Telford, Saturday
I discovered there is now wifi in cabins on the ferry, so here is a brief report, earlier than planned.
My shopping list was not as large as usual so I had the opportunity to meet and chat with several WT members. It was certainly good to put faces to names and avatars.
My first task was to do some shopping. First call was on Finney7 to collect the nickel silver version of their Hall kit which will be Rood Ashton Hall, now a Tyseley resident. I paid a little extra to have the boiler and smoke box rolled (I am told NS is more difficult and really needs rollers). While at the stand I admired Mickoo’s current build, the West Country Class “spam can”. We had a long chat about his visits to the SW USA and his superb photography. His images are proof that the very best come from a good hand and eye coupled with top quality glass and sensors. Richard Lambert was also on hand to check over the Hall kit and later on I mentioned that I would be in the market for the 51XX kit “sooner rather than later”.
I had a long list of Skytrex station and goods yard fittings and was able to purchase all but one. I also bought Severn’s signal box interior brass etches. His business is doing extremely well, I am pleased to say.
Next up was Kirtley Model Buildings and a meeting with the two Smiths, Peter and John. They did not have stock of the building papers on hand but we discussed my recent photos of Moor Street and an order will be worked on in the coming days.
I bought cans of spray paint and bottles of butanone and Carr’s flux, just about impossible to send these days across La Manche.
Some basic stock of brass strip and styrene sheet was added to materials bought earlier.
I could not find the MagClic stand (I assume if they were present they were piggy-backing on someone else’s stand). But when I visited Haywood’s stand to buy a non-corridor brake third kit for a 3 coach set that was used on the North Warwickshire Line in the late 1950s, I found that they had a look-alike magnetic coupling on sale. I bought six pairs for the seven brass coaches acquired from Steamline earlier this year (Yes, 6 as the rake ends will have standard couplers).
Nick Dunhill had his recently completed SAR NG16 Garratt on display. What a lovely model! Also, his M&GN “Melton” tank engine was on display, or at least the chassis and footplate. These examples of craftsmanship just spur me on to do better.
I ran into Dave Holt while at the Guild stands. We talked about 7mm scale modelling and he enthused about the overall quality on display. I wouldn’t be surprised if he succumbs to a locomotive kit one of these days!
Modelu is another company going from strength to strength and Alan Buttler was keen to learn that I will need more than a few passengers standing around on Moor Street’s platforms. His new grey resin figures show an improvement over the earlier red ones.
Because I spent more time making friends with other modellers I didn’t spend quite so much time with some of the traders who really set me up in 7mm scale. But, even though there is now a lot of RTR available the kit makers seemed to be doing good business, selling both kits and a lot more in-house builds of their kits than previously. I missed seeing the Dapol 14xx tank but as I have an MOK one I will probably pass anyway. The Dapol autotrain coach is basically wrong for Moor Street in the late 1950s so that’s another reason for not buying.
All the layouts, large and small, impressed me, again plenty of inspiration available. I liked Scout Green because it reminded me of my student days mapping the geology of the area (and drinking more than a few bottles of Younger’s Double Century Ale in the bar of Shap Wells Hotel). The bleak setting is “just right” and the curved “circular” layout is innovative.
A big cheer to the show’s organizers, an excellent job well done!