2014 MRE report

Our 12th annual model railway exhibition was held on November 8th and proved to be another very successful event despite the atrocious weather conditions in the early part of the day.  Exhibitors arriving to set up likened their journey through the lanes to a trip to Atlantis and we wondered if we should be hosting an Ark-building course rather than a model railway exhibition!

Visitors were able to see a total of 17 working layouts from as far afield as Barnstaple and Evesham.  All of the popular modelling scales and gauges were represented alongside some less-common ones, including one layout featuring large-scale, gas-fired live steam locomotives.  

Prototypes  ranged from 1920s West Country steam through to modern-day diesels and even included some beautifully modelled, hand-built 1950s London trams.  

The working layouts were supported by a display of railway memorabilia and a selection of trade stands selling new & used models, accessories, books and rail-related gifts for all the family.

Best-in-Show award (as voted by the visiting public) went to the Culm Valley Model Railway Club for their re-creation of Uffculme station on the long-departed Hemyock branch.  

Joint runners up were Russell Hobbs with "Bridgebury Gate" and Dave Taylor's impression of Bridport Town from the might-have-been Marshwood Vale Light Railway. Dave also took the Chairman's Prize.

Despite the weather in the first part of the morning, visitor numbers were only very slightly down on last year and it was encouraging to see such a large number of youngsters, which bodes well for the future of the hobby.  Any profit from the day will be donated to railway-related charities and we expect that this will again be in the order of several hundred pounds.

We would like to thank Steve Flint, editor of Railway Modeller magazine, for giving up his time to formally open the exhibition.  We are also grateful to Peco of Beer and to Buffers of Axminster for their continued help and support.

Over the last few years "the Thorncombe Show" has gained a reputation locally as a good family day out and is held in high regard by the modelling fraternity across the southwest due to the excellent standard and variety of exhibits, so make a note in your diary for next year - Saturday November 7th, same time, same place.

(click the pictures for full screen, then click "back" to return to this page.)

7.     Bridgebury Gate.  “N” Gauge.  Southern England Diesel Era   Russ Hobbs 

A fictional town somewhere in the south of England, sometime between 1966 & 2000.  A double track main line passes the junction with a branch line which has somehow managed to survive longer than most others.  

8.    Forest Green.   “OO” Gauge,  Early 60s, Cotswold area.  Rob Whish

A Midland Railway foray into the Cotswolds brings both Midland and Western Region stock to this delightful area. Situated somewhere near the branch line via Kemble, most of the traffic is local with some through services from the North and South.  A Gloucestershire cousin for the Somerset & Dorset line.

The Layouts

1.   Budemoor Junction.  “OO” Gauge / 4mm to the foot. Barrie Blackmore and the Thornbury and South Glos. MRC.

Budemoor Junction is a fictitious but authentic site on the Southern Railways “Withered Arm” line West of Exeter. It serves Bude and as well as the holiday maker traffic there is a variety of goods trains serving the branch to the port, principally stone, slate and minerals outward and coal inward from Wales.

9. Lambeth Walk. 3mm to the foot. London Transport Trams.  Brian Golding

Situated in South London within earshot of Big Ben, this layout depicts the last days of London trams. Note that there are no overhead wires – the pickup was from a conduit below the tram, picked up by a “plough”. 

2. Uffculme Station  “O” Gauge, BR western region,  1960    Culm Valley MRC

This layout, built to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the last passenger service, has been constructed with great attention to detail, the local museum being consulted to ensure accuracy in the buildings modelled. The rolling stock seen here would all have been seen on the line at the period modelled.

10. Norton Vale. 4mm scale (“OO” Gauge), Early 60s era.  Doug Richards and Nailsea and District MRC

Norton Vale is in the Banbury area of North Oxfordshire and features both steam and diesel traction.  The layout is based on one of Peco’s excellent “60 plans for small layouts”, with just small additions. Track is Peco finescale Code 75.   

3. Crackington Quay  “O”-16.5mm Narrow Gauge. 

Howard Martin. 

Perhaps not too far away from Budemoor Junction, Crackington is a secluded cove near the Devon Cornwall border. There is a fish factory and a narrow gauge railway to serve the fishery.  

11. Bridport Town.   7mm scale Narrow Gauge.  

David Taylor

We welcome back a layout set very close to home for Thorncombe, the terminus of the Marshwood Vale Railway, which never existed, but really should have! Bridport, at the Eastern end of the line, joined up with the G.W.R. Bridport and West Bay branch line here at the exchange sidings.  

4.   Neptune Road.  “OO” Gauge. British Railways 1960   George Kinsman

This small industrial scene shows what delights can be achieved with Digital Command and Control (DCC). Shunting operations take place to serve the businesses located here.  

12.   Budley Bay   16mm scale  Narrow Gauge

            Ian Gurr

A 16mm Narrow gauge layout that uses gas to fire the locomotives. Live Steam! The layout is freelance and does not represent a particular location. 

5.   Badger’s Quay.  “OO” Gauge. Great Western territory.  Laurie Smallwood

A branch line created to serve a river estuary settlement, made necessary by the increasing demand for freight services and holiday passengers. 

13.     East Quay, Chapel Pill.        “OO9” gauge, Severn valley, 1922  Angus Watkins

This is a coal-exporting port on the Severn Estuary, with small trading vessels, many still sailing vessels, bring in general cargo then load coal from the Forest of Dean. The narrow gauge railway is 2 foot gauge. 

14. The Dorset Humbug Co., Maidencombe.    “OO9” Gauge.  Mike Johnson 

An industrial purpose for this layout, with a factory producing this valuable commodity.  

6.   Orchard Road TMD.  “OO” Gauge, BR Diesel era 1975-1983.  Richard Slate

Serving diesel locomotives for refuelling and routine maintenance, this is a typical depot that would have been seen anywhere in the country at that period. This one might have been found around Exeter.  

15.  Tipyn O Bopeth  “OO9” Gauge.      Wales, Just About Anywhere!  Ed Florey

A layout built by Geoff Broadhurst to allow members of the OO9 society to show their Heritage Collection of rolling stock and locos. The name is Welsh for “A Bit of Everything”.

17. Dingsdabumster (bei Engelhausen)  

“HOe/HOf” Gauges Peter & Burgit Martin

A small scene portraying an interchange/ loading

facility between 600mm Feldbahn and a 750mm 

gauge connection from 'Engelhausen' in rural south 

east Saxony. Standard gauge wagons, mounted 

on 750mm gauge transporters, are loaded from 

small Feldbahn hopper wagons. A small warehouse 

stores and distributes other products brought in on 

the Feldbahn network. 

This layout is still a "work in progress".

David Luesby runs a group in Yeovil for youngsters who can't join an adult model railway club.  Here is the layout they are building.