In Command
I went to Wycrail today which is held (oddly enough) in High Wycombe. They’re outgrowing the venue a bit (which is great, as it shows lots of visitors) but it’s a bit of a pain in places because the halls can get a bit busy. But it’s a nice show, with some really nice layouts.
A few really stood out for me. First up was Dairy Lane.
It’s an N-Gauge layout, and it crams SO much in to such a small space. It got me thinking of rejigging mine, but I really want to run long trains, so I need the longer track sections.
Another favourite was Cement Quay.
Some wonderful detail on this layout. There was a lot of texture to things. The grass and general background muck (piles of waste cement presumably) were so well produced.
The above closeup of the sidings shows some of that detail. It’s a OO (or thereabouts, I forget exactly) layout, so it’s relatively easier to produce such detail. I intend getting close in N though. I liked the fact most people viewing this layout just stood silently looking.
By far my favourite layout was Wells Green TMD. For a OO layout it’s remarkably small (just about two metres I’d reckon), and packs in an amazing amount of detail.
The loco stock is all super-detailed, some including drivers hanging out the doors. There was so much to look at, I have to be honest I can’t recall a lot of what I saw! The crime scene down the front was great. The police paddy wagon even having working lights which flashed a very convincing cycle. The disused tracks down the front were also very good. I stood and stared for a while at this one!
I also invested in a Digitrax Zephyr starter kit, and a couple of DCC modules. I’ve already loaded them into my two Dapol 67s, and they work like a charm. I did find I’ve broken a wire on the headlights on one though, so that’ll need fixing. But I’m otherwise pleased. Need to play more first though!
Tomorrow I plan on re-laying the track, and sorting the point motors out properly.