Chatham & District Model Railway Show

[David Holman]

Been asked by the Club to take on publicity for our show, due to illness of the chap who usually does it and this site seemed like a good place to start!

The show is on 14th & 15th June, at the Mid-Kent Leisure Centre in Gillingham, Kent. Adverts will be in the main magazines with full details in their June editions, which come out in mid May.

For a while, the Chatham Show was one of THE prime events in the south east, but changes of personnel and [especially], venue within the Historic Dockyard, Chatham meant for a few difficult years after we lost our venue in the old fitted rigging house. A large marquee was used one year, pitched on shingle - not great for baseboard levelling - an it leaked! Then we had the Number 5 Covered Slip for several years. In some ways a wonderful venue with superb industrial atmosphere. However, it was also only half enclosed, the roof leaked and the River Medway could come up through the floor at high tide! The floor was also less than level. Never mind beer mats to pack baseboard feet, bricks were needed in some cases! The unsealed concrete floor was a nightmare for dust too and being unheated, early June could [as often was] less than warm. The main advantage was exhibitors and traders could drive their vehicles into the 'hall'. The final straw was supporting a Dockyard event at Easter last year, when the outside temperature was zero with around a 10 degree windchill. Using 3 link couplings not an option!

Hence we are now in a smart, newly re-furbished Sports Centre, with lovely level floors, no gales blowing through and masses of space. Seemed to go well last year, with lessons learned re public catering, so if you are in the area, it is well worth a visit. Arigna Town's big debut, but as soon as I can will get hold of the list of traders and other layouts. We try to have a good blend of scale and RTR, so should be something for everyone. A long way for all you folk from over the water though...