Advice on displaying a layout at a local train show

[ecmo47]

Im building a Lego train layout that I will display at a local train show in late February. The layout will be 9x12 feet with a 3x8 center hole where I intended to running things from. Viewers will be able to view from all 4 sides. One 3x12 side will be a city street which is made up of many Modular sets. The other 3x12 side will be a rail yard to stage and park trains. It will have a few buildings depending on what I get built! There will be two 2x3 wings to complete the loop. The outer loop will be PF trains to include EN passenger train, Maersk freight and Horizon Express. Hopefully, I will also have a 9v loop but I haven’t done much work on that part yet. I'll post some progress pictures as soon as I figure out how!

Anyway, I'm looking for any advice on what to expect at the 2-day show. How much of a barrier should I construct? Will a short plexi-glass wall around the edge be sufficient or should I have a rope barrier 2-3 feet away? Will people swipe the minifigs if they can reach them? How do PF trains hold up to long term running? Should I have more than one person keeping an eye on things? Should I run a raffle for a #60052 set?

If you have any experience with shows, please let me know what to expect.

Thanks!

[MaineBrickFan]

A few thoughts from somebody who has done this twice now...

1. The PF trains will give you three hours of run time, depending on speed and weight of your trains. If you have more trains then tracks, you can actually stretch them out by rotating. But one way or another yo uwill need to recharge, so you should think about how to do it where you are and how easy it is to access the battery boxes.

2. Ropes are better, IMO. Although some theft occurs, the bigger issue is kids being grabby with trains as they go by. Derailments with Lego trains can be catastrophic. Plus sometimes you want some space on the outside of your layout to make adjiustments, repairs, etc.

3. At most shows, people will trade some time watching a neighboring layout to give others a break. In my experience, your table will be one of the busiest and most popular.

4. Stuff will happen. Trains will break, tracks will short out, etc. The troubleshooting and adaptation is part of the fun. I really enjoy exhibiting and interacting with the (often awed) visitors.

[Chromeknight]

Im building a Lego train layout that I will display at a local train show in late February. The layout will be 9x12 feet with a 3x8 center hole where I intended to running things from. Viewers will be able to view from all 4 sides.

Anyway, I'm looking for any advice on what to expect at the 2-day show. How much of a barrier should I construct? Will a short plexi-glass wall around the edge be sufficient or should I have a rope barrier 2-3 feet away? Will people swipe the minifigs if they can reach them? How do PF trains hold up to long term running? Should I have more than one person keeping an eye on things? Should I run a raffle for a #60052 set?

Expect 8 to 10 man/hours to set it up. So if it's just you, allow a whole day. If you've got four others to help it'll still take a couple of hours. Tear down will be quicker depending on how well sorted you want to keep stuff.

As for a barrier, it is needed, and what sort is just a matter of what you've got.

People will bump the layout, knocking stuff off if there is no barrier, and sad to say, some small items may go missing.

PF trains. Are you talking AAA cell battery boxes or Li-Po rechargeable ones? Both do ok, but if you can have extra boxes so you're swapping the boxes then fixing the charge rather than fixing the charge without the train running. PF will auto cutout but you'll probably be switching trains more often than that. Control of PF in an open space is fiddily, you'll need to get close, so multiple train running should be avoided.

You will definitely need more than one person. Every other visitor will have questions (starting with "I didnt know lego made trains!") and you'll need regular food/toilet/headspace breaks. Besides, if it's viewable from four sides, unless you have eyes in the back of your head, you may need a third person. (Two to mind the layout, the third to give the others breaks).

Hope this helps, good luck and take pictures!

Edited November 13, 2014 by Chromeknight

[Pop Bumper Pete]

the local train show should be able to answer your questions about barriers

keep minifigs and cars away from the edge, little kids WILL take them\

don't do the raffle

as the others have said, 8 hours is a long day, get a friend or 3 to help

Enjoy

[bjorkan]

and I will come just to watch and enjoy, and will not touch a thing, except with my eyes :)

[Lazarus]

My tips from my shows.

Always have somewhere to sit, standing up does take its toll.

Always have a helper even if it just so you can have a 15 min relax somewhere.

Barriers always have issues unless you are going way over the top and putting those big metal ones there. So plastic around the whole layout is a must with also a rope barrier.

With PF buy yourself a Ton of battery's, personally i think 9v or 12v is the only type of trains you should be running at shows due to this.

I just had a show 2 weeks ago and the guy behind me spent most of the 3 days messing with battery's.

[ecmo47]

Thanks very much for your thoughtful replies! Currently, I have 2 powered EN's, 2 powered Maersk engines, and 1 powered HE which I plan to swap out to keep something running. I currently have 2 rechargeable Batteries and plenty of AA battery holders boxes so that isn’t a problem. I will only have one PF loop so I am well covered there. On the 9 volt loop, I will need to do some wiring which Im not very good at. When I set up the a test loop, the train got very slow at the point furthest away from point of power.

I will be fasten a 12 inch Plexiglas barrier all the way around the edge so that little hands cannot pull trains off the track and onto the floor. I'm still contemplating an additional barrier and am looking into PVC furniture parts as an option.

Ill try to get some progress pictures up soon.

[BricksMcgee]

Something I've seen done I thought was a great idea is to have a "find these things" list to give/display to kids at the show (eg, find 10 Santa's, or find 5 superheroes on the layout). Seems like a good way to let them look all over the layout and potentially less likely to grab things?

Hopefully getting to be involved in a Lego train show next year near me, so be interesting to hear your feedback on what was useful for you, and what didn't work too.

Hope it goes well for you!

[ecmo47]

Planned on doing just that! One of the things Im going to do is have a "Monkey Invasion" which is homage to the shop layout at the famous Caboose Hobbies in Denver, Colorado. Everytime I place a Bricklink order, I always check to see if that seller has a few (#6299). Probably have a few superheros hanging out too.

[Duq]

I've done a number of events here in Ireland but also in the UK and the Netherlands. I've always been part of a group layout which really helps with a number of things such as giving your trains a break and sharing the workload of manning the layout.

None of our layouts has ever had the plexiglass screen but we've had various types of rope or metal barriers. Whatever the type you still need to watch all the time. With a layout that's got the public on 4 sides ideally I'd have two people on opposite corners and if needed for control someone in the middle. Talking to the public is half the fun for me and you just can't do that from the middle of your layout.

It's tempting to have the train run on the outer baseplates and have the buildings and landscape behind. If you can though, keep at least a half baseplate between track and edge of table. It'll make it harder for little hands to reach the track and if something does derail it doesn't leave the table immediately. It's also nice to have a train disappear behind something - keeps kids entertained. There's no problem with minifigs near the edge but make it average ones, not your rare Batman.

I don't know how you'll prepare your modules and how you're going to transport them. We always spend a lot of time 'dressing' a layout; trees and other greenery, scenes with minifigs, repairs. As said before, you'll be amazed how long it'll take to set everything up.

[dr_spock]

We have stanchions. Kids will crawl under them or lean against them. They want to see things up close. Plexiglass can get pretty expensive.

Don't display any figs you'll cry if it gets "lost". I learned the hard way.

missing trooper by dr_spock_888, on Flickr

[legoman666]

For your 9v train slowing on the far end, my club uses 4 hookups per loop. Granted, our display is larger, but you probably want at least 1 more. I'd recommend using a 2nd 9v regulator for it and tying the 2 together. Before we switched to custom power supplies, we had 6 regulators per loop. It was kind of ridiculous. Now we use a single 24V supply and 2 hookups. Much better.

[ecmo47]

Now your all starting to make me nervous! Right now it's just me and my wife for some of the time. Prehaps I could press my 18-year-old son into service part of the time. (He was a huge Bionicle fan back in the day and a very creative builder).

Sounds like having a barracade is a "must" so that it is easier to mingle with the audiance. I thought I'd be hanging out in the middle but I can see how that would be restrictive.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/128506921@N06/sets/72157649272084202/

Since I haven't figure out how to make pictures small enough to post here, I put some progress pictures on my newly-created Flicker account. I see that I'm violating some of your guidance already! (Track near the edge)

My trial set-up is the two 12x3 tables put togther the long way. My room isnt big enough to add the two smaller extensions to create the full 9x12.

Citizen: How exactly do you tie 2 regulators together? Just so that we are clear, is a regulator the same as a transformer?

Another question: Do you lubricate your train wheels or points of friction? I powered up the Horizon tonight and in grinds and squeaks like crazy! I was thinking of using some graphite to help out.

[dr_spock]

You can upload your pictures to Flickr and then deep link them back here in the 800x600 size. Here is a tutorial on how to use Flickr with Eurobricks by Pandora: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=97921

Do you have two engines on your HE? Is one of them using the technic axle bogie? I replace the technic bogie on mine with one using standard train wheels. Rolls much nicer and less friction. I've used a tiny bit of silicone lube on the techcnic axles on my Great Ball Machines and run them all day at events. It cuts down on the ABS dust. I haven't tried graphite except on Kadee HO couplers.

[ecmo47]

<iframe src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/128506921@N06/15785355742/player/feb367d7c1" height="600" width="800" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe>

Fail!

[dr_spock]

Under the Flickr share icon. Select the BBCode link and the desired picture size. Then copy and paste it into your message.

DSC00937 by ecmo47, on Flickr

Edited November 14, 2014 by dr_spock

[zephyr1934]

Much of my comments eventually came up already in the thread, so apologies for redundancies (and I did not say some of the things others have said... generally you are getting good advice).

One thing that has not come up is if you have extra tables, you could set up them up as an outer ring to literally keep the crowd an arms length away and help prevent any derailments from hitting the floor, e.g., here at a display that was largely unmanned for a week or two (though in this case there was also room for the club members to walk between the table to reach the layout). Thus eliminating the need for other barriers or the Plexiglas.

Bring a bucket to pick up the pieces if/when a train goes over the edge. It might take you 30 min to rebuild but the other model railroaders will be very jealous of you for the fact that you can rebuild after a table dive.

If you can bring a second body, do bring a second body. It always helps to have two pairs of eyes making sure everything is working and that the kids are not starting trouble. Also helps for snack breaks, water breaks and bathroom breaks. Chairs are also a must, but the venue might provide those.

For the 9v loop, put in a second power drop on the far corner. That should solve those problems. Also keep in mind that the 9v motors could use a break every few hours too (or sooner if the train is heavy). All of the trains you've listed have a lot of drag. The EN with XL motors shouldn't care, but the Maersk and HE might. For these, they run more efficiently if you replace the techic axle wheels with the more conventional lego wheel sets. Not as pretty, but for a show you want the lower friction for sure.

Don't raffle off the set at the show unless the show is paying you to do so.

If you are doing it alone (or even with just one helper), I'd aim for keeping it modest, e.g., maybe just tracks and trains... or perhaps only a few buildings. My club can take 8+ hrs with 8 people setting up a layout.

Oh, and find out in advance what the rules are for loading/unloading and parking. Often times it might take three hours before you can get your trailer or vehicle in to load up after the show.

[Mestari]

I was wondering where can I read about substituting those technic wheels for the regular ones. I don't really know what you all are referring to since I'm new to trains.

[ecmo47]

DSC00935 by ecmo47, on Flickr

Try again!

DSC00936 by ecmo47, on Flickr

DSC00936 by ecmo47, on Flickr

DSC00938 by ecmo47, on Flickr

Thanks for the picture posting tips! I think I've got it figured out now.

Edited November 14, 2014 by ecmo47

[kibosh]

We use relatively simple plastic chain barriers around our setup. We took the old LEGO tubs that have tops that resemble giant LEGO bricks. Filled them halway with concrete, and drilled a whole in the top to snugly fit PVC pipe. The PVC pipe goes up vertically and then has a PVC T fitting on top. We then run plastic chain through the T all the way around the display. This keeps 90% of the people 2-3 feet way form the display.

For the other 10%, I am seriously considering adding a 6"-12" plexi glass wall around the outside edge to keep little hands away from everything.

[SavaTheAggie]

I've participated in 3-6 public shows a year for about the last 10 years. I've done little shows and big shows, and you can tailor to each. Little shows require less security, since the crowds will be smaller. Most little shows we do completely without stanchions or plexiglass. I can say in all the shows I've ever done I've never had anything walk off (though I have had a minifig stolen from the LEGO Brand Store monthly display). But I also don't put rare figs out.

Big shows (total weekend crowds of 500+), you really need stanchions. There's just too many people, and kids go right under them. But at least parents know what stanchions are and most are good enough to correct the behavior without any intervention on your part.

I've done one show with Plexiglass. Frankly, I'm not much of a fan. My trains stick out too far to use plexiglass if any curve is on the edge of the layout, but beyond that the plexiglass also prevents you from fixing anything that might break. If the plexi is easy to remove, that's at least something.

If I'm not the only participant, I spend most all of my shows outside of the layout. Since all my trains are Power Functions, it works out great. I can walk around as if part of the public and monitor the trains. it also lets me answer questions without having to yell over the layout to be heard. When my wife is there with me, she will spend time inside watching the crowds for grabby hands.

Kids will grab your trains. It happens almost every show. Most parents are very apologetic, some frankly don't care. It is life. You rebuild, you move on. If the damage is severe, rebuild later, especially if manpower is light.

Definitely do the seek-and-find, we do that every show and it's a big hit. It also gets the parents involved, and in some cases they start appreciating what they're seeing, rather than just looking at a pile of plastic ("oh wow, I didn't notice how nice this was", etc. etc.).

Don't do big giveaways. If you really must do some sort of giveaway, tie it to the seek-and-find. Either give away candy or something else small for completing the seek-and-find (if it's written down on paper), or hide something REALLY hard to find and challenge all the kids to find it.

If you have raw brick available and the manpower to watch it, set up a free-build area (NO RARE PARTS). An inflatable or hard-sided kiddie-pool works great to contain the parts. Be sure to remind the kids they can't take the bricks home but they can play all they want. This works well as a antidote to grabby hands - "If you'd like to play with LEGO I've got some set up over there." Keep Lysol spray to hose the bricks down between show days.

It takes us about 8-12 hours to unload and set up for a typical show, depending. It takes 2-4 to tear down and load up. We're ALWAYS the last ones out the door, and we try to make sure the venue knows this ahead of time.

--Tony

[ecmo47]

I was wondering where can I read about substituting those technic wheels for the regular ones. I don't really know what you all are referring to since I'm new to trains.

DSC00939 by ecmo47, on Flickr

What Dr Spock was referring to is the wheel sets on the Horizon locomotive. The rear one is made up of the Lego premade wheel (truck) sets. The front one has two 1x8 technic beams with the wheels on an axles that run thought the holes in the technic beam. This set up has much more friction then the rear set. The reason for the different styles is that the front one is meant to be taken about and the parts used with the power function motor.

Edited November 14, 2014 by ecmo47

[zephyr1934]

One more suggestion- ask if the venue they can provide tables. On the plus side that is a lot less that you need to haul to the show. On the minus side your surface might be more wavy than you are used to. If you bring a few shims with you you should be able to level it. You could also use the venue tables to create the parameter.

[Duq]

Beer coasters make great shims for leveling tables ;-)

Another must-have accessory: Duct/Duck/Gaffer tape.

[ecmo47]

I havent posted in a while but things are looking good for the show. Here are some photos of what I'll be taking to the show:

DSC01022 by ecmo47, on Flickr

This the yard side. It's a bit sparce since the engine shed and other buidling have not been completed yet.

DSC01016 by ecmo47, on Flickr

DSC01021 by ecmo47, on Flickr

DSC01030 by ecmo47, on Flickr

DSC01029 by ecmo47, on Flickr

I've still got a bunch of things to complete before the show in 2 weeks. I've spent a bunch of time operations and it's paid off with both the PF and 9v systems running smoothly.

Things yet to do.

1. Make a skirt to go around it.

2. Make some stantions.

3. Get the Emerald Night engines prepped and lubed.

4. Fill out the front corners with plates and scenery.

5. Make more "Seek and Find" vignettes. "Cat Rescue" shown above. (Suggestions welcome!)

6. See if the venue has a dolly or cart.

7. Buy more batteries!

8. Make checklist of things to take. (Chair, bucket, tools, cords etc...)

9. Swap out some sidewalk tiles with 2x2 with stud tiles to hold minfigs in place.

Edited February 4, 2015 by ecmo47