Fairlight Works

Official blog of the High Weald Light Railway (1977) Co. Ltd.

ExpoNG 2008 – the challenge layouts

exhibition expong Gn15 model-railways narrow-gauge photos

The Anniversary Challenge at ExpoNG this year celebrated both 25 years of the show and 4o of the organising group, the Greenwich & District Narrow Gauge Railway Society. The aim was to produce a layout with dimensions in a ratio 25:40, with a maximum size of 50cm x 80cm.

I missed out on photos of a couple of the layouts as I didn’t get a chance to get round until quite late in the day, but those I did see were of a very high standard. The well deserved winner was Bernard Junk with Le Chêne Blanc, but it must have been a hard decision for the judges to make!

Moreau et Fils - Gn15
Moreau et Fils by Les Coleman in Gn15. A great little industrial scene with a very well weathered Beetle as the centrepiece.

Coil End Lane - OO6.5, OO9, OOn3
Coil End Lane by Lee Bryant in 4mm/ft scale. Three gauges (6.5mm, 9mm and 12mm) crammed in to 50x80cm is a pretty impressive achievement, especially when all the track has been hand made. Even the station traverser is dual gauge!

Jersey 1942 - 009
Jersey 1942 by Neil Moss in 009. A scene depicting beach defences on German-occupied Jersey during WW2. The wooden shuttering around the wall being built is a great touch.

Le Chêne Blanc - 1:35n2
Le Chêne Blanc by Bernard Junk in 1:35n2. A mine loading facility somewhere in France. 1:35 scale (slightly smaller than Gauge 1) is gaining popularity as there are plenty of military figures and vehicles available at this size. Using 16.5mm track is also a good fit for 2′ gauge.

Le Chêne Blanc - 1:35n2
Bernard’s layout had a brilliant, pun packed detail in this sign.

You can see my whole set of photos from the show on Flickr.