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A slight novelty layout was Brooklands (O), modelling construction of the banked motor racing track.  Really, just an O gauge shunting layout and none the worse for that.

I like Woodbury Wharf (OO9).  A very simple one-piece cameo layout, but a good place to watch the trains go by, interesting scenery and a lovely backscene.  No joins on a small layout!

Tidworth NSE (OO).  Modern image as it was 30 years ago?

Chitterne, a GWR branch in EM.

Sturminster Newton (N).

A quiet moment on Brucklees (OON3).  But the Irish narrow gauge was often very quiet!

Swiss mountains (and a busy station) on Griswald (N).

And finally, Brian’s Trains (N and continental.)

I turned down a morning out at this show on Saturday, with a lot to do before going on holiday.  It turned out to be a good call, as although it was an excellent show, I got a lot of very useful jobs done during the morning.  But Mr Dawes sent me the usual crop of pictures of most of the layouts.  He did miss a couple that I’d like to have seen, but that’s my problem!!

First off, a string of photos of Bournemouth West (OO).  It’s quite justifiably doing the rounds of two-day shows at the moment (just imagine taking this to a one day exhibition), as it’s a fantastic layout.

I would have liked to have seen a bit more of Great Bardfield (P4), a lovely slice of East Anglia.  I liked Allan’s photo of the train with an ex-GER tank engine, with an old GER and an old GCR coach in tow.

Nice modern image N on Shaftesbury Parkway.

Last for today, another familiar layout, Blackmoor, a pleasant slice of Lynton & Barnstable in OO9.  I tried building the L&B in OO9 as a teenager, but it failed, as there just wasn’t the commercial support 50 (help, 50) years ago!

Moving on, Brighton East is an old friend, but I love the fact that it is instantly recognisable as Brighton.  We did wonder how the nuclear flask wagons had got there.  Perhaps lost from Dungeness, or perhaps carrying vital supplies for the Sussex County Hospital?

I love Roundtree Sidings, with light rail and a chocolate factory on Tyneside in the 1980’s.

Flintcombe, S&DJR in Dorset in P4.  I liked the Morris Men (but only in this scale) and the local hunt crossing the bridge.

Hope-under-Dinmore, GWR and LNWR, again in P4.  There were a lot of P4 layouts on display.  I rather like this blurring of the edges, rather than the doctrinaire division of modelling standards of the past.  There also seems to be a meeting of 2mm finescale and N finescale.  After all, they’re all railways and good modelling is good modelling.

And finally, a light railway diorama – part of a full layout booked for the 2026 show.

I had a very pleasant visit looking at some excellent modelling.  These specialist exhibitions also seem to be very friendly, and the operators are ready to chat.  And I didn’t have to spend any money (except for entry.)

Last Saturday I drove over to Bracknell to visit the Spring expoEM.  I have never insisted on exhibitions having any ‘N’ gauge, so an excellent show like this an easy drive away was a must.  There were some very good layouts on show – some of which I’d seen before.  I was struck by the quality of the scenics around the actual trains; fine scale in all aspects.

I’ve a couple of posts worth of photos.  We’ll start with the smallest layout on show, Sheepcroft.  A simple goods only shunting layout, it also shows what can be done in EM in a limited space on a limited budget.

On to the delightfully named Splott, the P4 visitor.  It is a fictional layout, but there is a place called Splott in Cardiff.  Who’d have guessed (without Google maps.)  It models a small yard serving a steel works (remember those?) in the late 1980’s.  I love the night time gloom of the lighting, that may of course just model a normal Cardiff day!

Iain Rice’s last, great, cameo layout, Longwood Edge, has been doing the rounds, and I was pleased that it seemed to be running really well at the show.  In the past there have been a lot of gremlins, that reminded me of an ESNG club night.

More P4 with Market Bosworth on the LNWR.  The cattle pens look a bit clean to me.  I’m sure that even the LNWR didn’t polish them like that!!!  The rail motor seems to have escaped from Longwood Edge next door.

Grimesthorpe featured some historic EM stock built by the late Sid Stubbs in the 1950’s and 60’s.  All to 18.0mm gauge, rather than 18.2mm, an early and alternative EM standard.

Tiverton models this GWR junction in the 1930’s and is one of the layout that (almost) makes me model the GWR.  Note the forest of wonderful semaphore signals.

Last for today, Jane’s Creek.  I’ve seen it at a lot of shows recently, and it’s a wonderful piece of work, especially all those sailing boats.