Slugworth & Co. at the Steyning Show (WRG)

Yesterday Joshua and I were at the Wealden Railway Group show, a small local show back this year in Steyning but on a Sunday to avoid car-park fees. We had his layout Slugworth & Co with us, which seemed to prove popular with the more mixed family audience (compared to EXPO-NG and our 009 group members' day), although the sweets might have been a factor there. Even Joshua got bored of explaining 009 though (no it's not N-gauge!).

The WRG have the motto "Layouts you can live with", which means small layouts you can have at home. My favourite sort really, and there was a good selection of layouts in a variety of scales and themes.

It was a first opportunity to see Chris Ford's new layout, Dury's Gap, a re-cycling of his O16.5 layout as a OO gauge shunting yard, with a sea (or river) side theme. It has the uncluttered, slightly desolate feel of many of Chris' layouts with some nicely modelled weathered huts.



I had a go at operating too, and it is more entertaining than it looks with limitations on loop and head-shunt length.

I don't think there was a program (or at least I didn't get one) so I don't remember the name of this French layout, but it was nicely detailed and the fishing trawler is impressive.

Giles Barnabe had this little US outline layout in 5.5mm scale, 16.5mm gauge (i.e. 3'), which he was offering for sale. That unusual but rather nice combination must have taken a lot of explaining, he even had to explain it to me. It is rather easily mistaken for HO from a few feet away!

This N gauge (or 2mm finescale) model of Kyle of Lochalsh is impressive, this scene is only about 2' long and a few inches deep.

The 7mm NGA had a small layout with their stand, I liked this little corner.

A good enjoyable day out, thanks to Andrew and the Wealden Railway Group for hosting us.