We were up bright and early on Friday morning at 6am, excited by the prospect of seeing just over 50 model railway layouts in just under 3 hours time! Following some kerfuffle from an all to early departure and 'non existent' post-code GPS drama we were heading North en-route to Glasgow's Scottish Exhibition Centre.
On arrival we found the event easily accessible and swiftly made our way into the exhibition hall. The setup was quite extensive and we agreed on a method to slalom around the maze of inspiration and 00-gauge temptation across a range of trade stalls. This wasn't our first experience of large exhibitions, following our bedazzlement at the NEC in Birmingham. So this time we had somewhat of a plan, so not to burn out and frazzle our novice minds with excitement. We got a FREE magazine on entry with a map of the layouts. Magical.
Part A of our walkabout we focused on the layouts, big, small, basic (I'm talkin' track on plywood) and OTT (half a dozen emergency cars with flashing lights o_o). We are quite critical of most layouts, looking for faults as a way to make sure we avoid making the same mistakes in our layout. We joke about the day we display our model railway and take in the criticism. We are fair in our judgement and we tend to take a good glance over before coming to any conclusions. We like the little things, attention to detail, weathering on the buildings a layout that tells a story, a layout we can engage with and spend some time exploring, finding quirky gems as we go along.
We both had our personal highlights:
Andrew
Burntisland 1883, most of this layout was custom built and it reflects on an era not frequently represented by model railways. The ratio between harbour and trains was fantastic and for a moment I was transported into the late 18th century.
Liverpool Lime Street is worth a mention. Its intricate architectural detail was hard to ignore. With its grandeur, this impressive layout is a true testament to LMS railway. It embodied many features of modern railways such as the use of laser printing techniques.
Nikola
The continental and American layouts are growing on me, partially because of our recent addiction to Michael Portillos railway journeys. All those facts like the one about the buffalo on the train track racing though my brain as enquire about the Molasses Junction by the Moray Model Railway Club. It contrasted beautifully between the native tribes of America and the new settlers and their rail road. Also I felt that terra cotta hills were a brave choice, as I found they were inspired by many photos and the paint colour was matched by B&Q.
Barenschlucht by the EKULRAC Railway Modellers was also eye catching due to its impressive rock face and intertwined tunnels, although as the layout was ready purchased, I found more of my questions answered in our free, fresh off the press smelling magazine.
On our second run around we enjoyed learning from the experts about the process of converting our locos to DCC "red and black to the track, orange and grey the other way".
Shrink tubing is also something we have been introduced to and seems less hassle than solder.
Another little tip was to use appropriate size coal for the type of loco and journey.
From the trading stalls we purchased a new Gaugemaster controller to replace the broken Hornby model. What would a visit to Scotland be if it didn't entail Iron Bru. That same evening a comedy sketch by Tracey Ullman of Nicola Sturgeon really made me laugh.
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit and already look forward to next year!
