Vandals hit train show

Found out about it when I got to the Show yesterday morning. At least they have cought the perps, but what will be done to them. I would make them restore every last item to as was before they did the nasty on them. Should keep them busy for a little while.
 
Yes it was all over the N gauge forum yesterday. Very sad. When I think of the number of shows I've done where my layout and stock has been in the hall overnight.... Can't let it put me off future shows though. Difficult to believe the idiots will actually receive a fitting punishment.
 
Make the parents pay for the damage.
 
Putting what I think about this into words would probably get me into a lot of trouble..... I simply cannot comprehend what would make anyone do something like this. There are NO valid excuses, though I am sure some will try to make them anyway.

Jon.
 
Madman said:
Make the parents pay for the damage.
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Didn't want to just put a "like" on this, Dan, because it feels like it would be trivialising it - but I agree with you 100%......
Sadly no amount of financial compensation (whether from insurance or anywhere else) will ever replace the thousands of hours of painstaking work.

Jon.
 
Regrettably vandalism is not new, nor restricted to one country. It’s heartbreaking that so much damage has been done and has wrecked the work and dreams of so many people. It’s difficult to understand what makes people do such things. Is it jealousy, envy or a more serious mental health issue. In this case, as the vandals are teenagers, my own feelings are that not only should the perpetrators be held to account but so should the parents. It won’t happen of course.
Vandalism is rife in many instances, from graffiti (yes, I know some is artistic but defacing something is still vandalism), breaking windows, keying cars, smashing heritage railways.....you can go on. Even ‘officially sanctioned’ vandalism - Euston Arch anyone? - it’s all mindless and unthinking. Some excuse it by saying it’s envy - when people steal and then wreck an expensive car (for example) and then torch it - the envious mind cannot work out that just maybe a relatively poor person saved and scrimped for their dream. Similarly, these particular idiots have no perception of just how much work has gone into the ‘toy trains’ they smashed, nor the dreams they have trashed.
It’s not a new phenomenon, and regrettably will probably continue for as long as people are people. Some human’s minds apparently develop differently from others.
My heart goes out to the members of the clubs, and the traders.
 
I’ve just seen the pictures on the BBC news site. A sad state of affairs indeed. I hope that the perpetrators are suitably punished and made to pay restitution for the damage caused.
 
I have my own ideas on what makes these morons carry out the acts of mindless vandalism too often seen these days. Only this morning (around 2.00am) I witnessed a large group of youngsters who obviously had no respect for other people's property or the law not 10 yards from my front door. Several of the faces were recognisable as persons seen locally and on a regular basis. Having walked past those identified in daytime I can only say they are frequently accompanied by a certain 'aroma' as they go by puffing on the inevitable 'roll-up'. If you watch carefully you can regularly spot 'deals' taking place and until the police eventually put a stop to it a drop-off was in almost daily use in the churchyard opposite. There are also a number of 'offies' that have seen a marked increase in business in recent years, which would have been at a lower level if they'd complied with the licencing laws. We are currently suffering an increasing number of incidents of criminal damage (including the reshaping of my car bonnet) and arson attacks on empty holiday accommodation. While offending groups have been identified and spoken to by the constabulary, no charges have been brought due to 'lack of evidence' and proof of which little **** actually carried out a specific act. My recent personal experiences have resulted in the installation of a barbed-wire garden perimeter and CCTV cameras.
if I had my way I can think of uses for items like rope and lamp posts, but then that would be illegal! Motor vehicles tend to be acquired and used like dodgem cars or in a manner akin to the latest video games regardless of who they actually belong to. All this and it's only a village. Certain areas of Great Yarmouth are now no-go areas in daylight as well as at night. Thank God I no longer have to drive buses through them.
 
If one of my kids has done something like that , I know what I would do to them ... Hard to believe that people do mindless things like this, I feel really sorry for all that have had their work destroyed by this sort of scum.
 
Of course the perpetrators should have to pay, but at £8,500 for a train, I wonder if insurance companies offer coverage for that sort of thing.
 
-bbbb said:
... £8,500 for a train, I wonder if insurance companies offer coverage for that sort of thing.
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You'd assume so if the model was declared as an item of that value on the exhibition insurance. There's usually a requirement to list individual items over say £300. When I take part in a show with my N gauge layout I usually put at least £10k for insurance purposes (layout and stock) and to be honest that's probably not enough.
 
Heartily agree with the above.
One of my train clubs puts on a show twice a year. The organiser and his son sleep in the halls overnight for security, but I don’t think insurance is arranged. Another club that I’m a member of hosted a show bought show insurance, and we had members sleeping overnight. But in a ‘commercial venue’ being on site overnight could prove awkward.
I’m exhibiting a layout in June, in the past I know that people have slept in the exhibition venue on the Friday night after setup maybe so they don’t have to spend a fair amount on local hotels, or maybe to look after their vintage display.

Going back to the topic, as an exhibitor I would be quite annoyed in the event of a similar occurrence especially if no precautions were taken. And as a host I would be devastated, even if I did have insurance.
As a ball park, it cost us around £60 for Friday and saturday

Malcolm
 
As the show was held in a a school it was unlikely anyone would have been allowed to stay in the hall after closing time. School insurance don't allow it!
 
I read that the sh*ts were released pending further enquiries. They were caught trespassing where a huge amount of damage was done, what an earth do they need to enquire about? Wouldn't it have been better for them to residents in a cell for a couple of weeks until their trial?
 
Paul M said:
I read that the sh*ts were released pending further enquiries. They were caught trespassing where a huge amount of damage was done, what an earth do they need to enquire about? Wouldn't it have been better for them to residents in a cell for a couple of weeks until their trial?
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Maybe they were some sort of protected class, or children of politicians or something?
 
Societal narcissism is on the rise. It is easier to burn down a haystack than build one. Pathological envy and destructive behavior is a quick hit of instant self gratification in a world where it is becoming much harder to be acknowledged or valued within a community.
 
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Anyone have the list of Layouts? Was wondering about something that is to happen soon about Soham and as it was a local Layout hoping it was not present. This was a layout with many Scratch Built Buildings on it.
 
I see the Just Giving donation target of £500 has been exceeded - contributions now amount to £42k. Whilst it will be no consolation to the hours of effort, love and attention which will have been spent on creating their models, it must be very reassuring to see how much Joe Public cares.

Rik
 
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