Chatham 2025 and a nice surprise

This weekend I was at the Chatham show with Hexworthy. I can't do shows without help, so a big thanks to John Crane helping on Saturday and Mike Fox on Sunday. Here's Mike operating the layout. 

I've never been to the Chatham show before, it's held in the historic dockyard which I'd visited with the family some years ago. With about 30 layouts and lots of trade it's a big show, and seemed well organised.

The venue is one of the old shipbuilding sheds, normally used as a car park, so it was large, a little draughty and dusty, rather dark (despite the phone photo), but fortunately given the heavy rain on Saturday, mostly free of leaks. The aisles were wide so exhibitors could drive in and unload (handy in the rain) and meant plenty of space for the crowds. 

Outside this lovely little loco was doing "driver for a tenner" duties. Inside between the many traders (lots selling very similar stuff) there were around 30 layouts, so something for everyone. Here's just a few that caught my eye.

Across the hall was Bill Flude with his delightful O9 layout Bunkers Lane.

I am jealous of the open uncluttered feel of Leysdown of the Sheppey Light Railway by Adrian Colenutt in P4, but then it is a big layout for a simple terminus. Many might have been tempted to squeeze more in. 

This WW1 train ferry is part of a model of Richborough Port in 1918 in N gauge by River MRC. The detail was fantastic, lighting and a backscene would have really helped though!

This was an impressive model of the Royal Albert Bridge in N gauge by the Basingstoke and North Hants MRS. Apparently it was part of a Great Model Railway Challenge TV show layout.

James Street is a huge N gauge layout, viewable on all 4 sides and with no fiddle yard. There's a lot of track and so always something running, you might think this would make for an unrealistic layout, but no. The modelling is really impressive, especially given the size of the layout, look at the detail of those boats and the dockyards and the rows of houses. The subtle colouring and high standard of modelling means it's hard to believe it is N, and it seemed to run as well as it looked too. 

This is a model of the Bowaters Paper Mill Railway, which was a 2' 6" gauge railway linking paper mills at Sittingborne and Kemsley and Ridham dock in Kent, and is now partly preserved. The model is in O16.5 by St Neots MRC. The setting is one of the paper mills, the buildings are highly detailed including interiors - look at the mess building on the left. 

The locos have really captured the presence and atmosphere of the prototypes, as do the wagons loaded with paper rolls. Just the right amount of weathering too.

The lighting varied from day to night, although I thought the tone a bit odd and sadly it threw the front of the models into shadow, it did give an overcast feel that was quite effective. 

Probably the biggest "wow" factor was the Lego "Brick Coast Main Line" by the Lego UK Railway group - this model of the Forth railway bridge must have stood over 4' tall and was hugely impressive. The trains were impressively detailed too - remember, this is all made from Lego. 

I was surprised to be presented with a trophy for (third) best layout! How good is that? There was a judging panel so this is the choice of railway modellers. Hexworthy got lots of nice comments so people seemed to like it - especially the playground of course - and a few enquiries about exhibitions too. 

Pevensey Bay MRC exhibition

Yesterday I took Hexworthy to the Pevensey Bay Model Railway Club exhibition, held in Eastbourne. 

The layout mostly performed well, the odd coupling glitch aside. Thanks to Tim Sanderson for helping out, and providing a Tal-y-llyn train. Here are a few of the other layouts.

Somewhere in France (Peter Capon) was the only other 009 layout, based on the trench railways of WW1 it portrayed the different areas behind the front. 

Mertonford Summer 1983 (HO) by Andrew Knights. 

Swingate Crossing (OO) by Jonathon Austin is a model of  a place on the Hellingly Hospital Railway, of particular interest given my current hospital-railway project.

Frittenden Road (O) by Andy Chant depicts a Colonel Stephens style light railway.

Not sure which OO layout this is but may have been St Mellion by Southwark & District MRC, a nicely modelled Clyde Puffer style boat, although it could do with being tied up!

Rhiw (OO) by Chris Ford and Nigel Hill. 

Hexworthy will be out again in a couple of weeks at the Chatham show, maybe see you there!

Wessex NG Modellers Open Day 2025

Yesterday the Wessex Narrow Gauge Modellers held an open day, a rather smaller affair than the Narrow Gauge South exhibition held by the same group on "even" years. However, the community hall venue had two rooms allowing a good number of 009 (and HOe/HOn30) layouts as well as the 009 Society sales stand and a trader. It was also an appropriate location for a community of like-minded modellers to meet, with lots of chatting going on.

The first layout I saw was Nic Arthur's Bowcombe. I've liked all of Nic's layouts and this one is no exception. The subtle scenery and detailing create an atmospheric scene.

Back to the 70's by Tim Ticknell takes an old Cyril Freezer "rabbit warren" track plan and makes it work while looking natural and plausible, and unmistakably Welsh. I love it. 

David Marshall helped his grandson Daniel to build Harringford, he said the Inglenook track plan was partly influenced by Loctern Quay. It reminds me of my son's layout Slugworth, built when he was 11, which also used adapted Metcalf kits. Viewers were invited to have a go at the shunting puzzle.

Saith Ar Hugain by Christopher Payne is built in a plastic storage box, and shows a delightful layout can be built in a very small space and easily stored.

Wissey Creek by Stuart Reeve captures the Fens with a lovely composition. 

Julian Evison's Selborne, which was built as part of a group modular scheme, but is cleverly designed to work just as well as a standalone layout.

Richard William's Gemto: Ikkehavn is a quirky layout set on an island between Denmark and Norway. Richard demonstrated that like my layout Hexworthy, despite having just four points, the layout can hold four trains...

East Quay by John Niblett

A couple of modules of the "Freem009" modular layout by the Wessex NG modellers.

Devil's Bridge by Andy Cundick, the well-known prototype modelled in the early 1900s.

Kaninchenbau is a computer-controlled slice of the Alps by Iain Morrison. Since the trains move apparently at random, I was quite lucky to capture 5 in one shot!

A great day out and I do hope it is repeated in future. 

Sussex Downs 009 group Members' Day 2025

Last Saturday the Sussex Downs 009 group held our first "Members' day" exhibition since 2019. It was at a community hall in Hurstpierpoint, a new venue a little smaller and more remote than our previous venue in Lancing, but handy for the main routes through Sussex and lower cost to keep entry fees low. I'm pleased to report the day went well, with a good number of visitors and we more than covered costs, so perhaps we won't wait as long until we do it again! A big thanks to all those who helped make it happen, and those who brought their layouts along for the day. 

The group's own layout, Much Ditheryn, is not yet complete and the scenery is a bit bare, but promises to be an attractive layout. 

The Old Quarry - Tim Sanderson. A scenic layout with a continuous run in a small space. 

Killington Lane - Phillip Pilcher. Originally built by the late Tony Peart, the layout depicts the current terminus of the preserved Lynton and Barnstaple as if it was extended further. 

Ferness - Ian Roberts; the only layout at the show not 009, this freelance layout is inspired by the Dalmunzie estate railway in Scotland and modelled in 1:32 scale, 16.5mm gauge.

Ghum - Phil Savage. Based on the station of that name on the Darjeeling Himalayan railway, the layout features the winding line following the hillside and road, and a spiral. The scenics are not yet complete, but are impressive nonetheless. 

Asham Cement Works - Chris O'Donoghue. This layout is inspired by paintings by Eric Ravilious of a Sussex chalk pit. 

Consolidated Oil Ventures Incorporated (Dorset) Ltd - Stephen Fulljames. Started during lockdown, this inglenook layout is the first layout Stephen has completed - it looked great and worked well. Like my Loctern Quay, Stephen has multi-coloured layouts and flash cards.

Wickhambreux Road - David Marshall. 

And finally, my own Hexworthy. 

If you came along, I hope you enjoyed it!