One pleasure of our annual show is meeting up with old friends. Some visitors come back year by year, others we know from other clubs. It’s even better when work colleagues or neighbours accept my invites to the show and pay to get in. And some of our traders are there year by year and too have become old friends.
Cha(I)rman Allan started off on the door. I took the cash desk job for a number of years. It’s one of the best, as (a) you can sit down all day and (ii) you meet and talk to every visitor.
Graham and Ted took over. Ted is teaching Graham the essential cash desk skills – how to insult visitors without them noticing – and the N Gauge Society membership card trick. This is the one where a visitor flourishes his NGS membership card (or any other card for that matter, or just claims to be very old) and demands a discount. The trick is to put the price UP a pound when asked for discount….
NScaleCH will sell you anything N gauge and Swiss, except Toblerone…
Kerry and Invicta must have been doing well, with a smile like that.
Winco were selling an excellent range of European models…..
Guarded by Benson, who looked bored with the whole show….
BH Enterprises were there, once again, to sell you all the bits and pieces you never knew you needed. I resisted a GWR double railcar kit. Ray: “I’ve been here so many times that I could do this show with my eyes closed.”
Good to have the N Gauge Society back, as the Berkshire group brought the mini-stand with them. There’s no-one manning it. Perhaps they refused to pay the discount?
Jon the Blue-Plastic-Box-Man in a quiet reflective moment. I must have bought less models this year, as I didn’t come away with more storage boxes.
Our final trader was Ian Grace, who was selling his excellent German military models and trains.
Next post, more layouts.
