I walked over to Woodhatch on Sunday afternoon for a quick look at Dakota Dibben’s Reigate exhibition.  I wasn’t going to go, but a model railway exhibition in walking distance of home was worth the effort, and Sean and Allan were exhibiting Sean’s layout.

As I expected, there were a few good exhibits, and the show (and a quick cup of tea with the Cha(I)rman) passed an idle hour.

Newchapel Junction, in ‘O’, has been around for years, but they keep adding to it, and the ‘O’ gauge models are delightful.  I’m not much of a Great Western fan, but I like the Southern, and this T9 is a handsome locomotive.

The River class suburban tanks (in the background) are one of my favourite locomotives.  Unfortunately, they turned out to be unstable at speed, and were rebuilt into 2-6-0 tender locomotives.

Hacienda Avenue Spur is, perhaps, a typical HO USA switching layout, but it’s a very good example, and I passed a few minutes watching the sound-equipped locomotive spot cars at various locations around the layout.

The Volks Electric Railway in Brighton is a very early example of a 3rd rail system, and is still running today.  This layout captures the character of this unusual little line and of the the beach at Brighton.

And lastly Sean’s layout, Forrestone.  The O8 shunter in the second photograph has been fitted with lights and sound – just!  It runs very well, but needs clean track to perform.

On the way home I had a look at the full size track laying in progress past Earlswood station.  It looks as if they have had a Peco point delivered….