Spalding MRE 4-5 November 2023

[geoffers]

Not seen any comments on here so just wanted to say I thoroughly enjoyed my visit on Saturday. Some really good layouts on show.

[PaulG]

I also thought the Spalding exhibition was very good and well attended. The 009 Tarrant Valley Railway, P4 Mostyn, OO Spilsby, ON30 Purgatory Peak and N Millsbridge all excellent models. Congratulations to all concerned. 

 

Paul

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 7, 2023 by PaulG

[joppyuk1]

One day I'll manage to get to a show and see Spilsby in the flesh. Anyone know the layouts show programme for next year? 

[SHGP Media]

Another fantastic show at Spalding this year which I attended over both days.  There were some fantastic layouts on show again, and I have have filmed short videos of each and will include them below as they go live over on YouTube.  

 

Some constructive feedback which i'd offer for the organizers though.  Your show is fantastic and was as I had expected having been there before last year.  However, without that previous experience, I would not have had any idea on how good your show is based on the show flyer and very limited social media presence.  I had to post on Facebook in the days leading up to the show to ask what layouts were going to be attending, due to no information being listed anywhere, not even the number of layouts.  I would travel long distances to see shows which have layouts such as Mostyn, Purgatory Peak, Tarrant Valley Railway and Millsbridge and was really impressed when i viewed them in the flesh, but prior to attending I had no idea what they looked like.  Like other exhibitions do, listing some info with a couple of images showing the layouts would in my opinion bring in a lot of extra punters who aren't immediately local.  Considering most of the layouts have websites of their own to source such material, its really an easy win for little effort.  

The show in my view, easily competes with the bigger shows i've done in the past such as the Doncaster Festival and the old Peterborough Show, and I would say was a much more enjoyable experience than GETS, yet it seems few outside of the local area who i've spoken to have heard of the Spalding Show.

 

Anyway layout videos....

 

MOSTYN

Mostyn, is a P4 scale layout which depicts the mainline which runs along the North Wales coast, as it was during the summer of 1977.  From the layouts website; One of the best-known Diesel & Electric era layouts on the current exhibition circuit, Mostyn has moved 'P4' standards into more general awareness. Offering a large true-to-life layout that runs frequent, prototypically-correct formations at realistic line speeds; Mostyn has proved very popular with the visiting public at exhibitions. Amongst the stock introduced at recent exhibitions, Mostyn now boasts a large Fleet of DMU vehicles, an ever increasing number of parcels vehicles, a CWR wagon train (minus rails), LMS- and GWR-design brake vans, Mostyn Dock Shunter no.2 and a 12t Van train that's slowly increasing in size at each show. The class 40 fleet has of course expanded to cope with this increased traffic; 40182 and the celebrity green machine 40106 were introduced to traffic at the 2008 Trainwest Exhibition at Melksham. (Further details of the Mostyn Class 40s can be found in issue 115 of Rail Express magazine). Although stock building was slowed over the first six months of 2009 whilst Mostyn's extension was progressed, output soon ramped back up and amongst the goodies we had for you at Wigan 2009 were some of Colin Craig's excellent freightliner flats, along with expansion of the DMU fleet in the shape of BRCW class 104s. Since then our passenger fleet has expanded to the include the ubiquitous Mk2 coach design and of course additional parcels stock is always required! There are still about three or four years of locomotive and rolling stock-building to go whilst subtle scenic improvements continue. 

 

 

Tarrant Valley Railway

From the layouts website; Tarrant Valley Railway is a modular 00-9 layout which has been displayed and continuously expanded over the past 20 years. Now 40ft long it gives a real sense of a rural narrow gauge line in model form. It is based on the little known 2ft gauge line that ran through the Tarrant Valley near Blandford from an interchange with the S&D railway at Spetisbury.

 

 

 

King's Park

From the layouts Facebook page; KINGS PARK n-gauge layout is based on the WCML near Queens Park and Willesden loco depot (North London) in the 1980s. The layout is 26 ft long and has underground lines of the Bakerloo line with 59 stock running into the station and along the Watford lines. There is the North London line crossing over the 4 main lines of British Rail running lines. Most of our stock is either scratch built or re-sprayed into other BR livery's. Look out for the APT-P on a test run. KP requires 6 operators to run fully, so plenty of movement during the show.

 

 

 

Millsbridge

From the layouts website; MILLSBRIDGE - 2mm FS and N gauge layout Millsbridge is based on the Milnsbridge area of Huddersfield, 2 miles west of the town centre, in the Colne Valley, through which runs the Leeds/Huddersfield/Manchester rail line. We chose to model this area in the early ‘60’s steam/diesel transition period, when the line was 4 track and the goods yard still operating. It is Milnsbridge – but not quite – hence MILLSBRIDGE. A number of modifications to the Ordance Survey plan had to be made, these included the shortening of Milnsbridge viaduct by a few arches, to fit our original plan for a car transportable layout (we now need a van!) and the compacting of Longwood Goods Yard. Scar Lane over bridge gave a natural break to the left of the layout, the right side was a little more problematic, the station was moved nearer the viaduct and replaced by the nearby Golcar station which has an over bridge hiding the exit of trains.

 

 

 

Purgatory Peak

Purgatory Peak aims to recreate the atmosphere and scenery of a South Western USA railroad during the time of the 1930's and 40's.

 

 

Alderford

From the layout website; Alderford is a fictional town somewhere in the North West of England served by a terminus station. The time is the mid / late 1980’s. In this period BR was in the midst of an image change owing the introduction of sectorisation a few years earlier. This means that trains in various new sector liveries as well as BR Blue may be seen. The layout has two double track main lines, which converge into a three-line approach to the station. One of the main lines is electrified. The station has five platforms. Platform 5 at the back of the station doubles up as the parcels platform. In the centre of the layout, behind the station approach lines, is a loco service and stabling point and an area to turn trip freight trains serving local industries. The layout is DCC controlled with a number of locos fitted with sound, working multi aspect signalling and overhead wires which pantographs contact but are unpowered.

 

 

 

Brighton East

Brighton East is a fictional EM gauge layout which depicts a 'what if' Brighton station located on the old Kemp Town branchline. Further information on the layout can be found here; https://shmrc.org.uk/member-layouts/b...

 

 

Spilsby (GNR)

Spilsby (GNR) is a 00 gauge layout which accurately portrays the market town of Spilsby as it was during the late 1800's, when it was operated by the Great Northern Railway. From the layouts web page; Spilsby is a rural market town in a predominantly agricultural area of Lincolnshire. It lies on the southern edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds and north of the Fens. The railway station stood on a 4 mile long branch line between Spilsby and Firsby Junction where it connected to the main line between Cleethorpes and London. The railway was opened in 1868 and from 1890 was operated by the Great Northern Railway. Passenger services were suspended in 1939, at the start of World War II, leaving only a freight service which continued until 1958 when the line was closed. Locomotives were supplied by Boston Shed with a small single road engine shed at Spilsby station just large enough to hold one tank engine.

 

 

 

 

Brinklow

From the layouts web page; Brinklow is our newest N gauge layout and is based on a section of the Trent Valley Railway between Rugby and Nuneaton. Brinklow station opened on the 1st December 1847 as Stretton and was renamed Brinklow on 1st January 1870 and closed on the 16th September 1957. The layout uses the three line running section. Up slow, up fast and a down main which was shared by fast and slow running. The section of track by the signal box is the run off from the forth line. The Brinklow section only ever had three lines, with no down slow, due to the proximity of the Oxford canal which is incorporated in the layout. The layout operates in the period between 1948 to the mid 1960’s, a little modelers licence is used in the running period.

 

 

 

 

Millthorpe Light Railway

Millthorpe Light Railway is a 009 gauge layout which depicts a fictional narrow gauge preserved railway and is set in the present day.

 

 

 

Grosvenor Square

Grosvenor Square is a 00 gauge layout depicting a busy terminus station with nearby engine shed. It is one of the several layouts constructed and exhibited by the Hornby Magazine team. A full write up on the layout can be found here; https://www.keymodelworld.com/article...

 

 

 

Cottleston

From the owners post on RM Web; "Cottleston was built to combine my love for rationalised railways, single car sprinters and semaphore signals along with a couple of wardrobe doors left over after a house move. Before I go any further - wardrobe doors are not good things for building layouts on, even pine ones. My inspiration has been a mixture of Boston in Lincolnshire, Bere Alston in Devon, Battersby in Yorkshire and the Bicester Military Railway, along with a thing for Great Northern Railway signal boxes that comes from living in East Lincolnshire where there are a few of them still in operation. What I've ended up with is a 5m x 48cm terminus to fiddle yard layout which represents a station on a former GNR double-track secondary line that ran between Nottingham and Sheffield. In its heyday, when I imagine lengthy coal trains would have featured heavily in the working timetable, there was a small station, up and down loops, goods yard and a curved link to a Midland Railway branchline (whose bridge forms the scenic break). In the lead up to the Second World War an ordnance depot was built a short distance away and connected to the main line just north off this bridge (and off scene). The layout presents the rather heavily rationalised remains of all this activity sometime after the turn of the century - love being able to say that for a 'modern' layout. By this time the line south of the station, to Nottingham has been closed and mothballed, all the local coal mines have closed, the former Up Main Line taken out of use and good yard closed. The military branch is still active, with a mixture of trains inspired by those to be seen around Bicester at the time. However, it's not all decay and impending doom. The station, which originally seen its station close in 1964, has benefitted from a 'Robin Hood Line' style passenger reopening. Though the line south to Nottingham has closed, Central Trains services still come around from the link to the old Midland branch while purple units from Northern trundle in from Sheffield. To facilitate this activity the old Up platform has been refurbished and a new bay platform has been built under the old goods shed - inspired by the genius who did just that on the real railway at Mansfield Woodhouse. Semaphore signals still control the trains and the lofty Moggs Eye signal box is in charge."

 

 

 

 

East Quay

A full write up on the layout can be found here; https://www.keymodelworld.com/article...

 

 

 

Hartley Poole Too

 

 

 

Hyde Park

Hyde Park takes its inspiration from the Healey Mills shed and incorporates features from other depots and yards around the country. The main building on the layout is the locomotive shed, which has been shortened to house one locomotive length instead of two. The sanding hoppers are based on those at the old Finsbury Park depot. The fueling point is based on that at Tinsley with other influences also incorporated. A Variety of traction can be seen on the layout from the late 1960s and covering the transition from BR green to BR blue.

 

 

More to follow....

[TheQ]

Never had a bad Spalding show visit,  so I just go and see what's there. Have done for over 10 years I think.

Particularly enjoyed this year.

[SHGP Media]

Nazareth Portland represents a cement manufacturing plant located in the Lehigh Valley region in NE Pennsylvania, during the 1970s.

 

[SHGP Media]

White Meadow Quarry

From the layouts website; Set around 1966 (ERA 5) White Meadow Quarry is an n gauge model railway layout set in a fictitious location somewhere in the South of England. Located a little way outside the village of White Meadow, the railway serves a chalk quarry as well as the village. At the time of the layout, the chalk quarry is coming to the end of its life and is very run-down – almost derelict. A main line station sees fairly regular rail traffic, while the branch line brings materials into and out of the chalk quarry as needed. The quarry workers keep the local pub going – although today it’s doing a roaring trade because there’s a Bus Rally taking place on the common near the station.

 

 

 

[SHGP Media]

St Jude's Bay is both a 00 and 009 gauge layout, depicting a station terminus on the Cornish Coast during the 1950s and 60s. It is a modular layout and can also be seen with other sections called St Jude's Road and St Jude's Harbour.

 

 

[SHGP Media]

Set in the 1930s, Kirkby on Sea is a fictional west coast LMS station with fishing harbour, boat yard and busy terminus station.

 

 

[SHGP Media]

Smallwood is a multi-level layout which depicts a run down terminal station located in a town, somewhere in England. The lower level represents an exchange sidings, serving local industries. It is set in the 1970s, during the BR Blue period.

 

 

[Mallard60022]

Thanks for posting all those.

Phil