The Market Deeping Model Railway Club Exhibition May 2024,

A surprise visit today to the Market Deeping Model Railway Club Exhibition held in Stamford, Lincolnshire. I say surprise as up until 10pm last night it had been off my radar for reasons I have yet to work out! Anyway Mrs. Woody was delighted to go out at short notice to, as I carefully explained to her, buy some chocolate tiffin, so off we went. 

I have been to the last 3 events and baring the two events cancelled in 2020 and 2021 because of Covid it has now been five years since the club hit international headlines when the 2019 event was badly disrupted by four youths who vandalised some of the exhibits over night before the opening day. To see where the Club are now is a great example of people picking up the pieces and making something even better from them. This year there were some really great layouts with some unusual and never to me seen before layouts.

Starting with Essex Brick the layout exudes a character which took me seconds to recognise as being modelled on the type of interpretation of the Victorian Industrial scene that you see in the recent Sherlock Holmes films.

It is completely 3D printed - that is all the rolling stock, warehouses, vehicles, ships, cranes, people and cargo! As the builder said nothing is available in the shops!

It is a fascinating layout that needs a lot more time than I had to look at and spot all the details and cameos.

Another model full of character was this WW! layout  - A Cold Front. You just have to look at the scene itself to see this is a different layout from the norm. I was particularly taken by some of the rolling stock which had several unusual trains.

Just like this small Red Cross wagon and small loco.

Or this Swapwith Camel aeroplane in bits.

There are other layouts equally interesting and inspiring and perhaps more of those tomorrow and yes, Mrs. W did get her chocolate Tiffin. There is a lady who makes them who attends the exhibition each year and they are delicious!