London Festival of Railway Modelling, Alexandra Palace 19th / 20th March
Posted on behalf of Charles Leekham, OOLS Roadshow Manager
When it comes to promoting that "Big Event" there are few Iconic venues capable of upstaging the imposing edifice we all fondly refer to as Ally Pally.
Dominating the North London skyline this amazing product of Victorian largess and philanthropy offers outstanding views extending many miles across this magnificent City. Having twice been devastated by catastrophic fires the first in 1873, it was rebuilt a mere couple of years later in 1875 only to be devastated once again in 1980. As a result the onsite facilities have constantly evolved and the current program of restoration is gradually bringing formerly derelict spaces back into public use. Most importantly, this wonderful "Big Gig" venue is served by a substantial public transport system with easy access to both main line , and the underground together with a regular bus service.
The London Festival of Railway Modelling extends over a couple of acres or so beneath the cavernous full height space offered by both the Great and West Halls. For this occasion the OOLSC Road Show was located conveniently close to the main loading bay within the West Hall which commanded a central position adjoining the imposing Palm Court. The advantage of the location, acting as a splendid conduit directing vast numbers of the circulating public toward the Iconic OOLSC Layout.
No doubt helped by the good weather an extremely large footfall of Model Rail enthusiasts & collectors including whole families descended into the twin halls to soak up the enormous variety of products available from around 70 or so trading / society stands with an approximate 54 scenic and themed Layouts with several old favourites such as Copenhagen Fields, Beijia HO Chinese and Duke Street Hornby together with the OOLSC, making an impressive appearance to encompass a broad range of interests. Just how far the newly introduced ULEZ affected visitor numbers will have to remain a matter of conjecture. It is probable that there were a good few gaps in both trader and exhibitor numbers but not hugely significant to have affected the overall success of a pretty good show.
Once again the Road Show was ably supported by its usual stalwarts. A big thank you to Chris Oakes, Nick Beard, George James, Adrian Campbell, Nigel Hoskison , and myself, plus a couple of supporting visiting members: with a really big thank you to a New guy on the block Andrew Johns who brought along some very basic tooling to demonstrate the absolute pleasure of small scale model component manufacture. Who would ever have thought I would be making a couple of replacement A3 Control Rods on a Sunday afternoon at the Ally Pally. Thanks again John. I've definitely caught the bug.
Charles Leekam.
OOLS Roadshow Manager