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A selection of photos from the Gravesend show.  I haven’t used all of Mr Dawes’ photos – just the ones that seemed of particular interest.  In the interest of fairness, they again appear in alphabetical order.

Aquarium to Blackrock (OO9) is a model of Brighton’s Volks Electric Railway, opened in 1883 and the oldest operating electric railway in the world.

Ballyconnell Road (3mm scale, 15.75mm gauge) is a familiar layout at shows, but always worth another look – unusual both in scale and gauge.

Hawin Doorey (OO9) is a whimsical branch off the already imaginary Skarloey Railway on the famous Isle of Sodor.  A fun layout!

Locomotive Graveyard (OO) is modern image and does what it says on the can.

New Bridge Street (OO) has a loco shed somewhere in London, with tube trains running below.

Plant City (HO) is again familiar, but with lots of cameos to spot on the layout, and relaxed US style switching to watch.

Finally, Queen Charlotte Dock (O).  I’ve watched the progress on this layout over the past year or so, and its really coming together as an interesting smallish gauge O layout.

Hopefully, I’m off to the Tolworth show on Saturday morning, so I’ll be able to post a few of my own photos from there.  It will be the first show that I’ve got to since I did my shoulder – I’ve missed a few good ones so it will be good to get back on the circuit.

I suddenly found these pictures from Allan, taken just before we went to Madeira.  What with all the fun of a holiday, I must of missed them.  So, better late than never, here are a few highlights from the show.

Starting with the always excellent Ambleton Vale (N)….

Not forgetting Southwark Bridge (N)…..

Nice tidy modelling on Wellbridge.  It struck me that bowls is a very good sport to model – nothing moves very fast during a game!

On shed at Upper Blackburn.

Moos.

The Stodden Hundred Light Railway….

And Framplington.

The day before Uckfield, Sean & co. took Brunswik to the B&WW show.  Another I was sorry to miss, as I was a member with my father in my teens, and learnt a lot.  Here’s a show in the 1970’s, with their most excellent O gauge layout (3-rail but using the outside rail.)  Note the ‘formal’ dress code and the smoking.  I built the signal box (embossed brick card over a perspex shell,) and my father is in the background.  The locos were incredibly powerful and we regularly ran a 100-wagon goods train towards the end of a show.  Fun times!

Meanwhile back at Brunswik….

I haven’t posted all the layouts, but here’s a selection for today….

The wonderful Copper Wort (OO).  This is 1902 Edwardian Burton on Trent, an extremely busy town with the bigger breweries establishing their potential with the Midland Railway network with the smaller breweries muscling in between them.  The buildings are based on the breweries of Bass, Ind Cooper, Trumans and others, all based in and around Burton on Trent.

And of course Southwark Bridge (N).  Railways as I remember them,

I like the look of Wegberg & Arsbeck (N), based on the small town of Wegberg and its neighbouring village Arsbeck in north-west Germany, situated on the line between Mönchengladbach and Dalheim near the Dutch border. The British Army of the Rhine had a branch to RAF Wildenrath off the line and this junction is also modelled. The period depicted is 1955-1970.

I like the simplicity of Melin Dolrhyd (009), a real location on the Welshpool & Llanfair Railway.

And the complexity of Dydley Junction (N), an exercise to see how many quarts can be squeezed into a pint pot of 4′ x 2’6″!

East Docks (EM)….

Newchapel Junction (O)

And a final bit of anonymous Southern Region!

Another batch of layouts from Uckfield.  We start with Meldon West (N).  I’ve seen Meldon several times around the exhibition circuit, and it’s always worth a look.  N gauge, but with fine scale code 40 track, some interesting scenics, and it looks far bigger than the micro layout that it is.

Ruyton Road (P4), a light railway micro.

I’ve seen layouts in a guitar case, on an ironing board, but how about a surf board.  Sandsifters (P4) does just that, with another light railway theme.

St Ruth (2mm finescale) is a lovely layout based on Penzance.  Apart from the fine trackwork, there is some interesting scenery to view, including the clever 3D backscene, the attractive station overall roof, and the beach at the front.

Svanda NSB (HO) is set in Norway.  Always good to see a less common prototype!

Tucking Mill & William Smith’s Wharf (2mm) is a lovely fine scale cameo, with some interesting locos and stock operating it.  Note especially the backscene with the S&DJR viaduct pictured on it.

Lovely buildings and wagons on Yard No 2 (P4).

And finally, Plaxtol Road, yet another light railway theme!

This looked the usual fine show.  I hope to be there next year, as it always delivers.

I was a little put out to miss my favourite exhibition this year.  I’m not driving again yet, the lads visited the show on the Sunday, and I was called to lead the church service that day.  I do have the usual photographs from my roving reporter, Mr Dawes (Allan, that is), so we’ll spend a couple of days in deepest Sussex.  I’ve included most of the layouts, and they are presented more or less in alphabetical order, since I wasn’t there to choose my favourites.

Firstly, Bunkers Lane, O-9, and inspired by the Leighton Buzzard Light Railway.  I saw this charming layout earlier in the year, and it almost converted me to the rather different O-9 scale.  Bunkers Lane wins out for having some realistic scenery for the little trains to run though, and I like the long, narrow, two sided, baseboard.

Next, Central Alonzo Mill (HO).  This, again, would have been on my favourites list.  A Cuban sugar mill, complete with overhead electric and interurbans.  What is there not to like, especially when it’s all so well done.

Conyers Creek Signals (O) is a SECR branch set in the wilds of coastal Kent.  Lots of shunting and interesting rolling stock.

Hallam Town, 2mm finescale Minories.  They were having a little trouble with running last time I saw this neat little layout, on its first exhibition, as someone was trying an N gauge coach and it wouldn’t go through the points (surprise.)  No doubt that was solved quickly!

Hoath Hill (3mm scale 14.2mm gauge) represents a gypsum mine in East Sussex.  Scenically it is interesting, as the railway is viewed through a foreground of trees.

Ouse Wharf (P4) is again set in Sussex, on the LBSC.  I met the builder, Barry Luck many years ago as we were both water engineers, and he (unlike me) has built a series of lovely Brighton Line layouts in P4.

More next post.