Liam

I attended the show on Saturday as a punter (I did feel £19 was a tad steep in comparison to GETS but there was a lot more variety here than at GETS) but I also helped out a bit with Dagnell End. It isn’t Warley and is noticeably smaller and more compact than Warley (at least in terms of the model railways), but to me it had the atmosphere of a medium sized show with the addition of the manufacturers and publishers. Next to us at Dagnell End was Beckwick, a Southern Region layout by the Beckenham and West Wickham Model Railway Club. I got chatting to their members which included some of the members’ sons, and one of the operators told me that the lads get involved in all sorts of modelling jobs on the layouts. With that sort of setup there is clearly a future for the hobby. I also briefly chatted to Pete Waterman and witnessed him receive his Guinness World Records certificate - at one point he seemed quite emotional, but he was clearly overjoyed with his achievement. But what struck me most about this show more than others I’ve attended recently is that the passion for the hobby seemed a lot more noticeable; from the crowds gathered around Making Tracks to really friendly operators and a real sense of pride in the hobby and the creations therein, there seemed to be a really positive atmosphere at the show yesterday which I haven’t felt for a while. I’m seriously thinking of attending Beckenham’s show in October after the crew I spoke to were so engaging. All in all, a good show!

All new suggestions have been added to the guide!

Been over two years since I started this guide! I think the guide needs updating, as sadly we have lost a few of the hostelries that featured, such as the Great Western by Exeter St David’s. But perhaps you’ve come across a few new additions while on your rail travels?

The track and baseboard are currently dismantled, pending being put back in position. But as @The Johnster alluded to, the baseboards aren’t the best policy and I fear some grease from one of the screws may have stained the carpet! I’m wondering if someone can recommend a mat that I can put the track on instead? A fairly thick one from somewhere like The Range.

Never really read this thread until now. Glad I’m not too late to the party though, these photos and works are stunning!

The page headed ‘The Cotswolds’ sets out exactly what sort of buyer they’re after - not many estate agent information booklets tell you about the nearest hunts and polo clubs! And of course details on which independent schools to send the children to, as Prince Henry’s High School in Evesham certainly won’t do…

This is terrible news. In some cases it is natural to speculate on the hows and whys, but our first thoughts must be with the very talented people who are losing their jobs.

Just an update to say that I managed to get everything working OK, as demonstrated by my 153 running. 🙂

Back in the flat tonight - I’m probably being quite stupid, but something tells me that setting up this Gaugemaster controller isn’t quite as simple as screwing the wires in to these holes then inserting the power supply and plugging in. Do all of the wires need to be inserted to the holes? If only I was on hand to witness the wiring up of my home layout 13 or so years ago!

Hi Johnster, thank you for your feedback and your suggestions. To address a few of your queries: Radius of curves - this had totally escaped me. I have a feeling that the curves are R1, as they’re basically Hornby train set track, I will try one of my larger engines on it, as maybe it could work, but I accept that it’s likely it won’t so I’ll look to part exchange the R1 track for some R2 track. Levelling on the mattress base - in my mind I was just going to tolerate it not being quite level, although I wonder what difference it would make if I managed to get the two halves properly joined up (for at the moment they’re not). I hear what you say about the quality of the boards, but I don’t relish the expense of procuring new boards when they’re not likely to be used an awful lot in the grand scheme of things. However, at the club we seem to have lately been donated old layouts and boards from locals who have been clearing out elderly relatives’ lofts etc, and I suppose it’s only a matter of time before we receive another one. There have been few complaints about the quality of the boards from other members, so if the next one we receive features a good board and of a similar size then I’ll grab it and dispose of these boards. There is a temptation to extend the layout, but I’m going to be disciplined and keep the track plan as it is now (except for altering the curves), as otherwise I won’t have a living room left!

I’m now living in North Devon, and although my local model railway club has a test track I’ve decided to set up a very basic layout in the living room of my flat, mainly so that I am able to run my locos in my flat. These baseboards were originally constructed around 9-10 years ago by a family friend of ours, and I was told that they were designed to a standard train set size of 6x4 but when I measured them a while ago it was more like 5x4. Nonetheless, there’s ample space for a loop and a siding as can be seen. *since taking this photo, I’ve swapped the straights around so that the points are now on the other side by the sofa cushion and the power connector is on the right hand side, joined to two small straight sections. All the track is Hornby, and I have a Gaugemaster controller, which I’m told can be fairly easily connected to the Hornby power connector. The test track currently sits on the folded base of the mattress that folds out (the sofa is a sofa bed) - it’s the only space available that’s realistically large enough for it to go. Is there anything I should keep in mind given this (ie a baseboard on a sofa bed)?

This was the project at the club on Tuesday night - weathering the Hornby Railroad Mk1 BG I purchased for a tenner at Milton Keynes last year. The weathering has been conducted under the professional tuition of Elliott Cowton, @DutyDruid of this parish. I’ve also added some 3D printed coach ends which were purchased at the Redditch show back in September then duly painted and glued on. Once exhibition ready the coach will be part of formations on my own exhibition layout, but hopefully also Barnstaple MRC’s layout Milverton and Phil Bullock’s Abbotswood Junction Mk2.

Have you got a small marquee or gazebo you could pop up Phil? Also protects against the rain.