Scaleforum 2022 - the attractions

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Winander
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Re: Scaleforum 2022 - the attractions

Postby Winander » Thu Sep 29, 2022 8:40 pm

Richard Oldfield wrote:I thought this might be of interest to the forum

A very interesting read. I was reluctant to visit Scaleforum because of the cost and time involved. The nail in the coffin was the preponderance of branch line terminus type layouts, although individually good to excellent. Had Mostyn been there, even though diesel era is not my cup of tea, or something equally 'significant' I would have been sorely tempted. The scaleforum.org website lacked impact and looked amateurish.
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android
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Re: Scaleforum 2022 - the attractions

Postby android » Fri Sep 30, 2022 11:10 am

Richard Oldfield wrote:Hi,

For the benefit of Barrowmore Model Railway Group members unable to attend events, we try to publish reports on exhibitions we participate in. I thought this might be of interest to the forum as it gives a different perspective on the Scaleforum weekend.

S4um2022-report.pdf

Cheers,

Richard


Thank you, Richard; that is a very useful report which we will bear in mind when we hold our post-mortem on the show. A small point; I made a point of visiting all the traders and layouts, but when I got to your stand, and on my return a bit later, my trusty lieutenant was engaged in lengthy conversation, so I thought he would have a handle on your thoughts!

Thank you again

Andrew

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kelly
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Re: Scaleforum 2022 - the attractions

Postby kelly » Fri Sep 30, 2022 12:47 pm

Once again a great show overall.

I had some difficulties, mostly related to my mobility, but on the whole the venue was good (the difficulty getting around was more to do with my lack of strength/energy to wheel myself around and pain when using the crutches), the only negatives I could think of were the ramp up to the demonstrator area, which is fine if someone can push the wheelchair, but impossible on my own I would have found (a minor thing overall though), coming down without assistance was a bit of a ride though! Otherwise the lack of upstairs toilets were a issue, but again thats just me personally. Those small points aside it was great. Hopefully next year I will be better mobility wise however! The plan had been to have a mobility scooter, but DPD seem to have lost the replacement batteries!

The layouts all looked good, though I didn't get a lot of chance to see much of them due to being on the DEMU stand all day Saturday and feeling exhausted Sunday.

I look forward to next year.
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markdavy
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Re: Scaleforum 2022 - the attractions

Postby markdavy » Fri Sep 30, 2022 2:52 pm

Thank you Richard (and Colin and Philip). Your report is very well expressed and largely agrees with my impression of Scaleforum 2022.

The new venue was a great improvement on Aylesbury, although the parking at the school was a problem on the Saturday. Thanks to the post by Philip Hall we used the carpark for the Booker Recreation Ground, which was nearly empty.

Being used to the space and small crowds at Aylesbury, I didn’t notice a difference at High Wycombe. However the small number of completed layouts was obvious. Surely just one under construction is enough.

I particularly enjoyed Market Bosworth and Boston Frodsham. Sadly, Faringdon illustrated how not to use LED lighting !

I visited the Cardiff exhibition in 2019 but wasn’t very impressed and decided not to bother again. It was only the presence of Mostyn this year that prompted me to change my mind, and I’m glad I did. You’re right – Scaleforum needs to work harder at attracting visitors. That means more attractive exhibits and good advance publicity.

In general, I think there are three main reasons to attend a model railway exhibition :-
1. Layouts – for entertainment and inspiration
2. Traders – to meet the owners, view the products and buy them !
3. Social interaction – to meet and make friends

Of course we all have different priorities. For me, in order they are 2, 1, 3. I get the distinct impression that for the Scaleforum organisers they are 3, 2, 1. And it’s been like this for some time. Perhaps that’s why attendance is low.

Potential visitors will weigh up the pros and cons of attending an exhibition, i.e. the attractions on offer versus the cost and inconvenience of travelling. I hope that the mini Scaleforums or show-within-shows in the future will have sufficient pros to outweigh the cons.

Mark

bobwallison
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Re: Scaleforum 2022 - the attractions

Postby bobwallison » Fri Sep 30, 2022 5:41 pm

markdavy wrote:
In general, I think there are three main reasons to attend a model railway exhibition :-
1. Layouts – for entertainment and inspiration
2. Traders – to meet the owners, view the products and buy them !
3. Social interaction – to meet and make friends

Mark


Mark - you seem to have overlooked
4. Demonstrations.
These are a significant attraction for me (and many others?): in fact the presence of the radio control demo this time round was the decider for me.

As for layouts, I too once thought that the more the merrier, especially if they were big. Now I realise that size doesn't have much to do with inspiration, it's the ones that are beautifully executed or break new ground that really stick in the mind: Sudely Iron Works; 50 Shades of Grey (yes, really! Coarse scale TT in a 50cm cube but wonderfully evocative of a cold night at the docks); Portchullin; Obbekaer ....

As for incomplete layouts - it's much easier to see how things are done and to pick up practical tips when they are in this condition. And the owners are much more amenable to discussing the whys and wherefores than when they are focussed on providing a faultless performance of their finished masterpiece.

I thought the balance was spot-on.

Bob

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Re: Scaleforum 2022 - the attractions

Postby markdavy » Sat Oct 01, 2022 8:52 am

bobwallison wrote:

Mark - you seem to have overlooked
4. Demonstrations.

Bob


You are right, and my apologies to all the demonstrators.

My omission is doubly embarrassing as I had a long conversation with John Farmer about MBR trees from Poland and Greenkeeper static grass applicators.

Mark

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Captain Kernow
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Re: Scaleforum 2022 - the attractions

Postby Captain Kernow » Sat Oct 01, 2022 9:11 am

markdavy wrote:Sadly, Faringdon illustrated how not to use LED lighting !

Unfortunately I wasn't able to go to Scaleforum this year, but having seen Faringdon at other exhibitions, I'd be grateful if you could elaborate on this, as some of us are still at the trepidatious experimental stage with LED lights, so a pointer or two might be useful, thanks.
Tim M
Member of the Devon Riviera Area Group.

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John Donnelly
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Re: Scaleforum 2022 - the attractions

Postby John Donnelly » Sat Oct 01, 2022 7:06 pm

Richard Oldfield wrote:Hi,

For the benefit of Barrowmore Model Railway Group members unable to attend events, we try to publish reports on exhibitions we participate in. I thought this might be of interest to the forum as it gives a different perspective on the Scaleforum weekend.

S4um2022-report.pdf

Cheers,

Richard


Unfortunately I didn't make it this year despite my plane but that is a very interesting summary. The EMGS show in Wakefield last month didn't have a large 'headline' layout either, the vast majority were small end to end layouts. Nothing wrong with that, per se, but there is something about seeing trains being able to stretch their legs in the finer scales...

Porcy Mane
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Re: Scaleforum 2022 - the attractions

Postby Porcy Mane » Sat Oct 01, 2022 8:01 pm

John Donnelly wrote:
Unfortunately I didn't make it this year despite my plane


That's why you could make it up & down to Aylesbury so quickly. Scheduled maintenance eh?

Darlington tomorrow?

P

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John Donnelly
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Re: Scaleforum 2022 - the attractions

Postby John Donnelly » Sat Oct 01, 2022 8:46 pm

Porcy Mane wrote:
John Donnelly wrote:
Unfortunately I didn't make it this year despite my plane


That's why you could make it up & down to Aylesbury so quickly. Scheduled maintenance eh?

Darlington tomorrow?

P


Very good. Darlington a possibility depending on car availability...

markdavy
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Re: Scaleforum 2022 - the attractions

Postby markdavy » Sun Oct 02, 2022 11:41 am

Captain Kernow wrote:
... I'd be grateful if you could elaborate on this, as some of us are still at the trepidatious experimental stage with LED lights, so a pointer or two might be useful, thanks.
Tim M


Tim,

I suppose I set myself up for that one. :)

I’ve started writing some notes and hope to post them on the forum later this week. They are ‘what I did and why’ rather than a definitive guide. I don’t think there’s a single solution for everyone and others have considerably more experience of LED strip lighting than I do.

Mark

markdavy
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Re: Scaleforum 2022 - the attractions

Postby markdavy » Fri Oct 07, 2022 3:22 pm

I've now posted my notes on the 'LED layout lighting' thread.

Mark


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