John K

Advance ticket sales for the show are now closed, but we will happily take your money on the door. We are really looking forward to our first show in this super new venue. Kohn

Thanks guys. Those are exactly what I mean by blocks too. The items pictured by Ron are multiway connectors rather than blocks. Cheers, John

Point me at some blocks and covers please Ron. Thanks John K

Just under two weeks to go so five layout reviews to whet your appetite Sixpenny Handley: This is by James Handley (age 16) It is his first layout which took 6 months to build (with his dad’s help). It is loosely based on a Southern region theme, twin track station with run around loop and a small goods yard. It includes interchangeable modular scenery, lots of recycled scenery and rolling stock . Bartholomew’s Hollow is by Nathanael Handley (age 11) and this is his first exhibition layout too. It is built to be free standing but can also attach to Sixpenny Handley to allow them to both operate together. Featuring a central turntable and engine sheds and servicing facilities, it is set at the edge of a quarry. This will also feature modular scenery. Burdale Quarry is by Tony Kell in O gauge / Scale7. Burdale Quarry was a real quarry located near Driffield in the Yorkshire Wolds. The only similarity between the real quarry and the model is the name. The layout is modelled to Scale Seven Standard, similar to O gauge but the track and wheel standards more closely represent the real thing. The layout depicts a small quarry loader, a couple of sidings and a station halt. The track is all hand built using C&L components and the points are operated using model aircraft servo motors. The fiddle yards use cassette storage. Shabbey Road by De Havilland MRS is OO Gauge. A fun OO gauge underground DIY (Drive it yourself) layout for children. Stock is largely from the ‘Underground Ernie’ family. The layout has been built using second hand buildings donated by members and this shows what can be achieved with very little expense. Please note: This is a hands-on layout intended for two children to operate, donations go to a local charity and the children will get a certificate to take home. Middleton, by De Havilland MRS is also OO Gauge. Excuding Shabbey Road, this is the society's second OO gauge layout, portraying the Middleton branch in the 1930s. The first was retired and scrapped at the end of 2012. However new lightweight boards have been constructed, track laying and basic scenery work on the new version is now complete. As the name suggests the layout is based on and closely follows the terminus of the LNER branch line from Darlington, through Barnard Castle, terminating at Middleton-in-Teesdale. The period is set in the 1930s and many excellent models of the ex-NER and newer LNER prototype rolling stock may be seen running. Advanced ticket sales close on Friday 31st May so get your order in now via our website. Follow us on Facebook and if you have specific questions - contact our exhibition manager: Jackie Kneeshaw East Anglian Model Railway Exhibition Manager 07810 861362 / 01480 454927 https://m.facebook.com/East-Anglian-Model-Railway-Exhibition-308140952659301/ https://www.stneotsmrc.com/exhibition-news

I also note that integration of the new stuff with other equipment has ben reported not to be entirely problem free. John K

I have used Lenz for as long as it has been available in the UK. I have yet to see what advantage might be conferred by moving to the newer version. I think it may be just the word "New". John K

I am posting this as a notice from St Neots MRC We have now had time to absorb the destruction that occurred at Stamford, Lincs on Friday night / Saturday morning when the Market Deeping Exhibition, at Welland Academy in Stamford, was broken into. There was a huge amount of malicious damage as publicised widely in national media. St Neots Model Railway Club has suffered damage to two layouts and a lot of hand-built stock. Our large O gauge layout and a lot of personally owned stock is beyond repair - it was all scratch-built and is irreplaceable. Another layout suffered serious damage but we will rebuild it. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the many people who have been sending messages of support and offers of help. We also send our condolences to all the other exhibitors who suffered damage. Thank you to the organisers who responded as quickly and professionally as possible. They also suffered damage to layouts and have losses of their own to contend with. No one can replace the years of work for any of us. We have no connection with or information about any 'Just Giving' website pages. The St Neots Club organises the East Anglian Model Railway Exhibition which is at Kettering on June 8th and 9th this year. We will be doing everything possible to make sure that exhibitors at our show do not have to experience what we have been through in the last two days. John K Edited for typos

We have cleared up the remains of our layout and of the stock. I have personally lost most of 20 years of wagon building, several O gauge engines and some coaches that were hand built by me - All completely irreplaceable. We have lost a club layout that featured in books and magazines, and that took us 10 years to build. They can have the money, but we will never get the 1000s of hours back. John

The biggest layout there was our O finescale layout Helmthwaite and Chapel Lane. It took almost 10 years to build. It was one of the layouts trashed along with all of our stock. We are told that two persons were apprehended. I am personally devastated. Among the things in that wrecked hall is my beautiful Black 5 and 20 years worth of kitbuilt stock John K

MOK every time John K

We always try to produce the biggest and best club run show that we can. We are not ignorant of geography, but the East Anglian name is a key part of our identity. Having changed venue and date we would be foolish to change our 'brand' at the same time. John

And here are the traders, demonstrators and societies Traders Gramodels Lord and Butler GC Weathering KS Laser Design ADM Turntables Keith's Model Railways Model Scenery Supplies Petite Properties Squires Model & Craft Tools Trains 4U Bob Pearman Books Joe Lock Model Railways Layouts 4 U Digitrains Cheltenham Model Centre Ten Commandments Freestone Model Accessories Plus Daughters... and Granddaughter The Little Layout Company Hobby Holidays Model Roads and Tramways (MRT) Air Framed H & A Models Megapoints Controllers Skytrex (2013) Ltd Severn Models The Craftlight Company 3D Printing Corner SM Models Ron Connor Totem Signs James Green Artist Demonstrations Card Buildings from scratch Will Heath Loco crew & figure painting GC Weathering All types of soldering Rob Bishop 7mm Kit building Jon Gardner & Robin Arkinstall Building stock and locos in 4mm Tony Wright Societies Gauge O Guild St Neots MRC Club stand B17 Locomotive Trust Battle of Britain 92 Squadron Kettering & District MRC Corby & District MRC Northampton & District MRC Northampton Society of Model Engineers

Here is the layout list for the show 45C Westlands OO gauge Moorside Valley Railway N gauge Feltham Road MPD OO gauge Frackingham O gauge Nonsuch O 16.5NG Penna Lane TMD OO gauge Farmers Drove N gauge Coleford OO9 gauge Fryton Z gauge Hampton End G scale Chelma Canyon ON30 (USA) 1 in 48th scale Gneiss Cider Gn15 1 in 24th scale Burnham OO gauge Copper Wort OO gauge Burdale Quarry O gauge Middleton OO gauge Shabbey Road OO gauge for children to operate Smrzovka TT 3mm scale (Czech) St Martin de Boschville Gauge 1 plus 1 in 35 scale military (French) The Vale Maentwrog 4mm NG (Welsh) Dock Green Loco O gauge Zanesville HO gauge (USA) Coldharbour Lane O gauge Roberts No 2 O Gauge Tigley Yard O Gauge Cameo Callaton 2mm Finescale Zweiburg N gauge (German) Portsea 3mm Stamford East N gauge The Great Minion Railway OO gauge Fredstone Lane N gauge Bewdley OO gauge Bear Creek N gauge (Canadian) Sixpenny Handley & Bartholomew's Hollow OO gauge Wattisham & Combs N gauge Barental & Dorf HOm (Swiss) Blackgang Gauge 3 (Isle of Wight Amiens 1918 - Tracks & Trenches OO9 Priory Lane N gauge Fen End Pit G1

The East Anglian Model Railway Exhibition, on June 8th & 9th has a new venue and new dates. The show, organised by St Neots Model Railway Club, now has a bigger, better venue. We are going to the single level exhibition space in the Arena at Kettering Conference Centre, NN15 6PB, This is a permanent move following the closure of the Arena at Wood Green Animal Charity Centre. If you loved this show when it was in Godmanchester, you will love it even more now. There are 40 (yes 40!) layouts for you to see in all of the popular gauges including some continental and, many that have not been seen in this part of the country before. There will be 31 traders who will be selling all the much needed items required for making the hobby come to life, and this year, we also have six demonstrators showing you various modelling techniques, and we are pleased to welcome representatives from the local Northamptonshire model clubs and other associated societies from further afield. If you are travelling by train, the vintage bus will be doing free transfers to and from Kettering Railway Station. For those travelling by car, there will be plenty of free parking with a free bus running to overflow car parks. The show is open from 10am - 5pm on Saturday 8th June and 10am - 4pm on Sunday 9th June. Advance tickets can be purchased here: https://www.stneotsmrc.com/advanced-ticket-purchase Advance ticket holders will be allowed entry from 09.45am on both days. For more information see https://www.stneotsmrc.com/exhibition-news John K

Suggest this might be better on the JMRI io group. John K

We use JMRI with Withrottle server and now we have abandoned fixed hardware panels. The panel appears on whatever mobile device the operator is using and routes are set (or simple turnout changes) made by tapping the screen. The latest layout will uses Raspberry Pi 3B+ with a touch screen as the base computer. For the record the DCC system underlying our setups is Lenz. John K

I'd use the MX634D. John K

You might do better in the DCC Sound section. The stuff you are asking is not sale specific John K

The big pics are brilliant Nick. I love the super detailed view. John

Hi Tim I use MX645s for most O gauge applications What is the loco and what motor /gearbox are you using. John K

Just four days to go now. The photo is of Mosquito Falls, a Canadian On30 layout by De Haviland MRS John

Me to Adrian. I though i'd repeat a flyer. This one has the correct postcode NN15 6PB

Just two weeks to go to the Guild Spring Event at Kettering. As a taster, this is Willowbrook Marsh by Nigel Adams John K

How about [File] [Print] as in this screenshot? But why do you want to print it. JMRI is a computer tool, putting it on paper seems a but odd. John