Blooming Marvellous

Some exciting news! We're going back on the road in 2018.

We've accepted an invitation to show Bron Hebog at the inaugural Narrow Gauge East show at Bressingham in Norfolk in June.

It's been over two years since we last had the layout on show.

Much of the hiatus can be put down to the inevitable disruption caused by Himself's migration north of the border.

We've also been working hard to get Bron Hebog looking much more 'finished' rather than merely complete from an operational point of view as it was last time we had it out at the WHR Superpower event at Dinas.

Admittedly Norfolk is one heck of a long drive from the west coast of Scotland for a one day show but we said yes to it for a couple of reasons.

I can't deny that we enjoyed having our ego tickled by the museum telling us that they would like to have us as their 'headliner' for their first NG event.

I was also intrigued by the prospect of visiting Bressingham for the first time.

In my mind I had the museum, started by Alan Bloom, down as one of the classic locations of the early days of steam preservation when it was home to famous locomotives like Royal Scot and Oliver Cromwell.

The locomotives were steamed but I always had the feeling that it might be rather like going to see a magnificent beast kept in a cage in a zoo, as opposed to roaming on a reserve (like a preserved railway) or being stuffed by a taxidermist. (The NRM anyone?)

Those two giants have since been released onto the mainline again, of course, but Bressingham still has a large collection of steam engines including a couple of Quarry Hunslets from Penrhyn, so it must be a good place!

Anyway, we shall find out next summer, won't we.

We've also had another invitation from rather closer to home.

Himself has been having a look around our local model railway club in Greenock who put on an annual show in the town in October where in recent years there has been some very good modelling on display.

As well as talking him into taking out a membership the club also asked if we'd be willing to bring Dduallt of retirement at take it along to the show next year.

This layout has had so many comebacks it's fast becoming 009's answer to Frank Sinatra.

Full details of both shows are on the Exhibition Diary page.