National Festival of Railway Modelling at the NEC

There was quite a large show fitted around the Peco Rail200 stand! It has been many years since I have got to an exhibition at the NEC, and there is certainly enough to occupy a day there. Now run by Warners/BRM, there were a few attractions for kids like the ride-on train and Kato mini-module making, and the get-a-marble-in-the-train game. And why not? There's plenty for older kids too, with around 60 layouts you didn't have to like everything. Lots of trade too, including some of the big RTR manufacturers. I'd like to see more small suppliers/manufacturers able to attend, but there was quite a variety and I picked up a few odds and ends. Rapido took the limelight with a 1:1 model of a future release...

There was also a "theatre" with a schedule mixing videos with live speakers, I was a little cynical but actually found it quite good. I caught part of a panel of YouTubers (not that I spend much time on YouTube), a weathering talk, and a Q&A with Simon Kohler (ex-Hornby). I will admit I found it a useful place to sit and have a coffee or sandwich! Nonetheless, it made it feel more like a convention than just a show. 

With so many layouts I focused on those I liked or inspired me, not that the others weren't good too, but there was something for everyone. Anyway, here are some that caught my attention, starting with the narrow gauge layouts of course. For some reason, the show guide doesn't give the layout owner/builder's name.

Ashover Butts (009) - David Wright

Millthorpe Light Railway (009)

Donnersbachkogel (HO, HOm) 

Shadows of Exmoor (NG7 / O16.5), with both Lynton and Barnstaple modelled.

Penrhyn Quarries (10mm:ft)

Lynnbach (009) - Ian Arkley

Kreuzweg (HOm)

Dawlish Warren (N)

Shepherdswell EKR (OO), modelled on the Colonel Stephens line. 

James Street (N). This is a huge, busy, and finely modelled layout, but for me the harbour stands out. I saw it at Chatham and was impressed then too, though you do feel like you need binoculars to see it all!

Hassel Harbour Bridge (O) - Alsager Railway Association. This bridge must be about 5' tall, and there's a working wagon lift on the right.

Brick Coast Main Line (Lego) with an even bigger bridge!

Stern Point (O) - inspired by Spurn Point it is characterfully bleak, with lighthouse.

Ullapool (O)

Richmond (N) - Peter Brown

Shelfie 2 (OO).

Strood Dock (O). Both loco and Clyde Puffer emitted smoke.

Donaghadee Railway Station (OO), based on a station in Northern Ireland, with a superbly modelled harbour and lighthouse.

Eastgate Harbour (OO), the detailed ship models rather steal the attention from the trains, though there is a harbour station on the right. This layout also had a lighthouse - I made that 3 in one show! 

More nautical modelling, I particularly liked the Jaws reference! In the distance, sheep on the quayside moved in their pen while making sheep noises, and the Lyceum Theatre had a detailed interior with organ and audience. 

Rail200 - The Grand Finale

The Rail200 competition culminated at the National Festival of Railway Modelling at the NEC last weekend. I went along on Sunday to find Whittingly Hospital connected to other modular entries. 

I took a few wagons and a loco to make it look less abandoned. I'd forgotten to take a spare set of batteries for the lights though, which expired after an hour or so on Sunday morning. My calculations of how long they would last were rather optimistic, unless they'd been left on since Friday night!

I have to say the Peco team had done a great job to connect together around 30 modules, which they'd not seen before, complete with 90 and 180 degree corners, for trains to run through. A clever DCC system was able to run several trains at once, detecting their location through current draw, and slowing or stopping trains to keep them spaced apart. Apparently it all worked first time!

Of course, not all the trains were appropriate to all the modules! 

When I started this challenge, it was not just about making a model/diorama/layout, but about taking part in something to celebrate 200 years of railways. That's why I chose to enter the modular category, and so I was delighted that my model was selected to be one of the 40+ (out of around completed 250 entries and 650 boards sold) to be shown at the exhibition. Those who have seen the December Railway Modeller may have noticed that Whittingly even made the shortlisted top 5 within the modular over-16s category!

Congratulations to the winner in the same category, Joseph Laurence, for his Project New Street - a near-scale depiction of a corner of this well known major station. 

And the runner up Mike Tomlinson, for Mind The Gap! A model of an underground station including a section of Mail Rail. Both are highly original, well-modelled and eye-catching!

Congratulations too to the other category winners and runners up. Awards were given out by Pete Waterman on Sunday afternoon. Overall, it seemed well organised and brought enjoyment to lots of people, hopefully getting some modelling for the first time. It was especially good to see the good range of entries from the youngsters in the under-16 categories. 

I intended to take photos of all the entries there, but looking through I realised I have missed some. So, here's an incomplete record of the modular entries in no particular order...

Not all the finalists were in the modular categories, although there were fewer standalone entries on show. One of the attractions of the standalone category was that any scale and gauge could be used, whereas of course the modular entries had to be OO scale. So, here we have narrow gauge, N, TT, and even T scale. Another almost but not quite complete record of those on show...