Broithe

3 minutes ago, Gabhal Luimnigh said:

When is Glasgow on? Is that railway specific?

https://modelrail-scotland.co.uk/

1 hour ago, JasonB said:

I'm sure your probably doing nothing else anyway, other than sunning yourself  

I'm hoping that he hasn't got one of JHB's thongs...

...but, that would be better than nothing, I suppose...

No electric locos will be supplied, except third-rail.

1 hour ago, murphaph said:

Depends where you secrete the models.....

Offer them as 'weathered', at no extra charge.

5 minutes ago, murphaph said:

First and it seems last visit in November gone. 

I won some tickets in 2013, so I felt obliged to go.

I found it to be a bit of an ordeal, but it certainly was worth going - and I would be regretting never having gone now, if I hadn't gone then...

2 minutes ago, DJ Dangerous said:

Haven't actually gone to a rally in a few years

When I said "car rallies" above, it wasn't really people charging along dirt tracks, it was more old motors parked up in fields and being tutted at by the "better owners"...

For reasons of The Plague and other logistical things, I haven't been to many exhibitions in the last five years - just two Stafford ones, probably - but, it's very clear that model railways is, essentially, a retirement hobby now. You will see families with young kids, but they are largely just there 'to look' at the exhibits. I don't personally know anybody without a pension book who has a layout. There are a good few youngsters on here, though, which is encouraging.

Also, people, in the UK in particular, live in smaller houses filled with loads more 'other stuff' these days, and a layout of any size would be difficult.

Evolution happens.

Things change all the time, especially if you're relying on sponsorship, or just goodwill, from commercial interests, who may well have their own problems on the horizon.

Sometimes, one single issue can make things on the whole just practically impossible - I gave up with one place because His Lordship's new estate manager was just too difficult and unreliable.

They've had a good run and it may be time to 'quit whilst they're ahead'.

The alternative may be to give themselves a harder and harder time, until the inevitable happens..?

Costs have a habit of steadily increasing, without a great willingness from the paying public to fill the gaps. The last ones I did were at an MoD site, where I had a tame 2i/c and few costs...

15 minutes ago, Ironroad said:

That speaks volumes

It is hard to do these things, especially on a voluntary basis, and they sometimes just do have a 'life-cycle'.

I used to do fairly large outdoor events at various stately homes - car rallies. The number of people who would actually turn up and do something, both before and during the event would steadily drop over time and it eventually became clear that we (that were left) just couldn't do it all ourselves, even though we got better and more efficient. If you're wise enough, you will stop before it all falls to pieces on the day...

The events get bigger and the active personnel dwindle.

After the Covid disruption, Stafford has drifted back into the autumn and may take up some of the slack, but it's generally fairly full anyway. For people arriving by road, it's probably better, and they run a bus from the station, but it's nowhere near as convenient as the NEC for the rail-borne visitor.

Trade vehicle access to the halls may be less convenient than the NEC, but it's not too bad.

It is nice that they are able to provide a systematic run-down, this is very rarely the case.

I remember the worldwide shock when Mr Mashima decided that retirement loomed in the future and his efforts to lessen the problems for his customers.

On 5/2/2023 at 5:10 PM, Broithe said:

A point to bear in mind, possibly - I've been 'watching' an item (not model or railway related) that I might get around to obtaining at some point.

It was a 'Buy It Now' for £27:89.

He's down to the last few and has nudged the price up to £127:89, possibly in the hope that the last few are snapped up by people who might not notice the 1..?

A year later, this item is at £126:95 - this being 29% down from the £179:95 that it spent the last six months at.

According to the 'Number Sold', not one has been sold since it was £27:89*.

872 are 'watching it', probably for the same reason as I am...

* I didn't buy one, even at £27:89, because I thought twelve quid would be about right and I got a very similar one for that.

33 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

Seems one of their staff defrauded them of 70 grand to pay for his drug habit……! Was in Liverpool newspaper. That can’t have helped them…..!

https://www.lancs.live/news/lancashire-news/model-railway-shop-manager-stole-22425050

33 minutes ago, derek said:

Baby GMs are 141's are they not?

Yes, and 181s.

3 hours ago, GSR 800 said:

They'd have been more reliable than any Crossley!

I'm quite partial to them.

I've one myself, but it doesn't have to worry about being "Inchicorised" 

As generally despised as they are by the purists, I like them - a solid, compact and powerful last attempt at a 'modern' steamer.

What is down the 'subway'?

2 hours ago, GSR 800 said:

if CIE stuck with Steam we may have ended up with some bulleid Q1s!

I have one in stock, for that very reason.

Irish railway-themed postcard collection.

https://irishpostcards.wordpress.com/transport/

Another variation, on a Camel fuselage, intended to confuse the perception of the direction of travel.

45 minutes ago, leslie10646 said:

2025 / 2026 before we "see" a RTR steam loco?

I'll be EIGHTY (DV).

At least let us know WHAT, so I have something to look forward to in my dotage!

Be fair!

If they tell you, you'll have forgotten before you get upstairs.

58 minutes ago, Mike 84C said:

Dangerous, you should be so lucky, like the inside of a coalsack here well before 5 pm.

That's what you get for being in the Far East.

I'm currently at 7½ degrees west, which is worth a whole half an hour more (at the end).

They were working for me, then they stopped, even ones I have already seen...

is it possible that you have blundered into the Dark Web and upset some gangland overlords?

There is 2' track on the Curragh, for the firing range, I believe. A little overgrown now.