Last weekend I was at the Salisbury Railex held at Thruxton motor circuit.
The big story of the weekend was of course the heat - with the temperature into the 30's. Unfortunately, I was in the pavilion, which was a hybrid of tent and greenhouse... and was hotter inside than standing in the sun outside. By the Sunday, we had fans, which helped.
Several layouts had unexplained running issues by the afternoon, probably due to the heat. And Jamie assured me that his fiddle yard tracks used to be straight and parallel...
I was there with Loctern Quay (which the organisers insisted on spelling as Lochtern!).
Next to me was David Marshall with his 009 Harringford Light Railway, which is a different spin on the inglenook theme. David is an ex Sussex Downs group member, now living in Salisbury and a member of the club organising the show, and kindly put me up for the weekend.
The other side was Jamie Warne with his delightful Sandy Shores, making three 009 layouts in a row.
Over in the air conditioned main building (where some people were wearing jumpers), Ian Morrison's Kaninchenbau (HOe) completed the narrow gauge line-up.
Here's a sample of the standard gauge layouts, which also included an inglenook, Express Daisy Sidings (EM).
Exton Quay (OO)
Ravenscar & Torstead (N)
Royal Albert Bridge (N)
Canute Road Quay (OO)
Helland Wharf (OO)
Lantra Quay (OO - dual gauge)
Brighton East (OO)
Unfortunately, the show seemed quiet, especially in the afternoons. This was likely due to being a bank holiday weekend and the start of the school half-term week (the dates being dictated by the venue's race calendar), perhaps worsened by the heatwave and by the venue being quite remote. Many could be put off by a long drive on a hot day with the risk of holiday traffic. I hope there were enough visitors to cover the club's costs, but did feel especially for the traders.
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