Setting Up "Giant Miniature Weekend" 2018...

Well folks...here we go! After months of planning, worrying and hard work "Giant Miniature Weekend" 2018 is finally here. It's been another long road this year, battling uphill to get everything ready for the big weekend. Even the weather has been doing its best to thwart our efforts this time around and the cancellation of local rally Rushden Cavalcade really knocked my confidence the week before last. Thankfully though the sun decided to shine and a few days of hot weather resulted in two nicely dried fields ready for set-up to begin yesterday, on Thursday. A dozen of the 100 engines planned to attend arrived. Thursday gets more popular by the year, particularly with the long distance exhibitors who want to get booked in and settled...

Thursday, as always, was far more leisurely than Friday. The first engine arrived at around 10:30am with the last turning in at 6:30pm. I spent most of the afternoon on foot, marching back and forth up the field with wristbands, checklists, welcome letters - you name it. By Thursday evening things were slowly starting to shape-up. Ashley's Steam Gallopers had arrived and their large Scammell tractor unit had been busy shunting trailers. We couldn't wait to see the Gallopers all built up...

Alex and his team had been busy throughout Thursday getting the six rostered SBR steam locomotives ready for their weekend. "Isibutu", "Alpha", "Howard" and "Fiji" are seen basking in the evening sunshine on the shed...

In the running shed, Nick's team had also been busy, clearing away masses of tools and equipment to make the shed tidy for tomorrow's stand exhibitors to start arriving. This year we chose the 1899-built Krauss to stand as the centrepiece engine over the pit amongst the stands: I do like her...

I stayed over at Statfold on Thursday and we soon found our way into an early start for Friday. I was on the move at 6am and made my way into the running shed to chalk mark the floor for the arrival of the stands. Friday is always manic from 10am until late but this year was really something else. Down in the bottom field, known as the 'rally field', the first arrivals were enjoying the calm before the storm...

The various staff of the on site businesses started arriving from 7am and kindly parked in the field to allow the tarmac based exhibits to set up when they arrived later in the day. From 9am it really was absolute pandemonium of the highest order! Engines, exhibits, campers and lorries were turning up in their droves and without the invaluable assistance of the volunteers and staff of Statfold we couldn't have pulled this set-up off to the high standard which we did. In honesty, though it was manic, it went very smoothly. Engine after engine came through the gate and I believe there were 60 or more miniatures in the bottom field alone! It was shaping up to be quite a show but by mid-afternoon my adrenaline fuelled enthusiasm and energy was already beginning to fail. Every year I say I'm going to wear a pedometer and I forget! By the evening, as stands and engines continued to arrive, the bonfire was lit at 7pm alongside visiting Fowler Showman's engine "Repulse"...

With "Repulse" generating and her lights burning bright, not to mention her organ playing cheerfully across the way, the whole atmosphere - though still manic - was just what we wanted. I love "GMW" and it's been a pleasure to do it for the last 3 years. "Repulse" and the bonfire were popular right into the evening...

Meanwhile I was still marching back and forth across the fields, getting the last exhibits in. I think the last engine arrived at around 9:30pm in the end, though we did stay up and about until 11:30pm to let some of the final staff out. By then the rain was pouring but we hadn't had a drop all night so it worked out beautifully really - couldn't have asked for more. Despite the madness, stress and trauma the set-up really did go without hitch and it's always a great rush when a plan comes together. Just a few more exhibits to get in in the morning and we're away. Roll on tomorrow! Zzz...