Thank you, the excellent UK Model Shop Directory. Through their free newsletter (if you aren't signed up, you should be) I found out that Stratford & District MRC were putting on a show a few miles from my home. It was on a Sunday, I was free, so I trundled along.
One-day little shows used to be my favourite ones to do as an exhibitor. No stress, just turn up, play trains and go home. Lots of chat but if things weren't going well, it didn't seem to matter as much as at a larger event where I'll always tend to set myself a high bar.
Anyway, the show was at Tiddington bowls club and I arrived after lunch to find it as busy as you might expect. Around the room were a series of club and members layouts. In the centre a table full of second-hand items.
Sadly, no cake. Booo.
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One of the reasons I like little shows is because it's where you find layouts that have hardly been seen. New to me was the club layout Chippenham Junction. It's N gauge, as were most of the layouts actually, and is showing a great deal of promise. I liked the viaduct end which has plenty of different ground levels - just like real life. Buildings are scratchbuilt and with a bit of weathering to tone the newness down, I can see me wanting to take a more professional view in the future.
Another layout I liked is this little OO display. If I had to pick a model I'd like to build, it would be this one with the much-modified Metcalf models and a distincly industrial feel. Sadly, there were running issues. but that doesn't detract from the look.
While there wasn't anything imediatly featurable in a mag, every layout was the product of someone's love and attention. This is the grass roots of the hobby - something a lot of people seem to forget. Everyone seemed to be having fun, and so in my book, they were doing the hobby right.
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