Ally Pally - 15-16 Mar 25

[Martin Shaw]

There are quite a number of times when I consider that residing so far away from both London and Birmimgham is a significant advantage. I was at the SECC three weeks ago and even though it's on my doorstep I had lost interest by mid afternoon so I came home, my day out including travel, entrance and lunch cost me £30 which is fair enough, a day out at Ally Pally or the NEC would I expect be significantly more. Trips to Central Hall Westminster with my father over 60 years ago are a distant but most treasured memory.

 

[PaulRhB]

Not the first show for me this year, already done Doncaster and Portsmouth and if I can get to Railex I will too. I have broad tastes so most shows offer something and two of the essentials in my diary are both one day tiny shows but a guarantee of fun and inspiration.
AP and the NEC have an advantage of pulling layouts down from ‘oop norf’ I otherwise rarely see. Also working over 50% of weekends limits my show attendances. Big shows nicely offer stuff I don’t see regularly and a lot in one weekend.
In the last two visits to AP one layout made the show for me, Wolfstatt and at the next one West End Drift, layouts at opposite ends of the size and subject spectrums but well presented, run and operators who were interesting to chat to.
I also usually go to all shows with a friend or two which splits the costs of parking and just makes for a long entertaining day out. Maybe that’s the secret, don’t make the show the only highlight of the day.
It’s going to take me 2 1/2 to 3 hours each way by trains and I have my eyes on a nice relax on the chairs just off the smaller hall.

 

[Yorkshire Dave]

When it comes to a national showpiece event, I fail to understand why we cannot organise a large show on the lines of Intermodellbau at Dortmund Messe bringing all modelling disciplines together, railway, radio control, aircraft, road vehicles and ships.

 

[timbowales]

When it comes to a national showpiece event, I fail to understand why we cannot organise a large show on the lines of Intermodellbau at Dortmund Messe bringing all modelling disciplines together, railway, radio control, aircraft, road vehicles and ships.

I thought one of the magazine publishers had?

 

[Bigjohn]

After my experiences with MRJ at central hall last century I would avoid any exhibition organised by a magazine, and this was pre “rucksack menace” era.

 

[Hayfield1]

Car parking charges were introduced at Ally Pally last year but fortunately they are not as eye-wateringly high as the NEC.

Vehicles entering and leaving the park are park are monitored by ANPR cameras so there's no escaping. The payment machines are located at the hall itself, outside and in the car park. They take card payments so you don't need a phone app. Just enter your reg number when you are heading home and it will tell you how much you owe.

Also, a reminder that Ally Pally is inside the ULEZ zone so best check if you own an older vehicle, particularly a diesel one, to see if it's compliant. This can be done at the TfL website.

I think car parking payment last year was voluntary or just starting, thank you for brining it up I will now try and remember to pay.

 

[Hayfield1]

When it comes to a national showpiece event, I fail to understand why we cannot organise a large show on the lines of Intermodellbau at Dortmund Messe bringing all modelling disciplines together, railway, radio control, aircraft, road vehicles and ships.

There was an event held at Wembley in the new year , but most railway related stuff was model engineering and or live steam
Think it went to Alley Pally but stopped during Covid and never restarted

 

[PaulRhB]

When it comes to a national showpiece event, I fail to understand why we cannot organise a large show on the lines of Intermodellbau at Dortmund Messe bringing all modelling disciplines together, railway, radio control, aircraft, road vehicles and ships.

As TW says Hornby mag are in April at the NEC but it requires someone to commit to trying to do it on that scale and it’s a huge financial risk to take on the scale of the German show.
It’s pretty much established as an international trade show so I think it gets a lot of trade on that basis.

 

[Terry]

When it comes to a national showpiece event, I fail to understand why we cannot organise a large show on the lines of Intermodellbau at Dortmund Messe bringing all modelling disciplines together, railway, radio control, aircraft, road vehicles and ships.

There used to be such an event at Brighton every year. It even had full-sized Daleks moving around the exhibition. Sadly no more.

Terry

 

[Stephen]

There used to be such an event at Brighton every year. It even had full-sized Daleks moving around the exhibition. Sadly no more.

Terry

Brighton Model World was always a good show, especially in the early 90’s when you could go into the top level bar area and had a brilliant view of the Old West Pier, which at that stage hasn’t suffered any fire damage….

Cheers,

Stephen

 

[Stephen]

There was an event held at Wembley in the new year , but most railway related stuff was model engineering and or live steam
Think it went to Alley Pally but stopped during Covid and never restarted

Back in the early 80’s there was a regular Model Engineering exhibition in the New Year held at the Wembley Conference Centre, remember going to that a few time with the old man.

As you say the show was reintroduced a few years ago at Ally Palley, again around the same time of year, but then disappeared from the calendar due to COVID.

Cheers,

Stephen

 

[Stephen Freeman]

My knee these days makes me less likely to attend a model railway show, indeed I have not been to one in years.
Model Engineering Show at Wembley Conference Centre was one I did go to many years ago (late 1980s), the local clubs joined together for the day out and we went by coach. Most enjoyable but with a rather large degree of wallet pain. The show transferred to Ally Pally, not on the same scale it has to be said. I think the exhibition centre had become unavailable.

The decline of Model Engineering in the UK had a lot to do with it as did the demise of the Magazine. There was another show organised, ostensibly to take the place by another Magazine, which I went to a couple of times, that was in the Midlands, I don't think that is still going either.

All a shame but reflects the current state of things in the UK.

 

[AndyB]

The decline of Model Engineering in the UK had a lot to do with it as did the demise of the Magazine. There was another show organised, ostensibly to take the place by another Magazine, which I went to a couple of times, that was in the Midlands, I don't think that is still going either.

A bit of an over-simplification in my opinion.
The demise of magazines in all genres is down to rising production costs and that they are not the only medium any more - as has been said on this forum many times, there is so much great content on web-sites and forums (fora?), discussion groups, etc. these days that has largely replaced magazine content. I personally still enjoy printed content more for my core interests (e.g. line Society journal and G3 Society newsletter) but the national mags have had little appeal for quite a while now (model railways and model engineering). I wouldn't be surprised if advertisement income for the national mags is also reduced as most traders have a high reliance on their own web presence, and magazine advertising doesn't show any benefit.

The Midlands Model Engineering Exhibition is still going strong. As I recall, it started as a more northern alternative to the London-centric MEE (Wembley, Central Hall, etc). and was variously held in Birmingham, Stoneleigh etc before TEE publishing / Meridienne Exhibitions got their own premises at The Fosse. Rising costs have been a key challenge for Model Engineering exhibitions too. Before the internet, the only way to sell machine tools was to lug a few tons of them around the country and the shows were full of shiny new machines and a good range of used too - so people came with wallets full of cash as it was the only opportunity to 'shop around'. All that = healthy stand fee income for the organisers and traders making a profit. The traders can no longer make a profit doing that, as they sell much more through other means and it is disruptive to normal operations, stock control, etc.. The knock-on effect to the exhibition organisers is obvious.

 

[Stephen Freeman]

A bit of an over-simplification in my opinion.
The demise of magazines in all genres is down to rising production costs and that they are not the only medium any more - as has been said on this forum many times, there is so much great content on web-sites and forums (fora?), discussion groups, etc. these days that has largely replaced magazine content. I personally still enjoy printed content more for my core interests (e.g. line Society journal and G3 Society newsletter) but the national mags have had little appeal for quite a while now (model railways and model engineering). I wouldn't be surprised if advertisement income for the national mags is also reduced as most traders have a high reliance on their own web presence, and magazine advertising doesn't show any benefit.

The Midlands Model Engineering Exhibition is still going strong. As I recall, it started as a more northern alternative to the London-centric MEE (Wembley, Central Hall, etc). and was variously held in Birmingham, Stoneleigh etc before TEE publishing / Meridienne Exhibitions got their own premises at The Fosse. Rising costs have been a key challenge for Model Engineering exhibitions too. Before the internet, the only way to sell machine tools was to lug a few tons of them around the country and the shows were full of shiny new machines and a good range of used too - so people came with wallets full of cash as it was the only opportunity to 'shop around'. All that = healthy stand fee income for the organisers and traders making a profit. The traders can no longer make a profit doing that, as they sell much more through other means and it is disruptive to normal operations, stock control, etc.. The knock-on effect to the exhibition organisers is obvious.

Magazine advertising is expensive and not very cost-effective for the small trader, come to that so is having a stand at a show, much more cost effective to have a website etc. I think that most traders do the shows is because they enjoy the experience not just interaction with the public but with their fellow traders etc and what happens after shows not from monetary gain, some of the best projects I had in the past have from come from orders some time after the show.

Life has got so much more busy (and expensive for clubs especially), perhaps less true for Engineering as a lot utilise the outdoors where it can be seen as an attraction.

 

[chigley]

don't forget to pay car park sat/sun