Andover Modelex 2014

A pleasant Sunday morning spent at this exhibition. Pleasant, because fewer people attending on a Sunday meant exhibits could be viewed more comfortably.

At least twenty layouts and many traders spread over two large school halls. A couple of scenic 7mm scale layouts caught my eye, one of them being Swyncombe. The thing about a scenic 7mm or O gauge, apart from its size, is that a lack of modelled detail is more noticeable than in the smaller scales. Thankfully, not the case here.

My 'best layout' award goes to Much Murkle, a 1930s GWR barnchline. On first look I could not make out what gauge this finely detailed layout is and enquired if it was EM.

"No" came the reply, "it's 00 gauge".
"What track components did you use?"
"None, its Peco."

Well that was a surprise as it looked modelled.

"And its code 100".

Now I was speechless. I have never seen Peco code 100 looking as realistic as this.

It took a while for me to realise that what fooled me was the extensive weathering applied to the track work and the removal of the bumps from the electrofrog turnouts' tie bars. The weathering cleverly disguised the code 100 bulky rail profile.

At this mid-size sized exhibition I was not expecting to find many of my purchase requirements from the trade. How wrong could I be. All but one from my list was obtained, most of which were rather specialist.  I must give a plug to 'Rural Railways', a trader who only operates from exhibitions. He has a wide stock of 'bits and pieces for bringing your model railway to life' This time he had a Bulleid unrebuilt West Country safety valves implant I needed for my GBL BoB project. Now that is an obscure item and one that normally may only be found at dedicated finescale exhibitions like Expo Em.

Oh, the one item I did not find was standard Humbol enamel paint, would you believe.