rob and i were at the club on tuesday until 10.30pm decorating, wednesday i was there for 4 or 5 hours vaccuming, mopping, dusting and all that good stuff. then blair arrived and i helped him with his layout and removing the bbq's. thursday, i got there at 1 to retidy and get my layouts set up, and then friday i got there at 4 and barely got set up by the time we opened at 6.
we had no major issues, and i only had one or two kids who were grabby, but nothing got damaged. thankfully, they mostly left the running trains alone, more playing with the cars and things i had scattered about.
all in all, it was worth the work put in. we beat last years takings, and last year we ran over 3 nights, then had to pay for the hall rental. this year, we held the show at the club, so the only expense is power. every cent stays within the club. it also meant no club layouts had be transported, so no risks of accidental damage.
my canadiana box car arrived on thursday too, but it came when i was already at the club. it only took 11 days to arrive from the states... incredible given its christmas time. i swapped the couplers to e-z mates, borrowing the nose and end ones from the loco and caboose. it hasnt been run yet, as the track was booked solid last night. i will go out tomorrow maybe to straighten things up and give it a go then. i think the couplers need to be packed so they sit straight. they are quite floppy.