Railex Buxton 2026

It's amazing the difference two weeks can make. Last time I was walking through the pouring rain to the Bakewell show, this time I was applying a liberal amount of sun cream and making sure I had a water bottle topped up for Railex at Buxton. Now in to its fifth year, this show is hopefully sticking around for a good few years yet, even more so now they've rolled the date back a bit to avoid it clashing with the Buxton Wakes week celebrations. It certainly makes parking easier!

The show could also boast that it was roughly 50% bigger, and gone was the section on the stage of the Octagon that caused access issues for some.

As always, what follows is a small selection of highlights. I made a point of taking more photos than I did at the Bakewell show!

Minories (OO) The Model Railway Club - Late 60s/early 70s BR, based on the classic small terminus plan by C.J.Freezer.

There was a slight twist though, the main bays had been extended to give a 'run through' station. 

Farringdon Street (7mm Broad Gauge) Peter Boyce - I'd enjoyed seeing Peter's 'Edgeware Road' at Railex last year so it was nice to see a return of the theme even in this under construction point. An interesting place to ave a baseboard edge with the turntable pit!

Evercreech Junction (N Gauge) Shepton & District MRS - Just a small portion of this layout. I was quite impressed with how the plain sky blue backscene blends nicely with the model work.

Kaninchenbau (HOe) Ian Morrison - One of those layouts I've seen and read about several times in the 009 News and Railway Modeller, but this is my first time seeing it in person. Even as someone who is very much a DC modeller, the amount of computer control here is impressive.

Eastville Flats (O gauge) Dave Madden - I always like seeing a proper 'train set' style setup, and this was a fun example of a three rail system. The Duchess did look a little out of place amongst the American stock though!

Sakura Cherry Blossom (N Gauge) Tony Barratt - A nice example of Japanese N gauge (I'm noticing this is becoming more and more popular in the UK thanks to the likes of Kato) Watching it though, I couldn't help thinking that the new TT:120 stuff really isn't all that far off size wise. Not a complaint, just an observation.

Karoline Falls (On30) David Bailey - Seen this one a few times now on the circuit, but watching the real water never gets old.

Hidden just round the side of the layout is this little On18 scene. This would make a fun little micro layout on its own.

Emwell (S Scale) Brendan Walsh - Very much in Great Eastern Railway territory here. Lovely use of muted colours here.

Middleton Top (4mm finescale) Jay Dean - Having had relatives who worked on the Cromford & High Peak during its final few years I'm always amazed at just how accurate the details can get on layouts of the line. Thank goodness for all those well patronised railtours during the final years! You may have noticed the large white sign on the layout...

I hope it didn't cause too much disruption, but I will admit the sign itself did give me a good chuckle!

And finally:

Fort Whiting (009) Charles Insley - I spent a lot of time watching Charles operating this layout, probably too much time on reflection, but we did have a very good chat on approaches to the hobby and how it differs from modeller to modeller. I'm still telling myself that under no circumstances do I have room for a Garratt no matter how tempting Charles's example running on a pair of Life-Like chassis is!

Most importantly though, Fort Whiting has inadvertently solved a lot of problems that had caused my own 009 layout 'Church Lane' to stall. I'd got the point where I was convinced a cased layout was the only way to go and that of course brings all the setbacks of trying to work out hands free control in a small space. This was proof that I didn't need to go down that route, and as Charles quite rightly pointed out this sort of setup is FAR easier for a one man operation.

Plans were put in motion the moment I got back from the show! More on them another time.

Bakewell Model Railway Show 2026

Bakewell Model Railway Show time again. Regular readers will know that this is always a 'must visit' in my social calendar.

It was wet. Very wet. In fact, the most it had rained for quite some time. It certainly didn't seem to be affecting the footfall though. If anything, given the inside nature of the show, quite a few excursionists in the coach park seemed to making the most of it as a means of staying dry!

As always, not a complete show guide, just some highlights.

Bessie Bulls (OO) David Wright - Always nice to see David's modelling demo stand putting in appearance, and this time the subject was the pub on part of the Trent & Mersery Canal near Burton on Trent. Fear not, it's not a simple diorama! A train was happily shuttling along the short stretch at the back of the scene. Some after show research tells me that the site is no more, having been flattened when the railway was expanded.

Forge Island (OO) - No makers name for this one, but a really nice cameo layout clearly influenced by the likes of Iain Rice. It certainly had a lot of attention during my time at the show - This was the closest I could get to it for a photo! At it's core it appeared to be an almost inglenook style layout with a three way point leading into the factory/warehouse. Some really clever bashing of the Scalescene industrial boxfile kit buildings there.

And that's all the pictures I actually took during the show! I'm still trying to work out if that's a good thing or a bad thing. True, there were a few layouts that I'd seen a few times before, but I was also busy talking to people which generally means I forget. It's been quite a while since I last went to a show (Last July according to the blog!).

There was money spent though - Mainly on books! A few local railway interest books, and the Keswick railway book is mainly for some further reading on the railways. Snailbeach is one of those railways I keep meaning to look into but always forget about so stumbling upon the small Eric Tonks book in a second hand bucket seemed a good starting point. The tractor kit is a little bit of fun from a rummage box on the same stall that bought the total up to a nice round number that could be payed with a pound note.

A tiny little weekend project for a rainy day, no doubt.

Ravenglass

A somewhat spontaneous trip to the Lake District happened at the end of May. I'd not been here in about twenty years so it made an interesting change, and I was surprised at just how many railway encounters I managed during the quick weekend stay.

I knew there were some disused railway lines in the area, and at first I thought I'd stumbled upon one. Wrong! This is actually the remains of the Kendal section of the Lancaster Canal. Still, the mixture of curved girders buttressing the stone bridge is unusual, and highly model-able.

Walking back into Kendal itself though this small lockup was passed. A really nice reference for structure modelling, and the triple sliding doors are a nice change from the norm.

Onwards, there was a chance to call in at the Haverthwaite end of the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway. This was a line that I'd travelled on last time, and from what I remember of it it's a very pleasant run and a very handy connection for the steamers on Lake Windermere at the other end. If you're ever planning to explore that part of the lakes, travelling this way is far less hassle than trying to find a parking space.

There wasn't enough time to take a train ride this time around, but that didn't stop the railways gift shop from lightening my wallet a little! Prototype-wise, Haverthwaite has a lot going for it for the space starved modeller, especially given how the station is bordered by tunnels at either end.

Looking back at the other tunnel. I really like the composition of this with the starter signal and water tower.

Next stop of the day was Millom. Whilst the other were busy shopping I was tasked with the job of exercising the dog for a few minutes. Not a bad place to stop really. For starters the local Tescos is, in what is a recurring theme for old UK railways, built on the site of the old station yard, with the goods shed seemingly having been converted into the supermarket. If it isn't the original building, it's a very good facsimile for railway style architecture.

Taking a walk round to the station from the car park revealed a nice set of rusty buffers in a disconnected bay platform. I kept stumbling over these nice examples to model on this trip.

Also there was the local train stopped in the station. Turns out there was a problem with one of the level crossings just outside the town. With the nearest 'big' station probably being Barrow, a good three quarter hour drive up, round and down the other side of the estuary, it clearly wasn't going to be a quick fix! I can't say I saw any trains on this stretch fr the rest of the evening.

And finally that evening saw us arriving at 'base camp' for the weekend - The old General Manager's bungalow on the platform of the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway. It's a cosy place. If I had one nitpick - It's the directions on the welcome pack for how to access the building. It simply states 'entrance round the back', making no mention of the need to navigate round the railway from the car park, quite the trek going up and round the turntable each time. It was about the third of fourth journey when a staff member appeared and told us we could use the barrow crossing behind the 'staff only' gate as a short-cut.

One benefit of staying on site is that I could get into the railway's museum bright and early at 9am when there was no one else around. About ten years ago I stumbled upon the work of Sir Arthur Heywood and his railways at Duffield Bank and Eaton Hall, but this was the first time I'd ever seen any Heywood stock in person. Katie surprised me - She's bigger than I had expected! I certainly didn't expect the funnel to be taller than myself.

Despite the less than ideal lighting, being the only person in the museum allowed me to get a mountain of references photographs of areas that seem to escaped attention both online and in the excellent book by James Waterfield on the DBR. The biggest mystery was the colour of the tank tops - They're red oxide!

Yes, there is a Heywood project in the works. More on that next year (Probably!)

Reference photos were also taken of the surviving Ratty coach body. It's a good lesson in how photographs can only give you a gleam of an idea about rolling stock sizes. I'd always assumed the smaller windows on the sides and ends of the coach were above head height for a sitting passenger (Thinking it was like a cattle van with glazing!) but the coach is much lower than I'd imagined. Certainly one on the 'to do' list modelling wise. I've found I quite like scribing, but I've built a brake van, and I've built Toby, a slightly shrunk 009 version of this coach is probably the next logical step.

With the Heywood interest I had hoped River Irt would be in service. Unfortunately not, the trade off however was a ride up to Dalegarth behind River Mite, another one on the bucket list.

And from the station it was a short walk up to Boot and the site of the old 3ft gauge terminus. The original plan had been to get off at Beckfoot and walk up and round in a loop, but the maps I had to hand showed the lane along the old railway behind the Dalegarth cottages as a private 'no go' road, however all the material published by the railway says it's a route the public can walk. Which is correct I still don't know, but we got as far as the gate on the Boot side of the cottages before deciding to turn back.

Just how evident the course of the old railway was surprised me, especially when you consider this section was officially abandoned sometime in 1918. There are parts that have obviously been put in to show the old line, but peeking through the grass every now again you'll find the odd sleeper or heavily corroded rail top peeking through.

Spotted at Dalegarth, a cut out of Katie watches over the station clock.

And heading back to Ravenglass it was River Esk at the head of the train. Confession time: I'm not normally the biggest fan of engines being painted black, but it looks so right on River Esk that I think I prefer it over the probably more well known green livery. Only the second time I've thought this, the other loco who has the honour is the Ffestiniog's Linda!

Coasting back down the estuary, I had to get a photo of Miteside Halt. It's not the original boat, or even the right station, seen in the classic postcard image but it's a great little nod to the railway's past, and clearly gets a lot of people talking!

Back at Ravenglass, and after a very good meal at The Ratty Arms I couldn't help getting a snap of this track maintenance vehicle, clearly built up from an old Massey Ferguson tractor!

On the Sunday it was a case of having a 'round trip' of the lakes and taking in as many places as possible. You can imagine my surprise when, walking along the quayside at Whitehaven, I suddenly noticed the obvious remains of longitudinal sleepers and the holes for sleeper chair bolts in the stones. A quick cup of tea and the use of their free wifi at 'The Edge' told me that this was the remains of the Whitehaven harbour railway. Long gone, but sill apparently causing problems for the locals. There's a tunnel built by the railway company just to the north, when it rains the water running out is a bright orange, and it keeps finding its way into the harbour turning the sea orange too!

What is quite nice is that the majority of the town's buildings that form the backdrop for the old railway photographs are still visible today.

And a small memorial mosaic in the high street. At first I wasn't sure if a Crampton ever ran here, but further research shows that the Lowca Engineering Works that made the first engines of the class was based near here.

From there it was a quick drive over the Keswick, unknowingly travelling as close as possible to the route of the old railway line to get there! Despite seeing signs for the old station and the rail trail to go with it, there simply weren't enough hours in the day. I did get to fulfil a long ambition of going to the Pencil Museum though! The livery on the Morris J-Type van though was certainly worthy of a reference photograph. I've wanted one of these on a layout for quite some time.

And that really brings the trip to the lakes to a close. But one more thing before I bring this post to a close...

If you know where to look, Sodor is closer than you think!

The Kinks

I've made the pact with myself that 2026 is going to be the year I finally get round to restarting some long stalled projects. To that end, I decided to finally sort out the track work on Church Lane.

Electrically, there's nothing wrong with it, but aesthetically I was never quite happy with the run from the head shunt into the goods yard siding. The curves just looked a little... forced... for lack of a better word. 

Mercifully, this wasn't too hard of a task. Unsoldering an isolating section in the siding and removing a few track pins as far as the point, the whole lot was taken out. A 'Y' point replaces the original left hand one to help with the curving problem. In doing so the siding itself unexpectedly changed direction, now curving into the scene rather than out from it, perhaps a blessing in disguise for any potential runaway wagon! For comparison, the pencil guide marks for the original arrangement can just about be seen on the board.

Another unforeseen bonus is that the 'view blocker' goods store now has a bit more wiggle room between the main running line and siding. Whilst it wasn't too tight before, there's certainly no fear of an odd engine or coach striking it now!

Decauville

I've aways liked the little Jouef locos.

There's something really pleasing about them proportionally even if they are technically over scale for 009, and even more so for the HOe market! Performance wise though they do leave a little to be desired. Thankfully Tramfabriek make a very simple motor replacement kit, so a on a weekend where modelling time was short the conversion took place.

This isn't a step by step guide by any means (There's already a comprehensive 'how to' on the Tramfabriek website) but more just some observations as I went through the processes.

Disassembly is fairly straight forward, and reveals the fairly chunky original motor.

The trickiest part of the process I found was removing the screws that how the motor brushes in place. A combination of very little surface for a pair of pliers to grip and the screws probably never having been taken out out since being put in back at the factory a good fifty years ago!

And after removing the motor itself, to my surprise it fell apart perfectly into its component pieces!

I did wonder if this is the cause of the intermittent running, but the new motor and housing were all ready for installation. The metal pieces have been kept in the spares box as a possible source of ballast for wagons, they're quite weighty.

For completist sake, a photo of the chassis with the motor out. It's a somewhat unusual transmission of power from what would now be considered the norm. 

And then, a disaster! The worm gear from the original motor split whilst being removed. Looking closely though showed the break occurred due to an air bubble inside the plastic piece itself. Mercifully it was a very clean break and if anything it actually helped with the stage of glueing the gear onto the new motor.

The new motor installed.

And finally a quick pose as the loco spent a good half hour going round the in-progress Welsh narrow gauge layout to have a run in. It's already a vast improvement, and with some careful driving can really crawl at a much more realistic speed. There is still an occasional stutter or stop (Mainly due to the insulfrog points) but it's far less frequent than before.

Really, I think I might have to disassemble it again and give the wheel contacts a good clean, something I really should have done in the first place.

A project for another day, along with eventually constructing a new cab and matching tender.