42nd Farnham Show

What a fantastic show! Of course, that depends on your perspective but for me I saw some wonderful layouts.

20 layouts and umpteen traders across four halls in Aldershot, Hants. On first entering the exhibition the first layout on display captivated me. Red Hook Bay (HO) has a plethora of well modelled buildings, boats and cameo scenes where the railway is almost incidental. If only it was a British landscape and not American I thought as I pondered that this could be my Best In Show - and I have only seen one layout! How wrong could I be.

The next model that drew me in was The Worlds End, another Peter Goss masterpiece. He who created the atmospheric Rowlands Castle, which was featured on BBC TV Local News as the Parish on which the model is based want to buy it. 

The Worlds End (00) is a similar concept to Red Hook Bay, being a whole community of exquisite model buildings and people set in cameo scenes. As with Red Hook Bay the railway is incidental in the landscape being only a two track main line with station, although the castellated railway viaduct is a dominant feature.

Very difficult to choose a Best in Show but I have to give it to Wickwar (N) [below]. The modelling is also to a high standard and the almost seamless integration of three dimensional  foreground to two dimensional back scene gives it such depth. The layout also featured an integrated Faller road system and an animated figure - in N gauge would you believe! A woman flagging down a vehicle that duly stops at the bus stop (incredible).

I did not have a shopping list this time but came away with some Hornby Zero 1 accessories at prices that could not be refused, comprising 2 chips and a walkabout controller for my own layout that cost significantly less than Ebay prices, and the trader had many reasonably priced RTR boxed locomotives too.

Once again I find the best second hand bargains not on Ebay but, at a model railway show. (Not wishing to deride Ebay as it has its use).