Chatham Show returns

[David Holman]

Yes and in the Dockyard too.

  One year from now on 20th and 21st July. Back in the No5 Covered Slip. All down to some new and enthusiastic members, while mainly model railway based, it will also include other themes like radio control, model ships and aircraft.

 Will aim to post updates as details are confirmed, but we already have lots of interest from traders, clubs and societies.

[David Holman]

This weekend, for anyone in the area. Northport Quay will be there, along with loads of other layouts, lots of traders, plus Societies. Indeed, over 100 stands in all, plus the delights of the Historic Dockyard.

[Warbonnet]

Looks like it was a good show. A friend was there with his layout Ebbsworth Street, which had Jools Holland behind the backscene inspecting at one stage I believe! 

[David Holman]

Looking at comments on RMweb, it seems to have been well received. There were a few glitches, notably catering, that need to be better next time, but as a show, it went well and planning is already under way for next year.

 Enormous credit to James, the Chatham Club's exhibition manager and his army of helpers. There were well over 100 stands and the effort required to provide power to all of these was epic as the Covered Slip has only a limited number of standard three pin sockets, so hats off to the team of Sparkies.

 As somebody who was there at the first Chatham Show in the Dockyard in 1987, it is interesting to reflect on changes in our hobby since then. A key feature of the original format was the high number of specialist traders who attended - something rarely seen these days. New and second hand 'box shifters' as they were known, were deliberately kept to a minimum - mainly to avoid duplication. It didn't seem fair to be charging traders to attend and compete to sell the same stuff.

 These days, the number of specialist traders willing to attend shows in person is much reduced, making it harder to seek out suppliers of materials and accessories, especially if you are a kit or scratchbuilder. On the other hand, the proliferation of ready to run models means you can have more traders of new models, because there is so much more variety on offer and few traders can afford to stock everything.

Likewise the second hand trade. Back in the day, second hand meant old and often poor quality. Now, such has been the improvement in ready to run models, even something a few years old can still be well worth having, both in terms of appearance and running quality. With prices of brand new models being so high, folk are keener than ever to seek out bargains, while as modellers shuffle off to work the big train set in the sky, their collections mean there is really good stuff available for very low prices.

 This year, invited layouts were mainly sourced locally, to keep down costs. Next year, the net will be widened to bring in exhibits from further afield, while hopefully exhibitors previously reluctant to attend, because the Covered Slip previously had issues with an uneven, dirty floor and sometimes leaky roof, will be reassured things are much improved. Indeed, that was a key reason why the Club stopped using the Dockyard 12 years ago. This year though, it was great to be back, so hopefully a much loved annual event has returned.

[Galteemore]

Great to hear David, how did NPQ get on ? 

[David Holman]

NPQ did ok, especially after I levelled the baseboards! The new fiddle yard works well and is only half the weight of the previous one. However, hadn't noticed that the main support beams weren't level, so the layout was effectively on a gradient of about 1 in 60. Most trains were fine, but the D16, F6 and Small Tanks spun their drivers going up hill.

 Ok once levelled and am now getting on top of the AJs. 

Next outing is Aldershot on October 19th. Visiting Sligo stock always welcome!