Bath & West Exhibition - Britain’s Biggest Model Railway (& friends)! 8/9/10th April 2022

[HeatonLodge40]

Pleased to confirm that in addition to Britain’s Biggest Model Railway (aka Heaton Lodge Junction) some spectacular layouts will be also making an appearance at this 3 day event at the Bath & West Showground on April 8/9/10th 2022.

 

These to include : 

: Bournemouth West (Roger Sunderland)

: Evercreech New (Yeovil MRC)

: Kannotburn (Bentley MRC)

: Oldshaw (Mike Hale/Revolution Trains)

: Wimbourne (Gordon Edgar)

: Alexandra Siding (David Hampson/Keith Harrison

 

For a full list of manufacturers/traders & layouts appearing, plus advance tickets & general information please visit 

 

https://www.britainsbiggestmodelrailway.com/tour.php#EventEVENT08

 

 

 

Edited March 5, 2022 by HeatonLodge40

[37114]

Looking forward to this one, some nice support acts as well!

[woodenhead]

This is impressive but with quite a few large layouts and one rather large one, it feels more like a weekend away to view everything than a one dayer.

[Ian Morgan]

I am planning to visit on the Friday with some other club members

 

[96701]

I'm glad  went today, not only s Heaton Lodge huge, there are some exceptional layouts there as well.

[CUCKOO LINE]

I agree and the operators seemed to quite engage with the public and show enthusiasm. As a southern region man particularly enjoyed Bournemouth West and Wimbourne, but other interesting layouts too. Interesting to see the proposals to add to Heaton Lodge on the return circuit, station, marshaling yard and maintenance depot.

[Andy Kirkham]

Regrettably decided not to go. The journey by public tranport from Bristol entails two changes of bus with the final leg rather infrequent. Any cancellation due to Covid would wreck the schedule. Don't want to risk getting stranded overnight in Shepton Mallet.

[Edwin_m]

27 minutes ago, Andy Kirkham said:

Regrettably decided not to go. The journey by public tranport from Bristol entails two changes of bus with the final leg rather infrequent. Any cancellation due to Covid would wreck the schedule. Don't want to risk getting stranded overnight in Shepton Mallet.

I could have arranged to be staying in the region but without a car, and I also found that bus services were somewhere between impractical and nonexistent.  I was under the misapprehension that the Bath and West Showground was actually somewhere near Bath!  

[Ian Morgan]

A group from Basingstoke visited on the Friday. What has been shown in photos so far do not do it justice. The sheer size is breathtaking, and the modelling standard is consistently high. Despite some technical difficulties, there was still enough activity on the 4 track main line to keep us interested all day.

 

The supporting layouts were all good too. I had been looking forward to seeing Bournemouth West 'in the flesh', and was not disappointed. However, after watching all the O gauge action, I had to convince myself that the OO scale layouts were not actually 3mm scale. My own layout would have looked very silly if it was set up next to Heaton Lodge.

 

Hopefully my photos and video will impart some sense of scale.

 

 

 

Following one train along the length of the scenic section:

 

 

 

[Not Jeremy]

Just on my way back, waiting for the train at Warminster having got a lift with Jerry Queensquare. Heaton Lodge Jct is everything it has been built up to be, awesome on every level and a fantastic spectacle. Top quality and consistent modelling, reliable running and all to the signals, and the sight of a full length 7mm scale train lost in the distance - epic! The supporting layouts are all very strong too, Bournemouth West, Evercreech and Wimborne being “Suvvern” highlights. Get there if you can, you will not be disappointed!

Edited April 9, 2022 by Not Jeremy
Heston heaton

[CUCKOO LINE]

Bournemouth West and Wimbourne from yesterday

[CUCKOO LINE]

And another of Heaton Lodge

[37114]

Excellent show, good to bump into some familiar faces. I took my Mum and Dad and they enjoyed, especially my Dad who is an S&D man. HLJ has to be seen to be believed, very impressive work and the size of it is just mind blowing. 

[john new]

Just back home, good show, and I echo what's been said above. First show for nearly three years.

[Gilbert]

Just got home and reviewed my photos - I'll post something tomorrow

It was a great show with superb "support acts". Great to bump into so many friends and modelling contacts and I also managed a bit of shopping. A quick visit to the East Somerset railway (and the model shop) on the way back to Keynsham was the icing on the cake.

My thanks to the friendly helpers including the parking guys, the ticket sellers and the caterers who were really helpful -(the pasty I had was of a high standard I have to say). I also had really good conversations with Bachmann and DCC Concepts plus an interesting chat with a very helpful Ben at Heljan.

HLJ was staggering......photos do not do it justice. I also sense that all involved had "bought in"... for example the parking attendants had clearly met or knew Simon and were enthused..this can only be good for the hobby...

I did also bump into Phil Parker but as they say...every silver lining has its......sorry Phil...good to catch up...

Chris

[Not Jeremy]

Back home some while ago and now reflecting on a great day out. The models are awesome, but also it was so nice to meet up with so many people again after such a long time, lots of familiar faces, lots of conversations, just great. And thank you to Jerry for being my chauffeur from Warminster station and back too.

 

My photos are not as good as others, but here's a quick impression of my grand day out.

 

Jerry chats to an ex Bath driver in front of Evercreech, the ex Julian Birley layout, now in the very capable hands of the Yeovil club.

 

 

Bournemouth West was pretty special, perhaps Jerry's friend is on this working arriving from Templecombe with a 2P!

 

 

And everybody loves a Spam Can, especially one that steams like this one did, just marvellous.

 

 

And Heaton Lodge Junction making everything else look small, very small...

 

 

A cheeky shot of Evercreech's fiddle yard, the West Country was at the head of a rake of the new Dapol Mk 1s in green, with internal illumination, really very nice...

 

 

Here is the "other end" of Heaton Lodge Junction, with Evercreech in the foreground. The Yeovil guys have great plans for this layout and their new Prestleigh Viaduct (behind curved back scene at our left) is very well done and set into the scene.

 

 

I spent absolutely ages at the side of the tracks of Heaton Lodge Junction and enjoyed every minute of it. My pictures are terrible, but here are two taken at the very well modelled underbridge(s)

 

 

 

Apart from the high quality of everything on this layout, the sound was perfect and just the right level, not too loud but loud enough. Which added a lot to the experience of watching the trains go by.

 

Well done and thank you to Simon for cooking the whole thing up, and to everyone else involved in the layout and show, a thoroughly enjoyable day in every way. As others have noted, there was a really good positive atmosphere around the whole event from everyone involved and all the visitors too.

 

Thank you again!

 

Simon (another one)

Edited April 9, 2022 by Not Jeremy
typo

[TrentValleyRailway]

Great to see in person and always interesting to see such a great interest in the fiddle yard and behind the scenes sections. 

 

 

[Andy Kirkham]

The only thing that impairs the realism of Heaton Lodge is the apparent absence of DMUs.

[Captain Kernow]

12 hours ago, Not Jeremy said:

I spent absolutely ages at the side of the tracks of Heaton Lodge Junction and enjoyed every minute of it. 

 

 

Clearly we never went there on any of our 'Northern Trips', otherwise the fidelity of this layout would have seen models of us depicted:

 

- me, still standing on the road, (having had to park the car about half a mile away), wondering whether to follow you up the embankment

 

- you, already at the top of the embankment, happily trespassing and getting honked at by the driver of the class 56

 

 

[Not Jeremy]

30 minutes ago, Andy Kirkham said:

The only thing that impairs the realism of Heaton Lodge is the apparent absence of DMUs.

 

Oh I don't know, going back into trainspotter mode who wants to see yet another bleddy bog cart!?

[Gilbert]

33 minutes ago, Andy Kirkham said:

The only thing that impairs the realism of Heaton Lodge is the apparent absence of DMUs.

I think Simon is clearly reproducing a model of his own fondest memories and maybe somethings are best forgotten?? 😉

Chris

 

[Gilbert]

Some photos

[PMP]

 

late morning today 

[gwrrob]

Blimey, Heaton Lodge has more trestle work than some of Brunel's viaducts in Cornwall.😎

[Ian Morgan]

One lorry just carries the trestles. Each baseboard is numbered, and I saw numbers 1 and 95.