November hasn't been a modelling month, but I did manage to bypass the worst of the stormy weather much of the country was experiencing and enjoyed a day at the BRM National Festival of Railway Modelling held at the NEC.  There's a dedicated Forum thread here, and which has been collecting comments and observations from page 13 onwards.  However, for this blog I want to offer instead some reflections on what I learned from the show.  It was my first visit as an adult to such a large show and I came away encouraged and motivated...and with a birthday present I'll get to unwrap (again) soon too.

 

Lesson #1 - the conversations

 

I've always liked trains and railways, and for most of my life it's been a personal interest.  However, there is also a great social side to our hobby I've come to appreciate in recent years.  So, when planning my visit to the NEC I purposefully sought out some of the Railway Associations and Societies represented there.  I had some great conversations with the guys on the Benelux Railways Society stand and the NMRA stand (if you see this, thank you).  Most especially, I enjoyed talking with the gentleman operating a small Italian Layout he was showing as part of the Italian Railways Society stand:

 

 

 

Though I don't model Italian or Benelux Railways, and don't expect to, it was still good to engage with people who have a passion and an interest, not only for their chosen subject, but also for sharing it.  As someone who tends to hop around from project idea to project idea, I found there was something for me to learn from those with more of a particular focus.

 

Looking ahead, are there areas of our generous hobby that I'd enjoy really digging deeper in to?  A good question to ponder.

 

Lesson #2 - The dream factor!

 

In my previous blog post I said how I grew up assuming one day I'd have a large layout.  It's what my dreams were made of.  So it's no surprise I really wanted to see @duff man's OBB masterpiece: Wolfstatt:

 

 

 

 

 

It truly is stupendous, and for me worth the trip alone.  Long trains showcased as they snake through beautiful scenery.

 

But I've also learned a lesson from this big layout project.  The very first sentence on the RMweb thread for the layout reveals it took 10 years to get the layout ready to exhibit.  Can I imagine spending a decade on a project?  Full credit to all those who do, and who share their hard work for us all to enjoy.  And while it teaches me to sets my own sights much lower, for loads of practical reasons, may I never forget to appreciate the commitment required.

 

Lesson #3 - finding tranquility amidst the busyness:

 

Show halls are big and busy, and sometimes noisy.  But there were a few times in my day at the NEC when all that faded into the background, and I felt like I was somewhere quieter, where things can move at a more reasoned pace, and there's no rush.

 

I experienced this most especially watching operations on @warbonnetuk's Swiss H0m layout, Santa Maria (RhB):

 

 

 

 

A very simple layout - a passing station on a single track line - but a layout I could have stayed and watched for ages.

 

At 13' long however, it's still bigger than I'd have space for at home.  That couldn't be said of my next example, a layout I hadn't heard of before: Megsdorf, a German H0 branchline terminus just 7' long:

 

 

 

I thought this presentation of a snow covered station scene was fantastic - you can see how it's lit in this photo:

 

 

I should have asked where the backscene was from.  Perhaps this is the kind of layout I should aim to build?  Something achievable and still delightful, although I doubt I could do it half as effectively.

 

It's no surprise my third example of how to relax in the middle of such a busy show comes from meeting @James Hilton while he was operating @PMP's Shelfie 4 and chatting with @SimonHMT . I didn't take a photo, but you can experience the layout in this video on James' Custom Model Railways YouTube channel.  Well worth taking time out to enjoy:

 

 

Lesson #4 - enjoying the detailing:

 

Another layout I really wanted to see was @KH1's Up the Line - 1918 which I first came across in BRM magazine some a few years ago (June 2015):

 

 

It was not only great to see the layout in action, but also to be able to grab a few moments with Kevin while he showed me some of the 3D printed wagon loads he'd been making for the show.  If anything, they looked even better in person than in the blog entry photos.  Various details on the layout were also pointed out to me, reminding me again there is endless enjoyment to be had in adding those small and often personal touches to a model.  Perhaps more than anything else, this encouraged me to get modelling again once I returned home.

 

In a similar vein perhaps, I was really taken by the American Outline HO craftsman kits being shown on the Keep it Rusty stand.  I'm sure I'll be ordering one for Pagosa Junction before too long.

 

Lesson #5 - the things I buy

 

I was in the perhaps unusual position of arriving at the NEC with money to buy a birthday present (for myself).  I'd marked out a couple of trade stands I especially wanted to see, and could easily have parted with a lot of cash.

 

But in a change to my usual habits, which could easily fit with a thread title used by @47606odin ("I think I've done something rather rash") for once I managed to avoid temptation:

 

 

So this time "I think I've done something rather sensible," as I bought something suitable for an existing project I have!  With limited space now for modelling, I've been wondering how to make use of my large Faller H0 station kit for Neustadt an der Weinstrasse that was discussed in a previous blog:

 

 

After watching another James Hilton video, this time on his Wrecsam Canolog micro-layout, I realised I could do something similar if I bought a DB / DBAG single car unit to run in and out of the station as a working diorama too.

 

Ironically, the particular model I found on sale would really be found further north running through Schwarzburg (the N Scale station I bought in my last blog entry), but as a one car unit will still have the advantange of not filling the platform when the station is built.  So this will be my birthday present, as BR Class 641 Coradia I spotted near the end of the day on Saturday:

 

 

I don't get to test it until my birthday, but all being well it will be perfect.

 

Does this mean I am learning some lessons?  Time will tell.  It's still nice to think something is sinking in.  It's certainly given me every incentive to tackle my 'big build' sometime next year.  

 

I wonder what others learn from visiting exhibitions?  Of course, we go to shows for many different reasons - I just happen to enjoy learning.

 

There were loads of other things I saw and enjoyed at the NEC, especially the continuing signs of growth of TT:120, which I'd like to return to at some point.  And there were some brilliant Scottish-themed layouts to inspire as well...

 

A final word - update

 

But what happened to my N-Scale idea?  Unfortunately an eye condition has been causing me problems, and while it is easily manageable it doesn't make sense to spend too much time focusing hard on small details.  As I enjoy building station kits I still plan to build Schwarzburg station at some point, but I've listened to my reservations about N-Scale as a long term idea.  Testing N again has been worthwhile as an option to reconsider following our house move, but I think I can rule it out for now at least.

 

I continue to be tempted by NG7 (Up the Line - 1918 is in the same scale after all: O-16.5), although this rather concerning driverless example on @Phil Parker's demonstation layout was moving too fast for me to focus my camera lens in time!

 

  

 

But I think my focus will remain on H0 and the associated H0e / HOn30 / 009 combination that suits me best for now.  I didn't see any Z-Scale at the NEC, but does that mean it wasn't there, or I just didn’t see it...?

 

Anyway that's where I think my modelling year ends.  A birthday present to look forwards to:

 

 

And a good pile of kits and plenty of ideas ready for 2025.  And to be honest I'm happy with this, which is a good place to be: it is my hobby after all, and it's supposed to be fun.

 

As I expect this will be my final blog post of the year, may I wish you and yours a safe, peaceful and, I hope, a Happy Christmas and New Year.  Until next time, thank you for taking the time to have a read of my ramblings, Keith.