As the title suggests it has been a long time since I have updated this blog and for that I can only apologise.

A lot has happened to Ffarquhar since the last entry and one thing I have found out is that there is nothing quite like an exhibition deadline to force some modelling!

The Braintree and Halstead Model Railway Club, of which I am a proud member, held a their first exhibition in Braintree town centre since 1984, The year that Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends was first broadcast! Ffarquhar had the honor of an invite on the strength of how well it ran on the Club's open day last year, once again I can report that it ran superbly and I was more than happy with it. The only things that went wrong were turnouts mis-set by myself or my sixteen year old brother, who I kindly volunteered to come and help me for the day.

The above picture is the layout packed up, all 14 feet of it. The three main layout boards are stacked on top of each other thanks to the transport boxes I spent the whole saturday before the show building for them and while I was at it I built a lid for the 2 foot fiddle yard as well. The bits of wood in front of the main boards are the leg supports as the legs all fold underneath the layout, it's system that works well and will be used on my next layout.The whole layout fits very comfortably in my friends estate car which is just as well as I don't drive!

Two shots showing the layout put up its so hard to get it all in one shot, as can be seen from the top one a lot of work has been done on the scenery side of things. The layout also has perspex fitted along the front which during the show turned out to be one of the best descions I made as the layout would have suffered heavy damage from little fingers.

That is my Brother attending the fiddle yard as can be seen it is quite small but adequate for the layouts needs.not bad for a spare bit of ply I had spare!

Now some shots of the layout:

A you can see for the photos still a lot of work to be done but at least it works and I'm happy with Ffarquhar. Also had so many good things said about it and some of my fellow club members were green with envy at how well it ran.

I hope it won't be so long until the next update farewell.