Well that was worth a trip. Most of the model railway societies started their lives in the 1970s and the 009 bunch is no different. 1973 being 50 years ago suggests a serious party and this didn't disappoint. I'd never been to Statfold Barn before, but I'll put that to one side for a moment as it deserves a better post than I could fit in here. Safe to say it is a one-man funded enterprise which is simply outstanding and highly professional.
The 009 Society had occupied a huge 'barn' and filled it with some of the finest of the Society's membership layouts. Actually taking a look at these was hard with so many old friends to talk to, all topped off with what was a surprisingly impressive meal (save the coffee). The final shot was being dragged out to the car park to view a Garn-influenced layout to be shown on day two.
I found the whole day really enjoyable...probably more for the people and the atmosphere than anything else, though the quality and variety of exhibits was great. It would be hard to name a favourite layout, but the consistency of the modelling on Kurseong was very impressive given its size and intensity. Was lovely to see the legendary Tynn Godd in reality, I'd only ever seen a few photos in copies of 009 News several decades ago.
ReplyDeleteThe name badges were a good idea; I saw several people I either hadn't met before or it had been a long time, so it avoided a few potentially embarrassing moments. Saturday seemed more like a huge members day (fnurk fnurk) than anything else. It'll be interesting to see what people made of Sunday.
S.