kipford

Ian Good to see you at our show last November. I agree invites are thin on the ground, but I still have a couple each year into 2026. It may be after 14 years and 35 shows on the circuit we are approaching its natural end! I probably fix the photos at some point but I have need to finish this first, it getting very close.

Brighton is still alive, kicking and still very much on the exhibition circuit. It just needs maintenance, so there is very little to post about. It will have done 35 exhibitions by the time we go to Railex in May. New people to this thread will notice that most of the photo's are missing still. At present I do not have the inclination to go through every page and reinstate them. Instead I have up loaded a presentation on Brighton I gave to the Fareham and District Society of Model Engineers. It covers the build and includes all the fabulous photo's Andy York took for the BRM article in 2016. Fareham Talk 2022.pdf

Having attended quite a few Warley exhibitions both as a punter and exhibitor, I too am sorry to see it go, but the reasons giving by the WMRC I fully understand and it does not surprise me. Being involved with organisation of a small provincial show I can only guess at the amount of work involved with Warley. But surely all is not lost it is only one exhibition and we still have a very large selection of extremely good regional shows which will not cost you an arm and leg to attend.

The worker does have a hard hat that you cannot see it in this shot because he is bending over doing something🤔. At scale the pole diameter should be 0.7 mm diameter so it is a quite considerably oversize but as it is on the back of the layout it needs to be emphasized and looks about right. You can get Evergreen rod in 0.75 and 1.00 mm diameters so it may be worth doing some trials to see what works best for you.

Spot on!👍

This is the scafolding I built for Brighton East. It was built over a 2D CAD plan using Evergreen Rod No 221, which is 1.2 mm diameter. The boards are all suitable sized Evergreen section as well. There is a fundamental thing missing from it though which no one has ever noticed in 13 years and 35 shows!

Brian Not sure if this is of help? My Brighton East layout is in EM. It uses a mixture of flat bottom rail for the main running lines and bullhead in sidings. The bullhead plain track is all C & L flexitrack. Bullhead turnouts are ply sleepers with C & L chairs. If I was doing it now I would use P4 Track Company chairs. On all turnouts I build the common crossing as a unit as mentioned in a previous post. The flat bottom track was built as follows. Plain track is P4 Track Company concrete base units using EMGS flat bottom rail and assembled into 1 m lengths. The turnouts were built on ply sleepers using PECO panderol chairs again using EMGS rail. For track assembly I used standard EMGS 3 point gauges, EMGS check rail gauges and a mint gauge. For wheel back to back I also use the standard EMGS back to back gauges, so nothing special here. The track has been laid over 12 years now and has done some 35 exhibitions without ever being repaired or adjusted, When I built the track I did hardly any adjustment to achieve good running quality, any issues are always problems with the stock not the track. The flat bottom turnouts as previously mentioned are a little more difficult to make, mainly in they need a lot of filing of the foot of the stock rails where the switch blades contact. Photo 1 shows the scissors crossing under construction which which has all the elements of the flat bottom track I built in it and the gauges used. PS I built the baseboard joint into the formation avoiding has to cut the rails later and it has never given a problem. The finished item. I notice you are located in Hampshire. I live in Waterlooville. If you would to come and see what I did and/or have a chat about it message me and we can sort out a mutually convenient time.

On behalf of the SHMRC I would like to thank all the exhibitors, traders and of course the general public who attended our show yesterday. Numbers were about just above last year so we are happy bunnies. Everyone we spoke to, Layouts, Trader’s and the visitors all seemed to have enjoyed themselves. We think the choice of layouts presented something for everyone to enjoy along with a nice, varied selection of trade support. A couple of weeks to get over the show and we resume planning for next years show, which layout wise is pretty much there. Anyway thanks to all again and see everyone same place on Saturday 16th November 2023. Jol Sorry you could not make the show, I was looking forward to meeting up again, but you would not have won the furthest travelled. That goes to two gentlemen from Fort Worth in Texas who were on a trip to the UK and in their itinerary chose our exhibition to visit! I had a long chat with them and they were very impressed with variety of scales, layout and standard of modelling we had on offer Bungas, Good to know you had a good show. The couple of photos I took at at the beginning of the week of the Inglenook are rubbish but I have included one which had the LED light from my workshop in place before I finished the proper pelmet, I was too busy getting it as far is it was and also doing stuff needed for the show to take any more. As you said it was popular with the older of our young visitors. With my own Brighton East layout we regularly let youngsters have a drive a exhibitions, after all the worst that can happen is they hit the buffers!

Why do you need to join the last two pieces? A small gap of about 1mm is a good idea as it gives room for expansion in hot weather. Electrically it is not required, so providing the rails are aligned and do not move, no joiners are required. This is an extreme example. 009, 250mm dia to the track centre line. No rail joiners used just pins. Kato 28mm wheelbase chassis has no issues. If you join on a straight rather than curve as in this example you will not have a problem.

Thanks to Adrian for organising a very special show. Hepton Wharf had its origins in a build a layout in a weekend event at Scalefourum in 1993. The photo from Ian's Cameo Layouts book shows the results of the weekends efforts and the protagonists involved. from left to right, Don Leeper, Iain Rice, Jonathan Leeper, Tony Wilson, John Chambers, Tony Hill and Gordon Ashton. Tony Wilson visited the show on Saturday but yesterday we were able to get John Chambers, Tony Hill and Gordon Ashton in front of Hepton for a little bit of a reunion. Gordon will also be one of the operators for Hepton Wharf when it appears at the SHMRC show in Portsmouth on 18th November this year. SHMRC Exhibition Thread

NEWS FLASH! The 4mm scale range of ABS is being relaunched and the new owner has chosen the SHMRC show for the occasion. The new trading name is : Modelstock – ABS 4mm The following was supplied by the new owner for inclusion in our show guide: Modelstock is the new home of the ABS 4mm model railway kit and accessory ranges which were acquired in 2020 after the very sad passing away of Adrian Swain. Adrian was an excellent modeller and caster snd his kits and accessory packs have always been extremely popular. We will be reintroducing as many of the ABS kits and detailing packs as is viable and also introducing some new vehicles which Adrian had been working on which never got to market owing to his declining health. It is also planned to facelift all of the original kit instruction sheets in both printed and electronic form, improving the exploded drawings and assembly information using modern CAD and publishing tools. A website is under construction which will include a webshop where all the currently available kits and accessories can be purchased online and posted out to you. You can find us online at www.modelstock.co.uk So if you want know more come along to the show and meet the new owner and see what his plans are.

The new trading name for the 4mm part of ABS is: Modelstock - ABS 4mm The following words are what the owner of Modelstock has supplied to the SHMRC for inclusion in our show guide: Modelstock is the new home of the ABS 4mm model railway kit and accessory ranges which were acquired in 2020 after the very sad passing away of Adrian Swain. Adrian was an excellent modeller and caster snd his kits and accessory packs have always been extremely popular. We will be reintroducing as many of the ABS kits and detailing packs as is viable and also introducing some new vehicles which Adrian had been working on which never got to market owing to his declining health. It is also planned to facelift all of the original kit instruction sheets in both printed and electronic form, improving the exploded drawings and assembly information using modern CAD and publishing tools. A website is under construction which will include a webshop where all the currently available kits and accessories can be purchased online and posted out to you. You can find us online at www.modelstock.co.uk , If you want to know more then come along to the SHMRC show on Saturday 18th November at the Admiral Lord Nelson School, Dundas Lane, Portsmouth, PO3 5XT. SHMRC Show Details

The South Hants Model Railway Club will host the annual Portsmouth Model Railway Exhibition on Saturday 18th November 2023 at: Admiral Lord Nelson School on Dundas Lane, Portsmouth, PO3 5XT Opening time between 10:30 and 16:30. As usual we have a carefully chosen selection of top-class model railway layouts and demonstrators, supported by a loyal band of traders and ‘gauge’ societies. There is limited parking at the school, but the Ocean Retail Park opposite the school has free unlimited parking (except for McDonalds which has a time limit). We are aware that money is tight for many people and we have tried to kep our admission prices as low as possible at £7 for adults with accompanied children (under16) going free. Card payment facilities will be available. Layouts Westcliff 4mm/ft, EM Gauge Richard Butlers multi award winning piece of GWR by the sea celebrates its 20th anniversary since it first appeared at the 2003 SHMRC show as a layout under construction. Westcliff is a ‘might have been’ whose location is based on the Dorset seaside town of West Bay, Bridport’s harbour, as it might have evolved by the 1920s. Drsw y Nant 2mm/ft, 9.42mm gauge Nigel Ashtons beautiful 2mm Fine Scale model of a GWR passing station. Drws y Nant is a passing station on the GWR Ruabon to Barmouth route, situated between Bala and Dolgellau in a wooded valley in Mid-Wales. Flintcome 4mm/ft, P4 Gauge An old favourite from the East Dorset Gang of Four, the layout represents the end of a fictional spur running to the south west from the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway (S&DJR) at Sturminster Newton. Foston Mills 7mm/ft, 0 Gauge Stubcroft Farm Studios Railway Circle presents a slice of the North Holderness Light Railway running from Beverley to North Frodingham in East Yorkshire, a “very nearly built” railway. Hepton Wharf 4mm/ft P4 gauge South Hants MRC are honoured to have in its care, two classic layouts associated with the late Iain Rice and the late Don Leeper. Hepton Wharf was one of the very first ‘cameo’ layouts and is well known (perhaps notorious!) for having been built in a weekend at Scaleforum in 1993. The layout was subsequently modified to include a passenger platform, signalling and a second fiddle yard. We intend to maintain this layout in working condition, more or less as built, as a tribute to Iain and Don and to show the ‘state of the art’ in 1993. The second layout is Longwood Edge which is not quite completed and which we hope to complete and show at our exhibition next year. Both layouts are covered extensively in Iain’s book ‘Creating Cameo Layouts’. Modbury 2mm/ft 9.42mm gauge Ian Smith’s Modbury 2mm Finescale layout represents a Great Western “might have been” through station in South Devon as it could have appeared in the Edwardian period, c.1906, with the track built to represent baulk road. Lee-on-the -Solent 4mm/ft, P4 gauge South Hants MRC. The Lee-on-the-Solent Light Railway was a bold town planning attempt of the late 1800s. The promoters hoped that here was a watering place with everything going for it: a splendid beach, a pleasant climate, superb views across to the Isle of Wight, the sheltered areas of the Solent for boating. Sadly, the line became a burden to the SR and consequently the last train ran on 29th October 1935. The layout was originally built by, Colin Hayward, and It was one of the early examples of a layout built to P4 standards and it made its debut at the South Hampshire Railway Modellers exhibition in October 1981. Northport Quay 7mm/ft, 36.75mm gauge Presented by David Holman, this is a ‘cameo’ layout, representing a small harbour in County Mayo on the north west coast of Ireland, Inspired by the Westport Quay branch., The track gauge in Ireland is 5’3 [or 1.6m], so in 7mm scale that means scratchbuilt, 36.75mm gauge, with Code 100 flat bottomed rail. Stock is likewise all kit or scratchbuilt. Tidworth 4mm/ft, OO gauge Ian Blackall’s layout set in the NSE era. A ‘What if’ layout looking at what could have happened if the ex-Midland & South Western Junction Railway route had survived between Romsey and Swindon via Andover Junction due to its importance as a secondary route from the North to the docks at Southampton and the military line to Tidworth was upgraded to a public service Yewston Road 4mm/ft OO gauge David and Alison Barker. Yewston Road is a former LNWR motive power depot somewhere in the north-west of England. Originally built as a home layout by John Hilton of Romsey and never exhibited, it was purchased in 2014 and after some additional work is now being exhibited. Yard No. 2 4mm/ft, P4 gauge By David Barrett, The layout is based in the general London area with a LNWR warehouse and small coal yard located off of a minor route operated by another company. This was a common practice not only in London but elsewhere. As a result, the operation could be by a number of different companies with a flexible timescale. Widley and St George 4mm/ft, OO gauge Our layoutfor the younger visitors. Come and drive trains pulled by Thomas, Percy and friends. A small fee is payable to pay for the layout upkeep. Traders Modelstock - ABS 4mm Book Law Publications Coastal DCC Squires Tools Model Railway Developments C&L Finescale Dingo Servo Mounts London Road Models Tim Horn Lasercutting The Model Shop Wheels of Southsea Societies EM Gauge Society 2mm Finescale Society Scalefour Society MERG Demonstrators Soldering: Roger Sawyer Scenic Modelling: Roy Hickman From 3D CAD to 3D Print: Duncan Redford SHMRC Club Stand If you are interested in learning more about the SHMRC, please come and visit the club stand and talk to one of the members who can tell you all about us and what we have to offer. Also on the stand, we have an Inglenook shunting puzzle which is operable but still to be completed scenically. All visitors are welcome to visit the stand and try their skills at shunting wagons. More details of layouts, traders, demonstrators and societies, plus details of how to get there, can be found on the Club's website - https://www.shmrc.org.uk/exhibition/ Please note this list is correct as of 05/10/23

Not sure if the Fareham club has not started a topic on this show. Anyway Brighton East will be going, its first local show since 2016!

John Hepton Wharf as you saw it yesterday is exactly as we picked it up from Don Leepers garage in March after 13 years storage. All we have done to it is clean it, repair some errant track and cassette joints, service the rolling stock and change the couplings to Dinghams. Because it is such an iconic layout the plan is to conserve it in its current state, however for operational reasons the uncoupler permanent magnets will be replaced with electro-magnets and we may change the lighting rig to LED strips.

PS to clarify Gt Shefford does the club exhibition layout plaques for us.

Jonathan Buckie (Gt Shefford) can do them for you, he does our club ones and will be reasonably priced. His work email is clockwork.ideas@hotmail.co.uk.

A big thank you to Tim and his team from the Hope-under-Dinmore crew for a great show delivered under at times difficult circumstances. The fans on Sunday were much appreciated. I agree it is easily one of the best shows in the country. We ended up with one our team in hospital on Sunday morning but he is OK now and being released today.

We had a great time it was a nice show, despite me dropping a Class 66 on the floor and destroying the motor, I was not a happy bunny at that point. Will be back next year though with the SHMRC's Hope-under-Dinmore.

Darius They look lovely, I have always had a soft spot for them. I scratch built these 'modern' versions about 20 years ago based on an article in Model Rail. The bogies are modified Cambrian, with plastic boxes using printed sides at the time done on Coral Draw. They have a lot of lead inside the boxes!

With three EM layouts in attendance I find that very sad.

Andy Fixed the problem, also explains why I was having problems with content I posted in👍

Andy For the last couple of days I have not been able to access the layouts section, it keeps throwing up an HTP 500 error. Anything you can do about it?

As far as I am aware (I was involved with commercial laser cutting up until 5 years ago) the X-Y table style of laser cutter used for cutting sheet product, the laser head is fixed and cannot be angled. In these situations with baseboards I just extend the width of the slot to accommodate the angle and use plenty of glue.

By the way Butley Mills belongs to a member of the SHMRC, so currently I think we have about 25% of Iains layout output!