298

Unfortunately leaving it to individuals would increase costs because the organiser wouldn't get a discount on their regular block booking or use their local knowledge to choose the best places to stay. It'd also be at the mercy of mis-interpreted expenses instructions should there be any last minute changes or unforeseen costs.

When it was just me and Mrs298 exhibiting a layout we had some nice weekends away, but with a family now I really don't like staying away and will only do so for special events- I'll also be having to travel more for work now and honestly hate the idea. I also sometimes feel guilty about claiming lots of expenses and often try not to- what if someone fed back that it was "Foreign rubbish" (see other thread) or had a derailment or some other unforseen issue? 

11 hours ago, TEAMYAKIMA said:

I was thinking of going to the Doncaster show this weekend, but decided not to when I saw that it was all British layouts and, as I like foreign layouts more than I like British layouts, I decided to give it a miss.

 

I know that I am in a minority in liking foreign layouts more than British ones, but what do others think about the British/foreign debate in general.

 

My favourite layout in the last 12 months was a Cuban layout at the Stafford show - why?

 

1. It's the first Cuban layout I've ever seen

2. I went on a railway photography trip to Cuba in 1984 and so I had a basic interest in Cuban railways

3. It was very different

4. I spoke to the builder and learnt about Cuban railways

 

Consequently, it was more interesting to me than any other layout at that show - thoughts?

Just a few thoughts from me...

Model Railways is art, and art ought to be thought provoking. So it's made my week to hear that something has piqued someone's interest for so long (my YouTube video of a trolley pole catcher also seems to be popular at the moment, but I'm not sure why that has so many hits. Not is it art, it's just a mechanical device).

Cuba has been modelled before- from @Lineas Cubanas 's projects on here, and also layouts exhibited by the Waveney club and most famously by Peter Smith in HO and O. To me all of those layouts brilliantly captured an essence of Cuba, and I hope those who have seen them also thought so.

TBH there was a time probably 20 years ago when I'd flick through Continental Modeller and not bother to read many of the articles and the layouts seemed to feature many of the clichés mentioned, but recently I've made an effort to do so and voting for their 2023 article of the year was a struggle to cut the list down to the six required. I probably still can't differentiate between various Swiss electrics or spot the origins of a narrow gauge cane loco, but reading about them is always a pleasure. But I feel that due to the current exhibition scene it is still harder to be accepted with a "foreign" layout due to less popularity as British outline manufacturers catching up with overseas quality, and regardless of a show having 10 or 30 layouts there will only be one token American and one Continental.

It'll be interesting to see if Warners show at the NEC features such outlines including layouts from the Continent as it obviously isn't within their usual remit, although they have featured non-UK prototypes before.

And yes, I believe there are people who don't like foreign layouts. Some have been vocal enough to let their feelings known, although I'm not repeating them here...

10 hours ago, t-b-g said:

Yet give me a Pempoul and I can thoroughly enjoy a non UK layout. I enjoyed the Cuban layout too, as it was unusual, well modelled and had no cliches in sight.

The buildings were a bit anonymous then,  should I name the hotel "El Nido" (the Nest) and model a Vacuum cleaner shop..?

(From 007's "No time to die" and "Our Man in Havana")

7 hours ago, Michael Hodgson said:

I've never been to Cuba and have no intention of going, and wouldn't know if they have/had railways or not.  Is Guantanemo Bay rail serevd?

In short, a model of it would mean nothing to me.   It might as well be one of those fanciful railways with Emmett cartoon architecture staffed by teddy bears etc.  Sorry, but they are of no interest to me, like those collectors' tin-plate train set "layouts" hastily put up on trestle tables.  Fortunately we're all different and other things appeal to other people.

 

I don't know as much about overseas railways generally, particularly their operating practices, and I don't therefore know whether a model is a good or bad representation.  If there are foreign layouts. I prefer those which are set in western Europe or North America, which are places I have been.

 

However I agree with the posting that "chocolate box" layouts don't appeal.  They tend to be based on an idealised setting (nostalgia for a fortnight's holiday in some tourist trap?) - though to be fair, many British historical layouts are also based on a nostalgia and amount to an attempt to re-create the "good old days" when life for the ordinary working man was nowhere near as easy as we like to look back through our rose-tinted spectacles and TV period dramas.

Stafford was the first major outing for my Cuban layout of which @TEAMYAKIMA mentions, and I made the mistake of assuming it was easily recognisable as the Hershey. I also assumed was well known from the numerous travel documentaries of five to thirty years ago where the presenter arrives on Day 1 in Havana, then gets a boat across the harbour and then the Hershey electric train from Casablanca. The liveries and stock may have changed but it is still essentially the same railroad it has been since the 1920s that I felt was worth modelling (and I've never been either).

I corrected the lack of information for Nottingham a few months later by adding display boards to the new fiddle yard front, but without going into too much detail, still think a lot of the public just aren't going to click with it. Perhaps I ought to make it more British, by running a Green class 47 on it as we trialled with @doctor quinn's 4mm scale loco:

My next layout will be a model of the Cinc Ponts viaduct on the Soller Railway in Majorca before a full layout based on Bunyola on the same line, but have the conundrum between modelling it as current and easily recognisable, or from a few decades ago when it looked more run down and less of the polished tourist shifter that it is today.

Formations are sometimes listed on Six bells Railtour pages and there is a fairly comprehensive list of sets and coaches at the bottom of this page:

http://www.uksteam.info/tours/trs00.htm

6 hours ago, BMacdermott said:

Hello everyone

 

Looks like long delays inbound at LHR (due weather?). I heard at least two planes say that they were approaching minimum fuel in the holds and might have to divert to LGW.

 

Inbounds Delta 3 (JFK) and United 924 (IAD) just completed a circuit over Bristol. And Speedbird 24R (ORD) is just doing the same.

 

Brian

G-ONEE (OneAir B744) diverted to Amsterdam.

Edit: HGO211 was an outbound flight.

I'm told there will be a table selling stock from Bob Phelps' "Green River". 

2 hours ago, Gilbert said:

I understand there is less space than last year so it may be a bit cosy....

Chris H

The cost of renting the extra space seems prohibitive (plus lugging stuff upstairs to where you were last year. The main hall and downstairs area is quite sizeable tho.

Catering will be a "Pop-up kitchen".

Kamiack Falls, HO, Burlington Northern in Washington State, 1970s:

Central Alonzo, HO, Hershey Railway in Cuba, 1950s:

The NMRA BR Winter Meet on 17 February 2024 will be at the Stokenchurch Community Centre, Bartholomew Tipping Lane, Stokenchurch HP14 3RX. Half mile from M40 J5 and close to Risex which is on on the same day.

Admission will be £5 for NMRA members and £10 for non-members, we will ask you to bring your NMRA Membership card on the day.

Layouts:

Kamiack Falls HO

Central Alonzo HO

Belle Vue Depot (On30)

(TBA) N

Traders:

Anoraks Anonymous

Sunningwell CC

Mech Models

Barry Clements (3D)

Anglo-American

In the B&B Tom Watson will be sell some of the late Bob Phelps stock amongst other sellers ( incl. @Gilbert?)

Have they said what it is specifically for? Might just be his usual motoring offences...

On 02/02/2024 at 18:45, stan williams said:

In WW2 it took a very long time to break the Enigma Code, perhaps you can help the rest of us with the

Code 298 and while you are at it PMP.

Sorry, there was a queue at the chippy.

On 02/02/2024 at 17:31, stan williams said:

298.

So you believe someone should exhibit their layout at a commercial show, hopefully so they can make money and you will be out of pocket, give up 2 or 3 days of your life.

Do you still believe the earth is flat ?

On the rare occasions that the planets align and I actually get the time to disappear off for a weekend to exhibit, I really don't care whether it is a commercial show or not. If I wanted to be really churlish I could turn down an invitation because I don't like the layouts that the host club builds, but that would be ridiculous. But what I also tend to do is raid the back of the cupboard for stuff to sell on eBay or at the show, and that can pay for a lot.

On 02/02/2024 at 17:48, ardbealach said:

I would suggest that inviting layouts that only 'live' close by the locations of exhibitions would limit the variety of layouts being shown.  If this was the case exhibitions would soon become very stale events.

 [Alisdair]

My point was there is quite a large catchment area around the NEC (hence Warley sending three layouts), if your hotel is half an hour away then driving for an hour back to your own bed isn't so bad. 

It might be more of a problem for a magazine if they only want layouts they've featured but when I helped to run a specialist show nearby we managed to get a dozen different and worthy layouts every year and only a couple required accomodation. One demonstrator even understood the assignment and camped in someone's garden!

Anyway, back to the show...

7 hours ago, Barry O said:

Exhibitors having to pay for accommodation? Why would anyone take a layout to this (which is a commercial event) unless they can't run their layout at home..

Because they live close enough to not need it? 

I'm amused by comments about commercial shows, when some exhibitors at club events try to claw back every possible penny as expenses, when they should just try to enjoy the weekend and appreciate that they have the chance to show or explain their work and skills to others...

2 hours ago, newbryford said:

 

Love the manual trolley pole switching at about 8.15

It saves swapping the poles over, and is easier on the real thing with someone to hold the rope than on a model. I modelled that part of the YVT nearly 20 years ago, and later rebuilt it into a micro layout that is now with the Trolley museum in Yakima.

This is something recently highlighted to me because it's my favourite Yakima Valley in the 1970s, the street running on Pine St and 6th Avenue features as does the paved areas at the Fruit Row in Selah and the top end of the UP yard where they seem to be unloading plasterboard in the street...

3 hours ago, 37114 said:

As to who replaces him, I guess the team are looking for someone who can work with George but be as close as possible to a championship winning driver

How long is George's contract for? (Edit- another 2 years). I wouldn't rule out Hulkenberg or Albon, possibly ending up with David Beckmann from F2...

4 hours ago, Talltim said:

I recently bought a loco from a US manufacturer who I'll not name as it isn't relevant. I paid £54 in VAT and fee to recieve it. However it seems that there is some sort of DCC chip/motherboard/wiring/motor issue. They have siad t send it back to them to fix.

What is the situation with VAT etc when it is sent back to me? I shouldn't have to pay it again (and thus there should be no fees for processing it), but how should the parcel be marked?

@doctor quinn, I believe he once sent a Powercab back for warranty repair. Plus he might know anyway...

10 minutes ago, didcot said:

Don't know why this came to mind!

Like no driver has ever moved teams before. If anything, there were team principles who encouraged it....(eh Frank?)

I'm sure Lewis did once say that he always wanted to drive for Ferrari. And the only thing that I think has stopped him so far is the fact that Senna never drove for them (although I'm not sure if he would have ended up doing so). 

If he was following in the footsteps of his idol, maybe he should consider moving to Williams?

The B4 bogies look too short and sit too high, but I was able to grind out the plastic enough and enlarge the hole so the mount would sit lower to give the correct buffer height with the Lima 11.2mm wheels that I had to hand (I could have brought slightly smaller replacements but decided to go with what was to hand). 

I converted another spare Lima HO continental coach into a jig by adding 3.5mm high plasticard blocks so the raised sections over the wheels sit on these and the boss is pushed through and fixed by melting the plastic with a soldering iron.

4 hours ago, ellocoloco said:

Loco looks great. I look forward to seeing it with the new pantograph.

 

Are the Lima Mk2s the correct length or were they produced to 1/100 or similar as was the fashion with HO back in the darker days? And do you need to do much with the height?

Before...

After...

I've recently commenced a massive clear out, which includes eBaying my fleet of OO AC electrics and remaining stock, so took the opportunity to compare the Triang/Hornby 81 with this HO scale Atlas editions model. Apart from the blue colour used, the HO model is pretty accurate dimensionally and I'm looking at motorising it with a Lima class 67 chassis. Most of my modelling for the last 20 years has been in HO scale which compounds the issues of quality and track gauge of British OO. I got distracted yesterday when fixing a class 85 pan and removed the one from the 81 by melting the existing glued pegs with more gluqe, and will be replacing it with a spare Sommerfeldt 968 as per the OO model.

Next up is the ride height of the Lima HO Mk2 coaches...

On 28/01/2024 at 21:24, PMP said:

There is another consideration that can be made. If ‘we’ want a Warley show at the NEC, perhaps it might be an option to consider paying forward something to assist an organisation putting on the show. I mention this regardless of the specific company in this instance. If a viable consortium of people came up with a similar proposal I’d have the same opinion.

I've known of a few Exhibition managers who certainly made out that such a role was a full time job, although that doesn't take into account the thousands of volunteer hours needed over a show weekend. Anything but a small show is outside of the scope for one person to organise and coordinate anyway, and there is the moral dilemma of should you pay when someone is willing to do the role for free (although I do think Warley should have paid a designer for their website and show guide).

The concept of exhibitors paying some kind of contribution isn't new, and often gets spoken about in order to get the job done- something non-UK outline modellers are used to with private Freemo events or European outline shows, although there aren't any of those at the moment. The expenses bill for my layout at Stafford was less than the price of an advance Warley ticket, thanks to my operator kindly only claiming for one 100 mile round trip because he would have gone to the show anyway, and me being able to offset my petrol cost against the free leisure miles out other car gets from charging at work. 

17 hours ago, kevinlms said:

Some must be following your advice, because the number of set track curves are steadily disappearing.

 

How long before circular layouts start appearing on eBay?

3800 left, which is 475 complete circles or a helix 100' tall....!

On 25/01/2024 at 19:41, Darius43 said:

 

Driver and YouTuber Steve Alvarez Brown painted a worrying picture of what could become the new normal in 2026.

He tweeted: “The VISA Cash App RB overtakes the Mastercard Mobil 1 McLaren driven by Oscar Peroni Piastri.

“Meanwhile it’s Max Heineken Verstappen taking the win at the Aramco-Coca Cola London Grand Prix, his 12th win of the season on street circuits.

“Alex AWS Albon crashes at the Amazon Prime Parabolica in his Bet365 Casio-Powertrains Williams during the Louis Vuitton Italian GP. This triggers the Monster Energy red flag and the second Deliveroo safety car of the race.”

 

If that happens I’ll have more free weekend time, having given up watching F1.

 

Darius

There is a precedent with the driver's names, John Bachelor raced as John B&Q in the BTCC... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Batchelor_(racing)