would like to suggest that you might get more participation

in the rating of articles if the link to rate an article was placed at the end of the article instead of the opening page of an article.  With the current set up, it requires the reader to scroll back to the beginning to rate an article after it is read.

Please disregard previous paragraph, I discovered after reading the article on the Sierra Railroad that I can access the rating post from a number of places throughout the article including the last page.

@Russ

Why in the UK and not here?

Exhibition layouts, I guess, are a big thing in the UK due to house size across the pond (though I saw plenty of US-type houses when I was in the UK recently) but maybe it's just a cultural thing?

Just look at the UK hobby magazines, almost all the layouts in those are the exhibition type. They're small, usually a long module with either a hidden staging yard or a loop for 'off stage' trains. They're usually built by one to four people, all with a common theme.

But some of these layouts are massive, I recently saw an article on an O scale one that one end was over 40 feet long. In those cases, they're more like module groups as we have here (though lacking the 'each section is random' nature that most module layouts here have).

I've only seen a handful of exhibition layouts in the US over the years. There was a nice On30 one at the last Portland (OR) NMRA convention.

But culturally, let's face it, the hobby media is still pushing for room-filler layouts. TOMA has made progress and the magazines are now covering smaller layouts finally, but it took decades before the mainstream hobby magazines covered anything smaller than would fill a large barn. And if you go to any gathering and talk about any layout, the first question you always hear after what scale, is, "How big is it?"

I've heard my layout described by others as small (which it is, it fills a 10X11 foot room), then very quickly the person will say, "but it's got good scenery and lots of detail," always said very fast before the other person loses track. I've also had people visit my layout and admit later they almost didn't come to look because it wasn't very big (usually followed with, "but I'm glad I did, now"). Size matters in this hobby, and people will forgive a lot if you have the acreage.

Maybe this is why you don't see too many exhibition layouts other than from modular groups. Like the guy with the one in Portland, I stood by taking photos and I heard several of the comments:

"Nice, if that's all the room he has..."

"I wouldn't bother building something that smal"

"It's just a wired and lit diorama"

"[insert layout here] is way bigger than that"

"Something that small, you can't run the thing"

Few comments about the job the guy did. I felt bad for the guy, hearing so much of that.

Interesting note

I got my copy of RMC (which I need to renew, but ouch, the cost...) a couple of days ago, and what do I see on the cover? 

An Exhibition layout. 

I swear, sometimes I think this hobby is mildly telepathic. 

Define BIG LAYOUT

I don't happen to agree any longer that the hobby press just pushes big layouts.

Define big. While you're at it, define small, and medium.

NOTE: I maintain to be apples to apples, all layout sizes need to include access. While a 4x8 is 32 square feet, the case can be made that if you add 2ft wide access around three sides that adds another 40 sq ft, making it require 72 sq ft if you want humans to be able to access it.

So what about this ...

Below 100 sq ft = small
100-250 sq ft = medium
251+ sq ft = large
500+ sq ft = very large
1000+ sq ft = massive

Now go back and look at the layouts and track plans all the publishers have published in the last 12 months and what do you find? I am willing to bet 250 sq ft and under wins.

Plus every year Model Railroader takes several issues to cover a project layout, and every last one of those project layouts are below 100 sq ft and get 1-2 covers each year. How can we say they don't give smaller layouts any air time?

Trouble is, everyone only *remembers* the especially big ones, we have selective amnesia when it comes to the smaller layout articles and track plans. I bet you our selective memories are to blame as much as anything for the "hobby press large layout bias."

[rant] One final rant and then I'll get off my soapbox. When we publish smaller layout stories, they generally don't get high ratings in the article ratings. Yet when we publish a larger layout story, they often float to the top of the ratings.

So if there's any blame to be placed here regarding larger vs smaller layout story popularity in the hobby press, maybe we need to go look in the mirror? [end of rant]

Exhibitions

The US seems to lack the infrastructure and tradition that encourages portable exhibition layouts.  The UK (and other parts of nearby Europe) are blessed with numerous large city halls and other public spaces which organizers can rent and then sub-rent space to trade sellers. 

Exhibited layouts are generally compensated for their effort in bringing a layout to show and often make several appearances in a season, or over a period of years.  People willingly pay to get in, and everyone is happy. 

US 'train shows' seem heavily tilted toward selling products, with less space allocated to layouts.  NMRA regionals and nationals feature layouts, but they are the exceptions.

Less-dense population may have something to do with it as well.  In Ohio, just to pull an example out of a hat, larger cities can be a hundred miles or more apart and there's not an efficient transportation network to help people make such a trip without driving.

It's a shame, because the British exhibitions, except for the very smallest, can let you see some very interesting and very different projects, all in a single day. 

Exhibition layouts

   I like the idea and wish we had them here. Seems for some reason most folks here are not into it though. Maybe there is just too many competing entertainment for toy trains to draw the necessary crowds? Thomas the tank engine seems to be popular and Brio trains for the little kids but as they grow they seem to lose interest. I guess it makes sense given the almost non existence of real trains in our neighborhoods compared to the 50's when many of us were growing up surrounded by trains. Kids can't run down the street and watch the SP switch the local industries or go play in the switch yard these days . It's rare to see a train in many locations that previously were served dailly.....DaveB

I've seen a few exhibition type layouts at train shows here in

So Cal, but typically what we have more commonly here is modular and/or freemo layouts at train shows where individuals, or club members build a module or set of modules and put them together to make a large layout.

The one exhibition type layout that I remember from one train show was memorable for the wrong reason.  It was n-scale probably 2' x 4-6', but the layout was probably mounted 4' off the floor, supported by large boxes containing a huge peaker system.  The owner had the volumn turned up LOUD with train sounds including the bell and horn.  that horn would go off and you would swear that there was a train bearing down on the Convention Center where the show was located!  It was definitally not a pleasant experience!  

I am continually thankful that in all of the other train shows that I attended with the modular club before the pandemic shut things down, that perticular layout never showed up again!  If it did show up, the show promoters did not allow the guy to use his sound system with it!

Distance/Population density = Furphy

Dear MRHers,

I seriously question this statement. Enter into evidence Australia, which has a comparable frequency of exhibitions occuring to the UK, and yet has distances between events measured in 100s, if not 1000s of kilometres.

Indeed, I've personally hauled layouts over 500+ kilometres (each way) from home,
done the setup/operation/teardown and return, for a 2-day exhibition,

(Sydney <> Wagga = approx 500k each way,
Sydney <> Albury = approx 500k each way
Sydney <> Canberra = approx 300k each way,
Sydney <> Brisbane = approx 1000k each way
Sydney <> Melbourne = approx 1000k each way
Dandenong <> Ballarat = approx 150k each way, inc battling thru Melbourne
Melbourne <> Launceston = approx 600k each way INC Trans-tasman ferry!
etc etc etc)

and I'm by-no-means an outlier in this regard.

I mean, dang, I've driven 500k each-way in one day, for a 3 hour meeting/site-survey,
as part of the organisation for an Australian Narrow Gauge Convention

"Exhibitions in the US are not popular" is not a distance thing, or a population-density thing,...

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

I've lived in Ohio most of my

Gragam, I think you're all wet. I've lived in Ohio most of my life. I'd say major cities are, on average, mpre like 50 miles apart.

I'll grant, though, that since the demise of passernger trains post WWII, there's no good way to get from one to the next without driving. On the other hand, you're not going to take a layout on a passenger train even if they were still running.

There are several modular clubs in Ohio that regularly attend train shows and set up their layouts there. I can think of at least four N-Trak groups, one non-N-Trak N scale group, a large  HO modular display that is the work of a few individuals, at least three garden railroad groups (one of which is Live Steam!), A T-Trak group that draws from Ohio and Indiana and Kentucky, and a fair number of small, one or two person setups that would be more properly called "exhibition" layouts.  I myself had a BeNdTrak layout that I took to a few shows before I was no longer able to manage it, and I have a number of T-Trak modules now.

There are also people that have built "novelty" layouts in guitar cases, suitcases, briefcases, cake pans,  record players, hat boxes, and other ridiculously small containers.

Great Amaerican Train Shows used to pay an honorarium to quality layouts to appear. Many came from 100 miles or more, and the fee would help defray the cost of lodging for the weekend (Set up Friday evening, show Sat and Sun).

The Ohio N Scale Weekend had half a dozen or more N scale layouts.

My Definition - Big layout

Any layout that is large enough to exclude any other use of the room is big.  Ask anyone that is not a model railroader.  It's only the model railroaders that think something that fills a bedroom is small.

Scale makes no difference.  If other family members can't regularly use at least a part of the room for some other activity, the layout is Big.

Maybe you don't think it's big, but everyone else in the family thinks so.

GS

It's cultural

In the US, single exhibition layouts made by one person (or a very small number of people) are not very popular. It's simply the truth.

That said, modular groups are not uncommon and many will show up with their modules to set up even at small shows. Most 'trains shows' in the US are sales shows, though there are a few that aren't (the winter one at the Seattle Science Center comes to mind).

So, why not have several smaller single-theme layouts at US shows?

This is where I firmly believe it's the "the layout has to be big if it can be" culture in the hobby on this side of the pond. Otherwise, why would modular clubs be so popular? It'd be way easier to build your own small layout and not have fiddle around with other modules and deal with the drama of others (being in a modular club in my teens is what drove me out of the hobby for many years).

Exhibition layouts would be, I think, a far less stressful and satisfying way to enjoy the hobby for people who lack the massive old-school basement that generations of model magazines told us we needed to have if we really wanted to enjoy the hobby.

If I wasn't able to annex a back bedroom for my own layout, I probably would have done that by now (I have long thought about what I'd have done, and I know I'd have taken a stab at the area around the twin rayon mills at Elizabethton, TN during WW2 along the dual-gauge ET&WNC, called "Port Rayon" at the time).

But it's cultural, there's no other reason I can think of.

We model what we see, know, and can fit?

Let me toss this out as a possibility regarding the relative popularity of Exhibition Layouts in Europe and the US.

1. Territory size - a good chunk of the US is wide open spaces, to the extent that we do a fair amount of mythologizing about it. Europe tends to be much more compact, with people clustered in tight villages, towns and cities. 

2. Common railroad procedures -
a. In the US, you frequently have long trains going point-to-point (as far as the casual observer sees). Even "locals" can travel many miles. Switch jobs... tend to be invisible, although they definitely exist. 
b. In Europe, trains are shorter, a side effect, from what I've been told, is a desire to maximize employment rather than efficiency. Since many railroads were, until recently, largely owned by the governments, it was in effect a jobs program. The end result is that European modelers aren't used to seeing long trains, and therefore don't feel the compulsion to model them. And when I was there, it appeared that industry was pretty well integrated into the larger towns and cities, so that seeing a switching job might not be so unusual. 

3. Housing sizes - it's not anything new to say that, on average, European housing sizes are a lot smaller than American ones. I saw it for myself when I lived in Germany. The US may be catching up with this with high density apartment complexes becoming more, well, not popular, but more common. So the European mindset is aimed at a smaller layout to begin with. I don't know if they have an equivalent of the ubiquitous US 4x8 sheet of plywood, but I don't seem to see a lot of layouts from Europe that go that direction. 

4. So, with Europeans already mentally oriented towards smaller layouts, that are operations oriented (it takes _room_ to do a roundy-round, at least in HO), and train shows that sound more like layout RPM meets than what we in the US consider a train show (primarily swap meets, except for some established big ones). 

Did any of the above make sense?

Some thoughts

I’ve seen the occasional exhibition style layout at the springfield show.  One that comes to mind is an On3 setup probably 10-12 feeet long with an overall theme of logging, but also a mine with a cutway mine shaft.  Very nice modelling, and the owner kept something running on it all the time.  There have been some others too, but not a lot.

N track and some of the other modular clubs are a sort of odd middle ground.  They’re run as an exhibition - stuff is always running on them.  And often there are scenes clearly set up to entertain an audience.

I think if there was a whole show of that sort of thing, people would go to see it if they understood what it was about.  Since there’s nothing like that now, there would have to be some pretty well done publicity to get any attendance.

I think fundamentally building an exhibition layout is different from building a layout or your own enjoyment.  It’s a different aspect of the hobby.  I would never build an exhibition layout even if I only had a tiny amount of space, exhibiting a layout is not something I’m interested in.  I want a layout I, and occasionally a few friends, can enjoy operating on. You can build something to do that in an equally small space, but the attitude is different.  You’re not building to entertain people looking at the layout and watching something run on it, you’re building to entertain youself as the person doing the operating.  It’s entirely possible to build a layout that could do both, but not many do, perhaps because like me they have either no interest in exhibiting, or no interest in solo operation.

My European experience

@Jeff:

In #2 I think you state that seeing an industrial switching job not being that unusual. In my experience it actually is (based on growing up in the Netherlands) fairly uncommon to see switching jobs. Majority of train movement in Europe is passenger trains, the rest is either Intermodal or bulk goods. Railroads weren't a jobs program either, although efficiency wasn't #1 priority, service is (was). For example: I've never seen a conductor on a through freight train in the Netherlands, on the locals and passenger trains: yes. In the US the unions are currently fighting the removal of the conductor of through freight trains. European trains are mostly shorter due to limited space around the right of way and thus inability to create or extend lengthy passing sidings for increased freight train lengths as a result. Anything that is double tracked is mainly used for passenger trains, so running long freight trains in that mix inhibits high average speeds, further limiting train lengths. Some exceptions are there, like the "Betuwe route" connecting the Rotterdam harbor with Germany using a dedicated freight double track line which took decades to approve and then build.

#3 yes, the 4x8 equivalent is a 1.2 meter by 2.4 meter sheet and many roundy-round layouts are based on that format. Majority run a combo of passenger trains and some freight trains. But like you said, freight trains are typically depicted shorter.

#4 I beg to differ that Europeans are more operations oriented. For vast majority it's passenger train service that is being modelled on the roundy-round, or through freights running circles, as space for industries is secondary to the space needed for having passenger platforms on the 4x8.

Only those with larger layouts or who are part of modular clubs might (!) dabble in (freight) operations. Unless it's Fremo, most will still mostly roundy-round a few passenger trains on their modular layout with a through bulk freight train thrown in for good measure.

Having said all this: I do miss those exhibition layouts from all over Europe coming to the various Dutch shows...

Gets to *why* you build a layout

I think this whole discussion gets to *why* you build a layout.

If it's to be able to say "I am a model railroader" and that's it, then sounds like anything will do - you just want to model some trains in miniature some way some how.

If it's to railfan running trains, then something large enough to support continuous running will suffice, although the bigger the layout, the more variety of railfan options.

If it's to model realistic operations, then what kind of ops are we talking about?

If it's micro-ops (the engineer's perspective), then a smaller layout can actually be quite satisfying.

If it's macro-ops (the trainmaster's perspective), then the larger the layout the better, and the more trains you can run the better.

I would contend more North Americans are either railfans or macro-ops guys -- although with things like sophisticated sound decoders with lots of features such as braking plus the ProtoThrottle I think micro-ops is gaining ground in North America. From the sounds of it, more Europeans are into the modeling part -- making highly realistic miniature scenes and not so much into railfanning or macro-ops.

If I was to be a bit cynical, I could say Nicholas seems to be arguing that "just doing something to prove you're a model railroader with a layout" is enough, who cares what kind of layout you have just as long as you have one.

While that may align with the European approach to the hobby, I'm not so sure it aligns with the North American approach that focuses more on railfanning or macro-ops.

The one re-alignment I am seeing in North America is a move toward micro-ops as the ability to simulate the details of what an engineer does keeps growing, thanks to technology. The ProtoThrottle does that for diesel modelers, and the under-development Steam ProtoThrottle has the potential to do that for steam modelers.

Ops...

Good point!

I read a lot of the British and European model train magazines even when before I decided to build my layout, as I wanted as much "out of the box" thinking as I could come up with...

I agree with Joe's points. Most of these Brit layouts, from what I've read, seem to be more display oriented for their modelling. Just like how a lot of modular groups are roundy-round just to show stuff on the move, they seem to be around just to be a diorama with motion.

That's not a bad thing, mind you, but it's also not a popular concept among US model railroaders. It's a lot like the throwback "4X8 oval" layout we all know (and cringe at the thought of) today.

Let's face it, model trains didn't run all that well until recently. Think of all the articles in magazines over the years on how to re-motor engines to run properly and how DCC required an electrical and computer degree before you could get them out of the box.

These days, you can get stuff that runs like a Swiss watch and DCC, set up in a few minutes. This, more than anything, is why you now have people focusing on switching instead of long haul trains.

Still, no matter what anyone says, there is still a strong emphasis on 'bigger is better' for layouts. That'll take generations to get out of the hobby's system, I assume.

You wouldn't be seeing the push for operations on the basic level of the hobby right now if stuff wasn't running as good as it was now and easier to get working well 9or perfect out of the box). In other words, long haul trains for large layouts might have been because the stuff didn't really run very well except at a higher speed and in a straight line for a long distance.

Exposure (or lack thereof) in U.S.

I think part of it is lack of exposure to the exhibition-style of modeling and layout building. Lack of examples. But that may change with continuing influence of social media and the Web.

I have never been to a European model railroad show. I probably never will. I have been to quite a few shows in the U.S. As others have pointed out, European and Australian "exhibition style layouts" (however you define that), are rare at U.S. shows; you may occasionally get one or two at a show, tucked away in a corner, versus European shows focused on 20 or 30 exhibitions.

I didn't even know that style and purpose of layout building existed until being able to see photos and video on the Internet. How many in the U.S. are regularly reading European modeling magazines? But now with youtube, flickr, Facebook, blogs, etc., that has changed over the last 5 to 10 years.

Once I started finding online photologs and videologs from shows like Eurospoor, Ontraxs, the Warley UK show, ExpoNG also in the UK, Expometrique in France (which I think is now called RailExpo) - and others which I'm forgetting or not familiar with - my mind was figuratively blown. If you haven't, I would encourage you to spend some time searching for photos or video from some of those flagship European shows. It may open your eyes.

Perhaps the closest thing in the U.S. is the National Narrow Gauge Convention and the Craftsman Structures Shows, but my understanding is the highest-level modeling at those shows tends to focus on individual rolling stock and structure builds plus small static dioramas, in addition to the home tours of larger layouts, as opposed to operating single-scene or small layouts.

I would love to see more exhibition-style layouts in the U.S.

Lifespan and travel

What is the "lifespan" of an exhibition layout?  From what I gather many layouts in the UK seem to be small with a couple year half life.  Is that true for exhibition layouts?  Do they show them at the same circuit of shows for decades or do they last less than a decade then another layout is built?

Which also brings us to the other part of having an exhibition layout, you have to exhibit it.  That means you have to travel to different shows, the layout has to be portable.  With a modular layout you can have 20 people contribute models but only 5-10 need be around the layout at a time, the others can visit other layouts and shop and things like get food and use the rest room.  If you have your own standalone layout, then you are pretty much stuck at the layout for the duration (I'm sure you can get somebody to watch it for 10-15 minutes) unless you bring  another person with you to the show as a relief.

There is a certain type of person that likes that style of modeling and exhibition.  The Freemo and N Trak guys are doing great things.  I used to belong to a couple modular groups and there is an active Freemo group in my area.  I have often thought about building a Freemo module.  But the thought of having to lug it around and spend an entire weekend at a show isn't as attractive as it once was.  One modular group I belonged to died out as the members got older and lugging modules long distances became more of a burden.  Keeping the layout static and bringing the people to the layout seems easier in many ways.

The biggest barrier to exhibition layouts I see is the investment in time required to exhibit them.  The cost of driving several hundred pounds of equipment several hundred miles and investing an entire weekend to display it plus hotel rooms, and meals is can be a big hurdle to entry.

Exhibition layout that you don't exhibit?

Small != portable

If the real goal is to encourage small layouts, then yes the “exhibition layout” term is working against you.  That has a whole lot of connotations that may not appeal to many people who aren’t already building actual exhibition layouts.

Tieing small to portable is mixing concepts unnecessarily too.  Small does not have to be portable, it just has to be small.  Could be built into a coffee table, or screwed to a wall, etc.

Portable may be good in many small layout situations, but not all.

There's portable and then there's portable

Well, there's deliberately portable to go on the road (as Exhibition layout implies) and there's portable as in "small enough it could be moved if needed" ... in other words, portable is a side benefit, not the reason for being.

Most small layouts have the benefit that if you need to move them somewhere else (as in you relocated to a new home) then they can make the move. That said, if you make a layout one foot wide and 30 feet long (still under 100 sq ft), that's not very portable unless you build it to come apart in pieces under 8 foot each.

Limiting

Don't complain to me, complain to the MRH editor, he's the one who titled the article.  

Lifespans

Dear Dave, MRHers,

In order of appearance:

Depends, largely on the atitude of the owner/builder/exhibitor...

...which also means that the UK and Euro modellers are doing a helluva lot more actual modelling ,
(frequently covering a wider range of scales/gauges/prototypes),
than their US cousins. It's a demonstratable Quality-over-Quantity game,
which just keeps rolling iteratively thru each succeeding layout build.

Speaking primarily from my experience in the Australian Exhibition circuit,
but knowing that it echoes UK/Euro experience:

- It's commonly accepted wisdom that the "typical exhibition layout lifespan" is approx 3 years.
(Year 1 = Debut
Year 2 = Circuit mainstay
Year 3 = Thinking/designing/initial-build-steps on the next one,
while keeping on the circuit for the "fanclub" attendees to keep-up-with...
Year 4 = take a year off the scene to build "the next one"
...rinse and repeat...  )

NB that I personally know of a handful of what can only be described as "mad rabid" modellers,
who seem to literally attend every single exhibition within their state,
(IE multiple exhibitions per month)

with a completely different/new high-quality layout, covering differing themes, every time!?!?!?
(Where they get the time/energy, I don't know, 
but when I grow up to be a proper Model Railroader, I wanna be as productive as them....   ).

- This assumes that the layout is literally "shopped around" to any/every/all exhibitions going,
and thus reaches "maximum punter exposure/saturation" rather quickly.

For myself, the thing I fear(ed) most hearing from a crowd was NOT
 "Oh, this is one of < insert distainful RR theme HERE> layouts"
 "Oh, this is another one of those small layouts"
 "Ha ha, that entire train just fell off the layout..."

but "...oh, I saw this layout just X weeks ago, nothing to see here..."

- Assuming however, that the exhibition layout owner/builder is astute enough to NOT attend EVERY POSSIBLE show, and thus NOT saturate the layout exposure, a Quality Exhibition Layout 
(particularly one which has some "scene development/updating" capability designed/built-in,
and thus changes/evolves over time),

can legitimately hold a position on the circuit for 10+ years without getting "stale", "old", "worn-out", "damaged to the point of looking ugly", or simply "being soo known that the punters walk by saying 'seen it before, nothing to see here"...'

One of my modelling mentors and close friend made a very definite, conscious, and strategic decision to:

-Never attend the same exhibition 2 years in a row
(some Exhibition managers select layouts to invite based on this principle too,
thus ensuring that their show does not run the risk of becoming stale with "the same layouts each year")

-Only attend a MAX of 3 exhibition in any given calendar year
(allows time to do some actual modelling between exhibitions,
and avoids burnout for the Exhibition Layout Crew)
 

- It's worth noting that whether an Exhibition Layout modeller builds a "3-year wonder",
or plays the long/strategic-game with a "10+ year stayer" is generally a conscious decision.
(Some modellers prioritise the social aspect and want to attend everything they can,
others are more focussed on maximising "the Art and Presentation" impact,
and thus would rather "put their Very-Best-Foot-Forward occasionally",
rather than 1/2-heartedly attend everything, and potentially burn-out in the process).

- That said, there are certainly some layouts on-the-circuit who arguably have "out-stayed their welcome",
having sustained-damage which was never repaired,
have deteriorated due to poor between-show storage/lack-of-maintanence, 
have a thematic "hook" which is no-longer appealing/working,
have a presentation being let-down by poor Operator/Crew attitude/appearance,
etc etc

but just seem to "keep staggering-on"...
(The Exhibitor wants to keep exhibiting, but does not have the full-compliment of time/effort/headspace to update/renew/keep-up-wth-latest-quality-benchmarks in exhibition-layout presentation).

Absolutely, "crewing a show layout" is a core piece of logistics which is rarely thought-about by many "1st time exhibitors". While the "minimum crew requirement" is logically "1",
that one person will indeed need a toliet break at some time...

There are things which the astute/experienced Exhibition Layout Designer/Builder can do to make exhibiting "less intensive/painful", and thus get the "realistic Crew Requirement" down to, say 3, or even just 2 people without running the risk of burning the crewmembers out. It is this "understanding the broader requrements of exhibiting, and addressing them in the design/build" which makes the difference between:
 - a layout which exhibits easily, pleasantly, and is enjoyable to take to a show
VS
 - a layout which is just darn hard work , and results in the entire crew ending each show with 
"...well, I'm never exhibiting again... (until the next time)..."

In thise regard, I've gone on record as saying previously,
the surrounding logistics and "how to have fun exhibiting layouts" displays remarkable similarities to running a Touring Nascar team, a Touring Concert/Band, participating in a Marathon, or similar "Live Event Production"

- You start by working out the details of the particular event/challenge/race you want to enter
- You then design/build/optimise your "entry" for the race/parameters-in-question
- You work your bottom off to do all the pre-event-prep you can
(Remember "the 5 P's"!!!)
- and then you head to the event, give it your level best-shot, and roll-with-the-punches...

and if you've done the required effort and prep properly,
and do-what-needs-doing to keep the show going,

you'll get to "doors closed" on the last day tired, but with a huge smile on your face,
a layout which operated flawlessly,
a finescale modelling presentation which proudly represented and promoted the hobby of model RRing,
and was well-recieved by ("sparked joy" in, inspired to "have a go") the 10,000s of people who attended the show...

...which only re-inforces:
- the layout(s) in question have maybe outlived their exhibition lifespan?
- the layout design was maybe not-optimised for sustained exhibition touring duties?
(Exhibtiion layouts lead the way in lightweight + strong "road rugged" cuttng-edge designs,
and that's not by accident! Again, the optimised Exhibition Layout is to Model Railroading what Performance Racing Teams are to General Automotive Development... "what we learn on the Track informs and improves what we do on the Street")

Corollary: many UK and Aussie exhibition layouts might appear "smaller than they could be",
but the overall size is in-part controlled by "How much layout is the given modeller willing to build/haul/maintain for exhibition use"? As with many areas of life, it's all too easy to "get a stomach ache" on your favorite food if you unthinkingly gorge on it, on the basis that "more is always better"...

To take a personal example:
- my First "Exhibition" layout was 4x2 HOn30 logging effort,
(fit in a small Toyota Corolla wagon, with room for 2 crew and all support gear)

NB It _started_ as a "home layout",
but due to astute design and build work, it effortlessly transitioned into regular Touring/exhibition work.
This was very comfy and fun to exhibit, was fast to setup and teardown,
was uber reliable in operation, and lasted in exhibition service for over 8 years.

- My largest personal-build exhibition layout was a "8x4 in 3-pieces" On30 logger, which required a boxtrailer and a Subaru Outback to transport all required exhibition gear, plus 2x crew and support-gear. This layout was far-more prototypical in the scenes that were modelled,
(We posted pics of the prototype scenes on the layout fascia, and challenged the punters,
"find 5 differences between the pic and the model"....the resulting conversation-starters were absolutely invaluable in kickstarting interest in the hobby for many of the general-public viewers....   ),

and operated very well. However, it was simply too big and the transportation logistics proved over a number of exhibitions to be excessively painful. Indeed, at it's last show, 1000kilometres distant, I sold the layout off the exhibition floor and delivered it before making the 1000kilometre return-trip home.

It was a tear-laden farewell to a layout which I'd poured heart-and-soul into to build,
but given the ammount of transport pain the layout had caused, I was kinda not-upset to haul the (now empty) layout trailer back home with some cash in my pocket, and lesson-learned...

What lesson?  

"If the layout requires a trailer to haul to/from shows, it's too-big,
take the initial kurnel of thematic inspiration,
go back to the drawing-board,
and hone-it-down to it's very-core essence,
so that it captures "the thing that's worth modelling in the story"
in a space which I can actually live/move/transport/tour with...

- So, what's my "sweet spot" exhibition layout size now?
Well, put simply, (all other factors being equal and optimised for best Scale model presentation),

a layout which packs and travels-well in a maximum 60" x 40" x 30" cubic space,
(not including legs, skirts, gear-bag, trains, crew luggage, anything else required for the show)...

...or, said another way, whatever will fit between the wheel-tubs, front-seats and tailgate of a 2000-era Subaru Outback...

 Logical, for sure, and a fantastic way to "stay in one's comfort zone"....
(...and that's not necessarily a bad thing, I like feeling comfy as much as the next guy   ).

...but as a tool to promote the hobby, I can positively-impact more and wider-group of non-train general public at a 2-day exhibition than any single-modeller private/personal in-basement layout could over the same time period...

...For Maximum Promotion Exposure and Spread, you have to meet the target market/people where they are,
you cannot expect them to spontaneously come to you...

 ...and these factors, while valid, are only really hurdles if the modeller-in-question doesn't have the motivation in and of themselves to do it...
(Time can be scheduled,
Size/weight-of-display can be optimised for easy trasnportation,
accomodation esp "within the exhibition-circuit family" can be organised,
I'm not yet hearing anything which can't be achieved...if the modeller wants it...)

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr