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andyram

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  1. andyram

    Stafford 2014

    By andyram,

    The first weekend of February has produced my first model railway exhibition visit of the new year. I have been looking forward to the Stafford event all week as it is one of my favourite events of the whole year. It guarentees three large halls of exhibits with a host of large and impressive layouts to enjoy and plenty of trade to try and part me from my cash. Once again it did not disappoint. The show was excellent!
     
    My dad and I arrived at around 10.20, just twenty minutes after opening, and were greeted by a rather large queue. Clearly the show remains popular. Credit goes to the organisers who managed to keep the queue moving and, despite the numbers, we were in the hall in just over five minutes. Very impressive.
     
    At £9.00 per person the show is not cheap, but is definitely well worth the money. The show guide, at £1.00, was excellent value and, I think, cheaper than last year. The guide remains a good read and reference for the exhibits on show. Ok, Kenton, not too many track plans - but not everyone needs them!!
     
    This year the show featured a number of micro layouts in the "Sandylands" suite, providing plenty of inspiration to those with limited spaces. The pick of these models was "Ingleton Sidings" which is only 4ft x 1ft in size and is displayed on an ironing board. This takes the form of a shunting puzzle with a short headshunt and three sidings. The wagons are displayed on cards and then the cards were shuffled and five selected to form the train. The challenge is to shunt the wagons, in the short space, to achieve the sequence shown on the card. These layouts often received mixed reviews, but they are fascinating to watch. Set in a brewery sidings there was plenty of detail packed into the limited space with the additional touch of a video screen showing a live feed from a small camera hidden in a crate on the layout. This excellent model always seemed to attract the crowds.
     
    There were several layouts I had seen before including the N gauge "Melton Mowbray North" which aims to accurately represent the station and surrounding area. This is a superb model with key features including the "Home Ales" sign on the overbridge. The modern image "New Bryford" was on display. This is another excellent model with plenty of "yellow" on show. Peter Cullen's "Mannin the Middle" which represents the Isle of Man railways is an interesting circular shape.
     
    Scanning through the layout list before the show there were some layouts I was looking forward to see. The Hornby Magazine's "St Stephen's Road" has recently returned to the exhibtion circuit. It features an unusual triangular baseboard layout with Western and Southern region lines. The model did not disappoint with a number of sound fitted locos. The sound fitted and weathered Bachmann "Dukedog" was superb as was the sound and smoke fitted Spamcan. The highlight was the sound fitted model of City of Truro which looked a picture as it appeared, majestically, from the fiddle yard.
    BRM's "Black Country Blues" attracted a large crowd throughout the day and entertained with a procession of slow moving blue diesel hauled freight trains. The layout was superbly lit and the scenics were offset by a fantastic photographic backscene, one of the best I have ever seen!
     
    There are always models which have the "wow" factor. At Stafford that was definitely "Gresley Beat" which provided a constant flow of LNER action amongst fantastic scenery. This included a 70 odd wagon freight, hauled by an 0-6-0! A brilliant model and well deserving of the large crowds which gathered throughout the day. Mind you this did not stop the "picky" merchants having a moan. A gentleman next to me, loudly, bemoaned the lack of crews in many of the A4's, whilst my Dad criticised it for falling foul of his "pet hate". He hates bridges which go nowhere. Those bridges that end abruptly at the front of the baseboard always draw his (not mine) criticism. Even my own layout does not escape this! At times it was a little embarrassing to listen to my dad and the aforementioned gentleman "pick flies" out of such a superb model. For me it was the best in show!
     
    Mind you there was one or two layouts which did draw my criticism. The excellent N gauge model "Dentdale" did impress me. This excellent Settle and Carlisle model featured a couple of superb viaducts set in brilliant scenery. Sadly it was let down a little by the use of of two 8F's, both numbered 48773, within moments of each other. That is a cardinal sin in my opinion!
     
    Stafford does often suffer from the weather with heavy rain and snow causing trouble in past years. This year the recent rain did leave the car park very muddy. We were lucky to find a space on the hard standing and, therefore, had no problems. My father in law was not so lucky and got stuck in the mud!!!
     
    All in all an excellent show. Congratulations to all of the organisers. Here are my "awards" for the event. Remember these are only my humble opinion!!!
     
    Top layouts (the ones which kept me coming back for more)
    3rd: St Stephens Road: Plenty of sound fitted locomotives set in lovely off the shelf scenery.
    2nd: Inglenook Sidings: An enjoyable shunting puzzle in a limited space, with the opportunity for the public to have a go.
     
    1st: Gresley Beat: No contest! Plenty of scale length trains with lots of LNER action. Superb!
     
    Best scenic item
    Runner Up: The viaducts on "Dentdale",
     
    Winner: The photographic backscene and lighting on "Black Country Blues" - just excellent.
     
    Best model loco
    It could have been any of the sound fitted locos on "St Stephens Road" with the Dukedog and Spamcan being strong contenders. For me the pick was the sound fitted "City of Truo". It looked and sounded superb.
     
    And finally - the not so good.
     
    Runner Up: The doubling up of 8F 48773 on "Dentdale",
     
    Winner: I am not going to name the layout. All I will say is one model featured a card built model of a "cafe". This was falling apart, with the card roof clearly very bent. The colouring on the model looked like it had been done by one of my less able 6 year old pupils!!
     
    A great show though, thoroughly enjoyed it!!!
  2. 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....
  3. andyram

    Weston 2014 is go!

    By andyram,

    The school holidays may be half over and the Christmas festivities may now be over, but with the New Year around the corner I can now confirm that there WILL be a Weston-on-Trent Model Railway exhibition in 2014.
     
    Actually the decision was an easy one. With almost £1000 raised for school funds and plenty of positive comments received, the headteacher seemed to nervously ask me if I would be prepared to run another event. Answer..of course I would.
     
    The date is Saturday 15th November.
     
    As a result I am on the look out for layouts again. Can anyone help??
     
    Meanwhile:
    Skaleby West
    The layout is in store awaiting our double house move next year. We will leave our current home in January and move around the corner to my late Grandfather's bungalow. We will stay here for 6 months until our new build is ready.
    No work will be carried out on the layout until we move out of our current home. Then I hope to get cracking on some of the outstanding jobs on the current scenic section and also consider building the scenic extension.
    In its current form the layout is available for exhibitions should anyone want it. At present its only 2014 booking is the Weston show, and that depends on whether or not I complete the extension.
  4. andyram

    Is Big really the Best?

    By andyram,

    Throughout this week there has been plenty of excitement about this weekend's Warley exhibition. Sadly I have never been to this event, and my plans for a visit this weekend have been scuppered by a nasty case of flu! Strangely enough I do not feel that disappointed.
     
    This year Warley advertises 87 layouts, numerous demonstrations and plenty of traders ready to tempt people to part with their hard earned cash. There is also the manufacturers who will be announcing new products, and full size exhibits such as the part built Patriot class. There really is plenty to see. So why I am not that disappointed to be visiting this mecca of model railways.
     
    That fact is - I am going to play devils advocat for a few minutes. Can a show grow to be too big?
     
    The show is advertised as running from 9.45 - 6.00. Let's assume I can get in the show at 10am and stay until closing. That gives me 8 hours. Take away half an hour to have some lunch and that leaves 7 and a half hours or 450 minutes. That means that during that time, just to see all the layouts I would have an average of just over 5 minutes per layout. That does not account for the demos / traders and all other exhibits. Considering them would reduce the average time down to 2 or 3 minutes per exhibit. To me that sounds like a real rush!
    Considering the number of people who say they are going to the show, I am sure that there will be a large crowd inside the NEC and I wonder how easy it will be to get to see some of the exhibits.
    Entrance to the show is £13, and parking can be as much as £10. If I am going to pay that much out before I even get into the show I want to know that I will enjoy the event and have the time to see all that I want to see.
     
    The biggest event I regularly visit is the Stafford show which is quite a bit smaller than Warley. Despite spending the whole day there I sometimes come away feeling that I have not had enough time to properly see everything.
     
    At the smaller shows there is plenty of time to make two or three circuits of the exhibits, see everything, go back and view and photograph my favoured layouts and also spend time talking to some of the exhibitors. At these events it seems a lot more relaxed and less rushed, as a result I often come away having enjoyed them more.
     
    So, at the risk of asking a contraversial question, can a show actually be too big??
  5. 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!!!
  6. andyram

    The Night Before!

    By andyram,

    Well what a weird day! After a monumental effort from the staff during the afternoon the majority of the school is ready to receive their exhibits. It was a weird feeling setting up a model railway exhibition whilst dressed in pyjamas and dressing gown as part of a Children in Need fundraiser. Such is the varied life of a teacher! At least the fundraising film club in the afternoon allowed me some free time for setting up.
    The hall is ready, although we have had to reduce the tables for the refreshments to fit everything in. The hall must have shrunk!! A slight layout location ammendment was needed as well, but hopefully all will be well. To balance out the reduced tables we have added plenty of chairs in the corridors to give people places to sit.
     
    At present two layouts are partially set up, the show guides are printed and ready and the lunch passes are ready to be handed out. We have even remembered to put up signs for the toilets this year! Just the road signs to do. The Mickleover group are kindly lending us some of their signs for this year so hopefully they will be easier to see!
     
    And so, after a year of planning it is almost here! It has flown by. Once again the nerves are jangling. Have I got the plans right? Will everything fit in? Will all the exhibitors turn up? Will enough people come through the door?
     
    Only time will tell.
     
    If you are coming to the show I hope you enjoy it. Please remember, this is only our second show. We will probably still make mistakes. Please be patient with us. If you have any suggestions please tell us. The new road signs and pricing arrangements are based on feedback we received last year. If you enjoy the show please share your comments too. The positive verbal and written feedback we received last year was the reason this year's show went ahead!
    Also don't forget to come and say hi. I will be operating Skaleby West all day.
     
    As far as the layout is concerned it should be exhibited as a through station although the second fiddle yard is very rough. The loco roster will be finalised tonight (after a meal in the pub with my wife)
     
    Hope to see you there.
  7. andyram

    The last week!

    By andyram,

    As I sit and write this entry there is less than a week to go until the Weston on Trent model railway exhibition. Things are slowly coming together, but there is still so much to do in the next five days.
     
    At present I am working on putting the show guide together. It is almost finished, but still requires information from one layout owner. My aim is to get the guide finished by Wednesday so that it can be printed on Thursday and Friday. This year's guide will run to 12 pages compared to 8 last year.
     
    The raffle still needs sorting. So far we have the usual array of wine and biscuits promised and the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway and Midland Railway have replied to my request with the promise of raffle prizes. Hopefully they will arrive in time. Sadly a number of local preserved lines have ignored the request. I am sure that they receive many requests, but a reply to say no would not go amiss. I have to say the lack of any response from the Great Central is especially disappointing considering I am a working member there! Time yet I suppose. The raffle has been boosted by some railway DVD's which have been donated for this year.
     
    Tomorrow sees the final planning meeting. Hopefully the rest of the staff will provide the same commitment as last year. They did a cracking job on the refreshments and have set high standards for this year.
     
    Finally I still have Skaleby West to finish. Still no final loco roster yet, and still some last minute scenic work to complete. Update to follow on this later in the week.
     
    Until next time...
  8. andyram

    Taking Stock

    By andyram,

    As the Weston-on-Trent show creeps closer here is a further update:
     
    The show
    What a difference a few days make. In my last blog I reported that a layout pulling out had reduced the total to 18. Within a few days it has increased to a provisional total of 21. One small layout which had pulled out earlier in the year is now coming again, and I have received a kind offer from another RMWeb user to bring their shunting layout too! It will certainly be good to welcome one of the website's younger members to the event.
    I have also confirmed arrangements for our first ever guest demonstrator. This has resulted in me opening up another small room in the school for this year's event. As part of the demonstration stand RMWeb user DonB's developing model of the Bridgnorth Cliff Railway will be on show. Although work in progress it will be well worth seeing!
    As thing stands the show will feature exhibits in 4 rooms and 2 corridors. This should be made up of 21 layouts, 8 traders and 2 demonstrations. At present there are just a couple of layouts awaiting final confirmation. Once this has been received I will post a full list of visiting layouts on the blog and the show page.
     
     
    The layout
    I now have the extra flowers and some more stock boxes courtesy of the Burton show last weekend. Now all I need to do is complete the extra scenic touches and decide on a loco roster for this year's show. I admit that I have a little bit of a dilemma with this. I am struggling to decide which of my vast collection of locos to roster into service for the day.
    For many years I was a railway modeller without a layout. During this time I did build up a rather large collection of steam outline models. These cover all of the “Big Four” regions as well as a selection of B.R standards. The majority are liveried in British Railways colours with a mix of early and late crests.
    Skaleby West does not represent any particular location or era. It could easily pass for a preserved line or a branch line in the latter days of steam. The only scenic items which suggest a location are the Midland region signal box, and the maroon liveried benches and station lamps. It was for this reason that I chose to run the layout with a Midland region feel last year. The initial loco roster included the following weathered models;
     
    Bachmann Standard 4 number 75065
    Hornby “Black 5” number 44762
    Bachmann Fairburn tank number 42667
    Bachmann Standard 4 number 80120 (seen below on my home layout)

     
    The first two locos did look a little too large for such a small layout, and a certain amount of artistic licence was used when running them on the short passenger trains.
    A second passenger set was worked regularly by my unweathered Bachmann Ivatt tank number 41324. This was borrowed, along with the coaching stock, from my permanent home layout, Skaleby. The loco and carriages worked at regular points during the day to depict a service from the model’s sister station (see below).

    My spare locomotives were two Bachmann unweathered models, “Jinty” number 47279 (seen on the layout below) and Midland 3F number 43474. These were both pressed into regular service due to problems with the Standard 4 tank and the Fairburn and ran impeccably.

    But what should I do this year? Do I stick with the Midland theme? If so what models should I choose? I definitely need to make some changes to last year’s roster. The Fairburn tank has developed a fault and cannot run and 75065 and the Black 5 really are too big.
     
    My plan is to run with two passenger sets and two mixed freight sets throughout the day, with the freights being shunted in the yard in between each arrival and departure. This means I need 5 regular locomotives and a couple of spares. Perhaps I will throw it open to others. Any suggestions as to what I should run??
  9. andyram

    The clock is ticking....

    By andyram,

    As the pumpkins appear outside some of the doors on our street, and little witches, ghosts and wizards start begging at my door, it reminds me that November is almost here. In fact there are now just 17 days until the second Weston-on-Trent model railway exhibition. That is quite a scary thought as there is just so much to do. Here is the latest update:
     
    The show
    After the children had left school at the end of the half term last Friday, I finally made it into the junior classroom to complete the measuring up. This will form the extra room for this year's event. With the help of the headteacher's husband things were completed quickly. I have since spent the early part of the half term break completing the floor plan and sending out the confirmation emails.
    Sadly things have not gone as smoothly as I had hoped. A number of emails have come back with quick confirmations, but one or two have brought additional problems. One layout has changed shape! Yes the dimensions given to me at the original time of booking are now different and that will mean some further tinkering with the plan. In addition to this, one trader decided to moan about their planned change of location in the hall whilst another decided to argue over the agreed price! Sadly a further email has brought news that one layout has had to pull out. Whilst it was one of the smaller exhibits it is still a little disappointing!
    At present the layout count stands at 18. This is one more than last year. I had set myself a target of 20 so I am back on the search again. The question is, can I really find two more layouts at such a late stage?? Time will tell! Perhaps it is time to contact those people whose details I have placed "on file".
     
    The layout
    As regular readers of this blog will know, I built my first exhibition layout for last year's show. Since then Skaleby West has been stored in our spare room with plans to add a second scenic board in time for this year's event. Sadly that will not now happen.
    With our house still on the market the extension board has been stored out of sight in the garage. So far the baseboard has been glued together, but it still awaits the final screws before any scenic work can begin. Even if I manage to complete the baseboards there is just no chance I can do any serious work on it. The extension is now on hold until next year although the board may still be used as a second fiddle yard to allow Skaleby West to be exhibited as a through station for the first time.
    With a free day today I did give some attention to the current scenic board. The whole layout was cleaned to remove the layer of dust and a few repairs were carried out. It seems the original modelling glue does not come up to standard. A few of the platform items had come loose as had some of the "goods" in the goods shed. These were all re-glued before some additional detail was added.
    A bicycle was added to the platform and some Mini-Natur flowers were glued behind the station name board to hide the white plastic "feet" which could still be seen from some angles. At present red roses dominate the scene as this is the only colour I have. Hopefully I can pick up some other colours from Burton at the weekend allowing me to complete the scene. Here are some updated photographs, apologies for the poor quality as they from my mobile phone.

    Fresh from some maintenance Ivatt tank 41324 arrives with a short works train.

    A mobile phone shot showing the developing flower bed behind the station running in board.

    A shot towards the station building showing the newly added bicycle.

    The coal merchants complete with workman now re-glued in a new location.
  10. andyram
    I can't believe that my last blog entry was in June! Where has the time gone?? All of a sudden there has been the first chill of the upcoming Autumn and the nights are starting to draw in and that means the second Weston-on-Trent model railway show is starting to creep ever closer. As I write this there is less than two months to go. So much has happened since the last blog, and so little has happened too.
     
    I had hoped that my six week summer break would see me get stuck into the planned extension to Skaleby West ahead of its second ever exhibition appearance at Weston 2013. Sadly things did not work out that way as other things got in the way - family trips out, decorating and a curtailed deviation into G scale modelling all eroded the time I had to work on the layout. In the final week of the summer break I did manage to glue together the wood to form the extension baseboard and that is it! The board still sits in our garage awaiting the final screwing together before scenic work can begin.
    Recently we have put our house on the market, and as we look to move into a new build via the government's "Help to Buy" scheme we have just a four week window in which to sell. During this time there is strictly no modelling as much of my stuff has been secreted away out of sight. It is looking very much like the extension will not get finished in time - in fact I probably won't have time to even start scenic work.
    I do have a "Plan B". If I can finish fixing the board together I may use it as a temporary second fiddle yard allowing Skaleby West to be displayed as a through station for the first time. The current scenic section has seen one or two improvements during the summer and I will refer to these in a later blog.
     
    But now the big news!
     
    The show will be extended this year!
    Yes I have gained permission to open up a second classroom which should allow me to fit in all the exhibits I have planned. There were a couple of layouts which I had put on my provisional list and had not got back to the owners. Both of these are RMWeb members so apologies to them. I will be in touch in due course. Right now I am measuring up the new room and beginning to finalise the floor plan to include all current exhibits. At present there are 17 layouts and 8 trade stands on the roster! We will also have the raffle and the same ladies on catering so all exhibitors and visitors can expect to be well fed!
     
    Less than two months to go then!
     
    Until next time (I promise to update soon!!!)
  11. andyram
    As anybody who has read my other blogs will know, I already have two model railway projects ongoing at present. My permanent home based layout, Skaleby, is a 00 gauge shelf layout currently undergoing a protracted construction in our spare room. Its little brother, Skaleby West, is a micro layout, built for my Weston-on-Trent exhibition last year. This has an extension in the advanced planning stage.
     
    So the last thing I really need is another model railway project!
     
    The fact is, I had never really considered starting another project. My main aim was to make progress on the Skaleby West extension - but one innocent comment changed all of that.
     
    A recent trip out saw my eyes fall upon a Bachmann G gauge "Thomas" set. This contained Percy, two troublesome trucks and an oval of track + controller at a much reduced price. Now I am quite fond of those original characters from the Island of Sodor. I was brought up on a diet of Rev Awdry stories. It is what got me interested in steam and model railways. My 20 month old daughter is developing a similar interest (perhaps aided by a few preserved railway and model railway visits with daddy!!). She can already control my father in law's "track mat" layout, asks for the "choo-choos" everytime she visits there and can name a number of the Thomas characters - including shouting out "That's right" everytime she sees Ferdinand - one of the awful new characters added by the vandals that currently own the franchise. Her favourite character is Percy.
     
    Upon arrival home I happened to mention this "bargain" set to my wife, expecting her to produce the sort of usual stock wife answer we hear all the time eg "that's nice" / eyes roll upwards etc. Did she? No! What she said was - "why don't you buy it for the garden?". Even an excuse of lack of funds from me did not produce the sensible response from her. Instead I got "why not use your credit card!".
    Up until that point a G gauge garden layout had only been a distant dream - something that would be nice to have but never likely. Up until that point I have never really liked the SWMBO tag that many RMWeb users give their spouses. But on this occasion I am happy to adopt it.
     
    And so I have my third model railway project.
     
    Since that fateful day I managed to dig out an old Hornby magazine "Garden Railway" supplement. This gave guidance as to how to build a semi-permanent G gauge layout. This is what I am planning at present. For the time being the track plan will make use of the basic oval from a, soon to be purchased, set. It will give my daughter the chance to control a train on a continous run - something that is not possible on Skaleby or Skaleby West. There will be scope to expand the set some time in the future if and when funds permit as I have to be honest money is not readily available at present!
     
    Getting started
    During the last year I have gradually been extending the flower bed which runs down one side of our back lawn. The plan had been to extend this to the rear of the garden and further widen it at the far corner so that we got rid of some of the poorly laid areas of lawn around our bird table. This area we planned to cover in plastic sheeting, before adding a layer of decorative stones / gravel. Work commitments had rather halted progress during the last 12 months. But after identifying this decorative area as a perfect place for the initial starter oval of track I had renewed motivation. I dug the whole thing out this afternoon! The accompanying picture shows the progress made so far - amazing what the promise of a layout can do!!!

  12. andyram

    Butterley 2013

    By andyram,

    This year was the third year of Butterley's Midland Rail-ex event. I have been fortunate enough to visit the last two shows and was very much looking forward to this year's event. I had read a one or two concerned comments from people on RMWeb, with these worried about parking and signage at the event. I wondered whether these would be an issue this year.
    Arriving at Butterley shortly after 9am on Sunday parking was certainly not a problem. There was plenty of space in the car park, and there were plenty of stewards to direct you to a space to ensure that they got as many cars in as possible. With an overflow car park available too there seemed plenty of space available and I heard no complaints during the day.
    The queue had been dealt with quickly and there was no delay at the booking hall when paying the entrance fee. On the platform the staff kept us all informed about the various loco movements and arrangements for the train services to the exhibition site at Swanwick Junction. At Butterley the station buffet and gift shop were both open as was the AMRS building all of which provided things to do whilst waiting for the train.
    The first train left on time at 9.30am and deposited us all at Swanwick soon after. With the show due to start at 10am I was surprised that we were allowed access to the event some 20 minutes early. Whilst this meant no hanging about it, it did lead to some exhibitors not being ready. In the station building the Bachmann Collectors Club stall was unmanned and covered over with a sheet. The "Glen Roy" layout was all set up, but was also unmanned. A similar situation was found in the Diesel shed where one layout was also not operating and two trade stands were unmanned with one still covered over.
    This certainly is not a good start to the day. I do not blame the exhibitors for this as the event was advertised to start at 10am and so I guess they were all working to this time. But surely there is a security issue to have unmanned trade stands and layouts when the general public are allowed to enter. We all know that there are the odd "light-fingered" individuals who sometimes attend such events.
    It is clear that the organisors have not quite got the start of the day sorted yet. The same thing happened two years ago, whilst last year the first train was excessively delayed to "kill time". In my opinion if the event is due to start at 10am then the first train should take that into account and should not arrive at Swanwick until this time. Perhaps the first train should be timetabled later, or if the need is to move people from Butterley quickly perhaps the first train could pass through Swanwick, run to Riddings and stop on the return!
     
    That criticism aside I thought the show was excellent once again with a good range of trade stands and layouts. The buildings were well sign-posted and the map in the show guide was very clear. I think the organisors had listened to concerns from those less mobile vistors who felt that there was too much walking to do. As a result there were no exhibits in the West Shed this year, with the nearer Stationary Engine building used instead- although these exhibits were upstairs.
    Amongst the highlights of the show for me was the excellent "North Bridge". This small layout is crammed full of detail right down to the litter in the track bed and the detailed building interiors. The sound fitted locos add to the effect. I have seen this layout many a time before and never fail to be impressed. Other excellent models included "Poole in Wharfedale" complete with the moving vehicles on the road, the Ilkeston group's superb "Kimberley" layout filled out the chapel building very well. I do hope people managed to find this model.
    Iron Mould Lane is a fine model of an iron and steel works. Lots of detail and sound here too. My young daughter certainly recognised what it was trying to achieve, pointing and shouting "hot, hot" as one of the blue liveried Austerity tanks shunted a torpedo wagon. I think she recognised this vehicle from a steel works model seen at DEMU Showcase earlier in the year. What a memory for a 20 month old!!
    I did get back to see "Glen Roy" being operated later in the day. This is a very good model with lots of operational interest in a small space.
     
    The theme for the full size railway was stated as "shunters". Sadly this was a bit of a let down with the advertised display of shunting engines not being present. The small Peckett tank "Whitehead" was involved in some shunting during the day and made some light engine runs up the Codnor branch. Not really enough for it to be classed as "theme" though. At least the service trains catered for all though with both sets "top and tailed" by steam and diesel. Sadly I missed any steam haulage as having been diesel hauled by a class 47?? in the morning I had the same loco on the return as it relieved the Jinty for it to be coaled and watered. Never mind!
     
    All in all another great show and congratulations to all of the organising team. I am already looking forward to the 2014 event.
  13. andyram

    Ruddington 2013

    By andyram,

    A free Saturday gave me the chance to visit the Ruddington show today. This show, like the Midland Rail-ex at Butterley, spreads its exhibits around several buildings on the Nottingham Heritage Centre site. The main exhibition takes place inside the loco shed, with the layouts and traders tucked inbetween the various items of rolling stock. Space is certainly limited. Inside the shed there were 4 traders and 7 layouts. The best of these was the 0 gauge "Camden" shed model which I saw at the Derby show earlier in the year. This is a superb model and displays a large collection of wonderfully detailed Midland Region stock. I wish I had space for an 0 gauge model, especially the "Duchess" class models seen below on the turntable.


    Even larger than this was the G scale display which featured a variety of American stock, complete with sound and smoke! This layout also featured a Isle of Man loco and a Bachmann "Thomas". Perhaps, considering my daughter's interest in the little blue engine, I could get away with purchasing one as an excuse for a garden railway!
    A large American modular layout dominated the middle of the shed. Impressive in size, but not my interest, so I skipped past this one. Near to this was a young lad with a display of Lego trains - good to see younger children involved in exhibiting.
    A tram layout depicted a film studios, complete with a model of a Lancaster Bomber. My mother would have appreciated this, she has a real interest in WW2 aircraft and the Lanc in particular.


     
    Other layouts in the main shed were the N gauge models "Derwent Valley" and "Sumwhere Valley" both featured a constant stream of passing trains.
     
    Beyond the main shed the other areas were rather difficult to find. There was little signage and the "show guide" (printed A4 sheets) didn't provide a map. The visitors centre is very small, but featured one well stocked trade stand and two further layouts. It was good to catch up with Malcolm Hughes again as he displayed his collection of clockwork Hornby. Next to him was the modern image "Meadow Lane TMD" which is another impressive small space layout.
    The final building was at the far end of the site near to the station for the impressive miniture railways. The building contained one demonstration and two layouts from the Gresley and Wychnor group. I do enjoy watching the excellent "Glen Roy" and the operators are always friendly.
     
    That is 11 layouts in total - slightly less than the 12 advertised visitors. The site does have four layouts of its own which are present all year round. The 0 gauge Millhouse Lane is superbly detailed, but is outshone for me by the large 00 gauge model which depicts Ruddington Station in the latter days of steam. These are well worth seeing.
     
    In all the show was enjoyable, although I will suggest that better signage would improve things ensuring visitors do not miss anything. Perhaps the show could also expand into one of the other sheds - the road transport building for instance as this would allow a better range of layouts to be included. The only 00 gauge steam era layout was "Ruddington"
     
    The highlight for me was the use of steam on the line to Loughborough Junction. This was the first time I had seen steam used on such services during a model railway weekend. I had never previously travelled the full length of the line so this made my visit worthwhile too. I would also recommend the bottled Good Owld 63 ale which was on sale in the buffet carriage.

  14. andyram
    The need to get leaflets out to promote our own show at Weston has sent me off to some events this year which I would not normally have attended. As someone whose railway interest is very much preserved steam (with my model railways falling into the same category), a pure diesel and electric event is not one which would normally interest me. That does not mean I have anything against those who model these forms of railway - everyone is entitled to their own opinion and their own interest! I just prefer steam!
     
    I had intended to visit yesterday - but a sleepless night with my daughter and a few household chores put paid to that. Sadly that meant I could not get any leaftlets into the first day of the show. At least I got there today, laid a few out in various locations, and saw a few being carried around during the day, so my visit will prove worthwhile in that respect - especially if these people turn up in November!
     
    As regards the show itself I have to say it was excellent. I never expected to enjoy a diesel and electric show as much as I did. There was a good range of layouts and traders spread amongst the four rooms. Everything was easy to find thanks to a colour coded map in the show guide. Without doubt this is the best show guide I have seen for quite some time - full colour with a full page dedicated to almost every layout, illustrated by plenty of pictures. My congratulations to whoever produced this, it really is superb - and it was free too!
     
    I had seen some of the layouts at other shows. I have viewed Loch Tat on several previous occasions. I do like this N gauge model. The superbly modelled loch scene, complete with fishing boat, always takes me back to my honeymoon in the Highlands a few years ago. Also bringing back memories of those two weeks in Fort William and Inverness were the models "Rannoch Moor" and "Dalmally".
    Dalmally has a track layout which is based on Killin Junction. The Killin - Loch Tay branch is one I hope to model in the future, having bought a book on the line from a book shop in Fort William. It is nice to see a modern take on one of these stations.
    Rannoch Moor is a lovely depiction on the West Highland line. I loved the curving viaduct at one end. The trains services gave a good impression of those which can be seen in Scotland today. I did raise a smile at the charter train set stored at the back of the fiddle yard, complete with a steam interloper in the form of a Hornby "Black 5". Interestingly it had disappeared when I returned to the layout a second time. Had someone really been asked to remove it????
     
    The Hornby demonstration stand also had some steam interlopers. The models of "Duke of Gloucester" look very impressive. That is definitely one for a future shopping list. The DCC sound display was interesting and my daughter was certainly captivated when Simon Kohler set one of the sound fitted steam locos going on a rolling road! She was leaning forward wondering where the noise was coming from. Mind you, it did seem to upset a couple of other punters to hear a "steamy" at the DEMU show. Thanks Simon!!
    Returning to non-steam issues though. The new Sentinel shunter looks fantastic and did spark ideas for a modern shunting puzzle layout. I bet I am not the only one to be impressed enough with this model to think along those lines!
     
    I've mentioned my daughter a couple of times. At 18 months old she has already attended more than 10 events during her short life and she certainly enjoys them. We had only been inside a couple of minutes when she got excited by the steady stream of trains on the large 00 gauge layout - "Coppell". She was craning her neck over the security barriers to view an oncoming train shouting "Here it is" to the amusement of those nearby. But her favourite layout, and mine too, was "Rhydwyn Fawr". Set in a steel works this 7mm O gauge model featured in a recent issue of Railway Modeller. It looked good in the article, but it is even better in the flesh. The freelance industrial engines were busy moving the various stock around the different levels. The appropriate sounds and lights gave a great impression of a working steel mill. So much so that my daughter pointed to the large building and proclaimed it to be "hot, hot!". A brilliant layout, I could have watched it all day and so could my daughter. She dragged me back to it three times and moaned when I took her away.
     
    So to finish off. I may not have an interest in diesel and electric modelling - but this event was very enjoyable and well organised. I will certainly be back next year.
  15. andyram
    Part 1 – George Pepper

    George, a retired widower, is the lone resident of “Yew Tree Cottage” – the thatched dwelling which peeps its way through the trees at the top of the embankment next to the tunnel.
    A keen gardener, George bought Yew Tree cottage following the death of his wife, Mary, last year. At the time the cottage was in quite a state of disrepair. Throughout last summer George was often seen out in the warm sunshine, clad in his overalls, bringing the building back to its former glory. He repainted the doors and windows and trimmed back the various ivy plants which had threatened to engulf the walls. Rumours have suggested that the back garden is immaculate too. Not that many people can confirm the statement. The cottage’s rear is well hidden and very few people have ventured inside the cottage since its new owner arrived.
    George is a quiet fellow who keeps himself to himself. You would think that he would not upset many people, but sadly that is not true. Aside from gardening, George has another passion – bees! He has several bee hives at the rear of the house, and has recently added a further hive at the side of the house. The bees often have a habit of venturing down to the station to frequent the stationmaster’s developing station garden. This does not go down well with the passengers.
    Here George can be seen attending to his newest hive, appropriately clad in his immaculate beekeeper’s overalls. No wonder he has gained the local nickname of “The Spaceman”.

     
     
    In truth George is nothing more than the latest figure added onto my Skaleby West exhibition layout. He is a Harburn Hamlet figure, purchased from the Bakewell exhibition recently.
    This has been the only development on the layout of late. A few problems at work have taken up a fair amount of my time and so I have not been able to turn my attention to any serious modelling of late. The extension remains un-started and I am beginning to wonder if it will ever get done.
    I have continued to operate trains on my home layout, Skaleby, throughout. Here is a shot of my Standard 3 tank arriving with a passenger train.

    Planning for this year’s Weston show continues though. Although, after such a stressful week, the last thing I needed was the school summer fair, it did give me chance to have a few leaflets and posters on display. I keep printing these out and dropping them off at every show I visit so hopefully it will produce a decent crowd.
    This year I have also written off to two of the four major modelling magazines. I plan to do the others in the next month or so. Not only am I trying to get a free advert in each magazine’s event diary, I am also trying to get a small feature on the show or even one on the layout. Sadly I have heard nothing back yet.
    I am reaching that crucial point though where I need to discuss the accommodation with the headteacher. I will need an extra room in order to fit all the layouts in. Hopefully this will not be a problem as I will be taking out one of the attractions from last year’s show. The crèche / children’s room which was dreamt up by one of the other members of staff did not receive enough support so will be dropped this year. The member of staff is leaving the school in July anyway so someone else would have had to run it. Removing this should allow me the chance to have an extra room for exhibits. Fingers crossed!
     
    Until next time…
  16. andyram
    In my last blog entry a month ago I mentioned that I had begun the hunt for layouts to make up the 2013 Weston on Trent model railway show. With plenty of time until the November date I was expecting things to move slowly! I was wrong! The period around the school's half term break produced a rather manic spell when everything seemed to happen at once!
     
    It all started with a visit to the Sileby show where I had discussed the show with three layout owners. One of these was booked and another is on the reserve list. Then I went to Trowell and was offered the chance to have the Moxley Heath O gauge layout again. This was duely booked and things started to take shape. And then it happened - my email went into meltdown. Not a day went by without at least one show related email and some came completely out of the blue - like the message from the owners of last year's exhibit - Guy's Cuttings, offerring to return with one of their other layouts. These were N gauge monsters and led to some hasty remeasuring of the hall before I could finally feel confident that I can squeeze their 21 foot long Watts Crossing layout into the show.
    Other emails brought even more exhibits. One owner responded to my request for his layout, agreeing to come and offerring to bring his mate with him, complete with an additional 009 model. The offers just kept on coming.
     
    I was feeling fairly settled that things were progressing well...then I went to the Mansfield show. I had always intended to visit, and also wanted to chat to another exhibitor as well as having a first look at their layout. Not only did I do that, I came away with other potential exhibits too. During the day I spoke to a couple of other layout owners, both were keen to attend this year's Weston show. Apologies to them that I haven't yet been in touch. I will be soon!
     
    Following the Mansfield show I was finally able to sit down and take a breath. All of a sudden the floor plan was looking a lot more full. In fact my problem could now be fitting everyone in. I was speaking to our headteacher's husband at a school social the other night. He suggested I look at trying to blag another classroom. He may have a point - especially as offers kept on coming. I arranged the final trade stand for the event - they offered to bring their layout too! Then I was walking around Burton toy fair. My dad, who was standing the event, called me over. A gentleman had picked up a leaflet for the Weston show and was wanting to bring his minic motorway layout!!! I really could not believe it!
     
    So as I write this blog I have 16 layouts as good as booked. If I add those from the Mansfield show I will have 19, and I could push the total up to 21 with those two recent offers. Things really have come together, and it has definitely all happened at once.......
     
    The layout
    If the progress on the show was not enough - the same period brought a significant development with my show layout. The Skaleby and District council have formally passed the planning consent for the extension to the line. In real terms my wife has given me permission to construct the second scenic board. The wood is on order and so I can start to develop my plans. At present I plan to build the second board to fit at the goods shed end of Skaleby West, providing an extra run from station to fiddle yard. I plan to represent a little more of Skaleby village on this board, and have bought a couple more Skaledale buildings for this purpose. More updates soon.
     
    Until next time....
  17. andyram

    Nottingham 2013

    By andyram,

    Ok, it was not at Harvey Haddon and the show was spread out over a number of locations. Ok, if you hadn't purchased a show guide you may have struggled to find everything, and ok there may have been parking problems. But Nottingham 2013 was a great show and great credit should go to those who organised the event in a relatively short space of time. It is not their fault the previous venue was unavailable, and it was not their fault that the weather caused some of the parking problems. (I remember a Stafford show where many cars had to be towed off the car park!!).
     
    Some people do not like change, clearly!
     
    Now the reason I am labouring the point is that, on Saturday, I observed a visitor verbally abusing one of the stewards in an aggressive manner about the above issues. It was disgraceful behaviour. If the gentleman in question reads this I hope he is totally ashamed of himself. Ok, he may not have been happy over some elements, and he is entitled to his opinion. But there are ways and means of making your point and that was not the correct way!
     
    This was the first show at the new venue and I am sure it has been a learning curve for the organisers and they will learn the lessons of this for future shows. But they are on the right track. There were plenty of signs and stewards to direct visitors to the different parts of the event. Maybe a free map with your ticket would help - after all the Mansfield show does this! The catering was good, and the entry fee slightly cheaper. And there was a good range of exhibits, well organised and logically grouped together.
    Highlights for me was the gigantic model of Leicester South which depicted the Great Central Railway. The large goods facility, complete with working wagon turntables was superb. Other excellent layouts were Sutton, Thurston, Borchester and Yarborough. All were excellent large layouts.
    I had been looking forward to seeing Gamston Bank. Sadly, like others who have commented, it seemed to be having a few technical problems whilst I was stood there. I did not get to see too much action. The layout was still an impressive model!
     
    The show had a few hidden gems including the Scottish region layout - Dalmally. This B.R blue era model depicted a modified model of a real station on the Glasgow to Oban line. Its track layout taking inspiration from such locations as Killin Junction. I have developed an interest in the Killin branch after reading articles and books on the line to Loch Tay. Seeing this model was very interesting..maybe a model of Killin Junction could be a long term personal project. Now there is a thought!
    Another little gem was the N gauge modern image model of Stoney Lane Depot. Such detail packed into a relatively small space. Superb!
    And what a shock. Here is me - a self confessed steam modeller praising modern image layouts. They must have been that good!!
     
    There is always the odd model built in a strange place. The "Shoerack Shuttle" was located in a room which I almost missed. This was built in an Ikea shoerack and showed what could be done when space is very limited. Another excellent model.
     
    Overall a great show. And a good starting point at this new venue. I believe that the show will be there for another two years at least and I am sure the organisers will learn lessons from it. But was a great show. Well done to all concerned.
  18. andyram

    Mansfield 2013

    By andyram,

    If you are free tomorrow (Sunday 3rd March) I recommend you get over to Mansfield for the second day of this show. I am sure you will not be disappointed!
     
    I first visited the Mansfield show last year and found it to be a very friendly show. This year's visit was the same. I only expected to stay for about an hour, but ended up staying for over three. So many of the exhibitors and visitors to this show are friendly and are willing to chat. Of course it helps that many are RMWeb members.
    I have only been a member of this site for about a year or so, so still consider myself a "newbie", but there were so many fellow users who said hello and wanted to chat that I was made to feel very welcome. Even one of the stallholders asked my name and conducted business on first name terms - it is just those little touches!
     
    As for the layouts there were some very impressive ones on display too. Several familiar models were present - Jim Read with his excellent "Moxley Heath" and "Dava" with his new layout "Coney Hill" which is coming along a treat. It was great to see the Ixion O gauge tank engine running on this layout. What a nice model and very smooth runner too.
    Redgate Models "Fourgig East" was on display again. It is still a work in progress, but is looking a very nice model. It was nice to watch Ian at work with tooth brush and ballast.
    I saw Andy Peters' "Glen Roy" for a second week in a row. This time there were a few steam interlopers on this B.R blue era layout - these had DCC sound too. The Black 5 was an excellent model - wish I had the cash for one! Oh well I can't be greedy. I did pick up a lovely Bachmann D11 today. Not sure what to tell the wife!!
     
    Upon visiting the show I expected to be voting for Kirkby Stephen West as the best in show. A truely impressive 00 gauge model of the S & C. I did watch this for quite a while. The scenics and the procession of trains never disappoint. There is always something new to see, and to raise a smile. The "Rivet Counter detector van" was still doing its rounds, and has been joined by a builders van - neatly belonging to Bob!
    However "Mozzers" Coombe Rock layout gave me a dilema! Now I am not usually a fan of U.S layouts. Nothing against them, they are just not my thing. But the detail in this was superb right down to the details inside the buildings including the card game in the saloon bar and the drunk slumped outside. So much to see - this really is a fantastic layout and it made choosing which to vote for very tricky!
    I could mention all the layouts as they were all great. I enjoyed the two modern image layouts Dudley Road and Peter's Street and one or both could be winging their way to Weston at the end of the year. In fact there could be a couple of other layouts being added to the show from today. That was completely unexpected - but I will tell more when I update the Weston show blog.
  19. 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.....
  20. 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.
  21. andyram

    One week on - the future!

    By andyram,

    Back in February I started this blog entitled “What have I let myself in for?” With the Weston show now over I have had a chance to reflect on that, and also to look to the future!
     
    The layout - Skaleby West
    I had always wanted to build an exhibition layout, and organising the Weston show gave me the excuse and motivation to get on and do it. I thoroughly enjoyed the nine month build, and have learnt many new skills during the period including hand ballasting, using static grass and even a poor first attempt at scratch building.
     
    The layout returned home from the show unscathed and has found itself back in its original home on top of the rabbit hutch in the spare bedroom. Under the bright lights in this room I have to reflect that it looks ok. True enough it is not the world’s best layout and there are many faults – the goods shed for instance and the gap in the scenery at the front of the board by the tunnel. Despite these faults I am still quite proud of it. So what now?
     
    Skaleby West was always built primarily for the Weston show. That is what kept me motivated throughout the build. Now the show is over that motivation has gone, for now at least. In its present location I can’t even run it and so it may have to be mothballed and stored away in the loft for a while.
    I do want to finish the model. The points still need wiring, the goods shed will need replacing again, there is more detail I would like to add and I have considered adding a second scenic board. For transportation I have also thought about some sort of protective “box” which would cover the front and top of the model.
    I suppose any such work would probably be done with an exhibition appearance in mind. In theory the layout is available for show visits (with wife’s permission of course!) At the end of the Weston 2012 show there were no more in the diary………..
     
    The show – Weston-on-Trent
    Without doubt the show was a success. We raised plenty of money and I have received so many kind emails and messages of congratulations for the show. I thank everyone for their feedback, including the constructive criticism we received. All feedback is useful. It was nice to pass on the kind comments about the catering to the rest of the staff who did such a great job. I know they appreciated it. Many said that they don’t receive such kind comments from people who visit our other fundraisers which are more aimed at the school community. Many praised the politeness and friendliness of our visitors.
     
    The money raised, along with the kind responses we received, pretty much made the decision for us. There WILL be a Weston-on-Trent 2013 show. I can now reveal that the date has been set for Saturday 16th November 2013. Therefore I am issuing an appeal for layouts again. I know some people from this year’s show may return with other layouts so I am a little way down the line already – but I will need more.
     
    So as my blog title said back in February. “What have I let myself in for?” Maybe now I should rename it “Here we go again!”
     
    Here’s to next year. And in the meantime here are some additional shots I have taken of Skaleby West during a free hour today.

    What might have been!
    The milk taken stands by the goods shed. I dropped this wagon whilst packing stock prior to the Weston show and broke the coupling.

    Two shots of Jubilee class 45659 "Drake" as it exits the tunnel into Skaleby West.

    Standard 3 tank 82020 pauses at the platform.

    82020 shunts the goods yard.
  22. andyram

    The Longest Day

    By andyram,

    According to my diary the “longest day” is the summer solstice in June when we have more daylight than on any other day. For me the longest day was, without doubt, Saturday 10th November, the date of the Weston-on-Trent model railway show.
    The show has been nine months in the planning, and the subject of many a blog entry here on RMWeb. Now the day has been and gone. And what a day it proved to be!
     
    It all started the night before as I began to pack up Skaleby West for transportation. The layout has never been out to a show before and so this was a learning experience. I really did not know how much stock I would need. I filled a single Bachmann stock box with freight vans and wagons, and another with locomotives. I do have a vast collection of locos and so it was a tough choice to decide what to take. I decided that I wanted to take as many factory weathered locos as I could, and that I wanted to run with a Midland Region feel. After a lot of decisions I settled on a collection that featured Fairburn tank 42267, Standard 4 tank 80120, Standard 4 75065, Black 5 44762 and unweathered Ivatt tank 41324 which I “borrowed” from the working fleet on Skaleby, my permenant home layout. I also added unweathered Midland 3F 43474 and Jinty 47279 to a bag of stock to act as spares.
     
    Things did not start well. As I loaded up the stock box I managed to drop my milk tanker on the floor, snapping the coupling off. Gutted! The wagon has never been operated and will now need repairing before I can use it. Not the start I wanted – and it was the first of several mishaps.
     
    On the morning of the show I was up at 5am. After a fairly relaxed breakfast I began the task of loading up the car. Having never done this before it took a while. The task was made more difficult by the need to do the loading up in the dark, and as quietly as possible to avoid waking my wife and daughter. Thankfully I was able to complete the job in time to get to school for just after the 7am opening up time. I was rather surprised to find a stallholder sat on the doorstep. It seemed the caretaker had opened up and then disappeared. After sorting the stall holder out I began to unload Skaleby West. Sadly the journey had taken its toll. Some of the trees had shed their leaves, part of the station fencing had fallen over and two station lamps had become detached.
     
    The next couple of hours passed by in a blur as I set about erecting the layout and repairing the damage, in-between directing exhibitors and stall holders to their “pitch”. Things did seem to be settling down until one of the other staff members, Chris, came though to tell me that the gas boiler wasn’t working in the kitchen. I’m not quite sure whether that was before or after she had contrived to lock herself in the staff toilet! She did have quite an eventful morning!!
     
    A few frantic phone calls for help and we did get the boiler relit so we could fire up the ovens ready for the lunch run and also begin supplying the thirsty with valuable teas and coffees. I left them to it and raced around distributing lunch and exhibitor passes, ensuring the show guides and voting forms were ready at the front door. Then someone asked the question…where are the toilets? Whoops. Forgot to put up the signs! I hadn’t actually made them! A quick bit of delegating and that was sorted!!
     
    After a quick intake of breath it was back to the classroom to finish erecting Skaleby West. By now there was about an hour until opening. The stock was placed on the layout; the controller connected up and……NOTHING! The whole layout was dead! I set about cleaning the track. Still nothing! I tried substituting the controller. No good! More track cleaning, more controller testing. Still nothing!! The Famous Trains group who were setting up next to me almost saw a grown man cry. After all this work, surely I wasn’t going to have to leave the layout as a static exhibit! I had been looking forward to running it! Off went the power at the plug, the connections taken apart and then reconnected. The power turned back on and……..IT WORKED!!! The relief!! I then ran a couple of test trains before heading off around the school to see how everyone else was getting on. This was about the only time that I got to see some of the exhibits. Whilst I had seen some of the layouts at other events there were a few, exhibited by other RMWeb users, that I had only seen in photographs. I have to admit that I was pretty pleased. All the layouts looked great.
     
    At 10.30am I checked that everyone was ready and we opened the doors. It was a little disheartening to see only a handful of people in queue. I suddenly feared that there was a risk of an embarrassing failure on our hands. Thankfully the show started to fill up during the first hour, and there was a steady stream of people throughout the day. Spending the day operating Skaleby West, it was great to meet some friendly people including some who had been following this blog. A big thanks to all of those people who gave feedback. I knew we would not get it right first time. Clearly the road signs were not clear enough, and many felt that we could have charged a little bit more for the food and the tickets. I thank people for their comments. It was great to hear so many positive comments too. I hear that people were impressed with the quality and number of layouts on show. So a big thanks to all of the exhibitors. Here are some shots from the day.

    Irton Road

    Ilkeston's Thomas layout.

    Chris Trafford's "Board Lane"

    Alan Cheadle's "Friarsgate".

    Two shots of the impressive N gauge layout "Guy's Cuttings".

    Summat Colliery

    Busy times at Summat Colliery

    Malcolm Hughes' Suitcase Layout.

    Ken Jones and his Waterfall Junction layout.

    Belper Modular Layout

    A Layout in a T.V!!

    Famous Trains' Darley Green layout.

    Rolleston on Dove

    A busy tiime at Skaleby West
     
    So then, nine months ago I did not have a clue how to organise an exhibition. I didn’t even know if I would get any layouts, let alone enough to fill a show. RMWeb has been a great help. I would like to thank all of the users who offered their advice and to those who brought their layouts a very special thank you. Without you there would have been no show. What a great website this is!
     
    Nine months ago I had never really considered building an exhibition layout. But Skaleby West has been developed during this time and made its debut at the show. Admittedly it was not finished but I hope it passed muster! After its early niggles it ran fairly well. There were a few stalling issues and the Standard 4 tank derailed constantly as it crossed the points at the start of the fiddle yard. The loco had never been run before and it was with sadness that I had to take it out of service. This did allow the Jinty to step in and it ran impeccably all day. I must admit I thoroughly enjoyed operating the layout for the public. This may be its one and only exhibition outing but I do intend to finish it. I will add the extra detail, wire the points and plan some kind of box to transport the scenic section safely should it ever venture out again. I will also complete the fiddle yard as the track was just loosely laid for the Weston show. You never know when it may be needed again….
     
    Well actually it could be next year!
     
    The show certainly can be considered a success. We made just under £700 profit for the school which helped us to reach our £5,000 target for the year. 8/10 people who left the show apparently said “see you next year” and I believe there were other positive comments. So it looks certain that the show will happen again next year…date to be confirmed. I feel quite relieved that we were successful and quite proud as well. But I would like to thank all those who made the show a success. All of the staff worked tirelessly in the kitchen, all the layout owners and traders who supported us. Also a big thanks to all who visited for your support and comments. I hope we will see you next year!
     
    Finally I would like to congratulate David Rae whose layout, Irton Road, won the best in show prize after the votes were counted.
  23. andyram

    It is almost here!

    By andyram,

    I can't quite believe it. The Weston-on-Trent model railway show is almost here! The last nine months have flown by. It only seems like yesterday that I was suggesting the show during a fundraising staff meeting back in February. So much has happened in the mean time. The show, and the layout, have dominated my thoughts. Now the nerves are really jangling. Will the show be a success? Will we make some money for the school? Have I done enough advertising? Will enough people come through the door? Were my measurements accurate? Will all the exhibits fit in? Will all the exhibitors turn up?
     
    Only time will tell.
     
    One thing is for sure - the school is set up and ready. After a monumental attempt from the staff we have the hall, classroom and corridors set up and ready to receive their exhibits. One layout is partial set up in the classroom and Skaleby West is as ready as it can be. Just some packing up to do tonight,
     
    Let's hope it goes well!
     
    Whatever happens the last few months have been an interesting experience. I hope people have enjoyed reading about my experiences. If any RMWeb user visits the show tomorrow I hope you will have an enjoyable day. Please remember that it is our first attempt. We may make mistakes, please be patient with us! If you do come please come and say hello. I will be there all day operating Skaleby West. It will be great to chat to some fellow RMWebbers.
     
    And if you are coming here are some pics to wet your appetite.

    The main hall awaits the exhibits.
     

    The main corridor is also ready.
     

    An additional Skaleby West photograph for the show guide.
     
    Hope to see you tomorrow...
  24. andyram
    So, as I write this blog, there is now less than three days to go until the first ever Weston-on-Trent model railway show. Now is the time that things should be coming together. As far as the layouts are concerned that is very much the case. Most layout owners have replied to my recent email and confirmed their attendance and how many operators are due to be coming. That will help us to sort out the free lunches for them and hopefully ease the growing panic amongst the ladies who are running the refreshments on the day. The planning meeting on Monday saw some very stressed ladies!!
    The problem is, as this is our first show, we just do not know how many people to expect. We could have just 50 people through the doors, or we could have ten times that. It is impossible to make a prediction which makes stocking up on food very difficult. We don't want to waste profits by ordering too much, but we don't want to order too little and run out within the first hour. It is a difficult balancing act and it is causing some stress amongst the ladies at present.
     
    Am I stressing? Well maybe just a little! Whilst the layout owners have been brilliant at replying with the necessary informaton, the same cannot be said of the traders. Despite being asked two weeks ago to send payment in advance, I am still waiting for several of them to come up with the money. Worryingly one of these claims to want an advert in the show guide which is due to be printed on Friday and the ad hasn't been sent either. The last thing I want is to be printing the guides on the morning of the show!
     
    I also need to put the finishing touches to Skaleby West. Sadly modelling time has been eroded as my ten month old daughter has chosen the perfect time to turn into a diva. Anyone who saw her smiling and charming people at Burton on Sunday...do not be fooled! Actually, to be fair, a serious case of teething has caused some very restless nights which has restricted the time I have had to finish the layout. I have had to grab whatever time I can. Last night I stole ten minutes, before heading out to the Rams match, to glue down the cork on the fiddle yard board. Tonight I have turned my attention to detailing the platform. Earlier in the week I added signs to the station fencing, station lamps and benches. A pile of baskets were glued onto the platform in front of the station building and some more "goods" were added to the platform in the good's yard. Now I have added the figures to the platform and added the station name board. Here are the latest pictures,

    The newly installed station name board, trolley of milk churns, benches and people.

    A general view across the platform showing the additional detail including signs, people and pile of baskets.

    Further details to the top of the tunnel. A single man watches the action from the top of the embankment and a garden roller leans against the cottage wall.

    More goods added to the good's yard area. The goods shed still needs some attention before Saturday.
     
    And so as time continues to tick I still need to finish the fiddle yard and add more detail to the layout. The show guide needs finishing and I need to make some road signs!!! I almost forgot about them!!!
     
    Until next time....
  25. andyram

    Challenge Anneka!

    By andyram,

    RMWeb uses of a certain age will probably remember a television programme by the name of "Challenge Anneka." Anneka Rice, fresh from leaving Treasure Hunt, squeezed her then shapely rear end back into a jumpsuit to race around the country. Instead of looking for clues she attempted to help different good causes by attempting to complete projects in a seemingly impossible time.
    This week I felt like I was facing a similar impossible task. The model railway show is now just a few days away and Skaleby West still needed a lot of work. That gap remained as I turned the calendar over to the month of November. I knew that time was running out and I needed to get the job done. The early days of half term had been blighted by household chores and a baby daughter who would not sleep. The half made kit of the good's shed was still on the desk, gradually falling apart. But time was running out and any hope of starting from scratch seemed to be out of the question.
    On the Thursday of half term I set myself the task of filling the gap and finishing the job. I set to work at 1pm, with a target of finishing the job by the time my wife arrived home at 9pm. This really was a "Challenge Anneka" moment.
     
    1.00pm. I set to work repairing the good's shed kit and adding some interior detail. I added some "goods" to the interior including some barrels and sacks.

     
    2.00pm. I test fitted the building into the gap. A cork base was laid to raise the building's height to the correct level for the track. Cork was also laid behind the good's siding as I had to extend the siding slightly in order for a wagon to reach the unloading platform.

     
    3.00pm. I cut polystyrene blocks to the height of the unloading platform and glued these on both sides of the building to provide a larger platform. Rolled up pieces of newspaper were then glued around the rear of the sidings and across the front to form the base for a small embankment.

     
    4.00pm. Plaster bandage was laid over the top of the polystyrene and the newspaper. I used some Metcalfe stone sheets to form the platform edges.

     
    5.00pm. The building was removed from the layout and the bandage was then painted in brown poster paint to provide a base for scenic work. This was left to dry.

     
    7.00pm. A layer of hanging basket liner was then glued over the top of the dry poster paint. This was covered in a generous amount of Noch static grass. A thin layer of Noch rock compound was mixed and then brushed over the platform area to represent a concrete base.

     
    8.00pm I then attempted to finish building the kit. I cut and added the roof and guttering. This did not work well at all. I now realise the card I used was far too thin. It just absorbed the glue, became soggy and would not fit together at all. When I finally placed the building back onto the layout I have to admit my heart sank. It looked awful! The print was fading, the building would not stand straight, the walls sagged and the roof would not stay attached to the walls. It looked a wreck. I decided to try and develop the scene to make the building look like it was supposed to be run down. I added plenty of lichen and scenic flock materials to try and represent an overgrown and run down good's building. This was the finished effect. I am sure you will agree that it looks dreadful. By now my 9pm deadline had been reached so I had to admit that I had failed in my challenge.

     
    But what to do?
    The show was just over a week away and I was not sure what time I had to put things right. It gave me a few sleepless moments that night. I still had to tackle the additional detail for the rest of the layout and complete the fiddle yard. But I could not leave it like that.
     
    The following day after a night in the pub had been cancelled I embarked on a scratch building project. I used the kit as a template and then cut new walls from a sheet of Metcalfe stone. Glued onto some thicker card I gradually built a replacement shed. This took me a couple of hours. It is not great, but after some detailing I think it looks a little better. I still need to finish and attach the roof.

     
    Until next time...
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