeks and there had been no further progress on Skaleby West. True enough I was away on holiday for one of those weeks, but I really needed to get things moving.
     
    With my wife visiting her mother’s today I had a day to myself and really got stuck into things. I used hanging basket liner to cover the embankments to act as long grass. I then added a large Gaugemaster backscene to the layout, and glued some hedging material from the same company in front of this. It provided a nice link between the layout and the backscene, and also hides those areas which weren’t cut as neatly as they could have been.
     
    I also purchased a Woodland Scenics “Forest canopy” kit, and used this to construct some trees which were planted at the rear of the layout alongside some ready made trees that I had bought a while a go. As this was my first attempt at making my own trees I was quite pleased with the effects although I probably should have waited for them to dry before planting them! I then used a variety of Woodland Scenics scatter material to add texture to the ground cover around the base of each tree.
     
    After a good five hour modelling session things really have started to come together. My final job of the day was to glue down the cottage after I had detailed the outside with some Noch laser cut plants.

     
    Now all I have to do is leave everything to dry before I detail the rest of the rear of the platform. At present the layout resembles a “before and after” scene with one side scenic and the other rather barren and empty. But with 3 weeks left before I return to work I hope to get this sorted too. If I do I will feel more confident that the layout will be ready for the show.

    The show
     
    On the subject of the show here is a quick update! Over the last couple of weeks I have suffered a little bit of a blow. One of the layouts has had to pull out. I understand the owner’s reasons for withdrawing and I am thankful to him for giving me plenty of notice. It does leave a space to fill….better get on the look out for a shelf type layout to fill the space then!
    On the plus side all of the leaflets which were left out at the Ruddington show seemed to have been taken. I hope these people all turn up on the day.
  4. andyram

    3 weeks to go!

    By andyram,

    Another update on progress with the Weston show and some more layout pictures!
     
     
     
     
     
    At the end of last week I sat in my classroom enjoying a rare moment of peace whilst the children worked quietly on a writing task. The tranquillity did not last long. All of a sudden the silence was shattered by loud music drifting through the wall from the adjourning infant classroom. My class’ concentration was shattered by the strains of the Hokey Cokey! I sat there, cursing my inconsiderate colleague, as the children were instructed to put their right arm in, and right arm out etc. As I sat and listened I felt that it did rather mirror my recent work on the model railway exhibition. As I worked on finalising the floor plan I have constantly been putting layouts in, taking layouts out and moving them all about!
     
    It had all been going so well. Everything seemed to fit perfectly. Well it did on paper! I just had a few small gaps to fill. Then a couple of people pulled out and things became complicated. Although, thanks to RM Web, I managed to replace the lost exhibits very quickly; the replacements were not an exact match. They didn’t quite fill the new spaces exactly, and so I have had to juggle things around. In fact I spent several days juggling things around and still I couldn’t get everything to fit. I have had so many kind offers of exhibits, the last thing I wanted to do was to let somebody down. I went to bed on Wednesday night with serious “brain ache” and with the problem still not sorted. Then as I opened my eyes on Thursday morning I had one of those Eureka moments, and the solution suddenly came to me. Problem solved and everything is now in place. There is also still space for the layout I provisionally booked at Butterley, should its owner actually get back to me before the event! So things have now been sorted and the floor plan is almost finished. Now I just have one recent layout offer to sort. I would really like to incorporate it into the show, it is just whether or not I can shoe-horn it into the remaining space I have available.
     
    The week has seen one or two more positive developments. After moaning about the lack of response from local preserved lines, I received a raffle prize from the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway. Their kind offer of two free adult tickets is much appreciated. A big thank you to them, and the Midland Railway Centre for their kind response. Now what about the rest of you?????
    We have also, this week, reached an agreement with the local pub for the use of their car park. On the day we will ask all exhibitors to move their vehicles up to the car park after unloading. This will allow us to free up the school car park for the general public. The pub agreed, in exchange for a free advert in the show guide, so if any helpers fancy a good pub meal after they’ve loaded up at the end of the night – I will certainly recommend the carvary at the Coopers Arms. You may want to book in advance to guarantee a table. Anyone who needs the contact details can message me.
     
    And so as I write this, with just three weeks to go, I do feel things are coming together with the show. Now we just need the people through the door. More leaflets have gone out, and there is also a poster in the local branch of Modelzone. If I can sort out publicity via the local newspaper and radio station I am not sure I can do much more.
     
    Yes there is just three weeks to go! I can’t quite believe that the event is that close. Of course I also have a layout to get ready for the show. What is worrying is that the last week has passed with no more scenic work at all. I really can’t leave it much longer! The card kit remains “flat packed” on the coffee table and that annoying “gap” is still there. At least the layout is now back in working order. Some vigorous work with the track cleaning rubber brought life back to the station area. I tested it with a small Hornby “Terrier” tank. It ran as sweet as a nut! If something so small can run smoothly over the points then surely anything else will! During the test running I took the opportunity to take a few more shots of Skaleby West. These are included below. If anyone is interested, the loco is an Isle of Wight, Southern liveried “Terrier”, number 13 “Ventnor”. I do have a soft spot for the Isle of Wight and although Skaleby West was not planned to run as an I-O-W line – you never know!

    "Ventnor" is glimpsed through the trees as it enters the station.

    "Ventnor" stands in front of the station building in a shot, taken through the gap between signal box and lamp hut.

    Departing the station past the incomplete goods yard.
     
    Hope you like them.
    Until next time….
  5. andyram

    4 months to go

    By andyram,

    July brings many things including, it seems, lots of rain! The bad weather has allowed more time to get stuck into the scenery on Skaleby West. The time has been most welcome, as July sees us enter the final four months before the model railway show. The show is beginning to appear on the horizon and I really need to get things done!
     
    During the last few weeks I managed to further develop the fiddle yard entrance on the left side of Skaleby West. The cutting was built up at the front of the layout with further layers of screwed up newspaper, with a small embankment also built up across the top of the tunnel in the same way. All of this was then given a generous covering of plaster bandage. This was then painted with brown poster paint, with the footpath and farm track painted in grey to provide a base for the scatter material etc.

    The painted scenery can be seen here with LNER J72 no.9819 on test prior to sale.

    The top of the tunnel seen here, with a Skaledale cottage test fitted on the top of the enbankment.
    I like to build the scenery up in layers. Once the paint had dried I covered the brown with a sprinkling of some dark green scatter material. A mixture of grey and cinders was added to the footpath, whilst a mix containing mainly cinders was then sprinkled on the farm track.

    Following the scatter application, compare this picture with the first shot.

    The farm track and cottage viewed after the scatter has been added.
     
    July also brings the start of the six week school summer break. This should give me some serious modelling time. I will need to make use of it too. I really need to get the main scenic detail close to finished before I return to work in September. I will also need to make a start on the show guide, sort out advertising and finalise any further layout bookings. This week I have sent off details to the Hornby magazine for their "Show Diary" section and with leaflets sent out I have at least made a start on publicity,
     
    Until next time......
  6. andyram
    My blogs of my 2015 show visits never really got off the ground last year. Although I visited many events throughout the year I often did not get around to writing my comments. Perhaps some people are quite pleased about that!
    Anyway I am hoping to be a bit more consistent with my blogging this year.
     
     
    My show visits got off to an early start this year as I made my first ever visit to the 7mm Narrow Gauge event at the Mickleover Community Centre. Although this is advertised more as a club get together, it is open to all and on payment of a reasonable £3 entry fee. The event was held in the three rooms of the community centre that is also used for the October club show. It featured plenty of trade - although it was naturally geared towards 7mm NG modellers. For those looking for a bargain there was plenty of boxes to rummage in for bargains.
    Amongst the layouts there were a few gems including Port Wynstay Quay, Up the Line and Coxheath Sidings. Without doubt "Up the Line" was the stand out model. It is becoming an exhibition regular, winning best in show at our Weston 2014 event and being a close runner up the following year. I know Kevin has collected plenty of other awards along the way and they are well deserved. The quality of modelling is excellent with the bomb damaged buildings and excellent photo back scene being especially impressive. The scenics are supported by the sound fitted locos and the WW1 sound effects in the background. That being said, I did not hear much of the background sounds today - I wonder if they had been turned off.
    If you have not seen Up the Line yet, you should check out the layout blog here on RMWeb.
     
    It was also good to see another RMWeb featured layout - Dava's "Coxheath Sidings". This minimum space 0 gauge model uses a foam board baseboard. It has plenty of nice cameo scenes and shows you do not have to have lots of space to model in this scale.
     
    I didn't spend long at the show due to other commitments, but thoroughly enjoyed my visit. Congrats to the organisers. Here are my "light hearted" awards.
     
    BEST LAYOUT - "Up the Line" - without doubt the stand out model in the entire show.
    BEST MODEL - 0 gauge Terrier "Bodium" on Coxheath Sidings - excellently detailed and weathered by Dava!
  7. andyram
    The sun is shining, the weather is getting warmer and the clocks have gone forward. For some the better weather may actually bring their modelling time to an end, not for me! For me it is likely to be the beginning!
     
    I admit it. I hate the start of the year. Not that I hate winter you understand, let's face it we hardly saw much winter this year. But once Christmas has gone and the schools go back I end up extremely busy. Our headteacher, in her great wisdom, decided that our school reports to parents should be sent out as the children break up for Easter. Most schools wait until the summer, not ours! So on top of the usual day to day teaching jobs, for me, the report writing marathon begins in January and runs until March.
     
    Some people may wonder why it takes so long! Gone are the days when a single, handwritten page, giving an overview of progress would suffice. Now our reports run into 6 computerised pages with several paragraphs on EVERY subject of the National Curriculum. For 37 children it takes ages! And then you have to proof read them, hand them to the headteacher so that she can add her comments, proof read them again, print them off and then proof read them a THIRD time. Great stuff.
     
    So my planned modelling weekend disappeared after a pile of printed reports were handed to me on Friday with the instruction to read and sign them! Lovely stuff! I am sure I will be dreaming such phrases as "could do better" and "needs to remember their full stops" for several weeks to come.
     
    But job done! I handed them back this morning and so the marathon is over and the light has appeared at the end of the tunnel! I can now seriously get down to working on Skaleby West and attempt to get it ready for the show in November.
     
    The show
    Talking of the show! After the recent frustration reported in the last blog I can see a little bit of light at the end of this tunnel too. The visit to Mickleover allowed me to chat to a couple of traders and both showed an interest in the show. One booked two tables there and then, and another was 99% certain he could attend. That's five traders sorted. I am already close to selling out the tables I have available from the school's store. I am still waiting on another 4 or 5 traders to get back to me. Then on Sunday my father, who deals in Corgi and Dinky toys, text me from the show he was attending to tell me a railway dealer friend of his had also displayed an interest. Looks like I may need to get hold of the spare tables from the scout hut after all!
    I have also had a few messages from another RMWeb user who thinks they may be able to bring their layout and a teaching colleague confirmed he would be able to attend. Perhaps I will have to measure up a classroom as well as the other rooms! I'd quite like that, it means the show will be growing and there will be plenty for visitors to see.
     
    The layout
    Obviously there hasn't been too much progress on Skaleby West. But, whilst trying to avoid that pile of reports, I did treat the baseboards to a coat of brown poster paint. I always do this so that I do not start scenic work on bare wood. The brown acts as a base colour.
    This evening I temporarily replaced the track and laid out the station platform pieces, using a Hornby brake coach to check clearances. These pics show the layout as it looks today. More to follow....


  8. andyram

    A good start!

    By andyram,

    The new year is only a few days old but there has already been a good start made to planning the Weston 2014 show. Since my last blog enteries I have received two offers of layouts from RMWeb members. Both of these will be new exhibitors at the Weston event. It is great to attract new people and I look forward to seeing both layouts in November. One layout is U.S based whilst another represents WW1 which already gives some interesting diversity to the event.
    A third layout has been promised from the Ilkeston Woodside group. They have kindly supported both of our events - providing their Thomas layout in 2012 and "Fenby" last year. It will be great to welcome them back as they always go the extra mile to help. They shared the proceeds from the "pay to operate" Thomas model in 2012 and provided valuable assistance on the car park last year. I believe they will also be offering some car park marshalls for this year's event.
    Three of the traders from last year have already rebooked and I am confident that the others will return as well. Another new trader has enquired about attending. Sadly I doubt I will have space as I think that, if all the current traders rebook, we will have enough trade. We don't want to overload on the trade stands.
     
    I am fairly confident that a couple of other exhibitors, who appeared last year, will return with different displays and models I just need to contact them to confirm arrangements. All in all it is a good start the plans for Weston 2014. Anyone else who is interested in attending please get in touch!
     
    Skaleby West
    At present the plan is to include my layout in the exhibition again. However this rather depends on whether I can make progress with developing the layout. During the first year Skaleby West was displayed as a temporary terminus station with just one adjoining fiddle yard. Last year I managed to throw together a third board to act as a temporary second fiddle yard. As a result Skaleby West became a through station. My plan is to develop this board into a second scenic board. Currently the model is stored in our spare bedroom as we begin to pack up for a house move. We are due to move out at the end of January and will spend six months living in my late Grandad's bungalow prior to moving into our new build property in June or July.
    I hope to work on Skaleby West once we get into the bungalow although other modelling plans are bubbling under behind the scenes. Watch this space....
  9. andyram
    My half term break has allowed me to make more progress with the scenics and also to run some trains. In my earlier post I outlined how I had built the embankments and cuttings around the road over bridge at the "Pickering end" of the station scene. Beyond the road bridge the line is due to enter a further short cutting before entering the fiddle yard through a tunnel.
    The embankments for the cutting at the rear of the layout will hide a hidden siding which will add extra storage space to the fiddle yard. It is this area that I have turned my attention to.
     
    Starting the hidden sidings and tunnel cutting.
    The top of this embankment will feature one or two country cottages, one of which is the Skaledale "Yew Tree" cottage as I feel it fits in with the Yorkshire Moors element of the layout. I started by gluing down further polysterene blocks to act as a base, ensuring the blocks are large enough to fit the cottage on top. The hidden siding track was then laid up to the polysterene.
    In time this siding will be hidden underneath the cutting so strips of foam board were cut and glued either side of the siding. Eventually a "roof" will be built above these foamboard sides to fully enclose the siding, and the cutting detail will be added on top.
    The progress so far can be seen in these photographs:

    In this picture you can see the siding, complete with foam board sides. You may be able to see the location of Yew Tree Cottage too.

    The second picture gives an overview of the fiddle yard area. The coal drop scenic break can be seen at the front of the picture. In front of this will be the main engine shed scene. You will see how limited the fiddle yard space is hence the need for the hidden siding!
     
    Running trains
    Half term has also allowed me to spend some time running trains. My Hornby Railroad Jinty, pictured in an earlier entry has taken a bit of a break this week. Train services have been worked by a Hornby A1x "Terrier" numbered 32636 and an ex Great Western Auto Coach giving things a branch line feel.
    I have included a picture of the combination, taken in front of the previously completed Darnholm embankment.

  10. andyram
    With preparation for the impending birth of our first child, I have had precious little modelling time. But I did find some time to work on the small engine shed area. The track was laid on a cork base rather than on the Gaugemaster foam ballast as before. I want to hand ballast this area with a darker tone of scatter material to represent the ash, coal and general shed area dirt.
    I used rolled up newspaper, covered in a layer of plaster bandage to create some small contours to the ground in order to seperate the area from the main running line. I have purchased a small coaling stage to stand outside the engine shed. My 0-4-0 Hornby collector club loco has been posed in this area for the first of today's pictures.

     
    This weekend I have been using the layout to test a couple of locos ahead of selling them on EBay. The railway has been quite busy. Here a Bachmann J72, number 69022 passes the signal box with a van train.

     
    One of the favourite locos in my collection is the Bachmann Standard 3 tank. Here it stands in Skaleby station with a three coach train of Eastern Region mark one's. This shot shows the progress made in the station area so far.

  11. andyram

    A RMWeb festival?

    By andyram,

    It has been quite a while since I posted anything in this blog. Things have not been good at present. The new house is still not ready and we have found major damp in two rooms of our temporary accommodation (my late grandfather's bungalow). Stress levels are at an all time high and have led to some careless and costly errors which readers of the Early Riser's thread will be well aware of. I don't want to repeat myself but will say that all the trouble has kept me away from working too much on the show. I have even struggled to get leaflets out to some events.
     
    However during the recent half term holiday I have managed to sit down and start to piece together the Weston 2014 show. At present the layout count stands at 14 with several of these having featured on RMWeb, or are owned by RMWeb members. With "Up the Line", "Wheel lock Mill", "Weyburn Road", "Forster Street" and "Skaleby West" all definitely attending along with one of Jim Read's layouts the show is already set to feature 6 RMWeb layouts. Not quite a second RMWeb Live event but we are certainly are doing the website proud! I am waiting to hear from another member who I contacted recently. Anyone else up for it?
     
    One disappointment was the news that the Belper Modular layout has had to pull out. Its owner has decided to dismantle his modules and start a new retirement project. He is still going to help out on the day and is likely to be deployed on car park duties and as a relief operator on Skaleby West.
     
    Recently I joined the Mickleover Model Railway Group and at least one fellow member has put their layout forward and another is keen to attend so that should help push the layout total towards my target of 20 layouts.
     
    The layout
    I have now started a separate Skaleby West layout thread in the layout's section as I want to separate the layout from the show. Currently the model remains stored until our house move. It is due to attend Weston 2014 and is available for other events.
     
    Until next time...
  12. andyram

    A rollercoaster ride!

    By andyram,

    It has been a few weeks since I posted an update about the Weston 2014 event. It has definitely been a busy time. The show has started to take shape with a number of RMWeb users set to attend. "Up the Line", "Wheelock Mill" and "Werrington Road" will all be representing this website at the event in November. A further RMWeb layout could be confirmed within the next few days. I also have one or two other layouts on the "probable" list that just need final confirmation and I hope to do this soon.
     
    Things have rather been on hold though. The first house move finally took place at the end of February and we are now residing in my Grandfather's bungalow until the end of May. Following the move we had a couple of weeks without the internet which did hold things up. Since the move things have got hectic at work. We returned after the half term break to an announcement from our head teacher that she is to retire in July. Over the last few weeks we have all been nervously checking out the applicants who have been touring the school. After a lot of soul searching I put in an application for the job. Sadly I was not shortlisted!
    If that was not enough Ofsted landed on our doorstep for two days earlier in the week. We seem to have done ok but we await the final report after a stressful time.
    With all that in mind it is no wonder I have not had time to chase layouts or follow up earlier enquiries. Hopefully with the Easter holiday just around the corner I can find some time to catch up.
    What I do know is that we still need some more layouts, especially some smaller micro layouts which would suit the corridors. If there is anyone out there......
     
    The layout:
    Following the move Skaleby West is stored in the spare bedroom. It is behind a large pile of storage boxes and so is not accessible. There is simply no chance of any modelling work during our stay here. At least the new house will be ready a month early so fingers crossed I can crack on with the layout extension during the June half term and the summer break. There may still be a chance that I can unveil an extended Skaleby West at this year's event.
     
    Until next time..
  13. andyram
    Last Sunday I was sitting in the spare bedroom catching up on school work. I had lifted the window blinds and was enjoying the warmth of the Autumn sunshine which was streaming through the window whilst I beavered away on the laptop. I suddenly noticed that the sunlight was hitting Skaleby West which was lying dormant on top of the rabbit hutch. The natural light created some great effects and I could not resist taking advantage and taking some photos. I hope you like them.

    The sun peeks through the trees, casting shadows over the thatched cottage.

    A view of the cottage taken from track level.

    A quiet moment on the platform.........

    .....is disturbed by the passing of a light engine as Pannier tank 5775 passes through.

    The Pannier returns with a short freight.
     

    And finally another picture from the Weston show as Ivatt tank 41324 is seen at Skaleby West with the final train of the day.
  14. andyram

    A time for reflection!

    By andyram,

    As I write this it is just over a week since the Weston on Trent model railway show. The school has returned to normal with all trace of the exhibition now removed. The road signs have been returned, with thanks, to the Mickleover Model Railway Club and all the other signs and posters have been taken down. Now is the time to look back, reflect, and assess whether we achieved what we wanted to achieve with the show - just as we have to do with all other fundraising events!
     
    Once again it is pleasing to report that the show was, in general, a success. We managed to put on a bigger event this year with 3 more layouts and 2 more trade stands when compared to last year. We also had our first demonstrations too.
    The attendance this year was certainly significantly up on our first show last year. We almost doubled our takings on the door. This contributed to a total profit of £954 which has pretty much paid for a desperately needed new school server computer. The headteacher was certainly happy with that!
    Feedback from our visitors was once again positive. Many praised the quality and variety of layouts on display and once again there was plenty of praise for the quality of the catering and the friendliness of the staff.
    It also appears that we managed to deal with those areas of the show which came in for criticism last year. The road signs, borrowed from Mickleover, were certainly a huge improvement on our home made efforts last year. Many praised the quality of them and at least one person turned up on the day purely because they saw the road signs!
     
    I did say prior to the show that we wouldn't get everything right, and we didn't! Car parking was clearly the major issue this time around. The school does have limited parking. All the spaces had been taken by 10.25am and there was nowhere at all to park by 10.40am. This led to some complaints and some people turning around and heading for home. Clearly we needed better stewarding of the car park. The staff members who were supposed to be doing it were, for one reason or another, unavailable. We were thankful to members of the Ilkeston Group who stepped in to run the car park. Their members reported 15 cars which remained in the car park all day. This means that some of our exhibitors did not follow the request to move their vehicles to the nearby pub car park. This is something which we will need to deal with for future shows. Both Ilkeston and Mickleover clubs have offered help with car park stewarding in the future!
     
    Whilst the refreshments worked well and were praised, we are aware that drinks and bacon cobs were needed much earlier. This would have given the exhibitors and traders more time to be fed and watered before the doors opened. Again, we will need to deal with this in the future!
     
    Now I have mentioned "the future" twice. The fact is that we have now done two Weston shows. The Weston 2012 event was due to be a one off as part of a special year of fundraising. Weston 2013 took place following the success of the previous year. The headteacher then planned to make the show a bi-annual event to avoid over burdening the staff as the show falls just a few weeks before the annual Christmas fair. The success of Weston 2013 and the comments made by many on the way out has led to a change of heart. Many visitors felt it would be unwise to wait two years for another event. As a result there will be a Weston 2014 show. The provisional date is Saturday 15th November 2014.
     
    Thanks to everyone for making this happen!
     
    So "here we go again"!!
     
     
    As for my layout.
     
    Skaleby West performed fairly well during the day with only a few stalling issues and I was fairly happy with it. I was quite surprised that it finished joint 2nd in the "Best in Show" vote as I know it is not that great. I am not an experienced modeller by any means and I know the layout has plenty of faults:
    - the goods shed remains a mess.
    - the points are still not wired up.
    - the gap in the scenery remains at the front near the tunnel.
    - there were stalling issues on the goods yard points and one of the points did not change fully.
    - the fiddle yards remain "ad-hoc".
     
    Despite all of that I am proud of the layout and intend to tackle all of the above areas in the future. A double house move planned for 2014 will affect my modelling time. It will mean that my home layout will be dismantled in January / February and will not be re-erected until July at the earliest. This may mean that I will have no time for modelling, but if I do Skaleby West will be the only layout I can work on. Hopefully I can deal with some of these issues and maybe work on the planned scenic extension. That way it will look different when it is exhibited at Weston 2014. At present that is its next show booking. It remains available for exhibitions, but is probably below the standard required for other shows at this moment in time.
     
    At the Weston show I was lucky enough to add a new loco to the layout's roster with the purchase of Bachmann Ivatt tank 41250. It made a brief appearance at the end of the Weston show. Yesterday I ran it on the layout at home whilst at home ill with flu. No room for the fiddle yards so Skaleby West ran as a shunting puzzle.
    Here are some pics to finish with.

    Ivatt tank 41250 arrives at Skaleby West during the closing stages of the Weston 2013 show.

    The Ivatt tank backs into the tunnel ready to begin shunting the yard yesterday.

    The loco stands by the signal box.

    Shunting the goods yard.

  15. andyram

    Advice? Me? Really?

    By andyram,

    The countdown to the 2015 Weston show is very much on. We have now entered the final month and the show has even started to creep up the events bar on the main forum page. The hurdles continue to be placed in front of me. A very busy work situation has prevented me from measuring up those newly altered classrooms and has meant I am still to complete the floor plan. With next week being half term I know that I will really have to get things sorted during my time away from the classroom. Two parents evenings this week does restrict my time for carrying out the task, but I will get there - I have to!
    The ladies in the office have worked tirelessly to send out requests for raffle prizes. As yet the responses have been slow, but stand up and take a bow the Crich Tramway Village who have kindly donated some tickets. We have a couple of DVD's, some chocolates and the usual offers of wine so we will not be short.
    At the weekend I was out and about at the Wirksworth show ensuring a plentiful supply of leaflets were distributed. Requests have been sent off to three of the main model publications for show guide listings and the UK Model Shop entry has been updated. Over half term I plan to place a list of layouts on the show's RMWeb thread. I have hung back on this thus far due to the ever changing nature of this year's line up.
     
    This week has brought an interesting development, namely an email from a fellow show manager asking me for advice. I was happy to help the person in question and passed on as much as I could, but it did strike me as a rather interesting development. It does not seem that long ago that I was begging people for help and advice when starting to organise our first Weston event. Do I really fall into the experienced organiser category now??
  16. andyram

    Allestree 2015

    By andyram,

    It has been a bit of a late start to my show visits for 2015. Sadly, due to my wife and daughter being ill, I missed the much anticipated Stafford show at the start of the month. As a result my visits for the year began with a much smaller show. This Allestree event has been around a long time having been organised by members of the church to raise money for church funds. Last year the event was taken over by the Famous Trains charity although, as I understand, the proceeds still go to the church.
    This event is always a very friendly and intimate event. It often features a number of displays of heritage model railway stock and displays by some local amateur modellers as well as those more experienced exhibitors.
    This year's event was much the same with a couple of older Hornby 00 gauge models. Alongside this there was a table top Thomas layout and a Hornby Track Mat style layout. Malcolm Hughes had a good display of older, boxed models alongside his N gauge suitcase layout.
    In the main hall there was a small 00 gauge shunting puzzle which invited visitors to have a go for themselves. This, like all of the other models, succeeded in keeping things moving all the time which certainly entertains the younger visitors. All of the models were achievable by all and may just provide inspiration to some of the visitors to start their own project.
    The Famous Trains group have succeeded in extending this event into a second room. This second area featured some more recognisable and more established show layouts. The Lenton Model Railway group brought their excellent Greenacre Sidings and their sound fitted Linden Halt which featured B.R blue and green diesel models. Two N gauge layouts completed the scene including Laurie's Lair which has appeared at a few shows recently. Each time I see this model more and more scenic features have been added. I wonder what it will look like by the time it appears at the Weston show in November.
    The trade was limited to a couple of model railway stalls, with one quite sparsely populated. There was nothing to really tempt me to part with my cash. The Railway Bookshop was present too.
    As always the event features excellent catering, at very good value. The bacon cob was very nice and the cost of that, a mug of coffee, a cheese sandwich and a glass of squash for my daughter totalled just £4.00. Some shows could take heed from such prices!
     
    All in all a very enjoyable local show that once again manages to achieve its objectives. There was a good crowd so I hope it makes money for the church once again.
     
    Here are my "light-hearted awards:
     
    Best Layout:
    Greenacre Sidings - an excellent shunting layout which is well lit.
     
    Best model:
    David Wright's scenic treatment of the Hornby disused cottage. Inspiration for my own modelling.
     
     
    Disclaimer!
    I thought long and hard about whether to write this post. Last year I took some, rather harsh, stick from some members of this site when I made some constructive comments about some shows I visited last year. Remember these views are my own opinions!
  17. andyram

    Allestree, Derby

    By andyram,

    A second weekend in February, and a second model railway show! After visiting Stafford last week I found myself at the Allestree "Trains Day" today. This show takes place annually at the church hall in Allestree, Derby. I believe it is run to raise funds for the church whose hall it uses.
    A large model railway show with lots of impressive layouts and various trade stands this isn't. With no more than 12 exhibitors this had a more intimate and family feel than the large show at Stafford. In fact it took me just 20 minutes from entering to have seen every stall. Had I not stayed for a cup of tea and a bacon sandwich from the refreshment window and not made three circuits of the room I would never have made my visit last an hour.
    I had hoped to find some scenic items amongst the trade stands as I need a few things for my next scenic project on my Skaleby layout. Sadly I was to be out of luck. Most stands featured a good mix of new and second hand Hornby and Bachmann locos and rolling stock and some items of Lima, Hornby Dublo and Triang, but featured little in the way of scenic items. The only such stock available was from "Derby Trees" who were selling their range of HO gauge trees from a stand alongside the "Famous Trains" charity. This is a group who are trying to construct a large OO gauge model railway in a building inside the city's Markeaton Park.
     
    The lack of scenery seemed to spread to the layouts within the show. There was an ecletic mix of layouts, most of which fell into the "train set" category. These featured a series of ovals with trains travelling around continuously, never leaving view, with a few storage sidings for spare stock. The big attraction was that the layouts featured models from the past and some manufacturers and ranges long consigned to history.
    One layout featured a display of Triang Hornby with an A4 and an 8F travelling around in opposite directions hauling passenger and freight sets respectively. The only loco on display was an 08 shunter parked in the sidings at the rear. The scenery consisted of a few buildings and a little scatter material with no variation in height, no hill or enbankment in sight!
    Another exhibitor displayed a collection of old tinplate clockwork Hornby 0 gauge, whilst another had an impressive collection of working Lone Star. Three circuits of track featured British and American outline models hurtling around at breakneck speed.
    There was also a small N gauge display of two circuits stuck to a green baise board and a large working display of Triang Battle Space. The only out and back layout was an "L" shaped Thomas model. Trains arrived from the fiddle yard to a large station area complete with engine shed and goods yard. Whilst the buildings were all present no other scenic work had taken place and it did look like the buildings and track had been placed onto the table at the start of the day. There was no run round facility so trains pulled stock one way and propelled it the other.
     
    As a modeller who visits shows to admire others work, view spectacular models and gain ideas and inspiration for my own layout - this show did not provide anything for me. But for those who like to view the models from yesteryear it was perfect. The constant movement of trains also provided plenty of entertainment for the children who are not going to be interested by constant shunting and interventions from the great hand in the sky. Maybe this show will act to inspire these youngsters to be the modellers of tomorrow. There was certainly a decent crowd of youngsters enjoying the action.
     
    What the show did do for me however, was to plant a little seed of an idea in my head. If this was run as a fundraiser for the church, perhaps I could convince my headteacher to allow me to run a similar event in our school hall. Maybe that would provide an ideal event for my school's latest fundraising drive. Now there is an idea!!
  18. andyram
    With the month of January, and with it the new year, now in full swing my mind has turned towards my possible modelling projects for 2014. Due to the house moves planned for this year, developments on both my layouts are on hold until next month at least.
    In the short term I have thought about embarking on one small project which I have had at the "back of mind" for some time. I have a Skaledale model of a terraced shop, which bares a little resemblance to Arkwright's store from the famous BBC sitcom "Open All Hours". It is my long held plan to use this model to replicate the shop complete with shop bike, Arkwright and Granville and a few other items to depict a scene from the show.
     
    This project may become my stop gap project for the next month or so. The trouble is, I need figures to represent the main characters. A quick look through the internet last night has, as yet, failed to produce anything suitable. I am sure there won't be actual 00 gauge models of these characters produced but can anyone suggest figures which may suffice??
     
    Am I seeking the impossible??
  19. andyram
    Weston-on-Trent Model Railway Show 2013
     
    Last year I wrote a blog entry, entitled "The Longest Day", to recount the events of the inaugral Weston-on-Trent model railway show. Without doubt this year's event produced an even longer "longest" day.
     
    For me the Weston 2013 event began with an unwelcome 5am alarm. This was followed by a leisurely breakfast, before I embarked on the "ninja" loading up of the car as I tried to load up Skaleby West without disturbing my slumbering wife and daughter. Things seemed to go very well and the layout was packed up quicker than last year. Amazing considering I was taking an extra board this time.
    I was ready to leave by 6.30am. The journey to school was slow as I paused to put up the road signs. Following the comments from last year's event we were fortunate enough to have the loan of some larger and professional signs. A big thank you to the Mickleover Model Railway Club for allowing us to use their signs. Mind you, putting them up in the dark and the early morning drizzle was an interesting experience!!
     
    I arrived at school by 7am at the same time as the first trader. A quick wrestle with the padlock and I was able to open the side gate and allow them into the hall.
    The next few hours passed by in a whirl with a constant procession of arrivals as setting up got into full swing. Inbetween showing people to their pitches I was able to set up Skaleby West. I was pleased that the layout had arrived intact with none of the damage sustained last year. The station fencing, lamps and furniture all remained firmly in place, and even the trees had not shed many of their leaves. It looks like last year's repairs had worked well. Then the moment of truth arrived. The controller was plugged in and the first loco was placed on the track. Unlike last year it worked first time. My trusty "Jinty" 47279 shunted from fiddle yard to fiddle yard with a single wagon in tow. A few little pieces of track cleaning and everything seemed ok.
     
    Before long opening time arrived and the stress levels seemed very low. Things seemed to be going smoothly. There were none of the dramas compared to last year - no sluggish ovens or staff locked in the toilets! I should have known things were too good to be true. Within the first half an hour I received reports of complaints over the car parking. It seemed that the car park was "rammed" by opening time. Whether some of the exhibitors had not heeded my request to move their cars to the pub car park, whether some of the school staff had likewise ignored the request or whether we had had an early rush I do not know! There was also a report from a colleague that someone had backed their car into a lamp-post although no member of the public reported that to me. Having done the same thing myself a few years ago after a particularly tiring day I hope there was not too much damage.
    In response to the obvious parking issue I called in an offer of help from members of the Ilkeston Woodside Model Railway club and deployed their members on car park duty. A huge thanks to them. If I can ever repay the favour in anyway I will!
     
    Later in the day I heard reports that there was plenty of cars parked in the nearby Village Hall car park and in the adjoining roads. We certainly seemed to have had a good number of visitors and there was a steady crowd all day. The stall holders reported much improved takings.
     
    All in all the show seemed to go well. Once again the ladies in the kitched worked tirelessly and there was plenty of praise from exhibitors and public about the quality of the lunches. Lots of people seemed to pass on positive comments and the only issue that was raised was the parking.
     
    As for Skaleby West after its smooth start it produced a tempremental morning. There was lots of stalling issues, especially from the usually reliable "Jinty". After much consideration the final loco roster was made up of:
    Jinty 47279
    Ivatt tank 41324
    Midland 3F 43474
    Standard 4 tank 80120
    Standard 4 75065 (afternoon only)
    Super D 49395
     
    Of these locos the Standards generally ran well, although the tank had a habit of stalling in the same place all day. The Jinty had a tendancy to derail wagons during shunting movements as its coupling seemed to ride under those on the wagons. The most reliable proved to be the Ivatt tank.
    The Super D was the one new engine into the ranks. It had never left the box before and so was understandably a little sluggish at first. By the afternoon it ran well.
     
    During the day I also managed to sell a few unwanted items and reinvested the money into a new purchase. A second Ivatt tank, a weathered version, was added to the ranks and made a brief appearance late in the day whilst a young "fan" was having an operating turn.
     
    So all in all the show seemed to be a success. The current total is just under £1000 which is much higher than last year. A big thank you to all involved - the exhibitors, traders, visitors and staff. A special thanks to the Mickleover group for the loan of the road signs and their donation and the Ilkeston club for their work in the car park. I hope to post some photos soon although the files are currently being described as "too big".
     
    As I sit he bleary eyed after being awake for 18 hours I feel pleased with the efforts. Another year has gone. I have now organised two shows. Would I do it again.....you bet I would!!!
  20. andyram
    The Weston show is creeping ever closer and thinks are beginning to take shape. Here is an update:
     
    The Show
    The number of layouts is growing steadily. After a phonecall last week I have provisionally booked the 18th layout for the show. This will nicely fill another hole in one of the corridors. I can also confirm that the Meccano display will return for a second year, with different exhibits to last year. I still have a couple of other layouts I would like, and once I have measured up the second classroom I will know how much space I have left.
    We have once again reached an agreement with the local pub, allowing exhibitors to use the Coopers Arms car park for the day allowing us to keep the school car park clear for the general public. The pub is about a five minute walk from the school and provides a hot carvary, although booking for evening tables is highly recommended.
     
    The Layout
    The extension board remains in the garage with no progress made. To be fair there hasn't been much time for any modelling. The house remains on the market, and we have seen a procession of viewings. Sadly we have not had an acceptable offer yet. Until the house is sold I will not be able to get the extension board or my modelling materials out of their various hiding places.
     
    The Rant!!!!
    This morning I picked up the latest copy of the Railway Modeller magazine from my local supermarket. I was pleased to see the Weston show listed amongst the magazine's exhibition guide. My early email request was certainly worth it. Hopefully this may encourage a few more people to come over and visit this year. So why am I about to have a rant I hear you ask?
    Answer!
     
    I am a subscriber to the Hornby Magazine having purchased every issue since it began. At the same time I wrote off to the Railway Modeller I sent my ad request to the Hornby Magazine too. Last year they included our details for two months. This year..nothing. Have they ignored us? Possibly not! You see the show guide in HM ends on 9th / 10th November so it seems our date has missed the boat. I had no problem with that until I checked the release date of the next issue. The next publication date is the 14th November - two days before our show. Even if the ad makes next month's issue, what is the point? Many purchasers may buy on or after the date of our show. This is a complete joke. Surely editors should consider publication dates when putting a guide together and ensure those that fall so close to the next issue are included the previous month. The Railway Modeller has done this (its next issue is also the 14th November) so why can't the Hornby Magazine. What a waste of an email!!! I am fuming at present!!!
  21. andyram

    And so we go on...

    By andyram,

    We are now half way through the current academic year and 3 months on from the fourth Weston on Trent show. Skaleby West and the troublesome extension are back in situ in the spare room and, apart from the occasional loco test, it has hardly been used. Some small work has been carried out on the next project, Skaleby Quay, but the creative modelling juices have been but a trickle of late. There is a very good reason for that of course. Staff changes at school have taken up a lot of additional time and there is an assignment for my leadership qualification still hanging around my neck. Work has certainly been busy and that is before family life is also taken into account. Juggling everything has been very difficult and I am not exaggerating when I claim to have had many sleepless nights recently. My average sleep is down to four hours per night although daughters and cats can be blamed for some disturbed nights.
    We are currently in the midst of the February half term when it hit me. I have another show to organise. Yes, after the success of last year, we are doing it all again. To be fair, after raising over £1000 last year, I really do not have much choice. The Weston on Trent Model Railway Show has become the school's third biggest fundraiser after the traditional Christmas and summer fairs. In fact the only reason they outdo the show is due to the revenue generated by two large raffles held during those events.
     
    But the fact is there is to be a fifth Weston event. The date is confirmed as Saturday 12th November. I really need to get my finger out and do something!
    To be fair, although I have neglected the show, I have not ignored it completely. Whilst out and about I have been chatting to different people. Three of our stall holders from last year have all but guaranteed that they will return so that is one less worry.
    On the final day of term I managed to print off a good supply of the 2016 leaflets. These should be out and about at some upcoming local shows - look out for them at Sileby and Trowell in the next few weeks.
     
    What about the layouts? I always worry About whether I can scrape together enough exhibits to make the show work. Last year we hit the magic 20 mark and I will feel that I have failed if we don't reach that again. Tonight I have sent out a multitude of emails to previous exhibitors who have expressed an interest in returning with something else. I also have contacted the owners whose details have been kept on file after they were unable to attend last year. I do have a couple of others still to contact as their details are saved on my RMWeb message box and the site decided to go offline at the time I was on my email. I will contact those people later in the week. If all come back positively then I will have made a good start. I do have a couple of other "target" exhibits and those layout owners may find a surprise message dropping into their inbox before the week is out. Hopefully I can bring some positive news in the next blog entry.
     
    As for my contribution, there is no decision. For the last four shows Skaleby West has been displayed in various guises. Although the extension board needs finishing there is other repair work to do if I want to make it presentable for Weston 2016. Then there is the question of whether I want to do so. I am not sure the layout will warrant a fifth successive outing. If I get the extension board finished and I complete the various repairs then it is a possibility I could justify showing it again.
    Right now I feel that having Skaleby West at Weston 2016 would be a show too far. I think it has outstayed its welcome and needs a break from the event. I don't want people to think our event is becoming "samey" and I don't want people to be bored by the event or my layout. It was noticeable that the layout attracted less attention last year, even with the extension board. So that is a sign that the visitors are tired of seeing it.
    So that means something new. At present there is no chance of layout number 2, "Skaleby Quay," being ready for November. It is just too much of a complicated build. So that means a different project. Thinking cap is now on!
     
    Until next time.....
  22. andyram
    On Saturday evening, as I headed up to Nottingham to collect my wife from another visit to her mum's, the legendary Queen song that has leant its name to this entry came onto the radio. I could not help but think it was a rather poignant choice. Not only could some of the lyrics rather brutally refer to the fallen soldiers who had been remembered earlier in the day, but the title could also refer to Weston on Trent Model Railway show. After all another one had just bitten the dust. This time it was definitely the show that nearly did not happen - and, more than likely, had been the very last one.
     
    The day had been another epic. I was up at 5am, after precious little sleep, and hastily packed Skaleby West into the car. With welcome help from fellow RMWeb member, Andy Sharpe (leopard), I had avoided the job of putting up road signs on the drive to the school.
    Andy had proved to be a real gem. He also gave up his Friday afternoon to come over to the school and help me set up the hall and clear the classrooms. I was indebted to my new boss for releasing me to go over to the old place during my allotted planning time. The Friday set up proved vital as it helped to iron out a few flaws in the floorpan.
    Since I had left the school the renovations to the building had been completed, and this led to some last minute alterations to my plan. Relocated fire doors, plug sockets and large pieces of furniture all caused some difficulties.
     
    On the Saturday morning I arrived just before 7am and was relieved to see that the old boss was true to his word - the school had been opened up on time, although it was the caretaker who had performed the task rather than the big chief. Unfortunately he had forgotten to unlock the side access gate to the hall. Fortunately I was able to locate the key much quicker than last year and this exhibitors, who had been waiting on the doorstep, could get in to set up.
    Having commandeered the school stage blocks the previous day, I was able to get Skaleby West set up much more quickly. The staging once again provided the support structure instead of the usual trestles. This meant I simply had to sit the layout onto the blocks and connect it up. Once again Andy stepped in to help and fitted the drapes that hang down beneath the layout.
     
    Set up raced by with all layouts ready in plenty of time. There were very few grumbles about the request to move cars to the nearby pub and we were able to get the school car park as clear as possible ready for the public. The only pre-opening issues came from the non-completion of a couple of jobs allocated to the staff earlier in the week. The secretary had failed to print off and envelope up the lunch passes, whilst another staff member had not completed the signs pointing the way to the new classroom. The cleaners had also failed to deal with an unpleasant mess in one of the children's toilets. Ironically my replacement on the staff stepped up to sort out the first two jobs whilst I dealt with the toilet!
     
    The show opened to a small queue at 10.30am and I started to worry. Due to my difficult working situation I had not publicised the show between December and June. Leaflets went out in a rush from the summer and we did what we could to promote the show as much as we could. I worried that it had not been enough. Fortunately the arrival of the 11am service bus brought a mini-rush and things picked up from then on with further mini-rushes brought in by the 12.00 and 1pm buses.
    At 11am the show paused. My hard working helper, Chris, left her kitchen duties to signal the start of the Armistice Day silence by ringing the bell at 11am. Despite the show being sprawled across seven different rooms, the bell brought about a perfect silence. You really could hear a pin drop across the whole school. A big thank you to all the layout owners for quietening their sound fitted locos and the visitors who showed the appropriate respect. As I bowed my head behind Skaleby West, with an Ivatt 2 tank paused in the platform, I have to admit to having a lump in my throat.
     
    The rest of the day flew by. We were never packed, with the classrooms seeming quiet at times. However the main hall always seemed busy and there was a nice buzz about the place. A friend from church was exhibiting a layout too, and their teenage son took a break from duties there to relieve me on my layout. We actually had a bit of banter about who could solve the card generated shunting puzzles the quickest.
     
    The layout ran well and proved enjoyable to operate. Unlike its previous outing at Sheffield, it ran with the river bridge extension. It was further embellished by the addition of an EFE made Barton's bus that had been a gift from the school's parents when I left. It was altered to carry my name and class' name along the sides with the village name added to the destination blind. Sadly very few parents and children from the school were there to see it. This seemed to be the poorest turn out from within the school community in the show's history. The fact that few children seemed to be aware of the show when I visited on Friday may have had something to do with it. It seems the school had not bothered to promote it from within. The show did not even warrant an advert in their latest newsletter!
     
    Despite the lack of school advertising, the numbers through the door were comparable to previous years - maybe slightly less. The combination of ticket sales, refreshments and raffle sales helped to bring in a total profit of £956. This means that in six years the show has raised around £5,500 for school funds.That it something I am very proud of.
     
    And what of the head teacher I hear you ask? The person who I hold solely responsible for my decision to leave, the person who will benefit from most of the money raised had rostered himself to help out for the whole day. He finally arrived at 3.15pm although I did not see him until nearly an hour later when I was in the hall giving out the best in show trophy. The reason for his absence changed from one story to another - I definitely smell a rat.
     
    I am not concerned by the ex-boss' apathy however. I am very proud of what the show team achieved. The ladies in the kitchen excelled themselves again. Their friendly service and the quality of the food received countless praise throughout the day. I am just putting together a compilation of the positive feedback to pass on to them. Many visitors also praised the varied exhibits on display. With a record 25 layouts on display we certainly had something for everyone. One member told me that he felt the show was better than some of the larger exhibitions he had attended. That really is welcome praise. Many said that they hoped that the show would not prove to be the last........
     
    And so what next?
     
    I cannot believe what has happened. Back in February 2012, after visiting a local church show, I had a fledgeling idea that we could stage a model railway show in our school to raise funds. Four days later, whilst visiting the Severn Valley Railway, I allowed the idea to grow and put together a full plan for the show whilst I sat on the train. That "business plan" was shared at a staff meeting and the show was given the go-ahead. The first event used the hall and one classroom. It led to the birth of this blog. Since then the show has grown year on year culminating in this year's event which filled the hall, corridor and six classrooms.
     
    And now it appears to be all over. I have reached the end of the journey.
     
    Six years ago I had no idea how to organise a model railway event. I really did learn "on the job". This blog is a record of that experience. It has been an unforgettable experience and one that I am very proud of. I would dare to say that organising the Weston on Trent show is one of my proudest achievements and I have enjoyed every minute of it. I would like to thank everyone who helped with the show whether they have been exhibitor, trader, visitor or helper. If my time as an exhibition manager is at an end, I will miss it. Thanks to everyone who has read and commented on this blog.
     
    THE END!
  23. andyram
    Has another week passed by already? Time really is flying at the moment and that is more than a little scary. As I drove out of school on Friday night, and headed off towards a half term break, I reflected that the next time I would be making the same Friday journey it would be on the eve of the model railway event. By then the hall will need to have been cleared, tables set up and there may well be some layouts already on site. The event really is that close now. Without doubt I am approaching the home straight.
     
    The week gone by has seen me re-measuring parts of the school and some of the tables as I try to finalise the floor plan. Following this I was able to confirm the latest layout which will be appearing. Rolleston on Dove is now booked to attend and will join:
     
    Darley Green, Skaleby West, Moxley Heath, Pending, Waterfall Junction, The Works, The Suitcase Layout, Belper Modular layout, Summat Colliery, Irton Road, Guy's Cuttings, Friarsgate, Layout in a tv, Thomas the Tank Engine and Board Lane.
     
    That is quite a pleasing line up of layouts. And to think that back in February I was stressing that I would not find enough layouts to make it worthwhile! One of the pupils also approached me on Friday and is desperate to bring his layout too. That caused even more measuring on the Friday evening. I think I can squeeze him in and I still have space for the vanishing layout from Butterley. I really wish I had taken the gentleman's details on the day. He took mine and promised to be in touch. I have heard nothing since so I assume he is not coming. A real shame that he couldn't at least contact me and let me know this!
     
    On a more positive note I received a further raffle prize. Stand up and take a bow the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. They have become the third preserved line to offer a prize and they are not even a local one. I take back all my summer criticisms of their diesel hauled train! Mind you as a working member of one local line I feel a little embarassed by their lack of response so far!
     
    With more layout descriptions now received the show guide is starting to come together. My target is to have it finished by the end of half term week so that I can tackle the printing during the week leading up to the event.
     
    And so from the show organising to the layout building....
     
    I now have just 2 weeks left to complete Skaleby West, or at least have it ready for showing. After a visit to the Wirksworth exhibition I finally sat down and began tackling the card goods shed kit. This was a free kit from the first issue of the Hornby magazine. As I did not want to wreck the issue, I used the school's photocopier to make a colour copy onto card. Shhh don't tell the headteacher about the use of the school's ink and card for my modelling purposes!!! (She doesn't read RMWeb thankfully!!).
    Unfortunately the quality of the copy wasn't that great and some of the detail has actually smudged during the construction process. I was a little disappointed with the look of the model once I had assembled the intial structure. I know I am a kit building virgin and my attempts were not all that accurate, but the whole thing really does not reach the standards I want. Sadly there is no turning back now. I haven't the time. The kit is my only option as no off the shelf product will fit the small space I have on the layout. I will just have to perserve, finish the kit and hope that with some weathering and additional detailing it will become just about passable. Maybe I can hide some of the worst bits with other scenery once it is added to the layout. At least it does fit the space.

    The incomplete goods shed kit can be seen here, posed on the platform of my home layout - Skaleby.
     
    And so as I look ahead to the half term week I now have a plan of action I must:
    * finish the kit and place onto the layout.
    * build up the end enbankment to the height of the goods shed.
    * add trees and scenic scatter to the area.
    * add flowers, people and detail to the rest of the layout.
     
    Oh - and build the fiddle yard!!!
     
    A busy week ahead then - until next time...
  24. andyram
    It has been a couple of weeks since my last blog entry, and progress has, to coin a phrase from a previous entry, been back on the slow line. The post school report round of parent's evenings have led to some very long working days, and much reduced time to work on Skaleby West.
     
    I did find some time to finish pinning down the last few lengths of track which I did not have time to do before the layout's public outing at the school's birthday event a couple of weeks ago. These particular lengths had moved in transit and led to some stalling problems when the railway was tested upon arrival back at home. A quick relay, test and these final pieces were pinned down and things ran smoothly. Sadly things were not so smooth with the final point motor! The hole has been drilled slightly in the wrong place and I could not get the extended arm to switch the point fully in both directions. A large amount of filing managed to open up the hole and the motor was test fitted again. This still would not work properly. Although the arm could move freely, it still would not switch the point. It proved to be a very frustrating Saturday afternoon. After several attempts and a lot of cursing I decided that the small joining piece was faulty, and would not hold the two halves together strongly enough to allow it to switch the point. It looks like I will need to buy a new one!
     
    The need for a new point motor has meant that the next job has been put on hold. I had planned to get stuck into ballasting the track. My home layout, Skaleby, is ballasted using the Gaugemaster ballasted foam underlay. This gives a fairly good effect, but I had found it difficult to cut and shape the underlay to fit underneath the points. I had not been too happy with the final effect of this. With Skaleby being a home layout I can rather live with it. As Skaleby West is being built for exhibiting this "make do" attitude would not do, and I have decided to hand ballast this layout using Woodland Scenics materials. As I have never ballasted a layout like this before I have dug out some old Hornby magazines for bedtime reading and have read up on the method. Once the problem with the final point motor is sorted I hope to have a good idea how to tackle the ballasting!
     
    The show
    There seemed to be a good response to the posters and leaflets during the school's open day. A few people were also interested by the floor plan which was attached to the layout's backboard. This remains in place at the moment, and the couple of gaps give me a constant reminder that I need to find a couple more layouts for the main hall. The list of smaller layouts also need to be placed, which reminds me that I need to measure the other rooms.
    This week has also seen me update the posters and leaflets to include directions to the show. This will allow them to be sent out to traders and distributed around local events.
     
    Until next time........
  25. andyram

    Bakewell 2013

    By andyram,

    Yesterday I spent an enjoyable few hours at the Peak Model Railway Show at Bakewell. I visited the show for the first time last year, and was looking forward to this year's event.
    The venue is very nice - a spacious and well lit hall with plenty of room to walk round and view the exhibits. There is a well priced cafe too with some very nice bacon rolls!
     
    This year's event featured a number of impressive layouts. The Lancashire and Yorkshire layout "Calderwood" has a number of impressive cameo scenes along its length. The station is very detailed in particular. It also features working signals and they are operated realistically with communication between fiddle yards via a series of bell codes. When I saw this layout at Derby a year or so ago there was lots of bells, but no train movements in five minutes. I was pleased to see a much more frequent service this time - with three passing freight trains in a similar time.
    Mentioning cameo scenes - there were lots on the impressive P4 layout Cheddar S & DJR. This contained descriptions of the scenes printed on the front in order to bring the layout to life. The model ran well, and the Prussian blue engines looked superb under the lights.
    There was also plenty to see on the "Museum of transport" layout. This attended the show last year. It may not be one for the purists perhaps, but I do like it. It is something different with the wonderfully modelled exhibition buildings, a superb harbour complete with an excellent model lifeboat, and the canal with the operating boat is a feature not seen on many other layouts. How many others have an operating hot air balloon! The model also features two "demonstration tracks" in OO gauge. At the front the automated GWR railcar operated to and fro, while at the rear, sound fitted DCC steam outline models operated a shuttle service. The museum demonstration line feel was represented by a Castle class loco' hauling a single GWR auto coach. Elsewhere on the model a 009 track also ran constantly with many superb models on show. I recently purchased, on a whim, a 009 model from EBay. It was painted in the Rev W Awdry Skarloey Railway livery and represents "Duncan", minus the smokebox face. I have considered a small 009 layout for this to run on, but not being experienced in this scale I need to research more as to how to go about it.
    Back to the show and there was another layout which was returning for a further year. Glen Gillie was this year presented with its "Loch Inch" extension. I was very impressed with this model last year. It also features lots of great scenics and cameos. The distillery is a superb model, complete with an air freshner filled with whisky to give off the appropriate smell! The extension features a detailed loch scene, a small halt serving a camping coach and a ruined castle which was thronged with little visitors. This really is an excellent model with lots to see.
     
    Other impressive models were the Scottish layout "Glen Roy" and the model of Idridgehay. There was also plenty of trade stands, although I was a little short of the "folding stuff". I did pick up a Harburn Hamlet model of a beekeeper - complete with an open hive. It made me smile and I decided that this figure would become the resident of the cottage on my show layout Skaleby West.
     
    An enjoyable show and a perfect escape from my paperwork for a few hours.
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