You know you're in the right cue at the station when everyone at the bus stop also looks like they are going to Scaleforum. Let's just say there wasn't much designer wear or backward baseball cap action going on and the average age would have been over half a century...
My reason for visiting wasn't a desire for finescale action but shopping. Scaleforum has excellent specialist trade and I was in need of some bits'n'pieces. That and I fancied a train ride.
It's a not a show full of layouts, but those that are there are interesting. My favourite was Richard Harper's Sidmouth, not because it was operated by members of my local club, nor that some of the buildings on the model should be home VW motorhome converters Devon. No, it just looks right and is beautifully modelled.
My snaps don't do the model justice, and if I'm honest, I don't think the recent MRJ piece did either. One feature that works well for viewers, if not those carrying it in and out of a show, is the baseboard depth. The station looks spacious rather than cramped, exactly how it should. With this basic feature right, the really sharp modelling only guilds the lilly.
Next door was my other favourite - Shelvington.
Well modelled and with bucket loads of eye-catching detail, I didn't think that a Unit based layout could be so interesting. Seeing the trains next to each other almost convinced me that they don't all look the same. Just very similar. Interesting though.
Shopping was good with stocks of all sorts of odd stuff replenished. There was a huge amount of chatting too - another good reason to make the trip.
It sounds like some of the visitors to model railway shows might be getting younger.
ReplyDeleteEither that, or I'm getting older.
I'm not sure which.
It was excellent I found as expected. Had a good time running the demu stand that weekend.
ReplyDeleteThanks Phil about Shelvington, I was on the layout and I painted 95% of it. we spoke I think about scale sound. Sorry about the delay only just seen this.
ReplyDelete