CRM Exhibition 2020

Hi-lights of the 2020 Chiltern Model Railway Exhibition
Stevenage Leisure Centre
Saturday 11th / Sunday 12th January 2010

I’m not going to complain about the children counting wagons, or making train sound (well more like a car really), or the bloke having a conversation on his phone right next to me... it’s a public exhibition and we have to put up with these things. Beside the children are the next generation of railway modellers.

I’ve not featured every single exhibitor or layout, to do so would make for a very long video. Around 34 layouts, big and small attended the two day exhibition and around 40 or so traders, plus demonstration stands filled the two large halls.

We start the video with the N gauge Hatch End layout. The 16’ layout is set somewhere north of Euston in the 1980’s. Four main running lines, and two Watford over ground lines provide an interesting mix of traction, including the APT-P on a test run.

Next we move on to possibly my favourite layout of the show, Brinklow. This N gauge layout is based on a section of the Trent Valley Railway between Rugby and Nuneaton. The station opened on the 1st December 1847 as Stretton and was renamed Brinklow on 1st January 1870. It closed on the 16th September 1957. The layout operates in the period between 1948 to the mid 1960’s, a little modellers licence is used in the running period. The reason I rate it so highly is because there was always movement on the layout. People who come to these shows, especially children need to be entertained and this layout entertained.

I neglected to ID the next layout shown, but after that we come to Little Salkeld. Another fine N gauge layout set in the 1960’s, it is loosely based on the station of the same name on the Settle and Carlisle line.

Next we see Trinity Dock Street Bridge which is a fictional location based on Railway Street in Hull, where the road and railway crossed the channel between Humber and Railway docks in the ‘Old Town Docks’ in the city. The model is set on a dull, dank and chilly day, February 6th, 1939, with the south easterly not only bring the ‘sea rogue’ up the ‘umber, but the threat of war on the near continent.

We move on to Teesside Steel. This model railway is based on two companies; the South Durham Steel and Iron Company who provided the basic iron and steel and the Cleveland Bridge and Engineering Company who turned the finished steel into bridges chemical plants and other large scale projects. This impressive O gauge layout measures some twenty feet in length.

Moving on to Frampton on Seven, a OO gauge layout again set in the late 1950’s early 1960’s, it’s a small branch line terminus on the GWR, running rights extend to the Midland Railway.

The following layout is Little Colne, a fictitious OO fine scale layout set North of Essex. Given the mixture of late steam and early diesel stock that runs on the layout, this too is set in the late 1950’s early 1960’s.

Mothecombe is the next featured layout, constructed by the junior section of the High Wycombe MRC, which goes to show what can be achieved by youngsters with a little assistance and encouragement.

Sandmarch is the Stevenage & District MRC’s featured layout, which was built and completed within 12 month.

We then move on to probably the longest layouts in the exhibition, Orange River & Portland. This Fn3 (15mm scale 45mm gauge) layout gives an accurate representation of a 3’ railroad, and measures 42 feet x 5 feet.

Wemblesden Park is the next featured layout, set in the 1980’s the layout is fictional, inspired Wembley/Stonebridge Park area of North London. The layout is DC and makes use of the MERG superbloc system, the controllers for all the block sections being displayed in a neat LED backlit panel at the side of the layout.

Johnstown Road follows. This fine scale O gauge fictional layout is set in the welsh borders. It was renamed following the death of its creator John Staneke who sadly lost his battle with cancer. The Barrowmore MRG have done a fine job of not only completing the layout, but adding the Porth Nefyn extension as well.

Bee Road, a OO gauge layout based in the London Midland region is also set in the 1960’s (seems to be a popular era these days).

Our final layout is Harlyn Pier is a fictional fine scale O gauge terminus on the ex LSWR line on the North Cornwall, a short distance from Padstow, again in the 1960’s (how popular is that era !)

Well that about wraps it up for this year’s show... Hope you enjoyed the video.