2024 Models that move. What you saw, or maybe what you missed!
Preparation is everything!
Almost all our regular evening members attended and helped one way or the other.
As I brought the whole thing together, (a nice comfy sitting down job with phone and laptop to hand!) it was so nice to pass on the nuts, bolts and washers to fellow members to screw it all together and make it happen.
The unexpected does happen though! No tables delivered when we arrived on the Friday! They got there eventually after a hasty phone call and then all was OK. I think we used all of them this time plus a lot of the school ones. The visiting clubs did their bit in collecting and returning the hired tables and restoring classrooms ready for Monday lessons. Michael's plans meant that they knew ahead where they were going to be so it was a lot less work to do for us.
The mystery of the Opening Ceremony deepens as when 10 o/clock came we had to abandon it, but apparently, he got there in the end but never made his presence known! Previously we had always contacted the Mayors’ office for a dignitary to attend and their driver’s always got them there on time. Never thought I would say you can rely on Politicians! So, our Chairman has rolled up his red tape and put away his scissors for another day.
The weather often plays a big part in events and the continuous rain of the previous few days made the grass areas very wet. And although they drained well the site manager regretfully said no parking there. It was the likes of Baz and helpers that kept the flow of visitors going and leaving and taking advantage of every square inch of space to park. The loud-hailer was often in use. However, as it turned out the sun did its best on the Saturday with an almost summer’s day, and it never actually rained on the Sunday!
First of all for me, my main interest is for all our members to have a good time as it tends to spread to our visitors as well. Organisation / manpower was controlled by Michael, well-armed, with spreadsheets, diagrams and a smile. A tremendous help with my dodgy memory!
One of my private measurements of visitor happiness is the noise the children make. It was hell in the catering area but as soon as they were out in the many rooms, looking, poking and taking part, the noises off ceased!
The club stand was as good as it has ever been in the past, even so we still had a few model boats. (Yes!) I loved the many G1 engines on display and on tracks, all in all it looked like a railyard! The tools and part-built models showed what we did and the O gauge wind up engines and trains brought visitors across to see us.
We managed to man our stand all the time and rather than go fishing for new members we just put the net out, and in they swam. Well done to those concerned. I think the club stand easily compared with our visiting clubs and I suspect this helped with attracting new members too.
We had a visiting on-road quarter scale traction engine and trailer, from the North London club on the Saturday parked outside. There was drone flying on the playing field, I never got to see if the hot air balloons were in use. Every time I looked up there was always a Hi-viz yellow jacket in view, which meant our stewards where on patrol!
The annex which had had last minute changes, was delegated to Jim and Brian to set up and manage. The O gauge railway looked splendid with the supporting buildings and then the lone engine failed. So, we had no movements on the Saturday, but all was better on the Sunday. Members rallied round and other locos were brought in.
The Scalextric race tracks were a real crowd puller popular all the time with young and old having a go. Three sets of tracks were in place with not an inch to spare. The speed of the cars surpassed all of what I had been used to when we had our own many years ago.
Then the Yellow Train failed, Clive diagnosed a broken switch early on and went to get one which he then fitted. So service was soon resumed. It was nice that we had some young help from outside on this and also on the make and fly an aircraft stand.
The Yellow train led down to the 3 rooms of Meccano models managed by the West London Meccano Society with visiting clubs as well. Lots to do and see and popular with the young ones and nostalgic for the dads. Our familiar and ever-expanding Spit Head Review was on display with family support.
The Gym had most of the visiting clubs with many model boats down one side and model railways down the other. The railways were operated at sedate pace to show the fine control available with todays miracle electronics. Regular exhibitor Steve was there with his family to show the small N gauge end of the hobby. The have a go railway layout was again popular with speed no problem.
A very busy stand was our own club sales stand with lots of unexpected items from jig-saws to tooling. It kept at least two members working the whole time.
Along the other corridor we had the return of Bill W with his scale model of an organ but with full scale organ music. This led on through to the school restaurant where all had been cleared and a very large road arrangement had been specially constructed and many colourful lorries cars and cranes were in operation. Watched by many of all ages. There was a special area where for a small sum you could drive your own lorry, not as easy as you might think!
Outside we had our gazebo up with live steam running on the toy workshop and the rolling road. Our chairman brought all his destructive instincts with him and was driving his enormous Panzer tank and offering lessons to those that asked.
In the far corner Dave had his jet aircraft on demonstration. Unable to fly due to regulations and display restrictions, he powered up the jet aircraft for all to see and wonder at. On a separated off piece of grass Tim had his traction engine in action driving a working saw mill.
The very popular railway service was in use with free rides up and down the whole of the exhibition. This does use up our man power but with Terry taking up the reins of our late friend and member Den it was all managed very nicely.
Looking back from this activity revealed the portable pond with scheduled operation for new would-be Captains of the sea to navigate model boats using remote control. Always a queue here and well done to the club members who controlled it all.
The catering service never failed! And the not unexpected shopping expedition on Saturday evening points to just how much food was sold and how hard the good ladies of the servery worked. There seemed to be a constant queue, I gave up my regular time for meals and ate an hour later.
The pictures reveal it all, our visiting clubs did us proud and it was great to have a chat with old friends from the clubs. I also met a few previous members of the St. Albans club and it was nice to chat with them again.
Apparently for the really young ‘Stickers’ are the thing. We had extended to 10 of them this year. Unfortunately, some of us in the society did not know what they were all for! Surprising gap in the generations I suppose, must add it to the briefing notes in future.
The members who glued the many pieces together to get the exhibition assembled were rather knackered, by the time it came to taking it all apart again and restoring ground zero. We should not have worried, for with help from our visiting clubs and our own ‘breakdown crew’ our presence over the weekend was soon obliterated. Some sweeping up by the Site manager and his assistants made ready for the onslaught of Monday morning.
Eventually the numbers were disinterred from the accounts! Over the weekend we had 2327 visitors which does include for the first time under 5’s all 447 of them, but they came in for free as did a small number of carers. There were slightly more visitors on the Sunday.
I think the society with its’ first exhibition as a charity can rest assured that we can deliver the goods where the commercial side of our various hobbies cannot. A great show, a great turn-out of members and a great response from our visitors.
Roy Verden,
2/10/2024.