Dutch Scale Seven Group report nr. 9

27 March 2011

In this report we will share our experience we had during the three days we promoted Scale Seven at the Dutch Rail 2011 model railway show.

Before we went to the show we prepared our models for displaying at the show. All the models were packed in boxes with care for a save transport to the exhibition hall. Two showcases were also packed in towels and secured for transport.  Ton, whose S7 railway had to be transported to the exhibition, packed his railway and went to the show. At Thursday, set up day, we all met in the exhibition hall and went to work to set up the displays and railway. We got a nice exhibition location together with a group of Proto modelers with theirs P87, P4, S64 and a very small Proto Z layout and, unbelievable, the modeler of this 1:220 model railway built mixed track including mixed track points!!!.  The exhibition manager prepared a space of more than 10 meters for us so we had enough space to setup a nice S7 promotion stand on the show. Ton’s railway was not yet finished but it gives a good impression how to build S7 track and points imbedded in a realistic landscape. At a table we set up the showcases and filled them with Dutch S7 models, English S7 standard gauge models, English S7 broad gauge models and some German Proto 45 models. At the three exhibition days we were very busy talking to the visitors.  And Ton’s way of modeling attracted a lot of attention from the public and from the professional photographers who always need pictures for their magazines.

The finished models and models under construction got a lot of attention from the visitors. In the Netherlands and even Germany it’s not common to build your own models from a kit. They like ready to run straight from the box, with no weathering. With our never ending enthusiasm we explain why we promote S7 modeling to the public. Some English modelers were very surprised to see GWR broad gauge models build in the Netherlands. Within the European Proto 87 Convention this is the first time that we got the change to make serious work of promoting S7 in the Netherlands for a great audience. We enjoyed every day we were busy with our promotion work and like always time flies and Sunday after closure of the show we packed our models and railway and went home with a very good feeling about the three days we were at the exhibition. But after this event there is modeling time again and the next time we will report progress of our models.

Till next,

Cor