[modeleng] Re: Sinsheim

Having been chosen by the Selection Committee (!) I set off for Sinsheim 
recently with my 5" Pacific. On arrival at the cross channel ferry the 
official who checked my passport asked " Are you alone in the vehicle sir?". 
I couldn't resist it........."No" said I " I've got the Duchess of Abercorn 
with me!".

Most of you must have heard and read of Sinsheim - big 5" & 7.25" ground 
level tracks, M.E. exhibition, all indoors. I certainly had, but I was 
completely unprepared for the experience. The selection process and the fact 
that everybody had their own siding, named and numbered, led me to believe 
this would be a tightly organised event.

How wrong can you be. Did they want to see my boiler certificate? - No. Did 
they wish to see proof of insurance - no. Proof of competence? - No. Should 
I fit my spark arrestor - No. Would somebody show me round the (very long) 
track - no, just go down there, onto the mainline and follow somebody! When 
would I be allowed to run? - anytime, 10 o'clock to five o'clock all three 
days. Oh , and you must come on Saturday evening because we turn all the 
lights out and run in the dark!

When things got going I was surprised to see quite large model traction 
engines driving through the crowds towing trucks with kids on board, the 
track itself was busy with an incredible variety of locos / trains some 
driven by youngsters who looked to be less than ten years old.

When I commented that we wouldn't be able to do this in the U.K. the Germans 
couldn't understand, although one of them did say that the insurance company 
did "get a bit concerned" because they turned the smoke detectors off on the 
fire alarm system!

It was a great three days and my abiding memory is that, despite the almost 
total freedom to do as one liked, I never saw anybody reprimanded, never saw 
anybody injured and never heard anybody get "ratty", even at the end when 
everbody tried to depart at the same time.

Aufedersein,


Barrie


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Alan Stepney" <alan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <modeleng@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, January 17, 2008 8:14 PM
Subject: [modeleng] Sinsheim


> Someone has posted some photos of this years exhibtion at Sinsheim, at:
>
>
> http://freenetfoto.de/album/sinsheim2008/
>
>
> http://www.alanstepney.info
> Alan Stepney's Model Engineering, steam, and workshop pages.
> MODEL ENGINEERING DISCUSSION LIST.
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