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Sensible shoes

As we write this, the team is just back from the London Festival of Railway Modelling. The show went well, with record visitor numbers, most of whom seemed to want to visit our stand for a chat, have a go on the tombola, or renew their subscription.

We enjoyed ourselves, apart from one thing. Painful feet. The floor at Ally Pally is hard. Very hard. And three days walking around on it had taken its toll. We should have brought our carpet for the stand. After all, there is a nice piece in our store that Howard sourced for us at Warley, but someone forgot to put it in the van!

Quite a few layouts bring a rug along, or some interlocking giant foam jigsaw pieces, to make the weekend more pleasant underfoot. That’s the thing about being inside the barrier, you need to think about more than just the layout.

It’s amazing how many steps you can clock up walking around a show. Maybe visiting model railway exhibitions should be considered some sort of sport, or at least an alternative to the gym?

So, towards the end of a day, if the exhibitors and traders are looking a bit tired, spare a thought for them. They just need to put their feet up!

What is your favourite London landmark?

Andy: The Royal Observatory at Greenwich; the home of everything that controls our lives, time. Plus the view is world class.

Debbie: Tower of London for me, I learn something new about Tudor England each time I visit.

Howard: The Natural History Museum – it puts everything into perspective.

Phil: In the entrance to Burlington House, you can find the wooden prototype for the first K2 red telephone box. I have photos if anyone is interested...

Ruth: Covent Garden! Loads of shopping and restaurants, perfect for me!