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Install an HM7000 decoder with sound 😉 (you will lose lighting functionality though....)

I'll be honest, as a modeller I'm not a fan of this Era thing that I think Bachmann started (happy to be corrected). I'd much rather a date range was quoted. I can see the appeal for Gen Pop though.

Can't see me not attending - don't need a loco servicing demo do you?

Indeed, they have info regarding the changes to oil firing and are including this in the designs

Word of warning, my face is on "Buffer Stop", read at your peril. DCC Guru indeed!

It did cause some amusement within the demo crowd, on one hand we had a typed note put on our stands Sunday afternoon informing us we were to not break down until after 5pm and no dashing for the exit until the lights dimmed (or similar smoke signal/tannoy announcement) and on the other hand had our "Going for a Break" signs taken away so in theory we were trapped 🤣 A certain gent from Yorkshire who will be nameless made this point quite vociferously, I think with his tongue firmly in his cheek. Made us smile during the final hour though 😉

I had the opportunity to chat at length to Nikki (the Cad Engineer) at Warley and was left in no doubt as to which version would be the best 😉 CRW have an open dialogue with the Dame Vera Lynn folk too. I have no doubt theirs will be as good as it gets.

90751 pre-ordered. Quite appropriate as a resident at Motherwell when Dad was working up there just before he got married in 1962. Still got letters he wrote to Mum at the time. Apparently the cocktail bars in Motherwell were not up to scratch 🤣

Or they find out that you do…..

Very close to hitting the pre-order button, but first, does anyone know for definite which crest the available locos from CRW carried in 1958? Ideally I'd like to pick one that could have had a holiday down into the Midlands and appear on Summat Colliery 😉

It is not apparent from the pics, but the cab backhead pipework is a separate part rather than being moulded to the backhead. Another step forward 😁

On reflection I owe you Paul and the rest of the Warley team an apology for firing off the hip earlier this week. It is unlike me to do this, which may reflect on how angry/disappointed I was in the way things transpired over the weekend. The drive back home on Sunday evening was one of the worst journeys I have ever had to make. Now I know the details of how you were put under extra pressure over the weekend, my issues seem very minor in comparison. Make no mistake I really enjoy, as you say, meeting people, talking to people and sharing my experience and knowledge. My demos at Warley have always given me immense satisfaction. I will miss them. Anyway, I wish to draw a line under the matter, put this down to experience.

Ah, I was engrossed in setting up for the punters by then, I popped up earlier to the info desk about another issue and took our flyers with me. I was told at the time that they were having trouble locating the tables 😉 I popped back later when I managed to get a quick break and sorted it. Re the rubbish, in previous years a bin bag was provided, not this year, otherwise my tut would have been bagged and dropped in a bin on my way out 👍

Had a good chat with the CAD person (sorry didn't get their name, I'm rubbish at this -EDIT also rubbish at reading a topic before posting, sorry Nikki 😉) Sunday morning whilst examining the 3D print. Was very impressed with the overall approach to this model and some great advice offered to further my own 3D designing too! I'm certain where my money will be going should I have some spare for a 2-10-0 to (almost) complete my BR Standard collection BR livery late 50's early 60's please 😁

You hit the nail on the head there sir 👍

Wow, I remember when Elizabeth was born! Sorry not to have had time to come over and chat, Saturday was manic. I did send loads of punters your way though 🙂

Not expecting to gain anything Chris, I'm just answering other folks' questions as to my reasoning behind this year's show probably being my last. I'll not comment further on this issue, as as you say it serves no purpose other than fuel a wider debate on here (no pun intended).

Sorry, I did not make myself clear, the mileage rate that I request when accepting any invitation to exhibit is 45p, based on the IR maximum allowance. This has been understood and paid by Warley since I first started demoing (it was actually 40p back when I started, but has since increased in line with HMRC) Anyway, top and bottom I have submitted my claim and emailed receipts through, lets see what happens.

This was discussed within the demo area too, the consensus was it was another casualty of the late changes to organisation of the show (and there was sadly a death of a key member this year). There was an overall feel that a few things had been missed throughout the show. Little things like no tables available at the start of the show on Saturday next to the entrance for show flyers etc, the chap with all the spare breakfast vouchers not making an appearance on Saturday etc etc. Hopefully these issues can be raised and addressed at the next committee meeting. Warley is a great show, it would be sad to see it fall by the wayside like other large shows over the last few years.

This is pretty much the point. My rates are quite clear in my info and they have never been queried before, nor were they before this year's show. I sent TWO copies of my expenses claim in before the show, only to be asked to fill in another at 3pm on Sunday. It was only at this point was the new mileage rate quoted. It seems that this is a new thing for 2023, management has changed etc. This was the straw that broke the camel's back, there were lots of other little erosions into the experience that I will not go into. It's just time for me to hang up my sack trolley, I'm not the first demo that has taken this decision, Don't think I will be the last.

I first did a Loco and Stock Servicing demo in 2014, so I make this year's my tenth, but sadly probably my last. Huge thanks to @Barry O for the initial invite and looking after us demonstrators so well over the years. Sadly, since Barry stepped down from this role things have gone downhill. Things that we took for granted as demonstrators that made the experience pleasant have been eroded one by one. This culminated at around 3pm on Sunday when I was informed that my expenses would not be paid, at least in full, as the "club" would only pay fuel at 25p per mile. Not withstanding the fact that my Subaru burns more than this, the Warley show is a registered business and as such should pay the Inland Revenue rate of 45p per mile. It's not just the fuel cost, other running costs should be factored in. At the Mansfield show we have never queried expenses claims and never will. I sent two copies of my expenses form in before the show, there was plenty of time for them to have queried it before 3pm on Sunday. I'll not go in to any more detail regarding the general management of this year's show (breakfast vouchers, repeated requests to send the same information in ahead of the show etc, but save to say that the person organising the demonstrators had other duties thrust upon him. I feel quite ill this morning, looks like the "NEC Sickness" has struck, but the drive back home last night was a sad one for me. I will miss Warley, but it seems that it has been forgotten that we give out time freely to help further the hobby, helping modellers and supporting the show. Here's a couple of pics, my little setup in 2014 and demo kit packed up ready to leave yesterday

That's what it does. I was controlling a zimo sound decoder equipped loco today at Warley with the Hornby app via the dongle plugged into my Z21

D38 🙂

I’ll have my HM7000 equipped DELTIC on my loco servicing demo stand, plus my Z21 with a prototype something plugged into the Xpressnet socket 😉