On Friday morning 22nd November, Stephen drove to Staines, where the layout and all sundries were loaded into the two cars. The drive to Birmingham was in lovely sunshine and good time was made. Despite the complicated arrangements proposed for unloading the layout, on the day, all of the perimeter doors were accessible to exhibitors and we unloaded everything straight into our exhibition space. Chris arrived soon after and unloaded his stock boxes.
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| 63 layouts and many other attractions |
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| Our spot, in the bottom left corner. |
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| We were soon ready for business. |
The three of us then drove to the Travelodge at Birmingham Airport, made ourselves comfortable and headed for the bar for dinner and a few drinks. Warners (the show organisers) were providing breakfast and lunch in the exhibition hall, so early next morning we made a bee-line to the NEC. We were ready when the doors opened and the crowds appeared.
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| Stephen and Geoff on duty. |
Ted joined us on the Sunday, which made it easier for us all to take an occasional break and look around the show.
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| Chris and Ted on duty. |
Unfortunately, the rain arrived at closing time, but not as bad as it later became. Packing up went smoothly despite everyone leaving at the same time. The drive down the motorway was horrendous with numerous floods bringing everything to a crawl. By the time we hit the M25, it had eased, making the finals legs less stressful. The following sunny morning, Stephen headed back to Staines and the cars were unpacked. Another show completed!
Geoff has received some enquiries for further exhibitions, which will be formally submitted by the organisers in due course.
Many of the 63 layouts were very large, probably too large for the average 'local' exhibition. There were also many large retailers, together with numerous specialist suppliers. A small selection photos of the layouts on show:
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This Clyde 'puffer' slowly worked its way around the harbour.
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| The operators can only see the layout through angled mirrors in the ceiling! |
Also on display was Douglas. It was originally a 2'-0" narrow gauge loco, built in 1918. From 1921-1945, it was used by the Airservice Construction Corps and a period at the RAF facility at Calshot Spit, Southampton. In 1954, it was re-gauged to 2'-3" and ran for many years on the Talyllyn Railway. It is currently at the Severn Valley Railway awaiting an overhaul.
Independent videos are also available on YouTube.
