Model Railway Shows 2019

[TheQ]

This year I thought I'd just give a list of shows at the start, and then present the details as the shows approach. No doubt there will be shows I've missed and will add later.

Saturday 2nd March, 10:-16:00, Norfolk and Suffolk Narrow gauge modellers, at Blyburgate Hall (Former St John Hall).

Saturday 9th March, 10:00-16:30,  Norfolk Railway Society, at Poringland Comunity Centre.

Saturday 13th April,  10:00-16:30, Norwich Model Railway Club, at Hellesdon High School, Norwich.

Sunday 28th April,  10:30-16:30, Stowmarket Model Railway Club, Mid suffolk Leisure Centre Stowmarket.

Saturday 5th October, 10:00-16:00, Broadland Model Railway Club,  Jubille Centre, Aylsham.

Saturday 19th-20th Oct, 10:00-1600, Halesworth and District Model Engineering Society, Ormiston Denes Academy Lowestoft.

 

[TheQ]

A new one to Add,

Broadland Model Railway Club Open day

Hoveton village hall,

Sunday May 26th 2019

10:30-15:30

There will probably a small charge to cover the cost of hiring the hall, (last time at Stalham it was £2).

 A variety of club and club members layouts, in a variety of Scales.

Some layouts will be running,

Some are under construction and modelling will be being shown.

Our "loco Doctor" will be there if you have a failed loco.

Our Secondhand stall will probably be there as well, books, and some railway stock and accessories.

[TheQ]

Hoveton village hall is more expensive to hire!! £3:50p for full adults, with reductions for some age groups

[TheQ]

Just a reminder folks tomorrow is the big Norwich show,  at hellsdon school details here.. 

http://norhams.org.uk/wordpress/exhibition/

[TheQ]

Just a bump up as our open day at Hoveton Village hall is just 13 days away

(panic !!!!! for us anyway)

[Ray]

Although I'm not an enthusiast as such I always admire the skill and dedication that goes into making these beautiful machines and layouts with an incredible degree of accuracy. 

I read this story of wanton vandalism with horror and really genuinely feel for the exhibitors involved.. unforgivable!

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/may/19/model-railway-lovers-devastated-vandals-lincolnshire?CMP=share_btn_link

[Vaughan]

Bring back the birch!

[ZimbiIV]

Vaughan, you are softie Liberal!

Bring back keel hauling! Preferably lengthways on the new aircraft carrier.

I have spent months building models, to spend 25 years building a train set and have some moron think it is fun to destroy that work, only makes me despair for the future.

paul

[JennyMorgan]

52 minutes ago, ZimbiIV said:

only makes me despair for the future.

With that in mind may I suggest that castration is used in such situations.

[ZimbiIV]

JM only IF it is back dated a few generations!

paul

[Seagypsy]

HDQ

[TheQ]

This sad news has been all over the Model railway forums, a just giving page was set up for uninsured losses by Market Deeping Model railway Club. and has raised £40,000 so far. Although I doubt that will pay for what has been lost. You don't get paid for the many thousands of hours hand making layouts, locomotives and rolling stock.

The club it'self will have lost not only their model railways, but the loss of the event. Most clubs like Marklet Deeping or our own, Broadland Railway Model Railway club use their Shows as a Fundraiser to help pay for club expenses. Market deeping will still have to pay the travelling and hotel costs for exhibitors with no income from the show.

 

In our case we Broadland Model Railway Club have permanently on hire an industrial unit in Catfield for our club room and our show profits pay around a tenth of the rental for that

So ... Next Sunday is our open day, charging  Just £3 to get in to cover our expenses in hiring Hoveton Village hall NR12 8DU 10:30-15:30 as we are more interested in recruiting more members.

Note, there is a car Boot going on in the field Behind 11:00 onwards. The entrance for that is through the Hall car park, you'll have to say you going to the  Model  railway event to get to park in the Hall car Park.

[TheQ]

More pictures of the wreckage at the Market Deeping Show..

https://www.mdmrc.org/stamford-show-2019.html

The 9 layouts that hadn't put their layouts in place overnight, will be greatly relieved..

[Vaughan]

59 minutes ago, TheQ said:

So ... Next Sunday is our open day,

I shall be there!

[TheQ]

Watch for the kilt....

[TheQ]

I forgot to mention Accompanied under 12s free entry. Concessions £2...

[Bern]

So many famous people are model railway enthusiasts who would have thought it. Well done to Sir Rod Stewart for his generous donation and lets hope he can talk Jools Holland and Rodger Daltry to help out as well. The scroat's that did it need stringing

[BroadAmbition]

The scroat's that did it need stringing

Agreed, but only after a public birching, that after a day in the village stocks

Griff

[TheQ]

The last time I looked the club had appealed for £500 pounds and have so far generated.... £87,000 including £10,000 from Sir Rod Stewart .(who has 2 model railways 1 in the USA and 1 in the UK), £5000 from https://www.miniatur-wunderland.com/ many other clubs, modellers and widows of Modellers.

The Club now have a major headache sorting out the distribution of money,.

 

Many clubs like ours Broadland Model Railway club have contributed. Although most clubs are run on a shoestring, Half the profits from our own show at Aylsham go to the Aylsham ladies (Formerly Aylsham British Legion ladies section) who run the tea bar for us at the show and that gets distributed to charity.

Shows themsleves are reducing partly because halls are getting more expensive to hire. Our own Show at Aylsham in October,  couldn't go on without the sponsorship of the Bure Valley Railway which effectively pays for the hall.

Also partly because of ageing membership, clubs are struggling. This year the Waveny and District Model railway club have had to cancel their well regarded show at st Felix Schoolo after 30 years running, because the club members consider themselves no longer up to the task . This is why we have our own open day at Hoveton on Sunday, it's to try to gain more members.

There is a lot of effort in running a show, BMRC is already looking at layouts for the 2021 show and we haven't had 2019s show yet (it's on the 5th of October). The Show committee have to chose a selection of layouts from childrens Thomas come and play, to fine scale modelling, from micro layouts to very large and try to get a good balance of styles.

Qualified First Aiders, Pat testing, layout recruiment, Tea Bar, electrical supplies. all need sorting.

The Night before our show we clear 100 chairs and a stage from the hall, mark out the floor plan for each layout and traders place, providing tables and chairs as required. Our own layouts, any local traders and visiting layouts may chose to come in with the last being around 20:00.

Then the morning of the show, it's all hands to getting the rest of the traders and layouts in from 07:00 till opening at 10:00.

16 :00 close of show. Help all the layouts and traders out, remove all the markers from the floor and electrical supplies. Hoover up, relay all the chairs and stage. Take our own layouts, tables and equipment back to the MRC. During the next week, clear the "wreakage" from the club floor where everything has been dumped. De brief meeting.. Start planning on the next years show,... and get on with some modelling..

 

[TheQ]

One of the traders has now totalled up and he has damage in excess of £20,000 (many years of display models destroyed)

[vanessan]

13 hours ago, BroadAmbition said:

Agreed, but only after a public birching, that after a day in the village stocks

With rotten tomatoes and bad eggs provided! 

[BroadAmbition]

bad eggs provided! 

Preferably hard boiled with shells still on

Griff

[TheQ]

An updated BBC report of the vandalisum https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-48348512

Just a note , some papers have been "emphasising" the maleness of railway Modelling.

One of the clubs that had a layout destroyed was St Neots MRC, whose Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary and Exhibition Manager are..... All women..

 

We have several women in Broadland MRC.

[TheQ]

Just a little  hint of tomorrow's open day

[TheQ]

The show went well and we were extremely busy until the down pours occurred,  it's always a surprise that the public won't go out to an indoor event if it's raining. 

It was nice to meet Vaughan, though as I was busy throughout the day,  there wasn't much time to pull up a sandbag and tell stories. 

I did some carpentry and polystyrene carving /placing / gluing before the show opened,  then cleared the snowstorm before the public arrived. 

So during the show I then plastered the new hillside, and did some general touching up of paintwork . Much interuppted by talking to the public. 

My spiel was mostly the history  of the layout, then if they were interested, on into methods  of baseboard and scenic construction.  Some demonstrations of static grass application were carried out. 

This being the first time being displayed  and transported  in its current format , some damage occurred. So changes to the transport carriages will be needed,  20-20 hindsight  is a wonderful thing.

Tiree layout has / will have  3 modules fitted permanently to mobile carriages, that worked well,  and three plug in modules clamped between.  It was the supports the plug in modules that failed,  and also three of six small ( 3 inches wide 3ft long)  scenic inserts were damaged  when they rolled over in transit, so some sort of holder is required..  The next couple of club evenings will be spent doing the required changes.. 

A picture of Tiree at the show. The right hand side as you look at it gained a hillside during the show.