pumpkinstrokemarrow

Most of the exhibits were quite striking. Very evocative of the real thing. Green stuff very clever, with trees much more lifelike than I would have thought likely. There was even a tree trader selling all kinds of trees, including a range of palm trees in case you wanted a Riviera set-up. Buildings and people more difficult, but lifelike enough from a few feet away. The whole business reminded me rather of flower arranging; trying to make a very effective display in a small compass. Having shows. Having prizes, although I don't think they were doing this on this particular occasion. An important difference would be that the set-ups, while evolving over time, are permanent, they have a life beyond the day's exhibition. Some of them look to be well known on the exhibition circuit and of some of them carried a board carrying little enamel plaques for each of the qualifying exhibitions they had been to. Another difference would be that some of them at least were a team rather than an individual effort. Don't think flower arrangers do teams.

It had not occurred to me that most of the exhibits would be a cunning mixture of tracks, station buildings and countryside. A few bridges and tunnels. Lots of points and sidings. Generally speaking the idea was to potter around the points and sidings; whizzing round and round was a bit dull. In fact, most of the displays did not have a round and round to go round and round. More backwards and forwards. Marshalling the rolling stock.

I was a little disappointed by the locos. Not particularly lifelike close to, particularly the small ones. There is clearly a limit to how far miniaturisation can reasonably go on an amateur basis. So for me the most interesting loco. was the big one outside which pulled the children about. Perhaps one tenth full size. Proper steam engine burning proper coal. Small enough to take the thing in in an eyeful and to be a sensible building proposition but big enough to be proper. I think, if I was to be enthusiastic about this sort of thing, that this would be the sort of thing I would go in for. Good winter hobby, although in my case there would be a lot of new tools and new skills to invest in.

Alternatively, I could go in for small, but with the target of being able to load, move and unload the wagons without touching them. This would take a bit of ingenuity. Wouldn't count unless it looked at least vaguely like the real thing. Phase 1 would be sand, phase 2 would be water and phase 3 sweets for small boys.

FIL was very pleased to meet a villager from his former home in Devon, along with his club, possibly http://www.exemrs.co.uk/, whose exhibition hall appears to be quite near the site for the giant car boot sale on the Marsh Barton industrial estate, a car boot sale which we have visited on sundry occasions. More important, a villager who recognised FIL and remembered his name - but who had kept his enthusiasm for model railways under wraps.