NFMRS 40th Exhibition Report
Report on the NFMRS 40th Exhibition held on 26th & 27th May 2018.
Since 1978 the NFMRS has held an exhibition of model railway layouts in May. The exhibits are mostly from visitors, sometimes as far away as Sheffield, and this provides variety for regular visitors and opportunities for individuals and model railway clubs not associated with NFMRS to display their own layouts.
So once again our 40th exhibition was able to exhibit some fine layouts, as the brief description below shows. There were also many trade stands with rolling stock and modelling materials and tools. If you want more information about any specific layout below please email us and we will provide you with contact information for the exhibitor.
Just two of the trade stands:
Langley
Starting off with a new layout by two of our club members, 'Langley' is in OO gauge and took two years to build. There are two twin tracks at different levels and the extensive layout measures 20' x 8' with a large fiddle yard to the rear.
The full length of Langley can be appreciated when long trains are operating.
There are also many details tucked away in the corners such as this market place.
And tunnels always add interest to any layout and Langley is no exception. There are plans afoot to add a third rail to some trackwork and to fit signals and stop/start sections to the road system.
The control panel is neatly hidden behind the raised station buildings.
Littleton
'Littleton' is an O gauge end to end layout with terminus and fiddle yard. The trackwork is extensive and based on 'Minories' plan devised by the Cyril Freezer who is a legend in the model railway world.
The layout has functioning signals and much of the rolling stock is scratch built.
And there were many scenes to enjoy such as the station building and the electrical distribution plant.
Milford on Sea
Another club member's layout on display was 'Milford on Sea'. You can read more about this fictional layout on the layouts page of this website. Here are a couple of views of the Milford on Sea station.
Pine Bluffs Freight Yard
We were pleased to exhibit the Alton Model Railway Club's 'Pine Bluffs Freight Yard'. This impressive HO layout provided a North American flavour to the layouts . The layout is set in 1956 with early diesel locos and a variety of freight cars. The layout is a continuation of their 'Pines Buff Depot' and can provide continuous train operations which visitors always enjoy. There are too many details on the layout to describe here, so let the photos from the exhibition do the talking....
There are some interesting historical posters in front of the layout.
Hillbrow
'Hillbrow' is a completely different layout being 009 gauge and in a relatively small but busy area.
The layout depicts a Welsh rural scene with many details and lots of shunting possibilities. The fiddle yard is to the right hand side of the layout out of view.
Note the station lighting and a solitary passenger waiting at an isolated station. There is also a small loading stage and shelter at the end of the line.
And here's an action shot of a passing train!
Bath Road
Upstairs in the Village Hall was 'Bath Road', a OO model representing a fictitious part of the S. & D. trackwork. Many different trains can run up and down into the station with an additional siding for storage.
A goods shed with siding is at the opposite end of the layout.
Bevois Park & St. Denys
N gauge was represented by the extensive 'Bevois Park & St. Denys' layout. The ability to create a feeling of space with the smaller gauge has been very well exploited here, where long scale length trains can operate.
Bevois Park and St Denys is a model of the real location in Southampton and it is reported to be a pretty accurate representation.
There are six tracks passing an industrial area:
The fiddle yard is interesting. Instead of rows of parallel passing loops with access from both ends, the eight lanes are mounted on a sector plate with two tracks for trains to exit on to. A compact design that also includes isolation enabling two trains to be stored on a single siding.
Hollybank TMD
A NFMRS club favourite is 'Hollybank TMD' which always attracts much attention. A couple of photos here of the layout, but you can see more on our layouts page. Hollybank Depot was built in 1990 and has now appeared at over 70 Exhibitions as far away as York and Leeds.
Oak Road
And back to a OO layout: 'Oak Road'. This is a fictitious modern day layout in the west country based on Castle Carey. A variety of modern rolling stock is presented with scale length trains.
Another view of the quarry alongside the station.
The tunnels mouths at each end are well developed with foliage.
And the ten lane fiddle yard is set to the rear of the layout.
Weston Road
Our final layout is yet another brand new layout, this time in N gauge. 'Weston Road' has been built by an NFMRS member and is two twin tracks set on two levels.
This busy layout is mounted on two boards each 5' x 3' supported on bespoke legs. As well as the railway details, there are many vehicles and industrial dioramas. The fiddle yards behind the back scene are just visible in the photo above.
The operator has devoted the upper track to freight trains and the lower to a variety of passenger stock.
The layout being 3' wide, small radius curves are avoided.
Happy Birthday!
To celebrate our 40th exhibition, we had to have a cake, and a very splendid cake indeed enjoyed by club members
And that ends a brief description of the layouts that could be seen at our exhibition. If you came to our exhibition then we very much hope you enjoyed your visit and found it interesting. Hopefully you will return with new visitors to our Open Day to be held at the end of November. There we will layouts that NFMRS members have been working on during the year together with two or three visiting layouts. Watch this space for details as they become available!