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The Farnham OO9 modular layout is obviously a work in progress, but it was all working well on the day, and has a lot of potential for future years.

Thorneycroft Factory Sidings (N) models this corner of Basingstoke around 1930.  The commercial vehicle factory was shunted by an ex-LSWR G6 (in the photo) and the passenger trains passing were hauled by an ex-LSWR O2.  Both locomotives have been modelled for the layout.

Wickwar (N) is always worth a look.  A lovely slice of English countryside, and the trains passing through are almost a bonus.  One of the operators was showing off the moving bus in the first photograph, that worked well, except when he drove it into a stone wall.  There is a nice bit of animation, as the lady standing outside the station raises her arm to hail the bus.  Of course, she is still standing there after the bus passes, so really it shouldn’t stop – just like the real thing….

Calstock Halton Quay (On16.5) has some good ship modelling.  I liked the fact that the tide is out, and that they had modelled the sandy sea bed.

Corwenna (OO) has a bit of the feel of Iain Rice’s Tetrice, but is larger and the similarities are probably completely coincidental.  I hadn’t seen this layout before, but really liked it, with an interesting track layout, details and rolling stock.

Dent Head (N) is based on the area around Dent on the Settle and Carlisle.  The station has shades of Garsdale Road, the 1960’s EM layout of the late, great, David Jenkinson.  However, that tight curve through the station looked better in EM than it does in N…

Finally, 29th Street Wharf (HO) is a standard, but nicely executed, USA switching layout/shunting puzzle, moving stone from one end of the layout to the other. (Reminds me of the Two Ronnie’s in the 1970’s, where the gardeners were moving a hole from one end of the garden to the other.  Or Redhill, where the gas and water companies are similarly occupied!)

So that’s Farnham for another year.  We’ll move onto Croydon now….

One of my favourites from the show was Midland Sidings (P4) modelling the Midland Railway around Birmingham in 1920.  Lots of excellent industrial buildings, and some very attractive wagons on show.  I’ve added the track plan.  It started life as an Iain Rice idea, but has grown and evolved from that, adding the low level yard and canal basin.

Bevois Park and St Denys (N) could almost be mistaken for an N-mod layout, with its 4-track main line.  But it’s a 1990 representation of about 1/2 a mile of main line near Southampton.  Plenty of interesting stock on display (though at one point when I was watching, they had a few electrical problems, and it was more like SouthWest Trains than Network SouthEast.)

Durham Road TMD (O) is loosely based on the depot at Hither Green.  It’s one layout where sound seems to work.  Unlike some depot layouts that have the sound wound up too high, Durham Road just has a gentle tickover in the background.  And there are some beautiful diesel models (and occasional steam specials) on show, though I hate to think what the insurance value of the layout is.  Just down the line is one of the best modelled set of allotments that I have seen.  You can work out what the plants are!

Ashbury Wharf (OO9) has been renovated from the original built as an OO layout in 1968, but soon converted to narrow gauge.

One more set of photos from Farnham to go….

I can hardly believe that a year has passed by, and I’m starting to visit the usual autumn run of exhibitions.  This weekend was a double header on the Saturday, at Farnham and Croydon.  I wanted to get to both shows to put out NSGE 2020 fliers.  The Farnham club show is an easy 40 minute drive from home over the Hog’s Back, and as usual they have put together a good show.   I got there early to find a parking space, and was at the front door in the rain 20 minutes before opening time.  I was impressed that punters were let in, then directed away from the show halls, that were not yet open, but along to the canteen at the other end of the building.  Coffee and a very respectable bacon roll were on offer and consumed whilst waiting for the show to open.

Brixcombe (P4) models the Great Western in South Devon.  Two time periods are modelled, before and after the Great War.  (This is an idea I have been meaning to blog about for weeks – how to model different periods on one layout.  Here’s another example.)  In some ways a pretty standard branch line terminus, but lots of scratch and kit built rolling stock and good, clean, scenic.

Langstone Bridge (N) is a exact scale model of the old wooden bridge linking Hayling Island to the mainland.  Chatting to the builder, he claims that he has exhibited this layout 5 times, and is yet to wear out his first Terrier!  I think that I must have been to 4 of the 5 shows.  Langstone is a simple but fun model of an interesting prototype.

Rolvenden (P4) models the Kent & East Sussex Railway in the 1920’s.  It’s a slightly modified model of the station at that time.  Lots of interesting rolling stock on view!

De Tenderloc (HO) is an interesting circular layout from the Netherlands.  It’s notably full of little animated scenes.  As the show guide says:

At the centre is St. Hercius dairy.  A dairy employee unloads the milk cans from the truck and places them on a conveyor belt.  Other animations include “truck driving backwards”, “man bites dog” a startled dog and much more.

Also of interest is the curved, vertically moving, fiddle yard.  In the station yard above, the yard crane loads and unloads crates from a wagon.  A stunning little model that is really interesting despite having no points at all!

Burdale Colliery (O) is based on the Burley Colliery in the North Staffs field.  Lots of shunting of open wagons by pretty little industrial locomotives – and an O8 diesel shunter.

Blackgang (gauge 3) is a regular on the exhibition circuit, but worth a look.  Gauge 3 is getting into serious model engineering.  There were some lovely models on show, though I really think this Terrier needs a crew.  Interestingly, all the locomotives are battery powered, and radio controlled – there is no power in the track.  I can think of a number of times when that would have been very helpful, though I can’t see it working in an ‘N’ gauge Terrier!

Bear Creek Junction (HOn3/HO) is a spectacular slice of old Colorado.  The builders must have incredible confidence in their trackwork (and their operators) as I wouldn’t trust my very expensive models to the top of that unguarded viaduct!!!!  There’s some interesting dual gauge trackwork around the loco shed, and some fine scenery throughout.

To be continued…..