WARLEY NATIONAL MODEL RAILWAY EXHIBITION 2017

The Warley National Model Railway Exhibition is held in Hall 5 at The National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham B40 1NT

November 25 - 26 [9:45am - 6:00pm]

This mammoth event will feature the O Gauge exhibition layout "Grindley Brook" from the Hillingdon Railway Modellers.

Entrance at the NEC Piazza. Free WIFI is now available within the hall, so instant sharing of what you are seeing will be one of the possibilities. There will be over 90 model railway layouts, and over 150 specialist trade stands too. 

Check out the Hillingdon Railway Modelers own Facebook page and show your support too. 

Their floor plan for the hall featuring all the exhibitors and trades can be downloaded from this LINK. 

O GAUGE CLASS M7 SOUTHERN REGION NO 42 [SOLD]

7mm SCALE [O GAUGE] CLASS M7 MODEL
BUILT FOR SOUTHERN REGION No.42

Most probably built from an old CCW Kit made from White Metal and Brass and the rest would have been scratch built by my late father. Not sure if it's his attempt at painting and lining but it's not the best if honest and maybe deteriorating with age as I know this was out on display for a long time at home. 

Believed to have a brass boiler and smoke stack but rest being white metal. Certainly the cab roof is made from that material and as a result is a lot heavier than other similar sized models that I had in my possession. Despite the paint job needing a little work it's still a very well built model and has the level of detail I see on all of Dads models. 

There's still plenty of detail inside and out as expected from one of Dads models, the paint job is in a Malachite Green rather than the later and what I would call the traditional Darker Green of the Southern Region. That probably helps to date the model a bit more into the early part of the 20th Century and I am still of the opinion that it would look even better with a fresh paint job and relined, of course that would need someone with a talent for such things. 

The model's roof is detachable which I feel was deliberate to allow access to the interior detail, it wasn't showing any signs of being broken just simply able to slide on and off. Could be easily fixed down on a permanent basis using any suitable brand of "super glue" or resin. The interior details are clear with brass pipes and levers, plus the Driver and Fireman figures, and all the external details are intact including rods, rails, buffers and brake pipework. 

Overall a very tidy looking model of it's age. 

BY TRAIN TO WINDSOR CENTRAL AND RIVERSIDE ...

 ... THE LONG WAY AROUND!
Recently took a day out to travel to Windsor but instead of the train from Feltham I went on a bit of a tour via Hayes and Harlington and then Slough so I could have the short ride over the Thames and into Windsor Central station.
 
Our journey took us out on the route 90 bus to HAYES AND HARLINGTON station, this was a regular haunt of mine when I was a young boy and a trainspotter, now it's the junction for the trains to Heathrow and appears that a recent addition is the reintroduction of the old parcels bay platform, now platform 5, where there are regular services back to London Paddington formed by class 387 GWR electrics no doubt reliving congestion on commuter services. The picture (right) showing the pending departure of an 8 coach service from the bay platform at Hayes back to London while our incoming service to Reading is about to arrive and will take us up to Slough station where we will change in order to pick up the branch line to Windsor Central.
 
SLOUGH (Home to the Slough and Windsor Railway Society (below)). Changing trains here at Slough to pick up the short branch line round to Windsor Central station from platform 1. While waiting for the shuttle service noted that the Slough and Windsor Railway society is located across the car park in what appears to be part of the old Grade II listed station and is known as "the manor". 

The Society is the custodian for Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0ST "Slough Estates Ltd No.3", a 1924-built steam locomotive which operated for 50 years on the Slough Trading Estate Railway and has been loaned out to run on the Middleton Railway in Yorkshire. Our short wait for the Windsor service allows us to enjoy a few passing HST's (just like being a kid) but I miss the variety of waiting for a Class 47/50. The branch line is connected to the London bound main line but rarely used, only for stock movement and the occasional royal service. 
Our train arrives and we make the busy six minute trip into WINDSOR CENTRAL GWR Station built 1849 (opened 8th October as Windsor). 
Completely redeveloped over the years and now just the single platform with max room for three coaches, though the redevelopment work has been designed to still look like a Victorian Station of the GWR. Allowing for the tourists to depart first you step out with Windsor Castle ahead of you and have to walk through the many coffee and gift shops before you can exit properly out onto the main high street with the walls of Windsor Castle ahead of you. 

WINDSOR AND ETON RIVERSIDE

Built by London and South Western Railway in 1849 (opened on 1st December 1849) the second station to open in the town that year, now run by the new franchise known as South Western Railway. 

They've taken over but are yet to re-brand their stock which will of course take time though they have acquired some of the lovely new trains (Class 707, below) which I was able to hop on and take back home to Feltham. 

They do have that "new" smell and feel to them, a nice ride back compared to some of the older stock I can remember running this route. 

46th ANNUAL WIGHT MODEL RAILWAY GROUP EXHIBITION 2017

Saturday 4th November 2017 - Sunday 5th November 2017

LOCATION: 
Medina Leisure Centre, Fairlee Road
Newport, Isle of Wight   PO30 2DX

OPENING TIMES: 
SATURDAY 10am - 5pm    SUNDAY 10am - 4.30pm
ADMISSION: 
Adults £6.00  Concessions £6.00 
Children £3.50  Family £15.00  

This will be their 46th annual show and will once again be at the Medina Leisure Centre in Newport. Good access by car or public transport which is great if you are already on the Island, but if you are travelling over from the mainland then you will either need to drive or use the Southern Vectis bus no.9 (Ryde-Newport via Fairlee) which stops right outside every 20 minutes. The leisure centre is about 15 minutes walk from Newport Town centre, from the mainland, passenger ferries arrive at Ryde (for bus no.9) or West Cowes (bus no.1). They have also agreed to let us use the leisure centre car park for FREE this year. Entrance fee is still fixed at 2014 prices which includes a complimentary show guide.

The exhibition is in a large gymnasium hall, 10,000 sq.feet / 936 sq. metres which the council assure us will be heated this year! It has good, step free access throughout and is suitable for push chairs and disabled people. Because the leisure centre closed it's cafeteria last year we will be providing refreshments ourselves this year. 


List of Layouts Attending :

Ventnor
00 Scale "Might Have Been" 
 - Set in Ventnor, Isle of Wight (right). 

Children's Playground - 00 scale layout where 'Thomas and Friends' rush around all day until the children stop playing with them and go home. 


Howbourne - N Gauge Layout.
  - Set in 1970s South Wales Preservation Era.Tilgate - Club Members' 00 Scale Layout. 
  - 1960s Southern Electrics, steam and diesel services. 
High Falls Logging - 00n9 / Mixed Gauge Layout. 
Chapel Falls N Gauge 
Grafham Water DCC Layout Set in East Anglia 1960s 
New Mere P4 Finescale. Developed Since Last Year's Show. 
Newport West N Gauge 
Schonfrau BBW Z Gauge Micro Layout 
Smartsvill N Gauge Layout 
Streetley 00 Scale Shunting Puzzle. 
Tarrant Valley Railway OO9 42 Foot Long! 
The Hill N Gauge Layout. 
Gauge 1 Demonstration Layout 92 Feet Long! 
Sandown MRC Club Member Layout N Gauge.
Vintage Hornby Trains 0 Gauge Splendour!

Wimborne Station (left)
00 Gauge 
 -- Highly detailed layout of the station and its trains in the 1960s 




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