REC Woking Exhibition 2018 - 8th & 9th September

[Geep7]

The Railway Enthusiasts’ Club

MODEL RAILWAY EXHIBITION 2018

Woking Leisure Centre
Woking Park
GU22 9BA

Saturday 8th September 10:30 am to 5:30 pm
Sunday 9th September 10:00 am to 5:00 pm

 

Entry Prices
Adults: £8 ; Children: £3
One accompanied child free with an adult

Featuring the usual variety of quality layouts, trade and demonstrators.

Full up to date details of the exhibition can be found on the Club's new exhibition website:

 

www.recexhibition.org.uk

Edited August 22, 2018 by Geep7

[Geep7]

The Railway Enthusiasts Club have launched a new Exhibition Website at http://www.recexhibition.org.uk. This will be kept up to date with the latest changes to the show line-up, and will eventually feature photographs and content from the current and past exhibitions.

 

I will also be keeping a list of exhibitors and traders up to date on this thread as well.

[Geep7]

It's just under 3 weeks to go until the REC Exhibition.

 

We now have over 20 layouts confirmed to appear, including Arun Quay and a very rare exhibition appearance by Metropolitan Junction. We also have the usual compliment of trader's, societies and demonstrators.

[Geep7]

Full Confirmed List of Exhibitors at the 2018 Exhibition:

 

LAYOUTS

• 45C Westlands
• A Taste of Japan
• Aldbourne
• Arun Quay
• Cheffley
• Ferrocarril San Maria Gandia
• Haydon Square
• Horsebridge Wharf
• Itchen End
• Kitedale
• Lower Shalford
• Maxwell
• The Metropolitan Junction Railway
• Milford
• Normandy Works
• Orange River
• Pyn Valley Railway
• Quarry Lane TMD
• Quarry Sidings
• Spirit of Welshpool
• Surrey & Sussex Black Sheep FREMOn30
• Trewithick
• Umbridge
• Watt Estate Railway
• Weslo Steels
• West Meon Viaduct
• Whitedown MPD

TRADERS

• A & B Models
• Andy Dayton
• Book Law Publications
• Ceynix Railway Trees
• Country Park Models
• Digitrains Ltd
• Footplate Models
• Golden Arrow Productions
• Hobby Holidays
• Joe Lock Model Railways
• Kernow Model Rail Centre
• KS Laser Designs
• Kyte's Lights
• Masterpiece Figures
• Paul's Trains
• Railroad Trading and 75D
• Railwayania
• Roxey Mouldings
• Ron Lines
• Tools 2000
• Videolines
• Weston Models
• WM Collectables

<p>

DEMONSTRATORS

• Andrew Cooper
• Peter Gowan
• Roy Hickman
• Ian Maries
• Ron Neal
• Phil Tattershall
• Michael Tucker
• Tony Wright

SOCIETIES

• 7mm Narrow Gauge Society
• Charity Books (Iris Gusscott)
• EM Gauge Society
• EPB Preservation Society
• Gauge O Guild
• L&B Railway Trust
• Mid Hants Railway - The Watercress Line
• OO9 Society
• RCTS
• South Western Circle
• The Sir Nigel Gresley Locomotive Trust Ltd

Edited August 31, 2018 by Geep7

[Geep7]

Just a reminder that there is just a week to go before the exhibition.

[steve W]

Just a reminder that there is just a week to go before the exhibition.

Wer'e almost ready.

 

The Orange River Team

[rjh]

hello

 

since The Metropolitan Junction Railway got a mention earlier in this topic, I thought that I would post a gentle reminder re the Woking show this weekend by showing this view of it at an "undress rehearsal" not that far from Woking.

 

Undress, as everything on the top of the baseboards is detachable except:

track, working rodding and lever frames and kever actuated switches, point solenoids(only a few of these).

 

note also the signature D,A, Williams hallmarks:

the complex P & C work, the baseboard joints through said work, the lattice signal gantry (fusewire, mostly).

 

Doug even left a manual on how to dismantle the layout.

 

regards, Rodney Hills

 

PS -- Alongside we shall have the EMGS display /info PLUS some vintage control items, including all being well:

The legendary ROLLA CONTROLA.

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/133182-rec-woking-exhibition-2018-8th-9th-september/

Edited September 6, 2018 by rjh

[Geep7]

Set up is well under way

 

[richard brown]

hi all here is my video of the show

 

 

Richard Brown

Trains in the attic

 

www.youtube.com/c/trainsintheattic

[Pacific231G]

Some excellent layouts this year and I thoroughly enjoyed the show. Highlights for me were Gordon Gravett's Arun Quay (a wonderful standard of modelling) ,  Ferrocarril San Maria Gandia, Cheffley for its buildings and a rare chance to see The Metropolitan Junction Railway. There were also some good demos. Worth going tomorrow (Sunday) if you're anywhere near.

Edited September 8, 2018 by Pacific231G

[rjh]

Hello again,

 

Notes from The Metropolitan Junction Railway Operating Department by Rodney Hills.

 

1.

Due to a number of unfortunate circumstances, I have only been able to attend the Woking REC Exhibition on the Saturday afternoon.

That means that the planned display of vintage controllers has regretfully been cancelled.

 

2.

There is vintage in plently to be seen on Met Jct layouti itself, we don’t have any future showings lined up at present, so get along TODAY if you want to see it.(PLUS the rest of a fine exhibition)

 

3.

We were pleased s to the number of visitors we had to Stand 65 on Saturday, including a gentleman who came all the way from Coventry to revisit Doug Williams’s handiwork, having been a visitor to the Beckenham house when his children were young and were fascinated when Doug let them run trins that automatically triggered the sound system. Re-instatement of the latter is on the ‘to-do” list.

 

4.p

I would welcome copies of photos/videos of Met Jct taken at this Woking show, for inclusion in the layouts’s online prescence:

https://uk.groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/metjct/info

Send me a msg in the fiirst instancoe, please.

 

Regards, Rodney Hills

 

Some excellent layouts this year and I thoroughly enjoyed the show. Highlights for me were Gordon Gravett's Arun Quay (a wonderful standard of modelling) , Ferrocarril San Maria Gandia, Cheffley for its buildings and a rare chance to see The Metropolitan Junction Railway. There were also some good demos. Worth going tomorrow (Sunday) if you're anywhere near.

Edited September 11, 2018 by rjh

[Pacific231G]

Hello again,

 

Notes from The Metropolitan Junction Railway Operating Department by Rodney Hills.

 

1.

Due to a number of unfortunate circumstances, I have only been able to attend the Woking REC Exhibition on the Saturday afternoon.

That means that the planned display of vintage controllers has regretfully been cancelled.

 

2.

There is vintage in plently to be seen on Met Jct layouti itself, we don’t have any future showings lined up at present, so get along TODAY if you want to see it.(PLUS the rest of a fine exhibition)

 

3.

We were pleased s to the number of visitors we had to Stand 65 on Saturday, including a gentleman who came all the way from Coventry to revisit Doug Williams’s handiwork, having been a visitor to the Beckenham house when his children were young and were fascinated when Doug let them run trins that automatically triggered the sound system. Re-instatement of the latter is on the ‘to-do” list.

 

4.

I would welcome copies of photos/videos of Met Jct taken at this Woking show, for inclusion in the layouts’s online prescence:

https://uk.groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/metjct/info

Send me a msg in the fiirst instancoe, please.

 

Regards, Rodney Hils

Hello Rodney

I've PMd you 15 photos I took of the layout yesterday but they were only really notes for myself so not much in the way of general views or of the operating team.

 

Thanks very much to all of you who brought the layout to Woking. I can imagine how much work was involved and it was running well. Shame not to see the RollaControlla again but  you did show it to me at ExpoEM in 2016 when the layout was there and it was fascinating.

Edited September 10, 2018 by Pacific231G

[ChrisG]

Metropolitan Junction was pretty much the sole reason that I visited this show, and I was simply blown away by it.  To see 60 year old model railway infrastructure, locos and stock still working is a tribute to the builder and those who now care for and maintain the layout. I know there were operational problems, and they were no surprise - operating a layout in public is a harsh reality and I have seen many modern layouts fail under the pressure. 

 

What is good about this layout?:

 

It is a believable scenario - a busy junction in South London with through trains from many regions passing through and a compressed urban terminus;

 

An intriguing track layout with trains disappearing and re-appearing from tunnels;

 

The scenic treatment just enough to spark the imagination and render the need for backscenes, etc. redundant. Possibly as a result of the age of the layout the overwhelming feeling of "grime" was very reminiscent of the steam-operated railway in South London;

 

 

Locos which ran beautifully; not as detailed as today's plastic-based ready to run products, but the modern stuff will not still be running in 60 years time. The locos were superb, quiet,  runners. I also enjoyed the older rolling stock more than the contemporary RTR offerings. Models made from metal just look better than models made from plastic;

 

It struck me that in fully working condition the railway could be operated in the most realistic manner and sustain operator and visitor attention over a long time span. A sequence of trains with known origins and destinations would be a great boon to the layout;

 

Beautifully executed compression. I'm guessing the layout is between 10' and 12' square. Many people would regard that as too small for a main line layout, but here we had main line trains running through with four or five carriages only, and at no time did I think "these are too short". There is something in the way we perceive the real railway which means that in model form a short train can look more realistic than a long one. If you think about it, one's view of the real railway is rarely panoramic and more likely to be at platform height where a twelve coach train just does not look like a twelve coach train;

 

Bravo to its original builder and bravo to those who have preserved it, and are prepared to endure the trials and tribulations of bringing it out for our enjoyment.

 

Chris Gardner

Alton

Hants

[rjh]

Chris,

 

From: Rodney Hills

 

Thank you very much for your comments on Doug’s masterpiece. I will pass them on to Mrs Pat Williams, who this time was only able to attend on the Saturday.

 

Going through your “what is good about MJ” list...

 

Para 3 ..backscenes

‘Ah, as a home layout, it was almost surrounded by the wall of the room amd indeed have have backscenes.

Plese look at the plan for Stand 65 in the REC’s excellent Exhibiton Guide page 23 or at the MetJct Yahoo Group site homepage

https://uk.groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/metjct/info

Be patient the latter diagram for some reason can take ages to appear.

The door of the bedroom was immediately to the top left corner, swinging open to the left, this aisle giving access to the lifting flap, which is on the stretch of plain track (seven lines, incl H.L. branch rising at 1 in 30!).

Straight wall with chimney breast protusion at centre, Southaven terminus had flat backscene behind a low wall along the baseboard edge.

Wihdow wall to right of plan, top third plus right hand half of top wall having flat backscene behind low relief town buildings (spot the Bilteezis, spot the Superquicks!)

 

BUT

 

You visitors were standing OUTSIDE the ‘room’ and through the non-existent ‘walls’.

Perhaps we should have raised some real walls all round the layout and relay whats happening inside the box via video relay, or even use webcams....

Instead we omitted most of the backscenes, so that you could see ‘in’.

Read Cyril Freezer and Iain Rice on the ins and outs of ovals....

 

 

.end of part one...by Rodney Hills

[rjh]

Chris

from Rodney

MetJct

Part 2

 

You are right w.r.t. locos, although in his earliest, the King Arthur, post WW2 shortages eg of nickel silver. (Aka “german silver”!) was built of tinplate hence the inevitable choice of Eastleigh Arthur No.799 “Sir Ironside”, the model nicknamed “Sir Tinplateside(s)”.

 

DAW’s carriages are not metal though. Cardboard. Still looking good after about 70 years.

 

next para.. gpfully working condition....realistic operation....

 

Indeed, that was the thinking behind grafting on a cassette fiddle yard (“borrowed” from Swaynton) utiliising one of the two short banking sidings that are hidden underneah the town.

Something we intend to progress further. There is no evidence that Doug went in for timetabled running.

 

10 foot to 12 foot square. As per the plan (qv) actually 8’ 9” x 10’ 8”.

The MRN chose to replace all Doug’s very clear handwritten italic text with actual type, but lost the 9” off the width.

This unneccessary shrinkage to only 8’ 0” led me to erroneus and misleading assumptions about possible sites.

 

,end of part two

[Andymsa]

I went to this show as a day out and although British outline is not my thing I thought the layouts were of a high quality. A nice show well done.

 

Andy

[ChrisG]

Rodney, 

 

Thank you, I am enjoying your replies very much!  I do hope you didn't think my comments about lack of a backscene were in any way negative. It was more to illustrate the point that a really good model rail doesn't need them.

 

 

Chris

[rjh]

Chris

from: Rodney

MetJct

Part 3

Miscellenia

 

SEE the backscene...

 

The first video below was filmed this last weekend at the REC 2018 Woking Show.

It includesw both outside and inside views.

The second is, of course,from the inside.

 

Met Jct can be seen from approx 1:01.11 to 1:06.11 (ie about 5 minutes) in this well made video of the whole Woking 2018:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FlUSbdeMVJQ

 

Finally, for now, I leave you with a link to a short, but precious, piece of 8mm cine film that Doug made in 1990 of the layout in operationw. Enjoy!

It’s available here (only by direct URL):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0xJvKJjfJE

 

 

 

Rodney Hills

 

.end

Rodney

Edited September 11, 2018 by rjh

[Pacific231G]

Chris

from Rodney

MetJct

Part 2

 

You are right w.r.t. locos, although in his earliest, the King Arthur, post WW2 shortages eg of nickel silver. (Aka “german silver”!) was built of tinplate hence the inevitable choice of Eastleigh Arthur No.799 “Sir Ironside”, the model nicknamed “Sir Tinplateside(s)”.

 

DAW’s carriages are not metal though. Cardboard. Still looking good after about 70 years.

 

next para.. gpfully working condition....realistic operation....

 

Indeed, that was the thinking behind grafting on a cassette fiddle yard (“borrowed” from Swaynton) utiliising one of the two short banking sidings that are hidden underneah the town.

Something we intend to progress further. There is no evidence that Doug went in for timetabled running.

 

10 foot to 12 foot square. As per the plan (qv) actually 8’ 9” x 10’ 8”.

The MRN chose to replace all Doug’s very clear handwritten italic text with actual type, but lost the 9” off the width.

This unneccessary shrinkage to only 8’ 0” led me to erroneus and misleading assumptions about possible sites.

 

,end of part two

Hello Rodney

I've now found the original Metropolitan Junction Railway description by Doug Williams in the August 1952 M.R.N. complete with plan.but no dimensions

Despite many changes the final version of the layout does look to be a development of the original.

 

He begins with the words "This is a description of a railway that will cause the experts to throw up their hands in despair, for it is a deliberate attempt to get too much track in too small a space" and though he admires the work of Ahern and others his accent is on the railway where "I like to see several trains on the move at once" It's clear from the plan that, with no hidden sidings, his layout was about running a variety of trains through a busy through station. It's interesting that the article appeared in MRN a few months after the two part article by Peter Denny describing the Buckingham Branch though Denny wrote that in the autumn of 1951. According to Doug William's article he started with 16.5mm after demob in 1946 but converted to 18mm (and from three to two rail)  "two years ago"  (with a minimum radius of 2ft 9ins !) the plan is dated 1952 so that presumably means in early 1950. He never refers to EM or OO,  just to the gauge.

 

As there's clearly interest in this classic layout well beyond it's appearance at Woking, do you think we've reached the point where we should start a separate topic on the MJR?

 

addendum. Thanks for posting that 8mm footage. It's fascinating.

Edited September 11, 2018 by Pacific231G

[ChrisG]

Hello Rodney

I've now found the original Metropolitan Junction Railway description by Doug Williams in the August 1952 M.R.N. complete with plan.but no dimensions

original MJR plan August 1952 MRN.jpg

Despite many changes the final version of the layout does look to be a development of the original.

 

He begins with the words "This is a description of a railway that will cause the experts to throw up their hands in despair, for it is a deliberate attempt to get too much track in too small a space" and though he admires the work of Ahern and others his accent is on the railway where "I like to see several trains on the move at once" It's clear from the plan that, with no hidden sidings, his layout was about running a variety of trains through a busy through station. It's interesting that the article appeared in MRN a few months after the two part article by Peter Denny describing the Buckingham Branch though Denny wrote that in the autumn of 1951. According to Doug William's article he started with 16.5mm after demob in 1946 but converted to 18mm (and from three to two rail)  "two years ago"  (with a minimum radius of 2ft 9ins !) the plan is dated 1952 so that presumably means in early 1950. He never refers to EM or OO,  just to the gauge.

 

As there's clearly interest in this classic layout well beyond it's appearance at Woking, do you think we've reached the point where we should start a separate topic on the MJR?

 

addendum. Thanks for posting that 8mm footage. It's fascinating.

 

 

I love the cine film - it's a marvellous relic to have. It's a pity that other famous model railways (like Ken Northwood's North Devonshire Railway) don't seem to be preserved on cine film. 

 

The quotation "This is a description of a railway that will cause the experts to throw up their hands in despair, for it is a deliberate attempt to get too much track in too small a space" rings loud and clear for me, and is, I believe,  the essence of creating a "model of a railway".  In fact I firmly believe that compression is beneficial to a model because in real life our appreciation of railways is based on little snapshots we get of the real thing  from platforms, bridges, the lineside, etc. In real life we don't hover 200ft above a real railway, but we see it from  ground level, and in small sections. Hence compression more accurately recreates our view of the real thing than a dead scale approach.

 

These bedroom mainlines are for me the best models of all. They often featured in the 1960s C.J. Freezer plans of the month and also as "Railways of the Month" in the Modeller. 

 

Chris

 

 

 

 

[rjh]

David, Chris,

 

Thanks both.

 

I hope you are aware thar Paul Karau (another admirer of DAW) did us proud in MRJs 246,247,248 by running an accoun of the MJ saga by Andy Avis, drawing on original material from the Williams.collection.

 

More soon

 

Regards

Rodney

[Pacific231G]

David, Chris,

 

Thanks both.

 

I hope you are aware thar Paul Karau (another admirer of DAW) did us proud in MRJs 246,247,248 by running an accoun of the MJ saga by Andy Avis, drawing on original material from the Williams.collection.

 

More soon

 

Regards

Rodney

Indeed he did.  I'd found those three articles in an index of the MRJ and have now bought them. They do make for very interesting reading. Andy usefully refs. a number of DAW's articles in MRN and MRC so I'll see which of them I have. I had already found a couple of later articles, apart from the August 1952 layout article on electricals and split potential control.

 

It also transpired that Doug was taught radio by the army at Nottingham University.  I think that may have been where my father was also trained in the same field  before being sent to Egypt. In lieu of writing a new textbook the army used the RSGB handbook to teach the basics.

 

Am I right in thinking that last weekend was only the second outing of MJR since its refurbishment with the other being at ExpoEM in 2016?

[Crewlisle]

I love the cine film - it's a marvellous relic to have. It's a pity that other famous model railways (like Ken Northwood's North Devonshire Railway) don't seem to be preserved on cine film. 

 

The quotation "This is a description of a railway that will cause the experts to throw up their hands in despair, for it is a deliberate attempt to get too much track in too small a space" rings loud and clear for me, and is, I believe,  the essence of creating a "model of a railway".  In fact I firmly believe that compression is beneficial to a model because in real life our appreciation of railways is based on little snapshots we get of the real thing  from platforms, bridges, the lineside, etc. In real life we don't hover 200ft above a real railway, but we see it from  ground level, and in small sections. Hence compression more accurately recreates our view of the real thing than a dead scale approach.

 

These bedroom mainlines are for me the best models of all. They often featured in the 1960s C.J. Freezer plans of the month and also as "Railways of the Month" in the Modeller. 

 

Chris

 

Chris,

 

I totally agree with your last sentence which says it all.  When exhibiting my 8ft x 7ft 6ins three level 00 gauge free lance main line layout 'Crewlisle' at the Bristol Exhibition many years ago, the late Cyril Freezer of RM & track plan books fame, stopped at my layout where we had a long discussion about the layout.  He finished by saying, "You have a lot of track in a small space but it does not look out of place".  Coming from him it was praise indeed & that statement made my day!

 

Peter

Edited September 16, 2018 by Crewlisle

[ChrisG]

Chris,

 

I totally agree with your last sentence which says it all.  When exhibiting my 8ft x 7ft 6ins three level 00 gauge free lance main line layout 'Crewlisle' at the Bristol Exhibition many years ago, the late Cyril Freezer of RM & track plan books fame, stopped at my layout where we had a long discussion about the layout.  He finished by saying, "You have a lot of track in a small space but it does not look out of place".  Coming from him it was praise indeed & that statement made my day!

 

Peter

 

I happen to love your layout as well - I've seen it a couple of times at shows. For me this sort of compression makes for an interesting layout and it's no surprise to hear that CJF was impressed with it. He published many plans for similar layouts, and I have even built a couple of them in the past. My problem is that I do enjoy building trains, as well as hand-building track, so the building of the layout is a slow burn. My current Cowes, Medina Wharf and Newport layout has been on the go for more than 5 years and I have still not made and laid all the track. I know if I were to switch to Peco track and RTR locos and stock I would get things done in a fraction of the time!

 

 

 

Chris

[ChrisG]

Indeed he did.  I'd found those three articles in an index of the MRJ and have now bought them. They do make for very interesting reading. Andy usefully refs. a number of DAW's articles in MRN and MRC so I'll see which of them I have. I had already found a couple of later articles, apart from the August 1952 layout article on electricals and split potential control.

 

It also transpired that Doug was taught radio by the army at Nottingham University.  I think that may have been where my father was also trained in the same field  before being sent to Egypt. In lieu of writing a new textbook the army used the RSGB handbook to teach the basics.

 

Am I right in thinking that last weekend was only the second outing of MJR since its refurbishment with the other being at ExpoEM in 2016?

 

 

I'm a regular MRJ reader and that  was what first alerted me to Metropolitan Junction. I have also just remembered another layout which used to grab my attention, built in a garage and representing the whole Brighton Mainline - "South for Sunshine" I think it was called, by Lewis Carroll. Sadly, I have not found many of my modelling friends as enthused as I was about Metropolitan Junction. Modelling seems to have moved on, and many people today seem unaware of the difficult post war conditions in which many outstanding modellers plied their hobby. In an era where fully detailed accurate models of exotic prototypes pop out of cardboard boxes at the drop of a hat these pioneers can all too easily be forgotten. 

 

Chris