Last weekend was another railway-rich weekend.  Have been out to breakfast with Maxine (at her Street Pastor’s meet) and completed the church ‘spring’ clean, I slipped over to Beckenham for the BWWMRC show.  I haven’t made this show at its St John’s Church venue before, and it turned out to be a very good show.  In particular, there was more pre-grouping modelling on display than one sees at most shows.

Oakhurst Town (O) models the SECR in the early years of the last century.

Hoath Hill Halt (3mm finescale) models a gypsum plant somewhere in deepest Sussex.

Salop Street (OO) goes all the way back to 1860.

Three Gates (N) came to our show a few years ago.  Just 4′ long, with a 3′ scenic section, the layout folds in half for a quick getaway from the show.  And very nice modelling, too.

Willowbrook (O) looks as if it’s somewhere in East Anglia.

Fintonah (On3) takes us across the Irish Sea for an attractive 3′ narrow gauge layout.  No backstop to be seen anywhere….

Lightermans Yard (2mm finescale) is always worth a look.  I especially liked the Interfrigo ferry vans in the yard, that I hadn’t seen before on the layout.

The Bridge at Remagen (N) is also always worth a look, to see new rolling stock and scenic additions.  I’m waiting to see the castle finished….

Greenwich Crooms Hill (O) is based on this minor SECR terminus that closed in the 1920’s, as it duplicated nearby train services along the Dartford Loop.  The club have extended the original design to include goods facilities.

Star Lane (OO) is a favourite – it’s Southern Electric, it’s a circular looped-8 layout, and it models where the two Brighton lines cross just up the road from us – what isn’t there to like?

Fisherton Sarum (OO) is a Southern Railway engine shed full of interesting locomotives, including that disaster of a ‘Leader’ class.

Portsea (TT) is a regular on the exhibition circuit, but it was good to see it in extended form, with a new through station before the terminus.

Having seen the layouts, and visited the enormous club shop, I stopped for coffee and cake (it would have been rude not to.)  And seated at the next table was Brian Humm, who was a club member in the early 1970’s, when I went over to the club with my Dad.  It was good to see him, possibly one of the last of the ‘older generation’ at the club from my time.