Announcement: Bristol Model Railway Exhibition

[NHY 581]

9 hours ago, Not Jeremy said:

I believe that this is really great news.

 

First attending the Bristol show back in the early 70s, then later (but still at the Victoria Rooms) representing "Whitemans Bookshop" with CK, I many years later had the pleasure of exhibiting at Thornbury with "Pomparles Siding", the G1 layout I built in response to the RMweb "Six square feet challenge".

 

I was hugely chuffed to win the Moorcroft cup for over Gauge O modelling with my "Toad", usually the late David Buckingham was awarded this pot for his lovely G scale creations. Here's a picture of W68740 in later life, a prototype which is shortly to be recreated by Rapido in 4mm scale. 

 

 

Over many years the Association Bristol show has given a huge amount of pleasure to very many people. For all the criticisms that have been levelled at it, and any vicissitudes that it has gone through, it has always retained a great "buzz". Not least, I think, because there is always a great contingent of modellers from South Wales present, who are both good modellers and good fun.

 

Warners taking it on is I think perfect, and I have already contacted Bev at Bourne to book space at the show for Wild Swan.

 

It strikes me that the combination of fresh impetus from Warners together with the date being early in what will be a forward looking post Covid environment should result in an absolutely stonking show!

 

Hopefully there will be an RMweb presence where we can all gather and argue over pointless details have a really good time saying hello to each other, and stuff.

 

And there's a bar...

 

I am really looking forward to what I am sure will be a "not to be missed" show! 

 

Simon

 

 

 

Splendid news, Simon. 

 

Another good reason to go now that the Titfield Massive will be attending. 

 

Rob. 

 

 

 

 

[kernowtim]

On 04/01/2022 at 17:04, Mike Bellamy said:

 

A couple of the O Gauge 'Trade' Shows are just that - a hall full of traders with no layouts. This means that everyone exhibiting has paid to be there and the organisers have no expenses to pay apart from the costs of actually putting on the event - hall hire, advertising, staffing etc. An easy way to make a profit - it works for 7mm but would it work for 4mm OO ?

 

Imagine NEC, Ally Pally, Doncaster etc without any layouts . . . . . . . . 

.

An exhibition without any layouts, 

Would that not be a swapmeet/toy fair? Although some, like Sandown I went to in 2019 do have test tracks in operation. 

I Have attended the Ally Pally show a few times in the past and aspects of that reminded me of the old swap meets... 

As an aside Living in West Cornwall It always seems odd to me that Bristol is considered 'West County' when it is (by road) almost 200 miles North East of me! 

Edited January 23, 2022 by kernowtim

[Chris M]

5 minutes ago, kernowtim said:

An exhibition without any layouts, 

Would that not be a swapmeet/toy fair? Although some, like Sandown I went to in 2019 do have test tracks in operation. 

I Have attended the Ally Pally show a few times in the past and aspects of that reminded me of the old swap meets... 

As an aside Living in West Cornwall It always seems odd to me that Bristol is considered 'West County' when it is (by road) almost 200 miles North East of me! 

 

Based purely on the Brisol accent it is in the West Country. I see Bristol as the gateway to the West Country but as Thornbury is about 15 miles north of Bristol you may well be right in considering it to be outside of the West Country. Folk from Herefordshire and Gloucestershire may have different views. West Cornwall is a long way from pretty much everywhere, even Devon.

[Not Jeremy]

The Bristol show was created and put on by "The Association of Model Railway Clubs Wales and the West of England" as this classic poster from the 1977 show at the Victoria Rooms shows.

 

 

I can't think of a better description for what it represents myself, and in Bath consider myself to be part of the West Country too!

 

From the Barnwood club up in Gloucestershire, Westinghouse in Chippenham, plus the "Pink Elephants" (including the irrepressible Ivor Hill who has just sadly died aged 91), the North Gwent modellers and then clubs various heading towards the corner that is still called Cornwall, including, of course, the highly talented Geoff Drew and his North Devon modellers. I think suggesting that he wasn't "West Country" will have him spinning in his grave, my dear.

 

While we wait to hear more details from the organisers, instead of pointlessly wittering on about trade shows and geography, has anyone else got any good memories of these shows in the past, preferably with PICTURES.

 

Oops, that sounded a bit grumpy and shouty, sorry then, but please let's try and create a thread that promotes the future and celebrates the past of this special show, rather than nit picking or whingeing.

 

One of my favourite layouts was called, I think, Pontypool Riverside, a lovely and to my eyes very believable EM gauge LMS/GWR terminus on a curve. Does anyone have a picture they could share of that?

 

And I'm looking forward to Bristol 2022....

 

Simon

Edited January 30, 2022 by Not Jeremy
Tense error and spelling Geoff Drew properly

[AY Mod]

6 minutes ago, Not Jeremy said:

 

 

 

 

I'm keeping well clear of the door that weekend when someone from Radstock demands 10p change from his ten bob bit.

[Phil Bullock]

Geography as far as administrative boundaries go include Gloucestershire in the South West … so that’s at least 45 miles north of Bristol! The South West is a very linear region…. 

[Gilbert]

5 minutes ago, Phil Bullock said:

Geography as far as administrative boundaries go include Gloucestershire in the South West … so that’s at least 45 miles north of Bristol! The South West is a very linear region…. 

When I started work after Uni I was based in the Southwest region. At our induction they illustrated the size of the region we'd joined by using a cut out of the region on a national map which when pivotted around Cheltenham crossed the Scottish border....

[Andy Kirkham]

The exhibit that made the most impression on me in the early 70s was Yatton Junction. It was portrayed in the 1930s (as indeed were all West Country layouts in those days) and what particularly struck me was the authentically heterogenous composition of the passenger trains with clerestories and Collet stock mixed together.

And Wilbert Awdry was there with Ffarquhar, and I was to shy to speak to him.

[roundhouse]

On 28/01/2022 at 18:17, Not Jeremy said:

The Bristol show was created and put on by "The Association of Model Railway Clubs Wales and the West of England" as this classic poster from the 1977 show at the Victoria Rooms shows.

 

 

 

Thats the show that Mum would take me to around 1970. Its what got me interested in the hobby. However as Mum paid I dont recall the admission prices!

 

Looking forward to this years show as we will be there with my Czech layout ' Dobris'. There has been a change of plan, Banbury is now going instead with Dobris hopefully going in 2023.

Edited February 27, 2022 by roundhouse

[Siberian Snooper]

That show was my first trip to the Bristol show and my first trip on a 125 from Padd. I  thought the acceleration out to OOC was amazing, at the time.

 

 

[Gilbert]

5 minutes ago, Andy Kirkham said:

The exhibit that made the most impression on me in the early 70s was Yatton Junction. It was portrayed in the 1930s (as indeed were all West Country layouts in those days) and what particularly struck me was the authentically heterogenous composition of the passenger trains with clerestories and Collet stock mixed together.

 

I never saw Yatton in the flesh but I recently tracked down a copy of the RM it appeared in as along with Kemble and Tetbury (based in Aus IIRC) it made a big impression on me.

Chris

[Andy Kirkham]

On 23/01/2022 at 09:16, Chris M said:

 

Based purely on the Brisol accent it is in the West Country. I see Bristol as the gateway to the West Country but as Thornbury is about 15 miles north of Bristol you may well be right in considering it to be outside of the West Country. Folk from Herefordshire and Gloucestershire may have different views. West Cornwall is a long way from pretty much everywhere, even Devon.

I should say that Gloucestershire is definitely in South-West England (if it weren't it would have to be in the Midlands) but I have my doubts about it being in The West Country. Perhaps I think of The West Country as being the area where people go for their holidays, hence beginning at Bristol or even Taunton.

The most ambiguous term though is, West of England. It's sometimes used (as by the Association that runs the Bristol show) as co-extensive with the South-West Peninsula, but more recently it seem to be taken to designate Greater Bristol (as in The University of the West of England, the West of England Combined Authority), seemingly as an attempt to resurrect the concept of the County of Avon without mentioning the name.

Edited January 28, 2022 by Andy Kirkham

[Tim V]

I used to throw away my guides etc. somehow this one from 1979 survived.

 

Features of that show -

Castle Rackrent   - The late Richard Chown

Milkwood Railway  - Dave Rowe

Bogsworth Junction  - The late Mike Sharman

 

There were 'other' layouts.

 

The Newport MRS were there with their follow up to 'Long Suffren' which had impressed me in previous years. When I was in their clubroom, they still had bits from that iconic layout - check your old Model Railways for a feature on the track.

 

As for the antics of a certain young 'Not Jeremy' at a certain show at the Victoria Rooms - the less said the better!

[Not Jeremy]

3 hours ago, Andy Kirkham said:

The exhibit that made the most impression on me in the early 70s was Yatton Junction. It was portrayed in the 1930s (as indeed were all West Country layouts in those days) and what particularly struck me was the authentically heterogenous composition of the passenger trains with clerestories and Collet stock mixed together.

And Wilbert Awdry was there with Ffarquhar, and I was to shy to speak to him.

 

Oh yes, how could I not have mentioned Yatton - I spent absolutely ages watching that layout and agree with you about the stock. The signalbox was a distinctive feature of the prototype and model - wonderful!

 

Simon

[NHY 581]

I always looked forward to anything from the North Devon group, Jamaica Reach being my favourite.

 

Thoroughly enjoyed seeing Pempoul 'in the flesh' as well. 

 

Rob. 

[TEAMYAKIMA]

13 hours ago, Not Jeremy said:

The Bristol show was created and put on by "The Association of Model Railway Clubs Wales and the West of England" as this classic poster from the 1977 show at the Victoria Rooms shows.

 

 

While we wait to hear more details from the organisers, instead of pointlessly wittering on about trade shows and geography, has anyone else got any good memories of these shows in the past, preferably with PICTURES.

 

As I may have mentioned, I will be at Bristol this year with my current HO layout, but back in the 1980's I was there as a guest layout three years running  with different layout. This is 1986 with my American O gauge layout WYANDOTTE TRANSFER. 

 

 

 

 

My fondest memory of that show was a comment by a short elderly Welsh steward who was in charge of setting up the barriers. I'm not sure if he knew I was the owner as I was just standing in the isle looking at the layout to check everything looked OK. This guy turned up with the barrier and paused to take a quick look at the layout. He turned to his assistant and said, in a beautiful Welsh accent, "There's some people who like this sort of thing, I suppose."

 

It was the "I suppose" that really stands out in my memory!

[Burnham-on-sea]

Like Tim V, I was at that show too. I was on holiday in Dawlish with my family and decided to go up by train, local to Exeter and the following Peak from there. The layout I remember most was an 0 gauge with ,I think, a Q class on front of nearly a hundred empty coal wagons. I couldn't believe the pulling power. I bought a Langley coach kit, and that item was on all my layouts after that until it went with Bridgford when I sold it. The next time I went was 2013 when I took Bridgford. Happy Days

[queensquare]

I used to go with my old mate Dave 'Gascupboard' Simpson through the 70s. I remember all those layouts already mentioned such as Yatton and the south Devon layouts of the late Mike Cook but the one that really sticks in my mind is Chiltern Green. I had been struggling with the appalling running of my N gauge Farish original Bulleid and a Lima 4F and was on the point of giving up on N. Chiltern Green not only fully exploited the railway in the landscape but also demonstrated that it was possible to make this ridiculously small scale work well......I've never looked back.

 

Jerry

[fulton]

Exhibited at the last show, was impressed by the variety of layouts and traders, many new to me having traveled from Kent,  pleased to be exhibiting this year with my Fulton Terminal layout, all being well this will be my first exhibition in over two years, as a visitor or exhibitor.

[Tim V]

This layout impressed me enough to take photographs of it, but I don't think it would impress me these days! Prototype Models card kits of the station building, Superquick (?) goods shed. 1976 Victoria Rooms.

 

[Captain Kernow]

On 28/01/2022 at 19:55, Tim V said:

As for the antics of a certain young 'Not Jeremy' at a certain show at the Victoria Rooms - the less said the better!

That was the 1977 show, I think?

 

Did anyone take any photos? 

 

(I wouldn't have been able to, because I was left manning the bookshop stand!)

 

Edited January 29, 2022 by Captain Kernow

[Captain Kernow]

22 hours ago, Not Jeremy said:

Oh yes, how could I not have mentioned Yatton - I spent absolutely ages watching that layout and agree with you about the stock. The signalbox was a distinctive feature of the prototype and model - wonderful!

I remember that layout as well, wonderful stuff.

 

I also remember it appearing at an exhibition at The Octagon in Bath one year, does anyone remember that show and what year it was?

 

[Captain Kernow]

On 28/01/2022 at 19:35, Andy Kirkham said:

I should say that Gloucestershire is definitely in South-West England (if it weren't it would have to be in the Midlands) but I have my doubts about it being in The West Country. Perhaps I think of The West Country as being the area where people go for their holidays, hence beginning at Bristol or even Taunton.

The most ambiguous term though is, West of England. It's sometimes used (as by the Association that runs the Bristol show) as co-extensive with the South-West Peninsula, but more recently it seem to be taken to designate Greater Bristol (as in The University of the West of England, the West of England Combined Authority), seemingly as an attempt to resurrect the concept of the County of Avon without mentioning the name.

Well expressed, Andy!

 

I always think of the 'West Country' as being 'cream tea country', so probably mostly Devon and Cornwall, plus a bit of Somerset (think Cogload Jct westwards).

 

I think of the 'South West' as being the peninsula, so probably starting just outside Bristol (probably around Bedminster or Parson Street, just around the corner from the chip shop) and proceeding south-westwards as far as Lands End in an orderly manner.

 

The 'West of England' to me is a broader, larger area, probably Swindon and west thereof and Gloucester and south-west thereof.

 

[Captain Kernow]

9 hours ago, Tim V said:

This layout impressed me enough to take photographs of it, but I don't think it would impress me these days! Prototype Models card kits of the station building, Superquick (?) goods shed. 1976 Victoria Rooms.

But it looks nicely done for the standards of the time and the builder seems to have been an experienced modeller, who knew what he was doing.

 

If he is still around, who knows what levels of excellence he might have reached by now?

 

[Not Jeremy]

13 minutes ago, Captain Kernow said:

That was the 1977 show, I think?

 

Did anyone take any photos? 

 

No

 

But, as a strictly one off celebration of dear Grahame and in tribute to all the Gods of the foolish, lunatic and reckless (and I know I will come to regret this) I can offer this view of a Bristol show a few years later.

 

 

I don't know who the photographer was and don't recognise anyone in the picture either