Crowd control

All being well, I'm asleep after a busy weekend at the NEC for the Warley. Hopefully the wooden device above has made my weekend a little easier.

It might look like a shelf but in fact it's a major advance in crowd control.

One of the problems I found at Peterborough was that the tarmac area at the front of the layout is very inviting to visitors. Several used it to lean on and one chap actually plonked down a sheet of paper and prepared to write some notes until I requested he do otherwise.

Had I now stopped him, I'd have had to replace the cardboard which would have been embossed with his scribblings. Not an easy job as it goes under the arches and is well glued in place.

It's almost as though people lose the ability to think when they come in the door. Quite what posses you to think that using someones model as a desk or something to prop you up I don't know. It's not just at shows either - I've seen people merrily dump boxes on the track of our club O gauge layout. Indeed, years ago, we had one member who would come in every evening and deposit his toolbox on the layout, even when people were working on it.

Every. Single. Week.

So, £2.56 of plywood cut into strips will hopefully keep wandering hands at bay. I did think about putting a covered slope on top but that makes inserting the bolts difficult. Instead, I plan to cover it with cake to eat over the weekend.