G-Rail has moved. Last year we were at Stafford showground, this year the Harvey Haddon centre in Nottingham.
The venue offered many advantages, not least a working mobile phone signal that was appreciated by the trade. Parking wasn't an issue, even though the leisure centre was open as normal. Inside, the hall was spacious and not nearly as agricultural as before. Even the cafe offered a decent range of food.
The show was, as usual, made up of a selection of working exhibition layouts and trade. Since I was working, my first few hours were taken up chatting about the magazine, so I missed out on plenty of bargains, and there were many to be had, but even by the end of the day, I managed to snap up a rolling road for a fiver!
Layout-wise, the eye-catcher for me had to be Chris Warby's Inglaterra. Set in a Cuban engine shed, the weathering and sense of dereliction was fantastic. I've not seen G gauge locos abused so thoroughly, or effectively before.
Another highlight of the show is always the modelling competition. G scale doesn't seem to attract "modellers" in quite the same way as 16mm does, but those that are working on 45mm gauge, turn out the most amazing result.
Larger scale modelling is encompassing much more than LGB in the flowerbed nowadays and it's great to see that there really is something for everyone, from bargain sets (£175 upwards) to truly astounding quality live steam.
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