A WORLD OF RAILWAYS.

Here are a few more photos of two layouts that caught my eye at the recent model railway exibition.

The Himilaya (Darjeely) railway display is really charachterful with lots of little vignettes from the time the later Raj.

 This layout is nearly 30 years old. Until 18 months ago it was in storage. The current owner is in the process of refurbishing it.

Old Blarney is the Perth and District club's layout. An Irish themed layout with all aspects of life shown.

THE MUSEUM OF TRANSPORT.

My highlight of the recent Aberdeen Model Railway Club exhibition was the The Museum of Transport display.

This has a bit of everything: Trains, boats and planes. It is a really good way to display all sorts of models in a collection. Here we see a Lancaster as well as buses, with a loco just making it's way into shot. Note the narrow gauge railway with sightseers, two of which travel round the whole layout.

Here we see the port area, complete with balloon. Some of the ships in the dock are different scales, representing larger ships. You can see the canal with only a docked narrowboat.

While I was watching another narrowboat appeared! Presumably driven by a magnet.

                                      General scenes from the layout.

Every wargamer and modeller needs one of these!

      Back at the canal, the narrowboat has turned and is heading back for the tunnel.

Spot the skinny dippers!

                                         This is something special: a working beam engine!
This layout was worth the admission by itself. I spent a good half hour just watching all the movement, and spotting all the little quirks. The operators are openly canvassing for invitations to other shows. If you are lucky enough to be near to one of the shows they attend, take the opportunity to go. My pictures do not do the display justice.

My friend David, has blogged about it and includes moving pictures of the narrowboat.
http://ironmammoth.blogspot.co.uk/

SQUIRREL!

Spotted this  grey squirrel on Saturday when visiting my mum. Pictures not very clear as it was moving at great speed (there are at least two domestic cats in the area)!

 

I see this squirrel (I assume it's the same one) regularly. It plunders the local bird feeders to get it's winter stash of nuts. 

KELLY'S HEROES. FOW DISPLAY GAME BY ABERDEEN WARGAMES CLUB.

 

 

Over the past 10 years or so, Aberdeen Wargames Club have had a table at the Aberdeen Model Railway Club exhibition. This year the game was a Flames of War demonstration game set in 1944.

The scenario was an American attack on the town of Claremont. The intention was to run the game as a rolling scenario over the two days of the exhibition, adding new units as required. At some point, Kelly's private enterprise operation would make an appearance. The stats for Kelly's force were from the FOW website.

 

The town of Claremont. What are those three Tigers doing sitting in the town square?

                   The rest of the town looks deserted, although that may be an illusion.

 

                                        The recce forces clash. The US come off second best!

 

                                                  The US infantry advance on the flank.

But German nebelwerfers prepare to engage them.

Later in the game. US infantry infiltrate the town. The Tigers are close!

I left at this point. Aidan reports that the game continued till early afternoon on the Sunday.

The bank did not remain unscathed! Negative waves? Not here!

 

http://aberdeenwargamesclub.com/

 

ABERDEEN MODEL RAILWAY CLUB EXHIBITION.

I visited the annual Aberdeen Model Railway Club exhibition on Saturday. The exhibition has been held in the sports hall at Robert Gordon's University's Garthdee campus in Aberdeen for the past three years. Prior to that, it was held at the Aberdeen Exhibition & Conference Centre.

 

                                                          The host club's Display.

                                           A view of the hall to give an idea of it's size.

                                              East Neuk Model Railway Club's display.

 

                                                   It was not just model railways on display.

 

                                                            Aberdeen Modellers Society.

 

Museum of Transport. This is worthy of a post in itself!

Preparations for the Scottish heat of the Scalextic World Championships.

 

Aberdeen Wargames Club and their Kelly's Heroes Flames of War game (Aidan wearing his low-vis top). More photos in another post.

 

But the main focus was the railway layouts. The pictures below give a flavour.

 

 

 

The Himilaya Railway was my favourite railway layout.

  

A few more random views.

As well as the displays, there was a good selection of traders. Some of these were of interest to a wargamer, especially those selling terrain and accessories. I picked up a couple of resin fishing boats that will work with my 20mm stuff. I also spent well at Squires, one of  the best in the field of hobby tools, picking up a new magnifier lamp, hand vice and paintbrushes.

 

I enjoy attending this event as it is the closest we will ever get to a wargames show in Aberdeen and there is enough of a crossover of interest (and inspiration) to justify spending a couple of hours there.. It also gives an idea of how a non wargamer might feel when attaending a wargames show