One more TINGS report to come, but we’ll take a break today for Sundays club meeting. After the last failure of a meeting, Sunday was very good, with eight members and a junior attending. Plus a couple of visitors. My shoulders still not allowing photos of trains so I took some of the natives in their natural habitat.
However I did capture Chris’ EMU’s….
Richards express….
Brian’s extended mail train…..
Simon’s Americana……
And Allan’s odd yellow object…
And thank you Brian, as ever, for the video (and one of my favourite albums as a backing track.)
For the next couple of days, we will look at the other layout at TINGS. Probably not all of them but some of the best selections. From looking at the photos I think the best layout was Shirebrook. Layout descriptions come from the show brochure.
The layout was built to illustrate the potential that N scale provides the modeller, the ability to portray a prototype in miniature without the need of acquiring a barn!
Allans photos seem a little limited for this layout so I’ve added a video from YouTube. I love the winter scene and the matching backscene.
Next up we have Brinklow, a nicely modelled section of double track main line.
Based on Brinklow station part of the Trent Valley line between Rugby and Stafford. Set in the BR days between 1950 to 1965.
As ESNG is a modular club I’d better mention the modular layouts. There were four different standards on display. One commentator complained about too many modular layouts, but I think they showed a good spectrum of layouts from realistic to fun. For those of us without a large spare room or a club house, modular railways are ideal. Something for everyone?
First, Long Hirston, a four track standard similar to our ESNG N-mod.
Long Hirston is a four track loop with an automated fiddleyard to allow for plenty of movement and good range of trains. Some of the modules have yards which allows for additional shunting.
Then we have the large T-TRAK extravaganza.
The modular layout is from the Wiltshire 5 Towns area group of the N Gauge Society, showing what is probably the largest T-trak layout exhibited in the UK. It is 26.5m in running length comprised of 32 modules.
Finally, this new hexagonal modular system, that looks a lot of fun, and a slight reprise of N Club International.
Today we will look at the European modules in the NCI layout. I think I’ve seen some of these before, but there were quite a few new ones.
But first an update on the ESNG meeting for the 18 September. When I ambled down to join the meeting there were just four people there. So we had a non-running meeting but enjoyed tea and chat for at least a couple of hours. Next meeting is Sunday and we will be running trains then. Back to TINGS…..
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Two of the more interesting modules were on the end loops and these had a British flavour. Stefen has made a wonderful model of Bodiam castle. It’s scratch built, not from a kit as I thought Latest update – back to my original post, It is a kit, but with some modifications and additions. My only criticism is that the KESR doesn’t loop around the castle in real life.
The other end loop had Stonehenge on top of it. I kicked myself here because I’ve been looking at the Stonehenge kit as a possible loop model. I suppose I should have just got on and built it.
Next time we’ll look at some of the other layouts, including a variety of modular layouts. But here’s another video of the show.
Well, TINGS is over, and I gather my modules behaved very well even without me standing threateningly over them! I was very sorry to miss it, but Allan sent me a lot of good photos which will feature over the next few days. The pictures are a little short of trains because they were taken before the show started. However the videos I’ve attached have plenty of things running.
I’ll start with the N Club International layout, as I still haven’t got details of all the other exhibits. I gather the layout got some very favourable comments, even from one or two people who don’t like modular layouts. It shows how a modular layout can look consistent when the modules are built to a common standard – even in this case when there are modules from England and Germany. There was also a consistent set of trains running, mostly from Germany but also Thomas the Tank Engine.
We’ll start with a general view of proceedings….
And today we’ll have the UK contribution. These came from Nick, with his extended Bahnbetriebswerk Königshafen modules….
Richard’s modules….
And my two. And the plaque for them….
A couple of character shots. Stefan taking photos and talking to the famous Mr Kato.
And finally for today, one of the videos on YouTube of the show, that has some good shots of the NCI layout. Not up to Brian’s standards but never mind!
Well, I should have been at TINGS this weekend. However, I was prudent and decided not to go with this shoulder. Probably a good thing as I am meant to be doing exercises several times a day which would have been an exhibition in itself! Allan collected my modules on Thursday with full instructions on how to set them up. The photos below show that they managed and they managed to connect them to the Germans.
The modules look OK, just wish I was there to appreciate them.
More photos will be coming from Allan through the weekend. If nothing else I’ve probably saved money by not visiting all the trade stands especially Anoracks Anonymous.
Elsewhere…..
This happens all the time on club nights. BN 8073 Burlington Northern Railroad EMD SD40-2 at Tehachapi, California by Amy Miller.
My dream house….
Did you see that Tamiya have started to make 1 to 1 scale kits?
Whilst I have been languishing about with a broken shoulder, Allan and Derek visited the Swanage railway for the Bachmann members day. Looks like a lot of fun, and the star of the show was predictably the beautiful T3 4-4-0, as the day’s announcement was an OO model in the EFE range. Below is a photo dump!
We did have six members to Wednesday’s meeting. That includes me who just stayed for an hour and ran no trains. In fact very few people seemed to want to run trains but we were very happy to chat. No pictures, due to my shoulder, but I can record that Simon ran a very nice brass Challenger that he had bought at a good price, and Terry ran his usual selection of trains.
I will add a few photos to make up for the lack of mine!
A perfect micro-layout? Detroit 1976. (Photographer unknown.)
Close to home. Redhill North box and Holmthorpe Junction. (Photo, John Atkinson.)
London Bridge, 1932 and 1960’s.
And London, 1941.
We all quibble about the ‘correct’ colours for our models (ignoring different paint batches, lighting, etc.) This sums it up nicely.
And to finish, some real 1962-3 snow. Try modelling this!
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