Big Macc

 So, the Macclesfield Show is over, and the embargo no longer applies...

...I should say that by the time of the show the organisers had toned the messaging down a lot. But it does raise a few questions in my mind about what the collective "We" think the right etiquette should be at exhibitions. A theme I might return to, or hijack Phil's Workbench for a guest blog. I haven't told him that yet.

The new venue is superb. I know a lot of us were envious of the pupils at the school. Trust me, we aren't talking about your traditional school hall show. Having all the exhibits in one hall made it feel a much more "grown-up" show.  I only had two small niggles about it. One was that, arriving early on the first free bus shuttle, the queue to get in was out the door. Added to which we were queuing in an area with a clear view of children using the swimming pool. My  Safeguarding nose was twitching a little. The other was the toilets. I think the gents were limited to just two cubicles and no urinals, unless there were facilities I wasn't aware of.

Somehow, I found myself near the front of the queue, partly because other people didn't realise where it was, so I had a great first twenty minutes where I was getting to layouts before anybody else. Later on it got VERY busy. Not quite as bad as Spalding, but not far off. By the time I left, my neurodiversity meant I was on the verge of breaching my stress threshold with the noise and press of bodies. Incidentally, I didn't see that many people using wheelchairs or mobility scooters. If there had been, congestion could have become critical.

I would like to think, and my initial impression is, the problem was that visitor numbers have jumped. I certainly saw a lot more family visitors with children. Not just an incremental increase, I can't remember the last time I saw a show with so many young children, and it was great to see.

As for the layouts, I don't think there was a single duff one. The standard was consistently high whilst appealing to a wide range of interests. I don't know if they were running a best-of-show competition, but I would have hated to be a judge if they were.

A quick note on photography. This time, I decided to trust my relatively new Google 10 Pro rather than a "real" camera. I'm glad I did, because the few people I saw using cameras did seem to be struggling a little and contorting themselves to get shots. The phone didn't do a bad job. I didn't save to RAW files, but I did shoot in 50Mp, although I think even that was overkill. I have used AI in a limited number of cases. On one photo I used it to remove an N gauge Landrover which was right at the back of the layout, I wouldn't have noticed except I was zooming in, but it was really not representative of the layout as a whole. In other cases, I've only used it to disguise a baseboard edge, or to extend a backscene upwards.

Penmaenpool

This was the headline layout for me. Not built as an exhibition line, so I never expected to see it in the flesh. It totally lived up to my expectations as a model of a place I once knew well.

Bred Albin

Only one photo because although it is a great layout, there are only so many photos you can take of it, and I've already taken most of them at other shows.

Brettell Road

An interesting one, being displayed in night-time mode, which is always a challenge in an exhibition hall. It was very hard to take decent photos of it because my phone was more in control than me, and kept trying to capture detail across the full exposure. I could have over-ridden it, but that is quite hard and unintuitive. Perhaps I should have switched RAW on for this one layout. 

It goes without saying that the modelling was superb.

Tamerton Foliot

A modern take on the old fashioned quirky and charming freelance OO9 layout. when you looked closely you realised how well done individual elements were modelled.

Nine Spires East

An interesting layout, updated from its original 1930's incarnation to represent the London I knew when I first lived and worked there. It grew on me more every time I walked past it

BTW, at this point the curse of the Macclesfield show guide has struck, with the map of the exhibition hall bearing only the slightest connection to where the layouts actually were...

Woodside Depot

I found this hard to photograph,which is unfortunate, because I liked it.

It is the type of layout I think some people would go home thinking they could build a layout to combine operation with display. 

Noware in Particular 

No photos because this was the 'drive a train' layout for children. I couldn't get near it because it was achieving its stated purpose so well, and I wouldn't have felt comfortable taking photos anyway. See earlier Safeguarding comment.

But a layout that many shows could do with it. It was obviously very well thought out.

Nicola Landing 

One of those layouts I feel I've seen more times than I probably have. But still lots to love and reminiscent of an idea I had for a layout many years ago, when I was a regular visitor to Victor's. I've used AI to extend the "water" in a couple of shots 

Blandings Parva

If I could halve the length, I guess this is the O gauge model I would build.  I'll come back to backscenes later.

 

Wedmore

A good case of "not my cup of tea" but clearly very popular and well deserving of being in the show. I was particularly taken with the NG locos, Upnor Castle being a favourite in the real world until it got Ffestiniongged.

Modbury

The layout I came back to, time after time. Utterly delightful FS 2mm. If I had to criticise anything, it would be the lack of a scenic foreground, but that allowed you to see the stock and station in forensic detail.

Exchange Sidings

It might be small, not much might happen, but I love seeing this every time I come across it.

Bluish Moor

Here is where my images might have got mixed up between the 3mm layouts. This is the only one I'm sure is Bluish Moor. I'm a sucker for a TransPennine DMU.

Winter Overcoats.

"So, Mr Insley, we meet again!"

Every time I see Charles he seems to be showing a different layout. This is one of his earlier ones.  I really liked the overall track plan as something a bit different. I've filed away a few ideas based on it.

Staroleko Wielkopolski 

Yes, I did have to copy and paste that. 

I never realised Polish rolling stock was so charismatic. I'm kicking myself, I didn't get better photos.

Although I'm now more than halfway round the hall, that it is a good point to end Part 1, because there is a lot to come in part 2.

I did say it was a big show