Making an exhibition of ourselves!

Farnham MRC 009 Open day, 15th August 2021

Heavily involved in operating the layout solo I took very few pictures and didn't manage to get round the other exhibits. Here we see the KS diesel engaged in some shunting at Ryedown Lane.

Model railway exhibitions are back on the calendar. Yes, after months of cancellations and postponements,  shows are starting to happen again. In particular we're seeing a few of the smaller, specialist, open day type events such as last weekend's 009 Society Wiltshire Group open day in Pewsey. I was unable to attend that event but I'd  already been invited to take Ryedown Lane to the Farnham MRC's first 009 section open day in Wrecclesham this weekend. I was very much looking forward to the day and I wasn't disappointed.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of exhibiting at small specialist 009 shows is the camaraderie of fellow modellers and the frequent temporary loans of locomotives and rolling stock. Julien Webb form the 009 Society West Midlands group turned up with this beautifully finished Avonside 0-4-0T (Dave Malton designed 3d print on a Bachman Percy N gauge chassis) which spent much of the day on shed or pottering up and down with every longer trains.

Having spent a good part of the previous couple of weeks cleaning and testing the layout and stock I was hopeful that everything would go well and I'm pleased to say that the layout performed well ...it was just me that was rusty having not exhibited the layout since April of 2019.

                                                     KS 'Skylark' tank 'Alfred' on the passenger service.

It was a small event with five invited layouts (Matt Keen's wonderful Garreg Wen, John Wilkes' Coleford, Somewhere in France by Peter Capon, and three layouts from Wessex Narrow Gauge Modellers in the shape of John Thorn's River Crane Mill, Iain Morrisons's Kaninchenbau together with my own layout) plus the Farnham Group's impressive modular system and Dave Harrington's 'Whimsy'. I have to confess that I was so engrossed in operating Ryedown Lane on my own that I didn't manage to actually see any of the other exhibits properly (other than for the briefest looks at River Crane Mill and Kaninchenbau before the doors opened).

Silliness often descends towards the end of a show (in fact it tends to reign on my layout  most of the time if I'm honest) as illustrated by the appearance of the mini Crompton 33 009 late yesterday.

Other than the sheer delight of actually operating my layout as it is supposed to be the main thing about the show was once again being able to meet, chat and joke with like minded modellers. Ryedown Lane even received a visit from visiting motive power, an 009 exhibition tradition that I always enjoy.

Well done Farnham MRC and many thanks for the invitation.