Model Railway Exhibition Visits - Reports

Well after scraping the ice off the car I set off for the Wakefield show with the temperature showing 1.0 degree C! As I crossed over the Pennines the temperature dropped down to -1.5 degrees C, but when I got to the exhibition it had climbed back to 2.5.
Entrance was £5 as I am one of those mature citizens! As usual walked round the exhibition area to see what was on show and what goodies might be available before a more detailed view of the layouts, etc. I'm normally only interested in books. I managed to pick up a book on LMS Locomotives; Volume 2 which looks at absorbed locomotives in the Western and Central Divisions, which of course means LNWR and LYR engines respectively - it doesn't take account of their 1922 merger. Hopefully this will help in my TSM work for these two companies. This time I also picked up a 4mm carriage model kit by Ration for an all 3rd LNWR 50' 0" carriage - seemed like a good idea at the time!
There were 15 layouts including one that was the subject of a grand draw and another for Thomas - donations to Wakefield Hospice. My personal favourite was a 4mm finescale layout based on Alloa, which was well modelled with a reasonably steady flow of traffic set in the 1950s/1960s.  Borchester Market in 4mm scale was also a good model set in the 1960s, but perhaps others might remember this set in the 1950s when it was originally built by the late Frank Dyer - well respected in his time. The third layout I'd like to mention is the 4mm EM gauge accurate model of Liverpool Lime Street. I suppose it would be fair to say that it is quite advanced using CCTV and an automated fiddle yard. It is set in the late 1940s and the modelling is excellent although the distance between the layout and the viewing barrier did detract from close examination of the detail. In addition although the curved roof was not "covered" it was difficult to see the trains in the station. Perhaps I'm being a bit picky but I do like to be able to see the trains on the stage so to speak.
If you want to see more about this layout see HERE.
There were other layouts but none of them really grabbed my attention. If you were after S/H and new stock there were plenty of traders, as well as several book sellers. I also enjoyed a chat with fellow members of the LYR Society. As an aside I would recommend membership of this society as you really get good value for your subscription; e.g. yesterday a book  published by the society arrived by post about the life and times of Sir John Hawkshaw (1811-1891) who was an eminent engineer of his times. This book normally retails at £18 but is paid for out of one's subscription!
All in all it was good day out and a better exhibition than Southport that I visited several weeks ago with Mark. I don't expect to visit another show until 2016 when Preston is a likely venue - again with Mark.

Sounds like a good day out Alec with some interesting layouts, the video of the Lime st.layout was quite interesting, you don't realise how much work there is under the layouts out of sight that make it all work, glad you had a nice day out despite the weather.

Well, so far this year no exhibition has been visited, Mark and I had intended to visit Preston but I cried off due to snowy conditions. On Saturday I'm off to the local exhibition in Littleborough organised by Rochdale MRG. The following Saturday Mark and I will visit Brierfield near Nelson for the Pendle Model Railway Exhibition. Later we hope to visit a larger scale layout - namely the East Lancs!

With the weather dry and relatively warm I visited the Rochdale show where admission was £3.00, which seemed not unreasonable. There were 7 layouts, 1 trade stand, the Class 40 Preservation Society and the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Society. Two of the layouts were work in progress but interesting to see them all the same - just like I like to see simulation routes and other simulation items during their creation.
The best layout in terms of detail was Calcote Burtle:-

This is a OO gauge might have been layout influenced by the BBC TV Film "Branchline Railway".
Other layouts were Thorncliff (Modern Image OO):-

and Tetfield-under-bolt (N Gauge):-

I had a long chat at the LYRS stand where multiple subjects were talked about although as one might guess railways featured strongly.
I managed to restrict my spending to £2.50 for a map showing the area served by the LYR including shared lines.
I did take other photographs but my inability to minimise camera shake meant they were somewhat blurred - well to be a honest a lot blurred!

Having missed out on Preston Mark and I visited a small exhibition in Brierfield near Nelson in Lancashire today.

Thankfully the weather was dry albeit somewhat cold and we arrived about 10-15 minutes after it opened. There were some 6 layouts as well as several trade stands and a demonstration stand. After our usual wander to see what was looking good we started to view layouts in detail, only to discover that there had been a failure in the electrical supply for all layouts as well as the refreshment area! This was eventually resolved about 40-45 minutes later - apparently a problem with a melted wire in the kitchen area!

One of the layouts was in OO gauge and involved the use of "ye olde world" Hornby Dublo:-


Next up was a N gauge layout named Haslingden that was a scale model of the actual station in the 1950s. It closed in 1966 and is no longer visible except for a few buildings. The original line joined the East Lancs between Ramsbottom and Irwell Vale.


There was also a Tramway loosely based on running Blackpool stock.


Next came a very nice NG layout named Pont Newdd.


Last layout that was photographed was a N gauge layout called Earby, which is a scale model of Earby itself that was located on the line that ran between Colne and Skipton The station closed circa 1970. Many of the buildings were created using a 3D printer and the results were very good. Apparently the printer used is not considered good enough to create items for rolling stock, which would require a machine that would be relatively expensive. In addition much time is required to create the necessary CAD drawings used to feed the dimensions used by the printer.

This layout was end to end except at each end the fiddle yard was a loop actually creating a continuous run.


All in all it was a good day out despite the electrical hiccup, and we were lucky to enjoy a pie and peas lunch - thanks Mark! It was not crowded and hence we were able to view the exhibits in a relative degree of comfort. There were plenty of windows in the church hall and hence the photographs are not too bad, apart from the usual camera shake. Now got to decide which show we might visit next!

Thank you Alec for a nice day out, the weather was nice and sunny but cool in the shade.

Here are a few more photos...................................













An enjoyable visit, despite the power outage, and not crowded.

For those who might be interested the last two pictures in Mark's post are from Ravens Grove, which is a modern image layout in OO set somewhere in the NW.

Well you can tell summer is nearly over as the model railway exhibitions are more common. Mark and I have visited the Blackburn show today, and spent a very enjoyable 3 hours. I have attached some photos from some of the layouts, but unfortunately can't put names to them!
There were only about 11 layouts but they were all of a good to high standard, including those we have seen at previous shows. I spent some 20 minutes talking to one of the LYR members - Noel Coates who has written the "bible" books on LYR wagons, and he was once again able to help me with additional information.

Another year has passed because today I visited the Wakefield 2016 show. Thankfully the trip across was in general OK, except at the highest part (1300m+) between Junctions 21 and 22 on the M62, where it was trying to snow.
The exhibition was up to standard but quite crowded which made it difficult to fully appreciate some of the layouts. I took a few photos but not sure whether they're up to scratch. Managed to acquire some Locomotives Illustrated back numbers for L&Y and L&NWR engines, which should add to my reference library for these companies.
Enjoyed a chat with the reps on the L&Y Society stand, which as usual was very well presented. I expect a reminder soon for the 2017 subscription, which when you see what you get for it is very worthwhile - I believe it will be the same as last year.

I decided to visit the Heywood MRG exhibition in Rochdale Town Hall at the last minute so to speak, and also decided to use the Metro. I should have realised that having got to the Metro station at Milnrow, that today might not be successful! Apparently an unsafe building meant that the trams were stopping at Rochdale Railway Station rather than the town centre, which meant that I had to walk down to the Town Hall. So far so good and I arrived at 10:00am which was the scheduled start.
Now when you arrive at the beginning it’s not unreasonable to allow a bit of leeway to get things going, although you hope that the majority of minor hiccups will have been sorted. However apart from two or three layouts all the others appeared to be not running very effectively - if at all. On one for the hour that I stayed the same trains ran round and round . . . and one of these kept derailing at the same point!
To crown it all I then had to walk back to the Metro station up a steep slope in the rain!
All in all I was extremely disappointed and would rate this as one of the worst exhibitions I have visited, which considering that previous years have been good was somewhat surprising!

Hi Alec, sorry that the show was a disappointment but I've decided that after attending many
shows in the past including this one, that I'm not bothering to go to any more as really they
are not worth the time, cost and effort to see them.
Even now I've just noticed that the Jarrow show is on this weekend and was one I regularly went
to in the past, but with no reduction for pensioners and only 12 display's on show which include
Model Trams which simply go round and round a few streets stopping now and then.
I won't bother tomorrow even though I could use my Metro Pass to get to Brockley Whins
station and walk the short distance to where the show is taking place.

Cheers
Bob

Despite this disappointment, I haven't yet given up on model railway shows. I'll be visiting the local show in Littleborough - gives me an opportunity to meet fellow LYR members.

I'm also hoping that Mark and I can sort out some trips later in the year, maybe either Blackpool or Blackburn in September. If we're both up to it perhaps even a trip on a real railway - KWVR?

I don't attend many shows, partly because anywhere is three hours from here. But Stafford is well worth the effort, as is the Christmas Manchester show. Other than that Expo EM North (somewhere near Manchester) when I can get there and Scalefour North in Wakefield are the only others apart from our own show which to be honest I wouldn't go far to see.
What is disappointing, but a sign of the times, is the lack of traders selling the wide range of kits and bits (such as ABS) you used to be able to pick up. Just more and more box shifters.
Jonathan

Bit out-of-date this post, but perhaps of interest nevertheless, as a selective illustration of model exibition activity 'across the water'; selective inasmuch as it's basically pics I took of subjects that especially interested me...sorry these are not my best!

1/76-OO Gauge model of Belfast Great Victoria Street station, demolished in 1976 and replaced in 1995 with the new station set back a bit further, as featured in the super MSTS add-on Irish Enterprise North:



The next pics are of the OO Gauge Lisburn layout, Ulster MRC. First, an ex-Gatwick Express Mk2 driving trailer - part of a set mothballed after embarrassingly little use - sit on the far side of the ex-GNR(I) signalbox:



A bit 'mixed era' here - the Ulster Transport Authority double-decker and NI Fire Brigade Denis F8 'Ulster' (narrow-bodied so as to negotiate local country lanes) are more 1950s-early '60s vintage, but the 80 Class DEMU in NIR suburban sector livery and the Irish Rail intercity rake are from about 30 years later:



The 80 Class passes the goods shed on its way into the station - the DEMU looks to be converted from Lima Mk2bs like my own first models of this unit, and again like them, powered by a Triang Hornby 'Hymek' motor bogie:



NCC ex-LMS 'Jinty' - one of two brought over in WW2 (during which the NCC's York Road facilities were rather smashed about by Goering's flyboys) heads up some Belfast & County Down Railway coal wagons - the former possibly a short-lived Bachmann release, the latter from Provincial Models:



This heavily-weathered 'Jinty' looks to be a Hornby repaint:



This 80 Class is in the livery in which the sets were delivered from BREL, from 1974:



A 450 Class DEMU, based on the BR Class 455 EMU, also in original livery this time dating from 1985, waits for the off - this one looks like a conversion from 'shortie' Hornby MkIIIs, something I will do soon enough:



A pair of NIR 111 Class GM diesels heads a rake of Mk2s in late 1980s-early 1990s intercity livery - the former probably Murphy Models, the later either Lima RTR from a short-lived release, or just repainted Lima RTR:



Another NCC 'Jinty', and another Hornby repaint I reckon, works the goods yard. Container wagons are Provincial Models, possibly also some of the cattle wagons:



And finally, the Ardmore layout, MRSI - a CIE 'A' or 001 Class Metrovick passes an AEC railcar set; the former could be an MTK or Q Kits model, the latter looks to be modified Lima Mk1s:

An interesting set of pictures, and thanks for sharing.