Hexworthy at Aldershot

This coming weekend I will be taking Hexworthy to the Farnham & District MRC exhibition in Aldershot. Full details of the show are here.  The line-up of layouts looks excellent, so well worth a visit - and do say hello if you do!

Worthing exhibition 2026

On Saturday I popped into my local exhibition by Worthing Model Railway Club, held at a new venue which had space for a reasonable number of layouts. The programme doesn't have much detail and I didn't make notes... but here are a few of the layouts. 

Not sure if this layout was listed in the programme, a rather traditional GWR branch line terminus in OO, with some nicely modelled and characterful buildings. 

Wendover was a very fine detailed model in 4mm scale. Sadly, the lighting was directly overhead making photography tricky. 

The Cruel Sea featured this highly detailed model corvette along with a dockyard - in N. The scene is inspired by an old movie. The subtle colouring and lighting is very effective. Operation was a bit less interesting - two trains shuttling at speed on separate tracks - I don't think that's what this one is about. 

Thredy's Wharf (O gauge) had this nice mobile crane. 

It also had a loco shed at the front of the layout, with the detailed interior open to view - a rather neat idea and nicely done. 

Small Dole Sidings (OO) was a modern image Inglenook shunting puzzle, working rather well. 

Larger and Lime Works - American NG in On30.

Wandleford (OO), a simple yet effective layout for watching trains go by. 

My favourite feature is the garden at the front, hosting a charity open garden event with stalls visible at the far end, it also has a working miniature railway (the blur passing the lawn!). 

Tittleworth was the only 009 layout. A bit of a rabbit warren, it looks nice enough if a little crowded with tracks. The RTR trains were rather short, and disappeared off stage for long periods before another appeared. It's party trick was that it was fully automated - note the operating colour light signals.

I took a peek around the back - like an iceberg, two-thirds of the layout was out of sight, which explains the long pause between trains. The electronics is rather frightening - this layout was part of the MERG stand and shows the electronics can become a hobby within the hobby. 

My favourite layout was Canute Road Quay, a OO shunting layout set in Southampton docks. A Cameo-style shelf layout it's compact and relatively simple in layout, but looks right. 

The engine shed is tucked out of the way and is easy to miss. 

Bexhill Exhibition with Hexworthy

Yesterday I took Hexworthy to the Bexhill model railway exhibition. I was assisted by "local" Stephen Fulljames of Light Railway Stores, who brought a rake of the LRS exclusive GWR wagons by Rapido. Since the other end of the line to Hexworthy meets the GWR at Buckfastleigh, these seemed quite appropriate. 

The layout performed well and Stephen got the hang of operations quickly, which gave me time to check out the rest of the show. It was good to see a heavy narrow-gauge bias in the layouts! I didn't pick up a program so I don't have names. There were a couple of nice O16.5 layouts. 

And a a slate quarry in O14. The shed doors open, wagon turntables rotate, and the wagons are hauled in and out.

A busy and highly detailed On30 logging layout, with some characterful stock.

And a 009 layout featuring a zoo... with a private siding!

Yes, that is a zebra in the "cattle van"!

There were also some nice standard gauge layouts.

Salisbury Railex 2026

 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. 

Loctern Quay prep for Salisbury

Next weekend I'll be taking Loctern Quay to Salisbury Railex, which looks to be a good show in an interesting location - Thruxton motor circuit. 

Loctern doesn't need much prep, having been out once already this year, but I do check operation carefully including the couplings as they are critical for reliable operation on a shunting layout.

At Tonbridge I found the new "Whiting" tram loco couplings didn't behave, sometimes refusing to stay coupled. I think this was a combination of the longer shank couplings I'd used to clear the cowcatcher, and the curved approach when collecting wagons. I found a short shank coupling fitted and would work, just clearing the cowcatcher, and with a little adjustment it seemed to behave in testing with all wagons. 

There's only an extra couple of millimetres in the length of the shafts, so I wonder if the issue is as much about the leverage against the spring as it is the overhang. 

I also tested the WD Hunslet, since it is now running nicely, and it does look good on the quay. However, like the WD Baldwin when that is used, it must run cab end to the wagons since the overhang (from leading driver to coupling) at the smokebox end is so long. 

Look how far the coupling swings from the track centre-line!

I just need to finish loco testing and pack up. Do say hello if you are at the show.

Narrow Gauge South 2026

On Saturday I took Hexworthy to Narrow Gauge South - which I believe is the biggest NG show in the UK. 

I'm pleased to say it performed well, with the tweaks made over the last couple of weeks seeming beneficial. Thanks to Edward Malorie for assisting throughout the day. 

The big news from the show was the announcement of a new ready-to-run loco from Rapido - a Cranmore class Peckett, which is already at engineering prototype stage. Towards the end of the day I was asked if I'd like the prototype model to take a test run on the layout - well of course I would!

So here it is, along with a few prototype Rapido wagons too. It's a small loco, about the size of a quarry Hunslet, and very attractive. They're an ideal loco for many 009 layouts and I'm sure they will sell well. 

I can also confirm that it runs as well as it looks!

On to the rest of the show, but don't worry, I didn't photo all 30ish layouts. Hexworthy seemed to be next to the "Devon" end of the hall, which as well as a miniature railway 7 1/4" gauge Lynton & Barnstaple Manning-Wardle and the L&B preservation society, had a couple of L&B layouts. 

SHADOWS OF EXMOOR – Paul Steedman (O-16.5)

BLACKMOOR – Ian Lampkin  (009)

LONG SIBFORD – Oxford Group 009 Society (009). This modular layout has boards built by different group members, and included some characterful scenes. 

MYNYDD Y DDRAIG – Alan Monk (009)

A BYGONES WEEKED AT TAN-Y-BWLCH STATION – Richard Holder (009)

The Peco 009 layout built by Chris Ford as serialised in Railway Modeller.

BRIDPORT – Dave Taylor (O-16.5)

LLANFAIR RHYD – Aaron Matthews  (009)

PORTKINGSLEY – David Marshall (009) - this looks like it will be a characterful layout!

PORCUPINE CREEK – John Murrell (HOn30)

WISSEY CREEK – Stuart Reeve (009)

BOWCOMBE – Nic Arthur (009)

5.5 SCALE MODULAR GROUP - 5.5 (5.5mm scale on 16.5mm gauge) 

NETHERCOMBE QUARRY – Adrian Ponting  (O-16.5)

KEINDORF – Tim Tincknell (HOe)

DEVILS BRIDGE c.1904 – Andy Cundick (009)

TAN-Y-LLYN – Steve Flay (009)

KNAFF HALL – Toby Hollins-Jones  (Gn15)

FEÒRAG – Chris Odell (009)

TARRANT VALLEY RAILWAY – Stuart Webb   Layout  009

 An excellent day that passed too quickly.