This is Blaenau North being exhibited at the Tyne Tees Members' Day last Saturday, 13th September.
As my first layout and first exhibition my learning curve was vertical but there was a lot of help around from fellow members and my brother (who is an electrician - might come in handy !)
The lessons learned so far:
Need to set up / take down quicker with less effort - some bolts are far too long and all T-nuts can be replaced by wing nuts
Better stock boxes - something that will fit together so we can lift everything in one go
Track needs to be kept clean - all the time not just at the start. Discovered Maplins switch cleaner about 1/2 way through the day
Had plenty of locos but I must try to rotate them more. There were no loco failures on the day
Need to think about a sensible operating plan - we eventually got organised but I should have thought about this in more detail first.
Need to make sure all operators know and understand the operating plan
Couplings - This needs to be sorted and standardised. Saw two layouts using Greenwich very effectively so I think I will start fitting the stock with these
How to find the time to run a layout and talk to people at the same time !!
With and end - to -end fiddle yard there needs to be something set up to move all of the time, I will have to be take care over this.
All in all we had a really good day !
Robert Berry
Hi Bob
Well done on your first exhibition. As you say it's a learning curve, but you seemed to cope rather well despite your lack of exhibition experience.
It was nice to be able to put a face to a (forum) name and a pleasure speaking you. Thanks for your hospitality.
Congrats to all who exhibited and to the organisers, and to Brian and Gary who had a monumental trip 'up North'.
Many thanks, Keith
Keith, thanks for your kind comments - I enjoyed our chat too.
Glad it looked professional !
Robert
Yes, well done, Bob!
You'll soon be a seasoned pro :)