Hi guys,

this is my fourth year of attending model shows with the club and its got me thinking of some of the wacky and irritating moments attending shows in that time.

Probably one of the funniest moments I've had was one day on the retired HO layout when I was running a 'might have been' steam loco and one gentleman insisted he had ridden behind it as a boy!

The worst was probably an argument with someone from another club who butted into a conversation me and a mate were having about what class of loco we were looking at, and decided it was his duty to forcibly repeat to us we were mistaken in our casual observations....

I have the feeling most exhibitior experiences whether here or in the UK are similar but I bet theres some stories out there...

Matt

By and large I have found Brisbane modellers to be a pretty easy going lot that don't get carried away with their own self importance.

I helped one group of lads with an exhibition layout a couple of years ago, one of the blokes chewed my ear off about all the girlfriends he has had over the last 45 years, I think he only took about 10 breaths in about an hour and a half and my ears were nearly falling off, I eventually got away and saw some of the show.

Don't you just hate those people who must breathe in through their backside to keep their mouth going

Quote from: newportnobby on March 15, 2013, 07:59:56 AM
Don't you just hate those people who must breathe in through their backside to keep their mouth going

I think this bloke has a snorkel Mick 

Quote from: newportnobby on March 15, 2013, 07:59:56 AM
Don't you just hate those people who must breathe in through their backside to keep their mouth going

Or worse, the people that must breathe in through their mouths to keep their backsides going

One thing I will never forget is two old rivet counters complaining about the layout I was watching and which I thought was very well done and entertaining.

"Of course you would never have a station on a sharp curve like that in real life" they said very loudly. I had to bite my tongue to stop myself saying "So where are your layouts then?"

Regards

Veronica.

Silence is Golden Veronica    there are plenty of twits like that around 

I always enjoy viewing a good crash at a show  
Can't remember when but watched someone mess up their points and an 8 coach HST tried to park in a bay platform at scale speed of about 125mph, made a mess of the buffer stops and killed a few figures as it mounted the platform, not to mention the stack of hst coaches with scrapes  if Ionly I'd had my

Most memorable (that is publishable) is when George Smith of Dapol produced a prototype 14xx at TINGS from his pocket.

First time any Dapol N Gauge had been seen.

For me it's flippin rucksacks!! Having had my specs ripped off my face and damaged by a one they are my pet hate. Also the all to often rudeness shown to my wife when looking at a layouts and stands. She is as interested as me but for some railway 'enthusiasts' they seem to think women should not be allowed through the doors.

Quote from: swisstony on March 15, 2013, 11:17:45 AM
I always enjoy viewing a good crash at a show  
Can't remember when but watched someone mess up their points and an 8 coach HST tried to park in a bay platform at scale speed of about 125mph, made a mess of the buffer stops and killed a few figures as it mounted the platform, not to mention the stack of hst coaches with scrapes  if Ionly I'd had my

Perhaps they were just trying to make the layout true to life,  its not like point failures dont happen...
Would model rail crash inquiry complete in a scale amount of time?!

Apart from the already mentioned rucksacks, the worst for me are the few persons who should actually be made to walk very slowly through a car wash.
Maybe they think it is more manly not to use anti-perspirants, but there are those about who certainly pen & ink Well, I for one am stocking up on baked beans before the next show - you have been warned!

Quote from: newportnobby on March 15, 2013, 01:18:29 PM
Apart from the already mentioned rucksacks, the worst for me are the few persons who should actually be made to walk very slowly through a car wash.
Maybe they think it is more manly not to use anti-perspirants, but there are those about who certainly pen & ink Well, I for one am stocking up on baked beans before the next show - you have been warned!

Oh you mean the "onions with your burger" brigade ?

Not in a club now and don't exhibit railways, but when I did...........

Best

A married couple that entered the room my 4x2.5 foot board layout was (as part of a very large NMod modular layout), double took the scene and came straight to me saying they used to live a mile from the spot (near 200 miles from where the exhibition was) . Then then went into detail on things I knew would not be known generally about the operation of the piece of railway in the 50s/60s, and added a few things I didn't.  They stayed 45 mins plus and helped generate a large interested crowd listening to the discussion and operation.  The best experience I have ever had with a model. They left saying I had "made their year".

Worst

Roped into doing the catering for a different large and very very busy exhibition year on year , my family were all helping including brother and sister in law who lived 150 miles away. We were in our fourth year of doing it.  Then my teenage daughter ended up in tears after receiving lengthy, loud and very public verbal belittling abuse from a member of the "greasy badge strewn anorak and have not washed this year" brigade when she simply asked for confirmation of his order as she didn't know for sure what he meant by a "round" of sandwiches.

Unfortunately I came onto the scene too late to forcibly eject the cretin. That was the last year we did it.

Prices doubled the following year and the choices available were markedly reduced by those that took over, and the club lost the location the following year due to the actions and bad attitudes of many of the visiting public towards site staff, so they would no longer attend.

As Ye Sow.....................

Best - Being lent the only working prototype Dapol Class 56 for the weekend and hearing a pair of older gents standing in front of the layout that I was operating to hear them saying i used to catch the train from that station. Even though it was a real place, the closest train passed about 15 miles away.

Worst - Didn't happen to me but one of my fellow club members, he drove 45 miles to get to a show, set the legs up and the table with all of the stock on it went back to the car to get the layout out, only to find that the layout box was in the car, but the layout wasn't in the box. He just about managed to drive home and back and got set up about 15 minutes after the show started.

My worst was I picked up a stock box that was full of my 0 gauge wagon kits and probably should of picked up the box of N gauge wagons. luckily we were at a localish show, so i was able to bring them back the following morning

Alistair