Bognor Show

Last Saturday I took my son over to Felpham near Bognor, for the Bognor Regis MRC exhibition. It's all you'd expect for a local club show, with a good selection of layouts, though my favourites were of course the narrow gauge ones.



Tokar is a 009 layout by Peter White, set unusually in the desert in 1930's Sudan. This view of an oasis really sets the scene.



At the other end a busy scene in a desert town is full of life. An interesting and fun layout in a small space.



This O-16.5 layout I can't find in the program, but the station is named Nore Wood, and has some rather nice scenic work and buildings.



Not narrow gauge, but I liked this little train on a diorama - I think by one of the club's junior members. Very Titfield Thunderbolt, and nice weathering.

The show had good trade support too; my son managed to find a second hand Diesel loco (well priced) to spend his Christmas money on, while I managed to spend some money with what he calls my favourite stall - locally based Squires. I must have new project plans...

Bognor Show

I got over to the Bognor show on Saturday with my Son, who was desperate to spend some pocket money. There was a lot of trade support - though many of the stands were flogging similar stuff so I don't know how they got on, but Joshua found a nice wagon and I picked up some bits and bobs - I do find it hard to pass the Squires stand for one thing!

I was rather taken with this layout by (prolific layout builder) Andrew Knights called "Summer Springs on the New Cut", depicting a small (real) piece of the Norfolk Broads in OO. Despite being a very simple layout it was full of atmosphere and captured the area perfectly.

It even features the Coot Club.

"Lulworth Camp" (Mike Walshaw) also in OO made for a different take on a branch line terminus, with military railway operations adding interest and traffic.

"Selsey Town" (Keith Smith) is of course right up my street. It's not narrow gauge but as a tramway run by Colonel Stephens it had quirky stock and operations. The modelling here is superb - and 7mm scale allows lots of detail, though perhaps compromises the spacious open feel of the prototype. It is also very local to the exhibition venue!

This 7mm NG and SG interchange "Goosemoor Station Stores" (Tom Snook) is based on a real location on the West Somerset Mineral Railway. It's an attractive and interesting model, with some very nice industrial locos in both standard and narrow gauges.

There's a few more photos here. Meanwhile I'm progressing with the Atkinson-Walker loco, so I should have an update shortly.

Narrow Gauge in Bognor

Yesterday was the "SWING" Show organised by the South Downs 7mm Narrow Gauge Association. It's a nice little show with a good selection of narrow gauge and industrial layouts.

"The Loop" by Giles Favell is a 7mm scale layout depicting the interchange of a slate-carrying NG line with the standard gauge. Although the scenic area is just 4' by 2' it packs a surprising amount of operation and detail, and the scenic work is superb.

Khan by Julian Evison, is an 009 layout set in what is now Nambia, south-west Africa. Based on a might-have been development of a real line it depicts a steep climb up a mountain range, which makes for a distinctive and original model, that is fun and serious at the same time.

Halfway by Ken Jackson features both 0-16.5 and 09 (on the higher level) in a small space.

I could go on - there were lots more excellent layouts and live steam in the garden too - but I've posted pictures of more layouts here. I very enjoyable show, with good trade support too.

SWING Show Bognor

Just a few of the better photos from the St Wilfred's Industrial and Narrow Gauge (SWING) show put on by the South Downs group of the 7mm NG society in Bognor today. A change of venue meant the St Wilfred's part is no longer valid, but hey, why change a witty name? Anyway a good friendly show with some interesting narrow gauge layouts.

Bognor Regis Show

Last weekend was the Bognor Regis Model Railway Club show, which was a good afternoon out with the lad. He especially enjoyed the kids "have-a-go" layout, and when we got home he wanted his train set out! Trade support was good with Squires and several suppliers selling more than just RTR boxes.

Fellow Sussex Downs 009 group member Tim Sanderson was there with his Elmsgate & Thatcham Light Railway, which is surprisingly busy to operate despite it's modest size - I should know, I have had the pleasure of operating it.

Kolne USW (H0) by the Wealden Railway Group took my fancy as a small shunting layout (operated as a puzzle), with added passenger interest, and very nice Scenics. Unusually my son liked it too - he normally likes bigger and busier layouts! This scene is very nicely done - fun by the lake? Take a closer look and all is not what it seems! I didn't notice the sign at the time but Pharmaceuticals company Bayer are a big employer in Cologne.

Nuenbruckenbahn (N, Iris & David Guscott) was an Alps scene with rabbit-warren track-plan, working cable cars, and interesting if implausible scenery. It may offend the purist but it was fun and very popular with the kids (mostly guessing which tunnel the train would appear from), and that in my book is a good thing!

Gorringe Park Depot (00 - Denis Stevens) was a neatly modelled modern-image MPD, a bit of a cliché perhaps but with good reason. I thought the setting looked likely (unlike some of this genre), and this scene combined even more clichés ... I like someone with a sense of humour!

A day out in Bognor

On Saturday I took the boy over to Bognor for the second "SWING" (St Wilfreds Industrial and Narrow Gauge) show, having been last year and heard on-line the layouts that were to be there I had high expectations - and was not dissapointed. Perhaps as a fan of all things narrow-gauge and industrial in railway terms that should not be a surprise, but there were 11 superb layouts (not a dud one there) in this small, friendly show. A good range of scales and themes too. OK I had seen about 3 of them at other NG shows recently, but all were worth seeing again. The hall felt a little less crowded and cramped than last year, which was no bad thing and I suspect due to better planning and smaller layouts rather than number of exhibits, I also understand numbers were slightly down. But it was a great show of layouts and well worth a trek accross the county! Here are a few pictures, see the whole set here.



I enjoyed all the layouts so much it would be hard for me to pick a favourite, however perhaps the most impressive layout in terms of modelling was "Selsey Town Station - 1925" in 0 scale by Keith Smith. I understand this won best layout and it is easy to see why. Not only was the modelling of the unusual loco's and stock (including the Colonel Stevens railbuses) carried out to a high standard, but also the scenic work, and it had really captured the character of the Selsey Tramway (that was not too far from where the exhibition took place).



The first photo above is Nick Pidgley's "Touchwood", his first layout in 0-16.5 scale. Having seen my cassette fiddle-yards in action he decided to try it in the larger scale, using the pipe cover for double 22mm diameter pipes rather than 15mm as I used in 009. As you can see below it does work, he has also fitted his fiddle yard with neat shelves for storing cassettes, and had a good idea of using "T" section plastic pushed into slots at the end of the cassettes to prevent stock from escaping. Tom Dauben's "Dunbracken" layout was also at the show, now featuring the same cassette system - I really should have patented that idea!!

SWING-ing in Bognor

No, I've not been out on the town ... but I did get a last minute oppotunity to go to the St Wilfreds Industrial and Narrow Gauge (SWING according to the organisers!) show in Bognor today, albeit with 2-year-old in tow so I didn't get decent pictures of every layout, but I published the better ones here:

http://campbell-modelrailway.fotopic.net/c1687758.html

I think this is a new show, and it could be said that the hall was a little crowded, it was a bit tricky to move around the layouts, and there wasn't much trade support. However there was a great selection of layouts - 12 in total, focusing on narrow gauge and industrial railways in a good range of scales - not a dud one amongst them. Most are rarely seen locally too, though 2 were from my local 009 group and I had seen 3 or 4 elsewhere, 2 of then at EXPO-NG which I think is a testament to the general qality of layouts. Well worth the trip!