Bala Lake Railway Model Show 21st and 22nd September 2024

[MatP]

Hi Everyone,

 

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into Meirionnydd...

 

This year's Bala Model Show will be taking place on Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd September. Opening times are 10.00 - 16.00 both days. The venue is the same as in previous years: Ysgol Godre'r Berwyn (Bala School), Heol Ffrydan (Ffrydan Road), Y Bala, Gwynedd LL23 7RU. 

 

There will be approximately 30 layouts in gauges from T to 45mm, with a roughly 50/50 split between standard and narrow gauge. There will also be approximately 12 trade and Society stands. For the provisional list of all of these exhibits and stands, please see below.

 

There is free parking at the School and at the Bala Lake Railway. A vintage Crosville bus will run between the School, other car parks in Bala (pay and display) and the Lake Railway Station. With the exception of the stage in the main Hall, all parts of the venue are fully accessible to people with reduced mobility.

 

Please note that, in order to comply with School regulations, only registered assistance dogs are allowed on the School grounds or inside the School buildings. We have been told that we must be very firm about this from now on, if we want to keep using the School as our venue. All dogs are welcome on the Railway itself (and the BLR Society offers canine memberships too!). 

 

On 27th March 2024, the BLR's application to extend the line into the town of Bala was re-submitted to the Snowdonia National Park Authority. Please see the website below for more information. We should receive their decision well before the Show date. Fingers (etc.) crossed!

 

 

https://www.balalakerailwaytrust.org.uk/news/

 

Below is a provisional list of exhibits and stands for the 2024 Show, which may well change between now and September. I will keep you posted. There are several layout owners, traders and railway societies with whom we are still finalising financial details, and these are not included below (yet!). I will also update this thread with information about the individual layouts in due course.

 

Best Wishes,

Mat P. (Bala Lake Railway Society Secretary and Bala Model Show Organiser)

 

2024 Layouts:

 

Boston Lodge Jn  (16mm, electric - models mainly of FR locos and rolling stock)
Enwin's 3D Models Industrial layout (00 Gauge)
Bryncrug (0-16.5) (steam, based around a fictitious extension of the Talyllyn Railway)
Bayview (00 Gauge) (preserved steam and diesel)
Cwm Parciau (00-9) (slate quarry to transhipment sidings)
Tanner's Hill (N) (Network South East, 1990's)
Afon Adit (0-9) (gold mine)
Puffin Colliery (00 & 00-9) (exchange sidings, steam and diesel)
Porth Penrhyn (00 & 00-9) (exchange sidings and harbour, SG steam and NG steam and diesel)
Goldford Aston (00-9) (Col. Stephens era mixed traffic railway, also serving a lead mine)
Z and T micro-layout display 
Sanderling-on-Sea (00 Gauge) (25kv electric, continuous run, present day)
Wormhill (N) (Peak District, 1990's)
Coed Helen (N) (preserved railway, steam and diesel, also features 2mm scale narrow gauge)
Llangower (00-9) (my own layout - a model of the mid-way station on the Bala Lake Railway - might appear as a static diorama if I'm very busy!) 
Black Drake Wharf (0 Scale, Standard Gauge) (steam and diesel, lots of shunting and scurrying)
Halfpenny Green (00 Gauge) (BR(W) branch terminus with military traffic)
Campbell's Quarry (16mm, electric) (Bucyrus loads wagons for dumping elsewhere, lots of automated features)
Tutherside (00-9) (009, steam and diesel, castle and village on one side, rotates to show industrial scene on 'tuther)
Rhos-y-Gwaliau Road (00 Gauge) (GWR / BR(W) light railway terminus)
Wrapton  (00-9) (industrial town scene, micro-layout)
16mm Scale Narrow Gauge Modular Layout (electric and live steam, anything goes!)
Mikesbiltom (00 Gauge) (diesel and electric continuous run, present day)
Alswear (00-9) (steam era, station and large rail-served factory, freelance so plenty of variety of rolling stock)
Normington (N) (preserved railway, steam and diesel, shows-you-how features)

 

Plus (added since this message was first posted)

 

Pentre (16mm live steam, dual gauge, lots of 'heritage' 16mm models from 'back in the day')

Rush Green Colliery (00 Gauge, steam and diesel NCB locos)

 

2024 Traders and Societies:

 

Sawyer Models
Elaine's Trains
Enwins 3D Models
North Western Models
Andrew McDougal 0-16.5 Models
Maid Marian Locomotive Fund
Bala Lake Railway Society 
Richard Sterne Electronics
Porterhouse Models
Grainge and Hodder Baseboards
Steve Currinn Books and Models

 

Plus (added since this message was first posted)

 

Raven Eve Designs

7mm Narrow Gauge Association

 

 

 

 

Edited June 1 by MatP
Extra information

[branchie]

Looks an intriguing list of layouts and traders .... now can I be persuaded to return to Bala since passing my driving test there in 1994!?!

[MatP]

Good Morning / Bore Da...

 

I have another trader to add to our list: 'Collector Stash' of Wrexham. Their website is www.collectorstash.com and they also have an eBay shop. They sell both scale model railways and gifts suitable for younger visitors. 

 

I hope you can come to the Show, Branchie - we'll also be having a two-train service on the Lake Railway. That's why our exhibition is in September - it's also designed to attract more passengers to our last 'fling' of the operating season.

 

Vaguely related to the subject of driving tests, I suppose, is a report from the Highways Agency which we included with our planning reapplication (and indeed with our original set of papers) affirming that extending the Lake Railway into Bala will have no negative impact on traffic through the town...

 

Best Wishes One and All,

Mat P. (Bala Lake Railway Society Secretary and Bala Model Show Organiser)

 

 

[MatP]

Hello!

 

I have another trader to add: Raven Eve Designs (www.ravenevedesigns.com). They're based in Dwygyfylchi on the North Wales coast and produce laser-engraved wood and slate products. They're not a model railway company as such but we want to support local and local-ish businesses, plus not everybody attending the Show will be the sort of person who can tell a Hall from a Grange at 1000 yards in the dark... (or, to put it more politely, a lot of our Show visitors come in family groups!).

 

Best Wishes,

Mat

 

 

[MatP]

Hi there!

 

After a little delay getting my artwork (and Welsh grammar!) checked and approved, I'm pleased to reveal this year's Bala Model Show flyer. The actual flyer will be double-sided and thus bilingual.

 

All the Best,

Mat P. (Bala Lake Railway Society Secretary and Bala Model Show Organiser) 

Edited April 26 by MatP

[MatP]

Hi All,

 

I can now confirm that the 7mm NG Association will be joining us for the Show, with some dioramas and a sales stall featuring their publications. 

 

The picture below (which I took at Minffordd, yesterday, of the EDM Models stand at the FR's modelling event, seems appropriate in this context).

 

Best Wishes,

Mat P. (Bala Lake Railway Society Secretary - re-elected on Saturday! - and Bala Model Show Organiser)

 

 

 

Edited May 20 by MatP
Extra information

[MatP]

Hi All,

 

Having confirmed a few little details, I can now add the 16mm live steam, dual-gauge layout "Pentre" to our list (a return visitor from last year).

 

Regards,

Mat

 

P.S. Oooh, another Britomart!

[MatP]

Hi folkses!

 

Again after finally confirming a few details, I can add another layout to our confirmed roster: Rush Green Colliery (00 Gauge). For some reason, the links I tried to add to this message just now didn't manifest as links, but if you will forgive me for directing you to Google, running a search on the name of this layout will provide plenty of information about it, photos, videos, Facebook page etc. Expect lots of NCB steam and diesel locos!

 

Best Wishes,

Mat P. (Bala Lake Railway Society Secretary and Bala Model Show Organiser)