Astolat MRC Exhibition 2015

I made time to pop into this exhibition in Guildford whilst on my way to somewhere else. Actually, three of us including wifey, who is not an enthusiast but enjoyed the exhibits none the less.

Astolat seems an odd name for a model railway club and I expected to see an explanation in the exhibition guide or on their website but, no! More digging around discovered the name to be that of a legendary city of Arthurian legends, which has been attributed to Guildford. So, for us foreigners we now know.

The venue was a school with exhibits spread over four small halls accessible from a rabbit warren of corridors, as is common in an old institution. No parking on site but luckily found space in free, 2 hour street parking nearby.

17 x layouts provided a good balance between 00 and N scales  together with 009, H0, EM and Sn2 representatives. A wide range of periods and territories with Australian and USA scenes alongside traditional UK locations.

The club's layout Priorsfield (00) has many staged cameo scenes that held interest for the visitor. Wipers Fish Hook and Menin Railway was most unusual, not only for its scale (Sn2: 1:64/9mm) but also for its depiction of a battlefield WW1 narrow gauge railway in a desolate frosted winter landscape with bombed out buildings and craters filled with iced over water.

My best in show goes to Dentdale (N), a very long double track line from the Settle & Carlisle railway set in the Yorkshire Dales. Realistically modelled with carefully constructed details, especially the buildings. During the show the period changes to show typical trains from the 1950s to the present day. The photos in this posting show present day trains.

Whilst the 17 traders included some variety there seemed to be an emphasis on second hand 00 items, fine for those wanting them but this time I needed new, 'N' scale accessories. My needs were not fulfilled except for some Xacto blades. I have sharpened my set so many times that they are getting worn out so, time for new ones.

GBL T9

For a long time I fancied a T9 locomotive (Hornby have/had marketed the class for quite some time) but I could not justify purchase because in the 1960s there were no regular workings of it on my stretch of modelled main line in Somerset. By 1960 the last of the T9s were either working 'The Withered Arm' or used on secondary routes in Hampshire and by the end of 1961 all but one (30120)  had been  scrapped.

But I am more than happy to acquire and display the inexpensive yet well modelled, static GBL model that came available for a limited period at some newspaper/magazine outlets today.

You may think that I should have acquired a T9 long ago if I wanted one, regardless of authenticity. Well this just highlights one of the many factions in the hobby. Some just want to run trains, any train, whilst others like me are modellers who aim to replicate in miniature a time and place as far as practicable.

I did some more research to see if I missed any chance of it appearing on the Somerset main line in 1960. I came up with one possibility that, with a stretch of imagination, might have run briefly on the main line.

On the 14th August 1960 an RCTS special hauled by T9 30718 ran from Salisbury to Yeovil and Weymouth. My model layout is based on Crewkerne, which is just down the main line from Yeovil Junction and the T9 at this time was sheded at Exmouth Junction shed near Exeter. The RCTS special would not have reached Crewkerne but to get from Exmouth Junction to Salisbury the engine must have run light through Crewkerne. So, there is my excuse to run a T9 in my period on my stretch of modelled line.

30718 was scrapped in March 1961. It was the narrow cab type with 8 wheeled tender, same as the GBL model.

Now, how do I motorise the GBL model? (no guarantee that I will.)

GBL = Great British Locomotives Collection
LSWR = London & South Western Railway
RCTS = Railway Correspondence & Travel Society

Postscript

What happened next

40th Farnham Model Railway Expo.

I did not need inspiration and I did not need to buy anything. So, why did I go? It was a spur of the moment thing. Wandering around the house on a quiet Saturday unable to put mind to any task in particular.

Now here is an odd thing. Ten of the twenty layouts on show were N gauge and 2mm Finescale. We are lead to believe that the most popular gauge in the UK is 00 and yet only two layouts there was of that ilk. (There were HO, P4 and EM as well but all in the minority). Does this indicate a shift of interest by enthusiasts to the smaller scale?

Nothing stood out as strongly inspiring among the layouts (probably because of my mood this day). However, I did like Tucking Mill (2mm finescale). It was best in show for me because of its character,  detail and quality of build.

Recently I have been creating N gauge model trees from scratch for our Thornycroft layout so it was this aspect of the N & 2mmFS layouts on show that drew my attention and I have to say Tucking Mill had the most realistic models in this respect.

Unusually, I found the trade stands of most interest. Such great variety of stock offered by the 25 small traders attending was quite astonishing.