LWMRS Show - Day 2

East Lynn
Originally uploaded by Phil_Parker

Well, I'm still tired - and dehydrated, sometimes you are so busy you don't get time for a cup of tea - but the show is over for another year bar the shouting.

Highlights were many. The new layout of the hall worked very well. Last year we did the sensible thing and set it up so that the aisles ran away from the doors, which resulted in the electrical drops in the middle of the room ending up in the aisles. This year we swung it around 90 degrees and they cam from the ceiling perfectly. That's the joy of a proper exhibition hall, you have to think of these practical aspects.

The traders seemed happy. Even those who were with us for the first time did well enough to make them keen to come back again. Since I looked after the trade, this is good news ! Those with a bit of experience know that it takes a couple of years for visitors to expect to see a trader at an event. It doesn't matter how much we tell them in advance who is going to be there (and we do on the web), most still walk in and get a surprise to find someone who wasn't there last year.

A layout I lobbied hard to get in the event, the Gauge 1 "Stanley Midland" went down very well. Despite being huge (it didn't look it in a hall this big, but it was), there was always a line of people along the barriers. Best of all they were a real mix from the hardened enthusiast to family just enjoying real steam trains thundering around. The biggest crowd though, was by the loco preparation area where everyone seemed fascinated watching the guys get their machines ready for a spin. As for the coal fired G1 Garratt, mmmmm.......

Elsewhere the layouts were excellent. The photo shows East Lynn, a model I've always enjoyed but elsewhere Happisborough in its penultimate appearance was also stunning. It would be unfair though to try and single any model out though and I'm too tired to knock out a complete list.

At the end of the day it took almost exactly 3 hours to see everyone off. In the end it became a race between Happisborough and Squires Tolls to see who would be last out, something the layout won by about 15 minutes !

Now all we have to do is work out if we can do it next year !

Anyway, plase go and look at the photos.