London Model Engineering Exhibition - Alexandra Palace

London Model Engineering Exhibition 2019
Alexandra Palace
London

Friday 18^th until Sunday 20^th January

Opening Times
10am – 5pm Friday and Saturday
10am – 4.30pm Sunday

Advance tickets are available via this website **LINK** .

Don’t forget if you are ordering more than 10 tickets to use the code GRP10.

All advance ticket sales close at midnight on Tuesday 15^th January and then will only be available on the day of your visit from the cash box.

This is a link to the mini show guide so you can plan your visit **LINK**

All the latest information is available via the website www.londonmodelengineering.co.uk

Edited By Meridienne Exhibitions on 08/01/2019 13:58:09

Thanks for the show guide link.

Stand GG looks worth a visit, and so conveniently close to the entrance

Not that you're biased!

The most knowledgeable source of information regarding silver soldering and brazing for the model engineer is there.

Just ask Glen or Shaun on the CuP Alloys stand.

Regards to all

Keith

I really fancy a trip to this one but it will cost me the thick end of £100 (from Boston) just to get to the door from what I can see online. Just off to the station to interrogate the ticket office on best value but not expecting much satisfaction. My cousin who lives in Milton Keynes can get there and back for £13.

Mick

Mick, A friend of mine drives from Brancaster Staithe, Norfolk, to Kings Lyn to catch a train down which saves him money could you not drive to Peterborough. I can beat your cousin, I live near Sandy, Beds and its £9 return on Saturday.

Martin P.

Just got back from Boston ticket office where as anticipated I received no satisfaction or advice other than take it or leave it at £71.40. Not impressed. Will not be going. Driving is not an option (but I am not banned!).

Mick

A few decades ago our club used to arrange a bus up to the midlands show. About five years ago we just managed to fill a minibus to get to the Bristol show which had curiosity value as only a few had been before. Now it is difficult to get people to man the club stand even with free entrance.

In some areas of the country, eg midlands,  it might still be possible to get several clubs together to fill a bus which seems the best hope for both modellers and exhibitions. Unfortunately if left to a commercial operator the profit motive would just whack the price up to the train level.

Edited By Bazyle on 14/01/2019 13:35:25

Early last November I noticed that in two weeks time there was a model engineering show in centre of Cologne in Germany I fancied which would be a four day job ( day to travel , two days in exhib and day return ) .Return flights from Stanstead , £19.93 ; 2 day pass , on a par with English shows ; Cologne airport 18mins bus journey from centre ; nearby hotel cheaper than Travelodge . So then , all looking good UNTIL I checked return train fair Doncaster- Stanstead .....more than 5 times cost of air fare ! Killed trip stone dead .

Mick H - I don't know the geography, but I am thinking that you have to change trains somewhere. Sometimes the cost can be reduced by buying 2 return tickets - ie split the journey somewhere. Or drive to Peterborough ?

Thanks for that Speedy. I did find an on line deal that looked as if two single tickets would reduce the cost to just over £50 but the moron at Boston flatly denied that it was possible even though I produced a computer printout with the details...she just thrust it back at me with a contemptuous snarl. Serious attitude problem with rail staff it would appear from the stories one hears and reads about and experiences. A drive to Peterborough is not on the cards for me at the moment but it would cut the cost to about £30.

Mick

How about starting a thread for a lift if anyone is going from your area? Costs to be shared or whatever arrangement could be made.

Mike

Re train tickets. A year or two ago we wanted train tickets from Stanstead to Scarborough £71 each or so said the booking office clerk. Another clerk said come back later,when the cheap tickets are available.. We bought three tickets, one Stanstead to Peterborough, another Peterborough to York and the third York to Scarborough, total cost each £12 so can be done. You must get on the right train otherwise you have to buy the expensive ticket from the conductor, if he get along to you. Not so sure going North South only off peak I suspect. I like Mike's idea and share costs. We used to do that years ago when visiting Amateur Radio Mobile Rallies, any one remember them. John

Buying cheap railway tickets is a right game - since privatisation it's got so complicated I get my daughter to do it.

First thing to understand is there isn't a single simple ticket system like that once operated by British Rail. Instead there are a multitude of offers that you have to find and buy at a particular time from a particular vendor, usually online. The lady you spoke to wasn't able to sell you those cheap tickets, only the expensive ones on her system.

Privatisation replaced BR with several companies who each have to make a profit. The intent was that competition would force prices down. The trouble starts because the railway system is packed at peak times on most commuter routes. There are no spare seats. Therefore no bargains and anyone who has to travel at busy times pays peak rate.

Cheap tickets are available for those prepared to travel off-peak, or to those in a position to take advantage of railway companies miscalculating demand and scheduling too many trains - usually weekends and holidays, or because rolling stock has to be distributed around the system. Cheap tickets might be sold direct to individuals by a railway company, but more likely they are sold in bulk to third-parties who sell them on to punters, usually online.

Travellers are most likely to get good prices on routes not used by commuters by booking months in advance, by travelling at anti-social times, and by searching repeatedly for better prices. Bargains sometimes pop up close to the day and are offered cheap to avoid a total loss. It ain't straightforward.

I find the system highly annoying - it penalises people who don't play the game, or know there is a game to be played. Joining in requires imagination as well as persistence, for example recently the cheapest way to travel first class to London from Bristol was to buy first class Eurostar to Brussels and get off the train early. Second class, it used to be cheaper to buy a ticket from Bristol to Reading, and another to cover Reading to Paddington. About 20% cheaper than a through ticket on the same train...

The most expensive way of travelling by rail is to buy a ticket from the guard on the train (DON'T!), next most expensive is to buy one at the station on the day, third most expensive to ask the staff to find their cheapest option. How helpful staff are depends on the size of the queue behind you!

How about a coach? They tend to be more competitive, though the journey will be less comfortable and take longer. Bristol to London on the motorway is OK, but Boston to London might be exhausting.

Dave

I had heard that ticket-splitting was somehow 'against the rules' ... but this page explains that in most cases it is legitimate: **LINK**

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/consumer-affairs/fare-splitting-works-much-can-save-train-tickets/

MichaelG.

A friend of mine used to regularly return travel to Euston from Wellingborough, it cost £98 return until he found that if he bought two tickets, Wellingborough to Bedford and Bedford to Euston return was around £60, same train just didnt get off, unfortunately the Midland trains dont stop at Bedford anymore so he drives to Bedford and goes by train from there.

Martin P

p.s. he lives in Rushden

Different from my local station. When I caught the train to the Doncaster show she gave me a local travel pass for part of the journey, which nearly halved the best price I got on line.

Neil

Anyone going in that direction from Boston?

Mick

All this whingeing about 100 quid

, I would love to go but it is definitely beyond my budget, even cattle class. Cheapest fare is about 1500 quid to London plus one day on plane each way, 500? for hotels. #2 son paid for business class fares last July for us to go to Goodwood FoS, also visited ARC, Axminster, Tracey etc and spent about 6 months pension on tools & travel. Thoroughly enjoyed the trip but found England so expensive and crowded. Will have to try to save up for another trip.

Alan

Went to the show today, a fair amount of the usual traders were there so made a few purchases. The Steampunk display was amusing with a radio controlled R2D2 running around. I like steampunk style but although I could manage the engineering the art part is not something I’m good at. A reasonable day out.

Mike