We did it with New Hey last year, very enjoyable show from our side of the barrier, would certainly go again with other layouts, and was very surprised to see the number of folk from the North west who visit on the Friday - taking advantage of cheap rail travel no doubt.
But would I make the trip as a visitor - Im not sure to be honest. There were some excellent layouts there, and the trade is decent, but it suffers from being an association show, so every member club has to provide a layout. And some of them are dire, and very dire at that - last year (appropriately near the bogs in our hall) was an American layout we nicknamed the turd. Why - because the scenery was just knobbly plasterwork (presumably to look like rock) and was painted a uniform brown. And yes it did look like one. Lowest common denominator modelling unfortunately does not make for a brilliant show. I dont think its what the exhibiton management team would want, but its what they end up with as I think they have little control over what a member club sends to the show.
Incidentally if they are doing the Big Brother auditions there again this year its well worth going just to look at the queue to get into them. Trust me you would not beleive that the human race has evolved past amoeba state looking at that lot!
I was told about the American creation, as I was in its place with Glenuig this year, as you say by the bogs!. I enjoyed the show, and although I was there for all of the three days, managed not to see most of it. Took the missus with me as second operator, and after the first night, the exhibitors hotel had been named the prison block and our room, cell 117. Of cause, we were let out during the day, but then we were tagged, with an arm band.
Glenuig performed like a pain in the back side, due to expansion problems, I latter found that a lot of the other exhibitors were having the same problems, And it was then that I found out, that the hall was dropping to very low temperatures at night, and the heating blasting out to warm the place up for the opening time.
From what I saw, it was a mixed show, but then again there was something for everyone.
For me it was a bit of a homecoming, and an absolute pleasure to be part of, the original concept of Glenuig, comes from one cold and rainy night on the end of a platform, Glasgow Queen Street, January 1989.
Gary
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