When I arrived at the show there were no signs to the second room, and a lot people were still expecting to see stands on the stage in the pavilion, which has alway been used before.
Fortunately, that had all been dealt with by the time I went in search of the extra display space.
There were some excellent layouts in it, and a lot of other layouts.
In S gauge, Emswell was very attractive.
Dent reminded me of a Railway Modeller cover from April 1970, of David Jenkinson's Garsdale Road.
Middleton Top was a stunning model of a location I know on the Cromford and Highpeak
And, perhaps my favourite layout of the show was Bessie Bulls. Not least, because of how well the canal was modelled.
And that was it. Nothing else appealed to me, although the other layouts did have people taking an avid interest in them, so perhaps it is just me.
I was in a hurry, because Issy was sat outside with the dogs, but I was in and out in under an hour.
Was it a good show? On balance yes, because of the layouts that were very impressive, though possibly over-exposed in some cases.
What I'm a lot less sure of is whether it was worth spending £15 to get in, and, in contrast to Macclesfield, whether best use was made of the extra space this year.
And that was it. Nothing else appealed to me, although the other layouts did have people taking an avid interest in them, so perhaps it is just me.
I was in a hurry, because Issy was sat outside with the dogs, but I was in and out in under an hour.
Was it a good show? On balance yes, because of the layouts that were very impressive, though possibly over-exposed in some cases.
What I'm a lot less sure of is whether it was worth spending £15 to get in, and, in contrast to Macclesfield, whether best use was made of the extra space this year.
Oh yes, the second hall. A good idea, but it wasn't immediately obvious that there was one (especially if you don't buy show guides), and once inside the lighting was too dark (the room is a theatre, quite a nice little one). I do like the fact that there's always an S scale layout at Buxton, it's a scale that appeals. And Bessie Bull's was lovely. I do like anything C&HP as well, which comes from reading Model Railways magazine many years ago. However...
ReplyDeleteThe noise from that 3 rail American layout was seriously off-putting, I lasted less than ten minutes before I had to get out. Quite how the other exhibitors put up with it I don't know, I would have packed up and left. It wasn't even just train sounds, there was CB radio chat mixed in as well, and the volume was way too loud. I'm not keen on sound on layouts anyway, but I do acknowledge that it is part of the hobby nowadays, but this wasn't the gentle sound of a 47 ticking over or black 5 running along the main line, this was something else entirely. It's a shame because I like that kind of display, whether it be Tri-ang on Super 4 or a table full of Lego trains and without the sound I would have spent time in front of it.
As for the entry fee, would have been worth £15 if you had more time?
The Pavilion hall actually works well, with its odd shape. It feels like you are discovering things, and you get to see more of the fiddleyards. Hall 2 just seemed crowded, noisy, and a maze. It didn't make me want to hang around, despite having those three great layouts. I quite enjoyed the USA 3 rail, but it was noisy, especially when trying to soak up the atmosphere on Dent.
ReplyDeleteAn awful lot of people who seemed to be serious modellers were having to have S scale explained to them!
I would have stayed longer if I had more time, but probably still have decided it was a £12 show.
Glad to see Bessie Bulls is finished. I saw it in the early stages in David's garage. Just need to find time for the photo shoot.
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