We Both Walked To The Bus Stop,

354 For Diana, a 54 for myself,

I should say I am only making one post today, firstly I took lots of photographs, secondly the video editor that worked perfectly yesterday, had a hissy fit today, so it took a lot longer than usual for this post,

the sky did not look good, luckily we both had our waterproofs on,

my bus arrived first, so I was off, leaving Diana at the stop for her 354 to go to work, for myself I alighted at This 'N' That, in Croydon Road, I had a chat with Donna inside,

outside bargains galore,

looking through the box of postcards was fun,

next over the road to Kingfisheries, I had a chat with Graham and looked at some of the new fish that had arrived during the week,

next a bus to Eden Park and under the railway bridge,

to St. John's church in Eden Park Avenue for a model railway show, as it happens I had been here before, in October last year, and also April this year, both times I enjoyed the show so much I wanted to see it all again, 

entering the first hall, accessories and other goods were for sale,

like these DVDs, at Heritage in Motion,

this stall, Kitorama was not only showing model trains but all manner of vehicles and planes,

at Doug's Model Trains & Tools,

you could not only buy completed track side buildings,

also on offer were different shapes of brass,

and profiles of plastic that modellers use,

as well as new tools,

everything that a budding modeler could possibly need,

I hate to say it, but these reminded me so much of one of my frequent trips to the dentist,

opposite was Harrison Brown Models,

with lots of items of interest especially for making the backgrounds like trees and other features,

the Network Railway Society were also here,

with a fine selection of mugs and other memorabilia,

next a look at the stall of David Wills,

a huge selection of new and used items,

engines,

and carriages a plenty,

I made my way along the other side of the stalls passing Julian Bowden's stall,

and that of Kent Model Railways,

next through the door,

and into the hall where the layouts were,

the first Medway Quay,

the layout is some 16 feet long,

the area modelled at Tonbridge is at the end of a small canal from the River Medway leading to a wharf which has a light railway link for loading unloading goods act, at one time gunpowder mills supplied to the ammunition works at Woolwich,

I liked this so much, a youngster getting interested in trains rather than a Game Boy or whatever it is that kids spend so much time on nowadays,

I continued walking,

taking photographs along the way,

it was so nice stopping and looking at the trains and the surroundings of each layout,

absolutely amazing,

I arrived at Fawcett Street,

this layout 48" X 16",

Oakbourne was next, including a nice river,

and buildings,

these I especially liked, with their gardens backing on to the track,

this layout was huge, it was the Hornby Dublo Mainline display,

track crossings like this are complicated enough, but with the Dublo system there is a third rail, but it is great to see that modellers are keeping the 3 rail system going,

behind the scenes at Beckwick,

although difficult to see,

all of the station lamppost are lite with mini bubs, as indeed are the red stop lights on the buffers,

this is a huge layout measuring 24ft  X 2ft,

the model is a fictitious location situated in Southern England, some forty miles from London, the line opened during the mid 1880s as the railway network spread throughout the country, 

the current setting is served by all three types of motive power, set during the post war years into the mid 1960s,

Corkscrew Green, this is a delightful N gauge model, and in case you can not read the sign,

yes you can drive your own train!

unfortunately,

the sunlight made the photographs have a bit too much contrast,

but the good news was that I had a good chat with the operator of the model,

I arrived at Modbury Torr,

the layout is some 10 feet long,

with a coal yard,

and shunting engines,

this was another amazing layout Saltgrabe,

I have not been able to find out much about it,

but the layout had a moving bucket system and a underground section which you can see in the video at the end of the railway post,

I finally stopped at the last display, I must admit I looked at so many others, and some how did not take any photographs, must do better next time,

at Brinklow not only were there trains but also canal narrow boats, the blue boat was shop bought, but the red boat was built from scratch,

the layout is based on a section of the Trent Valley Railway between Rugby and Nuneaton,

the layout operates in the period between 1948 to the mid 1960’s, a little modellers licence is used in the running period, 

I have made a couple of short videos, I tried to make it one video, but there is a limit to the size the blog lets me upload,

so two short videos it is then, what a wonderful way to spend a few hours, and marvel at the work patience and dedication of so many railway modellers, wonderful, as it happens I was asked if I had a model railway, well in case you do not know whilst living in Thailand I did have a railway room, and here it is below,

great fun, Diana was invaluable making all of the trees and countless mugs of coffee! I already have next years date in my diary, I will be back on the 1st. of April 2023 for another train day! if you are interested in going the show will take place at St, John's church, 251 Eden Park Ave, Beckenham BR3 3JN, the show is organised by the Beckenham and West Wickham Model Railway Club,

on the way back from the railway exhibition I stopped off at Lidl in town,

we were running short of rum, again!

a nice display of cut flowers,

as well as some potted miniature cyclamen,

I had hardly arrived home before it was time for my evening read and sherry,

some smoked salmon for my starter,

followed by a delicious curry that Diana had made for me, 'Cheers!', I watched a Midsomer Murder which finished just as Diana arrived home and the next one started, so we watched that over a coffee and a nightcap, rounding off the evening with a Poirot, which was strange as it is normally shown much earlier, but there it is, with the end of that we were off to bed.