Annual Model Railway Exhibitions in Nottingham

[firbeck 860]

The cinema thread reminded me of this.

In the 50's and 60's I remember a couple of annual large model railway exhibitions that we used to look forward to.

One of them used to be held upstairs at the Elite Cinema, I'm sure it was sponsored by Gee Dees. Access was by a side door and the hall where it was held must have been over the top of the main theatre, it was a considerable number of steps to get up there, how the layouts and general ephemora were ever taken up there by this route is beyond me.

This particular exhibition was notable for the bargains to be had, I still have a Hornby Dublo 2-6-4 3 rail tank engine in it's box that my dad bought for me for a few shillings, I have a feeling that this was a birthday present, so the show must have been in November.

The biggest model railway exhibition was held at Victoria Baths in the summer, they boarded over the oval pool and held it there. As a kid and a non swimmer at the time, I was always nervous about clumping about on this wooden floor knowing there was water beneath it. I recall that in addition to the many layouts, that they had a live steam railway running around the baths that you could have a ride on.

Anyone else remember any of these events.

[Beefsteak 305]

It would have been "The Exibition Pool" that was covered over, I remember going once, around 1970, and begging my dad for trainset. Never ever got one ,unless you count those wind up ones on the little circular track!!!!!!!

[firbeck 860]

You should have gone sniffing around Bip's dustbin.

So how did they manage to cover up the Exhibition Pool, it must have been a hell of structure to put in place, I wonder if it's still lurking somewhere, anyone know about this.

[rob237 89]

Visited the Victoria Baths exhibition on several occasions, most memorable for its large crowds and varieties of body odour!

Tend to avoid anything to do with Gee Dee like the plague...

Seems the leading local exhibition nowadays is held at the Harvey Hadden Stadium, and organised by Bulwell Model Railway Club.

Cheers

Robt P.

[firbeck 860]

Tend to avoid anything to do with Gee Dee like the plague...

Now you've got me intrigued, why's that then, did you have a bad experience. I haven't been in the shop for a few years, thats the 'new' one not the old place down Hockley. I do remember that the bloke behind the counter we called Lurkie, the same one that started as a youth in the old Hockley shop, albeit with grey hair.

I always remember a small glass cabinet on the wall on the staircase, containing the first series of Airfix kits, beautifully made but never changing for 20 years. I haven't any bad memories of Gee Dees, my brother used to be a member of their model railway club, went every saturday afternoon and came back with some real gems.

In my last years of living in Nottingham in the 70's, I was tipped off by an enthusiast and model collector that I worked with, that Hornby Dublo was going to be worth loads of money in the future. Having got a sizeable Dublo layout anyway, evry Friday, after a couple of pints in the Flying Horse at lunchtime, I used to go down to Gee Dees at Hockley and raid their second hand cabinet, they hadn't a clue, mint, boxed post grouping wagons from the 1940's for 10p, it was daylight robbery on my part, I said nowt and was considered a good customer,'Hello sir, you might be interested in this LMR restaraunt car in it's box, never used, sorry but I'll have to charge you £1 for it'. How about 50p, done deal. The one I kick myself over was the Hornby pre war GWR livered N2, boxed and mint for a fiver, I hadn't got enough money on me, went to the bank and when I got back it had gone, my fault for not reserving it, but I didn't want to arouse Lurkies suspicions as to how valuable it actually was, doooooh.

[rob237 89]

During my last few visits, admittedly several years back, I found the staff to be surly, dismissive and indifferent. Last went in to buy some basic Airfix plane kits for my young nephew's birthday and was treated with disdain.

Cheers

Robt P.

[firbeck 860]

Did you prefer Beecrofts when you were a kid. I must admit that they had a much bigger shop, whatever happened to them, do you recall when it closed.

I note someone lurking on the site, perhaps we can expect a good description of a recent memorable trip on the South Devon Railway.

Now their unbelievably stunning travelling Victorian bar in the 70's was something else, the glasses jingling as you travelled along the estuary towards Kingswear, drinking a glass of Famous Grouse and hanging out the leather strap operated window while being hauled by 'Flying Scotsman' was surely one of lifes greatest experiences, sad though it may seem to some.

[ravintrainman 10]

The Bulwell MRS moved their show to the Victoria Leisure Centre, as it now was, around 1980 and it became the East Midlands Model Railway exhibition, taking place over the first weekend in March. The St Martins model railway club held a show around November, in the same venue for a good few years. The erstwhile St Martins club is now the Woodthorpe club who still hold their show in November at the Sherwood community centre.

The Vic Leisure being allowed to become increasingly run down the decision was taken to move to Harvey Hadden for 2001, but had to move to the third weekend of March, as HH had a longstanding booking for the first weekend.

Link to website:http://www.nottingham-modelrailway.org.uk/index.htm