Yesterday, Sue and I attended the first day of the two-day Erith Model Railway Society’s annual exhibition. It was held at the Harris Garrard Academy in Thamesmead, Bexley, and ran from 10.00am to 5.00pm.
The Erith Model Railway Society's logo. It depicts Invicta, the twentieth steam locomotive built by Robert Stephenson and Company in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. She was built in 1829 and hauled the first passenger-carrying train on the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway on 30th May 1830. She was withdrawn from service in 1839, and eventually placed in storage at the Ashford Works of the South Eastern Railway... and thus became the first preserved locomotive in the world. She was restored in 1892, and from 1906 until 1977 she was on display in Canterbury. Invicta was cosmetically restored for a second time in 1977 and now resides in a specially-built museum in Whitstable, Kent.
Compared to most local wargame shows, I felt that it was about the same size as – for example – Cavalier at The Angel Centre, Tonbridge but that the attendance was greater. The site used is a secondary school, and there was plenty of on-site parking. The various exhibits and trade stands were spread over the school’s central atrium area and the surrounding classrooms, and the school’s cafeteria was open and provide somewhere to buy refreshments and somewhere to sit.
There were eighty-nine exhibitors and traders, with most of the former being club layouts ranging in scale from O-gauge to OO9-gauge. Many of the traders were selling various ranges of new and second-hand model locomotives, rolling stock, and accessories, and I resisted the temptation to buy several cheap bits that I saw on sale and restricted my purchases to some laser-cut OO-scale garden shed kits (I got four for £6.00) and some precision glue dispensing bottles.
The entrance fee was £10.00 each and I felt that it was well worth it. I will certainly consider going next year if I can … and I picked up flyers for three future model railway exhibition that will be held in Kent later this year.
Some of my regular blog readers might be asking themselves why I didn’t take any photographs at the exhibition. The answer is very simple: it was just too crowded to be able to do so. Some of the exhibits and trade stands had two or three ranks of people trying to see what was on offer, and an elderly man with mobility issues (me, in other words!) needs space to stand and – if possible – brace themselves so that they can use their camera. As it was, I was almost knocked over a couple of times by people who were not looking where they were going and had one of my walking sticks knocked out of my hand by an enthusiastic small child who was running from one exhibit to another.
This seemed like a nice model railway show. It's nice when this hobby gets attention and have a lot of visitors. Even if the trade stands (and possibly the layouts too) had ranks of 2 and 3 I hope you managed to have a look. Which are the other shows you consider to visit later this year?
ReplyDeleteRoger,
DeleteIt was a very good show … but just a little too crowded for my personal comfort.
My wife made an interesting comment: she felt that there should have been some sort of barrier three or so feet away from the layouts so that viewers weren’t getting in each other’s way. As it was, it was almost impossible to see a whole layout at the same time because the crowds of viewers were all too close to it.
Three layouts did stand out. One was a OO9 World War I layout, another was a ship breaker’s yard that included two U-boats and a corvette being broken up, and the third was a modular N-gauge layout that depicted different German scenes, including a funicular railway going up a hillside,
There are shows in Deal, Chatham, and Herne Bay that I’ll try to visit later this year.
All the best,
Bob
Nice report Bob. I watch a few online reports of visits to such and they always seem very well supported. Can't help but admire the modelling skills of some of these chaps!
ReplyDelete‘Lee,
DeleteI’ve visited a number of model railway shows over the past couple of years and they always seem to be somewhat better attended than similar-size wargame shows. Mind you, i use to go to dolls house fairs with my wife, and they were also very well attended and more frequent than wargame shows.
The modelling skills on show were exceptional, especially on some of the modular layouts, particularly the German one that I saw. The advantage they have is that rather than trying to build a complete layout, each modeller works on their section and can really produce a high standard of work.
There is much that wargame terrain modellers can learn for railway modellers!
All the best,
Bob
Bob, glad to hear you enjoyed the show, despite the difficulties of viewing the layouts and nearly being knocked over. I share your admiration for the modelling skill exhibited by many railway modellers, but I feel that what one can learn from them about producing scenic dioramas is rarely applicable directly to most wargames, for the following reasons (in no particular order)
DeleteModel railways are intended to be displayed and operated for some considerable time after being completed, whereas a typical wargame battlefield is created for a particular game and then dismantled afterwards, its components to be used to create other battlefields in future.
Heights and slopes can be modelled accurately on a model railway, as the only things that have to move across the terrain are the trains on the tracks; wargame figures could not stand up upon such slopes.
Miniature buildings can be made to the same scale as the model trains, whereas in any wargame other than a small skirmish a building's 'footprint' occupies a far larger area on the battlefield if it is to the same scale as the figures than one building would in reality.
Railway modellers aspire - I presume - to photographic realism and can achieve it. But what is the point of devoting equivalent care to model buildings and scenery if a group of twelve or twenty figures mounted on a base represents a 500-man battalion, as the tabletop display will not look like a real battle, but more like a reenactment society display? If the troops are symbolic, why not have symbolic scenery too?
Wargames scenery and buildings need to withstand being handled and having toy soldiers moved across them, so they must be robust enough to withstand it.
Producing diorama-standard scenery may creates an impressive visual spectacle, but will not itself create an interesting wargame. That depends upon the rules, the scenario and the players.
Wargames are for playing, not looking at as a spectator.
Heresy to some, I know...
Best wishes,
Arthur
Arthur1815 (Arthur),
DeleteWhilst I agree with much of what you’ve written, I was really thinking about the modelling techniques that railway modellers use to achieve effects. It’s what they talk about in education as being ‘transferable skills’. I’ve certainly learned lots of useful techniques from watching railway modelling YouTube videos.
In particular, the Budget Model Railways channel on YouTube has been very helpful … and he is a former wargamer who’s moved over to model railways. Furthermore, he tends to make lots of small layouts and reuses bits and pieces from older layouts on newer ones.
My recent splurge of building and painting buildings for use in my wargames was inspired by a video produced by a railway modeller … and I made sure that their ‘footprint’ wasn’t too large. Furthermore, I hope to be able to use them on my next railway layout although they won’t be fixed to the baseboard.
All the best,
Bob
I think that (like with wargaming), many people are put off making model railway layouts by the level of modelling on display at shows and in magazines - they're fantastic to look at but I know that, even if I had the space, time and money, I couldn't possibly achieve the same results. The little layout that I'm (slowly) working on is inspired by Mike Potter's videos and is in a wargaming style of scenery; what I call "representational" rather than to scale!
DeleteThe good news about a crowded show is that there are clearly still a lot of interested people out there.
Maudlin Jack Tar,
DeleteJudging by some of the wargames I've seen at shows in the past (usually the ones where very little seems to take place during the show and that look more like dioramas), it is very easy to be put off if one's own modelling skills don't seem to match this high standard set by these clubs and/or individuals. Mind you, the same can be said of figure painting!
Model railways I've seen at shows and online vary a lot in quality. Some look like dioramas that trains occasionally run through whilst others just seem to be loads of track, very little scenery, but have loads of trains running on them. Like you, I tend to favour the sort of layouts built by Mike Potter (aka Budget Model Railways ... or as my wife calls it Bodge-it Model Railways!). Small layouts that have scenery that makes sense - even if it is not quite in scale - and that you can run trains on is my aim ... and once I've done my planned work on my current project, that's what I am hoping to build next.
Good luck with your layout,
Bob
Snap ! went to the South Lakes Model Railway Exhibition today myself as well .
ReplyDeleteThe Good Soldier Svjek,
DeleteGreat! Did you manage to buy anything?
All the best,
Bob
BOB,
ReplyDeleteYes- I'm going to build a model railroad on my 11ft x 4ft bench. The layout will consist of an oval and a single spur track. The GP20 Diesel will operate with six Boxcars- should be enjoyable. Cheers. KEV.
Kev Robertson (Kev),
DeleteThat sounds very interesting. I wish that I had the space to do something similar. I look forward to seeing it when it is set up.
All the best,
Bob