ModelWorld 2012: Setting up

We were at the Brighton Centre today, setting up the stand area at ModelWorld 2012 that we'll be sharing with the 5BEL Trust.
As well as the full-size Pullman backdrop (scale: 12 inches to the foot), we were also assembling a set of original Pullman Art Nouveau-ish wooden marquetry panels, with an accompanying table, cutlery and crockery, and a very comfy-looking Pullman chair. Unfortunately, it's very valuable, so nobody's allowed to sit on it.

Representing a collection like the Museum's is somewhat difficult, so this year, we're also bringing along a model of the entire Museum, inside and out, rendered in Lego. The next time that someone visiting the stand asks us to describe what the Museum is like, we'll be able to make a futile spluttering sound and some shruggy gestures, and wave them towards the model.
Of course, if you want to judge how accurate the model is, you'll have to also come and see the real Museum...

Merry Christmas ...

The front of the Gauge 0 railway layout, Arch Three

... and a Happy New Year!

Arches, arches, arches ...

The new-look forward entrance to Arch Three

We've just built a new archway! Or at least, we've built a new "artistic" faux-stone cladding for one side of the forward archway entrance to Arch Three. And yes, the smattering of green mould is hand-painted.

The new arch facade under construction

We also have some Cunning Plans for another part of the Museum, but we aren't allowed to talk about them yet...

Another display case ...

A custom cabinet under construction in one of the Museum worshops

More behind-the-scenes building work. Having spotted a gap where (after some building maintenance), we could squeeze another very narrow cabinet into the Museum, it's time for some more custom-fitted cabinetry. Notice the 30-degree angle on the sides.

The new cabinet will appear in Arch Three in early December, housing the collection of cast iron locomotive models that used to be in Arch Two (before being displaced by the Budgie collection) .

Hornby rotating sign

Pentagonal Hornby illuminated shop sign

One of the rarer pieces in the Hornby Wall is a slightly Art Deco-ish 1950's five-sided Hornby Dublo rotating sign. The combination of faded grey-blue curves and chrome trim is slightly reminiscent of the styling on a 1950's refrigerator.

As part of our plans to try to increase the number of interactive items, we've now wired the display up to some modern energy-saving electronics that are triggered by a pushbutton on the right of the cabinet, and now it lights up in 1950's rainbow pastels and rotates a couple of times when the button's pushed. This is surprisingly fun.

"Hornby Wall" display

Regular visitors will have noticed that for the past few months we've been steadily working on the "Hornby Wall" cabinets at the very end of the Museum's Arch Four, working and reworking the contents (and squeezing in more and more pieces each time) to create the best possible display of classic Hornby items from the 1920s and 1930s up to the introduction of Hornby Dublo.

The pieces are grouped from left to right in date order, so the wall efffectively gives an overview of the early evolution of Hornby.

We haven't yet done a final count of even the approximate number of items in the Hornby Wall, but we think that the overall effect is now slightly staggering, even for visitors who aren't dedicated Hornby enthusiasts.

New "Level Crossing" gates

Our new gates

There used to be a simple chain separating the public area in Arch One from the "off-limits" section by the entrances to the two Museum workshops. This week, we've installed a pair of swing-gates.

We didn't want boring old normal gates, and someone suggested designing them to look like the gates on a railway level crossing, to go with the "station" theme of the Museum Shop area. So that's what we did. And they're cool.