Gauge O Guild Spring Show - Kettering Saturday 2nd March

Rob Pulham

Rob Pulham

Western Thunderer
Guild Spring Show 2024

Date: Saturday, 2nd March 2024 10:00 - 16:00 (09:30 for advanced ticket holders)

Location: The Arena. Kettering Leisure Village. Thurston drive. Kettering. NN15 6PB.

Price: £10.00 for members and £15.00 for non-members if purchased in advance. £2.00 extra on the door

On-line tickets: The Gauge O Guild

The Show Guide is now available to download in pdf format:

Layouts booked:
BOOKS BRIDGE 2ft.4in. gauge rural electric trams. c.1900
WELLAND MILLS ex-LNER branch line, 1960s
QUESTA American narrow gauge in Colorado / New Mexico. On30
PRIORY YARD Small shunting layout featuring a manufacturing plant.
STREETON WAY SIDINGS Shunting layout
THE WAGON WORKS A micro layout using wagon turntables instead of pointwork.
WEEKEND YARD The Guild's own 'Build it in a Weekend' project layout.
EAST MIDLANDS TEST TRACK
Demonstrators booked:
WEEKEND YARD The Guild layout build team
LOCO BUILDING Brian Tole
ARCHITECTURAL MODELLING Richard Ellis
SOLDERING & RIVETTING Rob Bishop
COACH BUILDING Robin Taylor
WEATHERING 'Arry Dodd
PAINTING & LINING Ian Rathbone
BUILDING DIESEL & ELECTRIC ROLLING STOCK Dick Dockerill
CAD to 3D PRINTED REALITY Nigel Paine
Demonstrators:
See above
Stands:
We have 75 confirmed traders for Kettering
1039 Models
Ace Products
AirFramed
Amberly Components
Bill Hudson Transport Books
Brushes 4 Models
Buzz Models
C & L Finescale Track Building Systems Ltd
Coastal DCC
Connoisseur Models
CPL Products
CRT Kits
D & S Models
DS Smith Books
Dapol
Diane Carney
Duncan Models
Easy-Build Coaches
EBMA Hobby & Craft
Ellis Clark
Fine Scale Brass (UK)
Finney7
First Class kits
Geoff Stratford
Gladiator
Gloforce
Greenwood Railway Products
Haywood Railway
HMRS
Ian Kirk Models
Intentio
James Green Artist
Judith Edge Kits
Lanky Kits
LCUT Creative
Martin Bloxsom
Masterpiece Models
Metalsmith (Leeds) Ltd
Midland Railway Society
Minerva Model Railways
MMM (Made in Manchester Models)
MMR Models
Moorview Models
MSC Models
Nick Tozer Railway Books
Northumbrian Painting Service
P.R.Model Railway Products
Parliamentary Trains
Peartree Engineering
Peter Clark Models
Phoenix Precision Paints
PLM Cast-a-Ways
Poppy's Woodtech
Premier Components
Primo Models
Ragstone Models
Ray Heard Model Railways
SM Models
Sanspareil ICS
SBT Developments
Scorpio Models
Shamrock Trains
Simon's Sort Out
Skytrex Ltd
Slaters Plastikard
Squires Model and Craft Tools
Steamline Ltd.
The Paperchase
Tim Hughes
TMS Models
Tower Collection Blackpool
Tower Models
Walsall Model Industries
Walsworth Models
Warren Haywood


SOCIETIES x 13 are booked
MIOG
ALSRM
Great Eastern Railway Society
Great Northern Railway Society
7mm Narrow Gauge Association
Scale7 Group
Warley Model Railway Club
Great Central Railway Society
London North Western Railway Society
Northampton Sociey of Model Engineers
Severn Valley Railway
Telford Steam Railway
Nene Valley Railway
Driving:
Take Junction 8 off the A14. Head towards town. At 1st roundabout turn Rt. into Lake Ave. At next roundabout turn Rt. into Thurston Drive. Leisure Village is on Rt. Stewards will direct you to parking areas.
Transport:
By Train
Kettering Midland Mainline Station is served by trains to & from London/Nottingham/Derby/Sheffield ( East Midlands Railway Inter City, diesels), London St. Pancras/Luton/Bedford (EMR Connect, electrics) A complimentary shuttle bus will transfer visitors to and from the railway station, between 08:30 and 16:30.

Walking time to the venue is about 15 min. Exit station, turn left, left again into Northfield Avenue, left under railway bridge and left into Thurston Drive. Follow footpath until it divides, bear left past football pitches. Venue is straight ahead, across road.
 
Lancastrian

Lancastrian

Western Thunderer
An update to traders attending.

Due to medical reasons Phoenix Precision Paints has had to withdraw so S11 (SVR) will move inside from the Foyer and take that space. Parliamentary Trains has also been detained off shore doing geology work for wind farms so cannot attend (T72). Dave Smith is using this table for a diorama display linked to D5.

Additionally, for anyone planning on driving to Kettering and using the M1 from the south, there are roadworks between J10 and J13, 50mph speed limit with SPECs. Allow an extra 20 to 30 minutes for your journey. Advanced warning, the roadworks will still be there next year as well!
 
bambuko

bambuko

Western Thunderer
Thanks Allen,

From South West,
1st decision point is Bristol:

I can continue via Swindon on M4 and further on M40

or carry on to Tewkesbury, where I have a choice of:
either continuing on M5/M42 or going cross-country via A46
 
A

Allen M

Western Thunderer
My suggestion. After checking on worcestershire.gov.org road works map.

M5 north to J9 (Tewkesbury) A45 past Evesham, Stratford up to Coventry where it joins the A45 for a short way (be careful) then on up A46 to M6. East to cross M1 onto A14 and Kettering. Warning do not stop on M5 to M42 junction as there is potentially a lot of reduced lanes & speed limit delays in the Worcester area. Also the M42 from it's M40 junction to the M6 is best avoided as this serves the NEC and can be very slow.

Alternative M4 to J13 then A34 to M40 J9, then M40 to J10 on to A43 to Kettering.
There appears to be works on the M4 near Bristol end and also on the A34 in the Oxford bypass area. I do not know about delays due to these.

I will be driving from Kidderminster via Bromsgrove, using the M42 then M40 to pick up the A46 to the M1 & A14 as above. I always try to avoid the NEC area.

Hope this is of help and works out OK.

Regards
Allen
 
Richard Gawler

Richard Gawler

Western Thunderer
Last year we used the overflow car park (at the school) and the bus was so infrequent we walked in. About 12-15 minutes' walk to the Leisure Centre.

There is a mention of a shuttle bus from the railway station:
The Gauge O Guild
near the foot of the page. So I suppose, if you cannot walk too far then park at the station. Probably a reduced fee on a Saturday.

(I think the station is a 20 minute walk, not 15 minutes!)
 
Richard Gawler

Richard Gawler

Western Thunderer
The show was wonderful.

The truly glorious thing about Kettering is the way it lets you circumvent most if not quite all of the anti-sales tactics employed by smaller suppliers you really want to deal with but can't. All of the people who refuse to answer the telephone, tell you your email never arrived, cannot maintain a web site, have no public postal address and have run out of printed lists are there in person.

I stumbled just once. A firm who met most of these criteria still needed "cash or cheque, no cards". Undeterred, I bought a comparable item from one of their peers who had taken the apparently radical step of getting a card reader.

It was great to meet up with some many people. I disposed of a coach kit and left with two wagon kits and enough small parts to keep me happy for months :)
 
Mike W

Mike W

Western Thunderer
It was indeed another great show. My wife can't walk far, but we managed to park in the main car park which was perfect.
 
Jordan

Jordan

Mid-Western Thunderer
Richard Gawler said:
All of the people who refuse to answer the telephone, tell you your email never arrived, cannot maintain a web site, have no public postal address and have run out of printed lists are there in person.
Click to expand...
"All" of them? Are you sure? Maybe some Grand Masters of this art refuse to attend, just to spite customers further?? ;) :D
I enjoyed it overall. Very little to tempt the follower of American trains, hardly any rolling stock for sale, none of which I wanted, and only one loco - an Alco "Century" 630, definitely a loco I didn't want. I resisted a set of 3 48ft ISO Containers, reduced from £52 to £40, as Intermodal isn't really a traffic that Short Lines deal with.
There was an American narrow gauge layout there, which had this nice 'critter' on it.....
20240302_113531.jpg

In the afternoon someone was running his US stock on the Test Track, I didn't get his name, and equally unfortunately his nicely weathered boxcars weren't for sale (yes, I did ask!! :rolleyes: :oops: )
20240302_145142.jpg

20240302_145137.jpg

My favourite layout was this Tramway one, "Books Bridge"...
20240302_115520.jpg
This is what I like about Shows, finding a layout well outside your usual interests, and watching something completely different (no Monty Python link intended!!).
I asked about the 3-way point over the turntable pit - was it planned & built like that, or was it a Plan B?
Turns out it was indeed a plan B - there was a turntable before, because that was where the board ended. Then for something to do in lockdown the builder extended the layout a bit (the join is just visible in the fascia) and removed the turntable, added the 3-way & the headshunt!! So yes, a Plan B, and art imitating life where things get changed/improved/generally mucked about with, and the old remains are just left in situ. I thought it was great! :)
 
T

Tim Birch

Western Thunderer
Jordan said:
"All" of them? Are you sure? Maybe some Grand Masters of this art refuse to attend, just to spite customers further?? ;) :D
I enjoyed it overall. Very little to tempt the follower of American trains, hardly any rolling stock for sale, none of which I wanted, and only one loco - an Alco "Century" 630, definitely a loco I didn't want. I resisted a set of 3 48ft ISO Containers, reduced from £52 to £40, as Intermodal isn't really a traffic that Short Lines deal with.
There was an American narrow gauge layout there, which had this nice 'critter' on it.....
View attachment 211040

In the afternoon someone was running his US stock on the Test Track, I didn't get his name, and equally unfortunately his nicely weathered boxcars weren't for sale (yes, I did ask!! :rolleyes: :oops: )
View attachment 211041

View attachment 211042

My favourite layout was this Tramway one, "Books Bridge"...
View attachment 211039
This is what I like about Shows, finding a layout well outside your usual interests, and watching something completely different (no Monty Python link intended!!).
I asked about the 3-way point over the turntable pit - was it planned & built like that, or was it a Plan B?
Turns out it was indeed a plan B - there was a turntable before, because that was where the board ended. Then for something to do in lockdown the builder extended the layout a bit (the join is just visible in the fascia) and removed the turntable, added the 3-way & the headshunt!! So yes, a Plan B, and art imitating life where things get changed/improved/generally mucked about with, and the old remains are just left in situ. I thought it was great! :)
Click to expand...
I agree that it is good to find something at an exhibition which opens up new areas. The tramway layout was my favourite as well and I noticed that it used three 3-way points (I think they are Peco). Something to think about as a little diversion into narrow gauge. The 'blurb' referred to the Kinver Light Railway as inspiration and, through the wonders of Abe I was able to buy the Oakwood press book about it and it arrived yesterday.
 
A

Allen M

Western Thunderer
Tim
If you take your book and have a walk around it is still possible to remains of the route. This is particularly in the Stourton area where the A449 is crossed by the A458.

Regards
Allen
 
Jordan

Jordan

Mid-Western Thunderer
Tim Birch said:
The tramway layout was my favourite as well and I noticed that it used three 3-way points (I think they are Peco).
Click to expand...
All 3 points on the layout were 3-ways. I don't think they're Peco, though - especially when I saw the owner take a soldering iron to the one on the turntable when it gave a bit of trouble. ;)
 
jcm@gwr

jcm@gwr

Active Member
Stuart makes all his own track-work, he is our club treasurer and is a serial small layout builder,
I don't think he's made a bad one yet!
 
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