LEGO Railway at the Warley National Model Railway Exhibition 2010...
Hi all. This weekend was a long one, and one that we'd been anticipating for over a year! This weekend we exhibited at the 2010 Warley National Model Railway Exhibition, held again in Hall 5 of the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham. We took along our little-seen 9ft x 4ft LEGO Model Railway layout, which was being displayed as Stand D39. With 2010 being the layouts third appearance at Warley, we were more than ready for it. We booked to display at the 2010 Show back in November 2009, slowly planning our layout format as we went through this year. In the past, we have always displayed a 6ft x 4ft layout BUT, for 2010, we increased the overall size by 1/3; making it a much more impressive display. We added many more figures, vehicles, buildings, tracks, trains etc to fill in all the new space; using almost all of our LEGO if truth be told! However, we made it, and the post you saw around 2 weeks ago depicted us testing it. Since then, a few more bits were added, ready for the BIG SHOW(!) but, all too soon, Friday 19th rolled around and we pulled into the NEC at 5:30pm; under a cover of a darkness, engulfed by a thick band of dense fog. We drove into the Hall and found our stand. After a few minor problems we started to set up; taking around 90 minutes to do so, with a little bit of work left to do on Saturday morning to keep us busy. Below, we see the scene on our Stand on Saturday Evening. Its 6pm and the exhibition has just closed; the layout has been running non-stop since 9am and now enjoys a rest and a blanket...
I didn't take any pictures on Saturday as we were so busy. However, when I say busy; I mean busy! I estimate that at least 20 people (if not more) were viewing the layout at all times. At peak times, people were queuing to see our humble model railway, standing three rows back from the crowd barriers just to try and get a look in! I honestly could not believe the popularity that such a basic set up attracted. I was quite moved by the amount of people that came up and talked to me, shook my hand, took pictures, said Thank You; it was very moving! One gentleman even reported that he had spotted this very blog and he was visiting the show from Wisconsin, USA! Thank you for coming to see me, Sir; thanks alot for the chat. Many visitors asked where they could obtain LEGO trains, especially with Christmas coming up. (I hate to think how many Christmas list's we enlarged over the weekend!). Saturday though, as I say, was manic. My voice hurt very much by the end; I did that much talking! It was very, very busy; I estimate around 12,000 people on Saturday alone. In fact, I've been to every Warley show since 2004 and I don't think I've ever seen it this busy; ever (even when I've exhibited!). Anyway, Saturday went without hitch and was a very good day indeed. It was nice to see a few Shackerstone colleagues, as well as Steve Bell from the EVLR; who's engine I drove last weekend! Below, early on Sunday morning, Hall 5 prepares for the crowds... 
Our colourful 9ft x 4ft layout gets operations underway, ready for the Advanced Ticket Holders to be admitted at 9:30am...
The layout ran very much without hitch on Sunday; no problems at all. It was a much quieter day compared to the HUGE crowds on Saturday BUT it was still very busy indeed. Now, for those who don't know, Warley is held annually and attracts exhibitors, traders and visitors from all over the world. It is one of, if not the best, Model Railway Show and includes every gauge from 'T' right up to 'Gauge 1' (45mm). As well as exhibitors, there are countless sales stands, demonstrators, societies and stewards. It's a very well organised show and is a joy to visit; let alone exhibit at! Throughout the show; two layouts particularly caught my eye. One, seen below, was Hadley Road; an O Gauge layout owned by the Exhibition Manager (Mr Paul Jones) and on its very last outing this weekend. The layout depicted a GWR station scene with lovely Western engines, all fitted with very realistic DCC sound, busying themselves with either shunting or passenger trains. I enjoyed a good 20 minutes watching the movements up and down the tracks. One particularly interesting feature was the bank, topping out at steeper than 1 in 40! Not bad at all, beautiful detail and a lovely display; shame it's not coming again (mind you, it has done over 50 exhibitions in its lifetime!)...
A quick shot of Hadley Road; shame my camera isn't better suited to the NEC's Hallogen lighting!...
Hadley Road was very popular throughout the show; well done Paul, it's a lovely layout indeed! Now, the next layout that caught my eye was very evocative. This was an O Gauge (I think!) display depicting the famous Barmouth Bridge on the Cambrian Coast line. The layout seemed simple yet very effective and popular, really drawing the crowds over the weekend; I myself had a very good look at it. Below, we see the huge bridge section and the beautiful backdrop...
"Yes", all those bridge supports are made of wood! They look fantastic and have obviously taken many hours to construct. Its a great layout. Speaking to one of the operators, I asked about the use of the loco's on the line. The Cambrian, particularly Barmouth Bridge, was very restricted on loco weight. The Manor Class was just about the biggest engine used on the line, not forgetting the BR Standard's of course. Engine's that were common included tank engines, and the infamous Edwardian Dukedog 4-4-0s. The operator told me that they use the Dukedog, Small Prairie, Pannier, Abadere Freight (an inside cylindered 2-6-0 of which none were preserved) and other light engines; there are some BR engines too I believe. Below, we see the Iron section of the bridge, skirted by water and sand...
Below, a little Pannier takes an early morning run out across the bridge...
The Barmouth layout was very nice indeed; I loved it; well done to all who built it! Now, alot of you will remember that Warley usually has a centrepiece locomotive. In recent years, these have been 2ft Narrow Gauge examples yet, for 2010, Standard Gauge returned in a Yankee form. "Yes", a 'Yankee Tankee' 0-6-0 was this year's choice, visiting from the Bluebell Railway in Sussex. The loco was placed on a small plinth of two rails and stood quietly in the Hall throughout the show...
The USA Tank's, as the class were known, were built by the Vulcan Iron Works in Pennsylvania. 14 locomotives were built, though many more were ordered. They were shipped to Britain in 1943 and stored awaiting the invasion of Mainland Europe. However, some were later shipped to Europe. The ones that remained on home soil found work with the Southern Railway. Their short wheelbases allowed them to work easily around the cramped Southampton Docks rail network. Their huge cylinders also gave them considerable power, handing them the ability to pull freight trains and even full length passenger trains. They were almost the perfect shunter! However, they had to be fitted with Steam Heating, Vac Brakes, extra Lamp Irons, new Drain Cocks and even Slide Cab windows. Finally, they needed new regulators as they originally carried USA-style Pull-Out versions. Once modified, they were ready for use in 1947. However, though they were great, they were not built to last. This meant that their Steel Fireboxes were problemed by fatigue and many of the class needed new fireboxes in the early 1950s. However, even so, four of the fourteen have been preserved. This is No30064. Unfortunately, though preserved, she hasn't been under full cover for a good few years now. Therefore, she is a little tired looking and is in desperate need of an overhaul and cosmetic attention. The bunker in particular has terrible rust spots and corrosion... 
As well as this, the paint is faded, the windows cracked, the valve gear caked in dirt and the vac-bags torn and a little leaky-looking. This aside, she looks a fantastic engine; very tall for its short wheelbase. I wouldn't mind a go on one of these; they look beastly! I hope that the Bluebell will maybe take pity one day and give her overhaul; she must be worth it; she looks very powerful. Below, we see the layout in full swing...
It had been a fantastic show but 5pm on Sunday evening soon rolled around and the 2010 Warley National Model Railway Exhibition was over. We had a great show and the popularity we encountered was fabulous. Thank you very much to everyone who made it a great show for us; particularly the organisers. I, of course, must also thank my many helpers; you were great! Thank you all. It was also nice to see CMES and Shackerstone colleagues again today; thanks for visiting. Maybe we'll be back at Warley in 2012? I am currently looking out for shows to do with the LEGO railway; one in particular is a possibility at the Warwickshire Exhibition Centre in March 2011. Thanks for reading folks...I need some rest! Good Evening...
Hi all. This weekend was a long one, and one that we'd been anticipating for over a year! This weekend we exhibited at the 2010 Warley National Model Railway Exhibition, held again in Hall 5 of the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham. We took along our little-seen 9ft x 4ft LEGO Model Railway layout, which was being displayed as Stand D39. With 2010 being the layouts third appearance at Warley, we were more than ready for it. We booked to display at the 2010 Show back in November 2009, slowly planning our layout format as we went through this year. In the past, we have always displayed a 6ft x 4ft layout BUT, for 2010, we increased the overall size by 1/3; making it a much more impressive display. We added many more figures, vehicles, buildings, tracks, trains etc to fill in all the new space; using almost all of our LEGO if truth be told! However, we made it, and the post you saw around 2 weeks ago depicted us testing it. Since then, a few more bits were added, ready for the BIG SHOW(!) but, all too soon, Friday 19th rolled around and we pulled into the NEC at 5:30pm; under a cover of a darkness, engulfed by a thick band of dense fog. We drove into the Hall and found our stand. After a few minor problems we started to set up; taking around 90 minutes to do so, with a little bit of work left to do on Saturday morning to keep us busy. Below, we see the scene on our Stand on Saturday Evening. Its 6pm and the exhibition has just closed; the layout has been running non-stop since 9am and now enjoys a rest and a blanket...
I didn't take any pictures on Saturday as we were so busy. However, when I say busy; I mean busy! I estimate that at least 20 people (if not more) were viewing the layout at all times. At peak times, people were queuing to see our humble model railway, standing three rows back from the crowd barriers just to try and get a look in! I honestly could not believe the popularity that such a basic set up attracted. I was quite moved by the amount of people that came up and talked to me, shook my hand, took pictures, said Thank You; it was very moving! One gentleman even reported that he had spotted this very blog and he was visiting the show from Wisconsin, USA! Thank you for coming to see me, Sir; thanks alot for the chat. Many visitors asked where they could obtain LEGO trains, especially with Christmas coming up. (I hate to think how many Christmas list's we enlarged over the weekend!). Saturday though, as I say, was manic. My voice hurt very much by the end; I did that much talking! It was very, very busy; I estimate around 12,000 people on Saturday alone. In fact, I've been to every Warley show since 2004 and I don't think I've ever seen it this busy; ever (even when I've exhibited!). Anyway, Saturday went without hitch and was a very good day indeed. It was nice to see a few Shackerstone colleagues, as well as Steve Bell from the EVLR; who's engine I drove last weekend! Below, early on Sunday morning, Hall 5 prepares for the crowds... 
Our colourful 9ft x 4ft layout gets operations underway, ready for the Advanced Ticket Holders to be admitted at 9:30am...
The layout ran very much without hitch on Sunday; no problems at all. It was a much quieter day compared to the HUGE crowds on Saturday BUT it was still very busy indeed. Now, for those who don't know, Warley is held annually and attracts exhibitors, traders and visitors from all over the world. It is one of, if not the best, Model Railway Show and includes every gauge from 'T' right up to 'Gauge 1' (45mm). As well as exhibitors, there are countless sales stands, demonstrators, societies and stewards. It's a very well organised show and is a joy to visit; let alone exhibit at! Throughout the show; two layouts particularly caught my eye. One, seen below, was Hadley Road; an O Gauge layout owned by the Exhibition Manager (Mr Paul Jones) and on its very last outing this weekend. The layout depicted a GWR station scene with lovely Western engines, all fitted with very realistic DCC sound, busying themselves with either shunting or passenger trains. I enjoyed a good 20 minutes watching the movements up and down the tracks. One particularly interesting feature was the bank, topping out at steeper than 1 in 40! Not bad at all, beautiful detail and a lovely display; shame it's not coming again (mind you, it has done over 50 exhibitions in its lifetime!)... 
Hadley Road was very popular throughout the show; well done Paul, it's a lovely layout indeed! Now, the next layout that caught my eye was very evocative. This was an O Gauge (I think!) display depicting the famous Barmouth Bridge on the Cambrian Coast line. The layout seemed simple yet very effective and popular, really drawing the crowds over the weekend; I myself had a very good look at it. Below, we see the huge bridge section and the beautiful backdrop...
"Yes", all those bridge supports are made of wood! They look fantastic and have obviously taken many hours to construct. Its a great layout. Speaking to one of the operators, I asked about the use of the loco's on the line. The Cambrian, particularly Barmouth Bridge, was very restricted on loco weight. The Manor Class was just about the biggest engine used on the line, not forgetting the BR Standard's of course. Engine's that were common included tank engines, and the infamous Edwardian Dukedog 4-4-0s. The operator told me that they use the Dukedog, Small Prairie, Pannier, Abadere Freight (an inside cylindered 2-6-0 of which none were preserved) and other light engines; there are some BR engines too I believe. Below, we see the Iron section of the bridge, skirted by water and sand...
Below, a little Pannier takes an early morning run out across the bridge...
The Barmouth layout was very nice indeed; I loved it; well done to all who built it! Now, alot of you will remember that Warley usually has a centrepiece locomotive. In recent years, these have been 2ft Narrow Gauge examples yet, for 2010, Standard Gauge returned in a Yankee form. "Yes", a 'Yankee Tankee' 0-6-0 was this year's choice, visiting from the Bluebell Railway in Sussex. The loco was placed on a small plinth of two rails and stood quietly in the Hall throughout the show...
The USA Tank's, as the class were known, were built by the Vulcan Iron Works in Pennsylvania. 14 locomotives were built, though many more were ordered. They were shipped to Britain in 1943 and stored awaiting the invasion of Mainland Europe. However, some were later shipped to Europe. The ones that remained on home soil found work with the Southern Railway. Their short wheelbases allowed them to work easily around the cramped Southampton Docks rail network. Their huge cylinders also gave them considerable power, handing them the ability to pull freight trains and even full length passenger trains. They were almost the perfect shunter! However, they had to be fitted with Steam Heating, Vac Brakes, extra Lamp Irons, new Drain Cocks and even Slide Cab windows. Finally, they needed new regulators as they originally carried USA-style Pull-Out versions. Once modified, they were ready for use in 1947. However, though they were great, they were not built to last. This meant that their Steel Fireboxes were problemed by fatigue and many of the class needed new fireboxes in the early 1950s. However, even so, four of the fourteen have been preserved. This is No30064. Unfortunately, though preserved, she hasn't been under full cover for a good few years now. Therefore, she is a little tired looking and is in desperate need of an overhaul and cosmetic attention. The bunker in particular has terrible rust spots and corrosion... 
As well as this, the paint is faded, the windows cracked, the valve gear caked in dirt and the vac-bags torn and a little leaky-looking. This aside, she looks a fantastic engine; very tall for its short wheelbase. I wouldn't mind a go on one of these; they look beastly! I hope that the Bluebell will maybe take pity one day and give her overhaul; she must be worth it; she looks very powerful. Below, we see the layout in full swing...
It had been a fantastic show but 5pm on Sunday evening soon rolled around and the 2010 Warley National Model Railway Exhibition was over. We had a great show and the popularity we encountered was fabulous. Thank you very much to everyone who made it a great show for us; particularly the organisers. I, of course, must also thank my many helpers; you were great! Thank you all. It was also nice to see CMES and Shackerstone colleagues again today; thanks for visiting. Maybe we'll be back at Warley in 2012? I am currently looking out for shows to do with the LEGO railway; one in particular is a possibility at the Warwickshire Exhibition Centre in March 2011. Thanks for reading folks...I need some rest! Good Evening...
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