As my last post suggested, I couldn’t get to the Uckfield show on the Saturday.  This is one of my ‘must visit’ exhibitions for the year, as it always turns up some lovely small and medium sized layouts, and some excellent fine scale modelling.  And this year was as good as ever.

I took a pass from church duties on the Sunday morning, and it was an easy drive down to Uckfield across a misty Ashdown Forest.  I met up with Allan and Miles, and having transferred an N-mod module from Allan’s car to mine (ready for the Scout show the following Saturday), we picked up an excellent breakfast in the Civic Centre whilst waiting for the show to open.  Having satisfied the inner man (and Miles’ hollow legs) we headed for the exhibition….

It’s interesting to see how different people interpret the same station differently.  I liked the way that Lambourn (P4) and Lambourn (2mm finescale) were placed next to each other.  A few minor changes to each layout plan, and they were based on the station at different times in its history.  Both layouts were fine models – and both originally dated back to around 1980, but had been renovated.

I’d read about Midland in Bristol (O) in the modelling press, but it really is amazing when you see the real thing.  A small cameo shunting layout, almost a diorama, but including some top-class scratch buildings.  Note the barge, the buildings, and the scale deposits from the horses in the yard.

Elcot (P4) is somewhere around the suburb of Croydon in south London around 1988.

Daconby Road (3mm finescale) is set near Lincoln in the early 1960’s.

Bottom Works Sidings (OO) is set in the heart of the South Yorkshire coalfield.  A simple layout of some secondary sidings allow BR electrics, diesels and NCB locos to exchange some very rusty coal wagons.  The bleak winter scenery is entirely convincing…

South Walton (N) is a regular on the exhibition circuit, but always worth another look for its realistic New South Wales location.  Spot the kangaroos, emu, and the drunks leaving the local hotel.

Orford (O) is a small light railway terminus based on those distinctive East Anglian light railways.

More next post…..