70th Anniversary Exhibition 2004 - Sandy Upper School - Bedfordshire Courtesy of The Train Collectors' Society's 6th Annual Show July 3/4th and their 25th event, The Bayko Collectors' Club was duly invited to attend. And what a display we put on for our 70th year of introduction bash! Thanks to the TCS.
After visiting some superb model railway displays, visitors
entered the Drama Studio, and were literally awe struck. "An Aladdin's cave"
was one response, with the rumour around the show being "you must visit the
Bayko display and see Leo Janssen's Empire State
Building." |
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Models ranging from a hay barn with a multitude of haystacks and fork lift trucks, through catalogue models, to the terrific Empire State Building stopped people in their tracks. Stage lights in white and red, together with the gorilla brought out the best in Leo's model. 16 ft, 70,000 loose parts, in 3 sections, with 4 separate sections around the base. This had taken over 4 1/2 years from conception to reality, and more than did justice to the system. The model lives in Belgium and when the first stage level was built, lived on the first floor of an apartment. When Leo moved to the ground floor to obtain more space, an outside lift elevator had to be used to take the model out of a window and back into the same building onto the lower level.
It has only once been exhibited by Leo and Robin in Antwerp when a fork lift
truck was engaged to assemble it. Using 10 club members and Peter Ketcher,
a local non-member who freely gave of his time to help prepare and dismantle
the show. Thanks Peter. With a tall stage ladder, deluxe scaffolding tower
assembly and 3 tables we were able to assemble the model and it looked superb.
Young children were asked how the monkey managed to get up the tower and
some interesting suggestions were forthcoming. Liked the one about the stick
up its .......(jumper?) |
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| Leo also brought along Liverpool Speke Airport (now John Lennon) and the 1962 Meccano Buckingham Palace, whilst David Poole had made the Sun Life Building in Canada (dismantled after the Show!) I had the Block of Flats and the Country Club in pre-war colours, all factory exhibition models without plans. Noteworthy were the range of large houses of Brian Salter (who now owns the Bayko TM), in most of the colour variants, and his war bomb damaged model, and 2 art deco buildings, using new cast components, doors, windows, balcony, etc. Malcolm Hanson brought his display board with all original colour variants found for Bayko components, and Leo had his usual range of repro spares, with larger floors, and John Lewis with smaller ones. 2m long rods were available From Peter Bradley who had an incredible display of mint boxes through the eras, and PowerPoint presentation of how to build with Bayko. Another interesting Hybrid was The HSBC Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank Tower in Bayko and outside superstructure in Meccano from Paul Mountford, completed for the Show, with working outside lifts and trams. | |
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The Erection! |
Doric Temple with USA Betta Bilda set left |
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The range of Bayko models went on and was supplemented with a Doric Temple and grey-bricked Bavarian 3-storey house from Peter Crook, Spandamodium (spans and pillars like a cork screw), etc. Other systems were displayed, ranging from Jackie's various systems being built all weekend, Brickplayer, Minibrix, and even Blackpool Tower in Meccano for contrast. A nice 3D Tower Bridge model was shown by William Poulton, a younger club member, together with a Lego ghost castle and complimented in the room by a huge Lego early railway display. My own floor cross section of the Betta Bilda Empire Sate Building was available, overshadowed by Leo's display. PS I need more windows to complete this 8ft display! |
| Many thanks to all for attending, help setting up the display, and with
the dismantling. Further review and photos in the next Bayko Club Newsletter
available to members.
Only a few days before the show I had a phone call from Tony Russell who had just rediscovered with huge smiles, Bayko; and because of Leo's model had arranged for Dilly Barlow, producer for John Peel's Radio 4 show Home Truths, to attend. She too was overwhelmed with the display, and spent 4 hours taping a radio review on nostalgia for John Peel, which went out Sat 10th July. We managed 8 minutes which is excellent, and within 30 seconds of the end of the radio presentation of our portion, a lady rang wanting to join the Club! At the end of the program someone emailed me with their memories. You can listen to this and the review on the BBC web site. There is also a message board.
Robin Throp |
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Some of the gang!
Left-Right: Robin Throp, Steve Haddock, David Poole,
Peter Wicker, Paul Mountford. |
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