Midland's Show & A Question

I visited the Midlands Show yesterday, so firstly may I express my sincere appreciation of the organisers, traders and clubs for their efforts in presenting such a worthwhile event and I hope that it will prove financially successful enough to be repeated in the future. I am so pleased that I made the effort to attend and would encourage anyone who may be wavering to attend whilst there is still time.

However, the undoubted star of the show, for me at least, was an unfinished model of the A4 Silver Fox, with all the platework in what looked like stainless steel, or rather it was the separately displayed modelling of the blast pipe assembly. Such intricate attention to detail was simply jaw-dropping and how the trapezoidal cones of the nozzles, if that is how I could describe them, were made and fixed into position left me completely baffled.

Not that I would be remotely capable of producing such superb work, but could someone give me any idea as to how these fine details may have been fabricated? I asked a couple of similar admirers of the work as to how they might have gone about it and no one could even hazard a guess.

Edited By Chris Crew on 14/10/2022 17:32:28

The subject meant nothing to me, Chris … but the level of your enthusiasm certainly did

Would this be the model, featuring at a previous event ?

**LINK**

https://modelengineeringwebsite.com/A4_Silver_Fox.html

MichaelG.

My wife who is also an engineer was also taken aback by the level of workmanship on that model. We enjoyed a good day there and only bought a few bits & pieces.

regards

Yes very fine workmanship, not a good photo but I believe this is the item for others who haven't seen it.

John

also went to the show today, (Friday) stocked up on various bits of metal for future projects, particularly cast iron as that's sometimes hard to find online. not sure it was much cheaper but saved on the postage and also got some "that'll come in handy one day" bits too. the tools sellers were doing brisk business as well, seemed a good range of stuff, but got quite crowded by twelve.

i travelled down from Sunderland early in the morning as I had another call to make beforehand, not sure I would make the journey just for the show but pleased I went.

one thing to note, the parking is on grass and gravel so if you are not so good on your feet be careful, there was a good amount of disabled parking but again on gravel / grass.

called into Arc euro trade on the way back, that was well worth it spent some more money, had a chat with the folks there and got some excellent advice about ways to fit a DRO to my lathe and mill too so all in all a grand day out as the saying goes

Steve

Just got home from visiting the show yesterday. For me to visit involves two hotel nights plus lots of time in the car. The exhibits were really excellent but the one exhibit that was truly outstanding for me was the BSA Gold Star. Truly amazing. I'd love to know if it actually runs. Good on the trade who attended and supported the show!

David

Was indeed rather good, missed the makers name though. Was attracting lots of attention and comment.

John

Yes - I too had a thoroughly enjoyable day there, yesterday!

Spent more money than I should have done - on tools - but we've to support our traders.

Apparently, the long queue in the cafeteria at lunch-time was due to two staff members being away, ill. The half-down on duty seemed to get into their stride though, after the first half-hour or so; and the food was of the standard and value I recall enjoying in previous years.

That A4 really is superb - way above my league but very inspiring; and it must be unusual for miniature locomotive's internals to be as faithful to prototype as that example's exhausts.

It was good to see some work by youngsters, too.

Socially, I met fellow model-engineers I know, as I expected but actually spent much of the day in company of two friends from elsewhere whom I never expected to be at a model-engineering show! It transpired one is building a locomotive. We spent a leisurely hour out in the sun, admiring the traction-engines and watching the sawing demonstration. I noticed the railway by its absence.

Just before leaving I sort of became absorbed in a conversation on the SMEE stand, about work-holding. I don't know the names of the two gentlemen involved but for me, informal little "seminars" like that are a valuable aspect of these events.

A long day, a 300-mile round-trip, leaving home at 5am, arriving back at about 9.30 pm after avoiding a road closure inspired the sat-nag to send me along a mystery-tour of North Dorset lanes - though still saving 10 miles on the upwards trip with no closures!

So was it worth it? I thought the show a bit thinner than in previous years, with some of the one-time regulars among the Big Name traders no longer attending these events. Otherwise though, Yes, and I look forwards to next October!

'

Other shows?

Alexandra Palace? Has that now gone, killed not least by the congestion-charge that will also affect so many other cultural events - and the local residents and businesses? This was one that annually brought a group of us down from Dorset.

Doncaster? One trip was enough. I enjoyed the exhibition itself, met a few people I know. What put me off was not my mistake of buying a tea and pasty at horsey-set prices; but the sheer difficulty of finding the race-course with no sign-posts, in an unfamiliar city that baffled even the "sat-nag"; compounded by my lack of experience and confidence of driving in cities.

Harrogate? if it goes back there then it's on my calendar! It is 300 miles from home but the venue is easy to find and a lovely place. I attended the exhibitions on the Friday then drove to the Yorkshire Dales for a weekend in my caving-club there; coming home on the Monday. (I am in two caving-clubs, the other being in Somerset.) I did that for Doncaster.

Nigel Graham2,

I am certain that this information is becoming more common knowledge as I type, but I was informed last week by one of the committee members of the MES I belong that a letter had been received from the organisers of the 'Northern Show' stating that the exhibition had been moved back to Harrogate for 2023. He didn't inform me of the exact dates but I am sure that other clubs will have received similar invitations to display by now and that the information will be disseminated at general meetings by their respective secretaries in the near future. So 'Doncaster', it seems, has moved into the annals of history and not that it matters now, I was surprised to see you couldn't easily find the racecourse in Doncaster as it is one of the largest and most prominent features of the town.

Chris -

Well, I for one would be pleased to see the Northern exhibition back in the Spa Town!

I expected the racecourse to be reasonably easy to find, and outside the city, not practically in the centre, but I do not know Doncaster. I had never been there previously. The race-course sign on the North-bound M1 turn-out, was the last I saw until I was there.

I had to navigate by sat-nav which could not keep up, a maze of close-set, bewildering junctions; in heavy stop/go-fast traffic giving me no chance to look for signs. One "turn left now" from the lady in the box sent me into an industrial estate, another put me in the queue of lorries for the rail-goods terminal.

Easy for locals used to driving in busy cities; hopeless for visitors from 250 miles away and not accustomed to navigating unknown cities alone.

I came away thinking, I enjoyed the show but I am not coming back to Doncaster.

Seems that the 'Old' Exhibition Hall used for past Harrogate shows has been rebuilt. On reliable information, there will be a model railway contingent on display. HOPEFULLY, this will reduce the entrance fees which eventually ruined the earlier shows. No doubt, the same reasons (NOT excuses) will be the same for the major machinery suppliers being absent, may be the norm. One wonders, now the hobby has changed so much, how many machines are now sold on the strength of display as opposed to handle twiddling.

Regards Ian.

Edited By Circlip on 15/10/2022 12:25:30

I enjoyed my visit yesterday (Fri), and was well impressed by all the models on show. Yes, the unfinished A4 was fascinating.

I must admit to being really taken with the huge Meccano model of the USS Missippi batleship - OK not true 'precision engineering' I suppose, but still an incredible bit of work.

regards, Mike

I visited yesterday morning and thoroughly enjoyed the show, some great models on display, particularly enjoyed the Gold Star model, something I always aspired to but never got, had to make do with a Road Rocket instead!

It's a long way from me on the south east coast but managed to incorporate it into a short break away, the wife went off to a tea shop in Leamington Spa, so unfortunately my time was limited. But well done to the organisers and all the exhibitors it was great to be back at a show again, I'm very glad I made the effort to attend. Intended to say hello to Noel on the drill sharpening stand, but he was always fully occupied with an attentive audience. I confess to being a loco man, but always like to see the quality and variety of work on offer, gives something to aim for, always impressed by the range of skills in many different disciplines that are on show.

well done everyone

Dave

Although a long-time aeromodeller, yesterday was my first ever visit to a model engineering exhibition.

My wife and I travelled from Telford, not knowing quite what to expect. We were both very pleasantly surprised at both the size and popularity of the event!

I've just started out in hobby engineering, and was able to collect some well-priced tooling for my new mill from a number of traders, which made the trip worthwhile.

What struck me most of all was the visible enthusiasm of both the exhibitors and traders (all of whom were happy to chat), and of the rest of the visitors too.

Yes, we had to wait a few minutes in the queue to get a cuppa, but so what?

All in all, a very good day!

Tim