Britain's Biggest Model Railway - Royal Bath & West Showground - 08/04/2022

8th / 10th April 2022 saw Britain's Biggest Model Railway - Heaton Lodge Junction - venture to the South West Club, hosting a special three day Model Railway Exhibition, at the Royal Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet, Somerset.
The layout was supported by no less than six visiting and clubs layouts/dioramas in a variety of gauges and scales, as well as well as a good selection of society, demo, manufacturers and trade stands.
Layouts as featured;
BOURNEMOUTH WEST - EM
WIMBOURNE - OO
OLDSHAW - EM
ALEXANDRA SIDING - O
KANNOTBURN - OO
EVERCREECH NEW - O
HEATON LODGE JUNCTION - O - BRITAIN'S BIGGEST MODEL RAILWAY
Hope you enjoy!

[@AndreiTupolev]

Also the realistic speeds show how much things have come on from the times when trains would be coming into the platform at a scale 60 mph and then they'd stop just like that.

[@chrisdee5032]

Yes hats off to the people controlling these, they did a great job making everything look realistic!

[@arch9enius]

Magnetic track brakes + Inertial dampers

[@sparqqling]

@@arch9enius Just DCC

[@alanmusicman3385]

Combinations of things makes that possible. DCC (i.e. electronic) control of the motors in the locos, FAR better motors than we used to have and that some locos have what are called "Keep alive" modules in them, these are small packs which store a small amount of power, so that if the loco momentarily loses contact with the track (running over points or dirty sections of track) it still keeps going - especially useful when running at very slow speeds. All these things make far more realistic running possible, with very slow starts and stops. You can always tell if the old-style controls or motors are in use on a layout because the trains will do zero to 20 MPH (or vice versa) in about a tenth of a second and of course real trains can't do that!

[@andrewblake2254]

One of the best model railway videos ever, Excellent models and great filming.

[@SDJR7F88]

Many thanks indeed Andrew! Certainly is a sight! Glad you enjoyed it

[@andymottley3273]

I think its a good video and the guys who built it must have put alot of hard work into it and deserves credit

[@songsmith31a]

Love the smoke effects and the modern advantage of slow motion by the locos - not available when I was young and keen - and a regular reader of "Railway Modeller"!

[@alexmorgan2296]

Quite stunning - and I only live “down the road” and missed it 😢! Not next time! Thank you for sharing - and to all involved in organising and exhibiting.

[@SDJR7F88]

Many thanks Alex. Shame you missed it. Hopefully it will be out again soon

[@MegaNavek]

i know nothing of model railways but found this gobsmackingly brilliant…very well done.

[@SDJR7F88]

Many thanks indeed and glad you enjoyed it! Just amazing the amount of hours that goes into building these amazing layouts. Such a great hobby

[@jalbhagwagar3353]

What ammmmmazing track work and realism. I'm commenting at 2:26 and before. The ageing and use are so real. You guys are insane. Thank you.

[@SDJR7F88]

Really is an extremely high standard of modelling on display! Glad you enjoyed it

[@marvwatkins7029]

Quite impressive, indeed. Such a long layout. So many trains displayed!

[@SDJR7F88]

Really is a sight!

[@alanmusicman3385]

Now this was a wonderful show, with very good videography. Good show for a number of reasons. There was a very decent spread of time periods depicted. It wasn't all pre-1970 (like far too many shows have) or all post-1970 - it was a nice balance. Some commenters have given me stick for bemoaning a predominance of 1930 to 1960 layouts at some shows - but I would merely point out that 1930-1960 is a 30 year period. 1960 to now is more than double that. Here, we saw a nice mix of time periods, mainline and branch line operations and some specialist locations too. Some truly astonishing quality models on show here as well. Special plaudits to the Kannotburn layout team - not only a great layout, but also great to see a tunnel-to-tunnel layout where the illusion is not spoiled by being able to see through the tunnel mouth into a non-scenic area - IMO the onlooker's view into a tunnel should always be into inky darkness.

[@philodowd8080]

Absolutely Fantastic

[@SDJR7F88]

Thanks Phil! Glad you enjoyed it

[@tobylennon8913]

Absolutely stunning. It was great to watch. Thank you for the upload. Best wishes.

[@SDJR7F88]

Many thanks Toby! Glad you enjoyed it. Really was a superb event

[@oswestryroadtmd4850]

It was a great show thoroughly enjoyed this, it was great to meet you Callam also all the Tom

[@SDJR7F88]

Many thanks Tom. Was good to meet you too. Really was an excellent show! Certainly an impressive sight for sure

[@OneofInfinity.]

Nice weathering on those tiny machines.

[@Jimyjames73]

Very good - Good mixture of Locos, Rolling Stock & Eras!!! 🤔😎🚂🚂🚂

[@SDJR7F88]

Thanks Jimmy

[@johnjephcote7636]

Whenever we went on holiday to Bournemouth we always took the opportunity for a ride up to Bath on the S&D. Fondly remembered, and especially as I later lived in North Somerset.

[@SDJR7F88]

Bet that was an experience! Such a shame we can't travel all the way to the coast on it now.

[@rivergladesgardenrailroad8834]

that was a while ago Sir

[@musoseven8218]

Thanks for filming and posting - superb! As a point of note, I thought that the Bournemouth West layout was excellent, they got the modelling just right, same with train movements, and two elements that don't normally scale - smoke and sound - they went to great efforts to make them to scale too. Surely the whole of Bournemouth West has to be a benchmark for modelling, in particular, modelling smoke and sound now?

[@SDJR7F88]

Many thanks indeed! Bournemouth West is certainly a stunning piece of modelling. Was great to finally get around to seeing it properly. The steam effect really is effective. Not sure what system they use, but works a treat

[@musoseven8218]

@@SDJR7F88 Hi, thanks, sorry I didn't reply sooner, I didn't get an alert. I agree I'm blown away by BW, it's a new favourite now👍😊😊

[@AndreiTupolev]

That Bournemouth West layout is very nice. I particularly like the realistic exhaust from the locos.

[@timu19]

Very nice Video with a perfect Layout👍.Thank you for showing. Greetings TiMu

[@SDJR7F88]

Many thanks indeed. Glad you enjoyed the show. Really is a superb set-up!

[@westonman57]

What a great show Callum,superb layouts and excellent filming by you. Best regards,Bob.

[@SDJR7F88]

Glad you enjoyed it! Really was a busy, but superb weekend!

[@Rich6Brew]

I remember Bournemouth West station.

[@SDJR7F88]

Bet that was a sight!

[@TheSouthernerYTChannel]

Lovely video, Callum! Very peaceful to watch That Bournemouth West layout was inspiring to see - amazing to see the station so fondly remembered. The station building still exists today, and is somewhat recognisable. Thanks for sharing this!

[@SDJR7F88]

Many thanks mate. Really was a superb show. Bournemouth West was just stunning! Didn't realise the main station building was still standing. Will have to try and pop down and have a look at some point.

[@avpmobi]

Station does not now exist. It's a combination of a car park and The Wessex Way A338. Remnants of the track route outside the station exist as Bournemouth Traincare Depot.

[@jazzman1626]

The locomotive at 4:43 looks very realistic with all that “steam”. It’s a fantastic layout!

[@SDJR7F88]

Bournemouth West certainly is stunning. Amazing how they manage to get all those effects inside the models

[@foodlover2236]

Awesome !

[@SDJR7F88]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@s.w.3604]

Wow! Really nice setup!

[@SDJR7F88]

Really is a sight to be behold

[@sarge4455]

That’s beautiful

[@SDJR7F88]

Truly is a stunning piece of modelling

[@davestrains6816]

Just amazing. I wish I new a master modeler that would come over and work with me. Great video and thanks for sharing. Dave

[@SDJR7F88]

Simon really has done a stunning job on this. Such an impressive sight

[@BrewPub]

Very realistic. Out in the sunlight you could be fooled into thinking you were looking at the real thing.

[@SDJR7F88]

Indeed! Really was some stunning modelling on display!

[@johnmcclane3480]

Vraiment très réaliste. Félicitations c'est magnifique.

[@SDJR7F88]

Many thanks! Glad you enjoyed it

[@Trainspotterusa]

Nice video Callum. I was there on the Friday myself. You've captured all that I forgot to video.

[@SDJR7F88]

Many thanks indeed! Really was a superb show.

[@terryrobinson7371]

Hi Callum, Many thanks for putting together a very professional video of the Shelton Mallet Exhibition, I though it a bit to far for me to travel from Stafford, but I now wish I had made the extra effort. Terry Stafford Railway Circle

[@SDJR7F88]

No worries Terry. Glad you enjoyed the video. Really was a busy weekend, being part of the Peco stand. Was great to see so many turn-up for a look at the layout. The scale of the thing is just phenomenal!

[@farmerdave7965]

Egggggggggggggggggggggggggggcellent !!!

[@paulsmith8247]

Superb

[@SDJR7F88]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@adewhite3921]

Hi Callum, I went to see this at the Bath n West and thought the layouts were great. Seeing the videos of the layouts you've done really shows how good they were.

[@SDJR7F88]

Thanks Ade. Glad you enjoyed your visit to the event. Really was a great weekend.

[@bobrichards7487]

Excellent layout and very realistic. One thing that lets the realism down is that the tenders of the steam locos are coupled with a larger than life gap up to the engine. I guess that is to allow tighter than normal curves in the track.

[@SDJR7F88]

Indeed. Some of the layouts have to have tighter curves to get into the fiddle yards around the back, allowing for space for storing trains off scene.

[@AndreiTupolev]

Good sound in the Oldham layout too. They just need to simulate the smoke from the DMU! ☺

[@SDJR7F88]

Indeed! Now that would be something! Bournemouth West certainly is a stunning set-up! The steam effect really is impressive and very effective.

[@giuseppearditi7963]

Molto interessante I modelli sono eccezionali gli scenari dei vari plastici rendono molto realistico i plastici

[@SDJR7F88]

Grazie molto! Sono contento ti sia piaciuto lo spettacolo. Certamente alcuni modelli superbi in mostra.

[@jonathanlake6053]

Very nice Callum, thanks for posting, I was going to attend but sadly couldn't, maybe next year all being well.

[@SDJR7F88]

Many thanks, and glad the video was of interest. Not sure where the layout is due to visit next, but hopefully the venue might hold another model railway exhibition at some point? Never know...

[@anfieldroadlayoutintheloft5204]

good vid on the channel of a train show thanks lee

[@SDJR7F88]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@AndreA-ke2id]

It's poignant that the 'Peak' featured (12.39) is 45 014, which was written off in the Chinley crash in 1986.

[@SDJR7F88]

Blimey didn't know that

[@thierrymartin8308]

Toujours adoré le look des trains british 😂

[@SDJR7F88]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@eddherring3088]

To go to such lengths for realism but to fail in such areas that the little things that let it down stand out so much. I cannot fault the effort but a few basics would enhance and immerse the watcher in more realism. The track laying, there are areas where the vehicles wobble or drop. The balast is uniform in colour and there is no grime, even in the stations. The rolling stock is all pristine and has a plastic shine. (understandable) I'm never a fan of static items which should be moving, where you can get away with a person sitting reading a newspaper seeing someone permanently standing is a reality break. Perhaps people think these points unfair but if you go to the lengths that these people obviously have then why wouldn't you take constructive criticism? (definitely not trolling). I respect the hard work and effort and the amount of time and dedication that it obviously took to achieve this. I just think some track relaying and ground weathering will enhance the experience.

[@jamesgoucher3676]

Great video, the layout looks brilliant 😁👍

[@SDJR7F88]

Many thanks indeed! Was great to finally get to see it in the flesh. Such an impressive set-up

[@railway187]

Super video 😍🤩👌👍

[@SDJR7F88]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@meruliouslacrimens5154]

Nearly very good, but alas still some trains running around with neither passengers or train crews evident. Always spoiling the ship for a ha'perth of tar. Why cut the cheapest of corners and spoil the whole effect. My old boss said we could run a perfect service if it wasn't for all the passengers cluttering up the place. Well some put them on platforms, but a lot didn't put any in trains or the crews to work them. The first lot was great, but the rest just couldn't be bothered, WHY? (disgruntled retired train driver ).

[@steffenrosmus9177]

A layout in perfection, even the steam engines runs as shaky as their Brirish originals.

[@AndreiTupolev]

😑

[@smiley8506]

Absolutely stunning. How much time does it take to set up such a large scale model and cost of setting up on a turnkey basis

[@arch9enius]

Heaton Lodge Junction gets the 👍👍👍 from me, just for bothering to model such a scabby enviroment as at 20:15. And also the length of the trains.

[@SDJR7F88]

Totally agree there. Not all seen are pretty or busy. This really captures the time and place

[@arch9enius]

@@SDJR7F88 Just needs some old Hillmans being dismantled in someones' back garden.

[@meruliouslacrimens5154]

Maybe the "rail industry" should talk to the "automotive industry", as they seem to have perfected the "driverless" problems. So many ghost trains with no train crews, mind you a lot of empty passenger trains as well. Plus there should be red tail lights and white headlights.

[@SDJR7F88]

Cheers! Glad you enjoyed the video! Certainly some superb modelling on display :)

[@andrewjarvis3516]

Amazing! but ,when I looked, there were 576 likes out of 49.000 views....did the other 48000-odd think they could do better??!!

[@SDJR7F88]

Thanks ever so much Andrew! Glad you enjoyed it

[@RB.1595]

That was wonderful.. some really great layouts in that video. Were they all at the one exhibition. Crikey.

[@SDJR7F88]

Yep, all one show. Really was a great event

[@fildowns]

Ah I see your solution to those troublesome class 40 leading wheel-sets at 21:46 😉 have you managed to find another way? It's frustrating they're not 100% reliable like the exact same wheels are on the peaks... 😐 (Oh just realised this is not the BBMR channel...asking in the wrong place!)

[@samspade5962]

I like this railway because the engines have little men inside them

[@SDJR7F88]

Always good to see that

[@orin8743]

is this double 0 scale? or H.O

[@SDJR7F88]

Scales are in the video description

[@rush2112flyer]

Nice detail and trains. But I see much of the tracks are bumpy or crooked. Trains are bouncing and wiggling around a lot.

[@mr.shadestrains6033]

Very nice 🚂❤️😎

[@SDJR7F88]

Thanks

[@jonbraybrook7714]

Please and thank yous go a long way in life. Try using them next time you are at the SVR Gala and don't barge past everyone.

[@SDJR7F88]

Hi there, I'm sorry if you didn't hear me, but I have said please and thank you to everyone we've pasted today. Once again sorry, if you didn't hear me

[@rivergladesgardenrailroad8834]

Wimborne, far to busy....Bournemouth West, very good

[@SDJR7F88]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@ronniebiggs4026]

Pity you couldn’t edit all that constant yapping otherwise a fantastic setting and video

[@SDJR7F88]

Part of the atmosphere of been at a model railway exhibition... Wouldn't be the same without it

[@alanmusicman3385]

There is a mute button, right there on the player controls!

[@surferjoehangten]

What is the track gauge?

[@SDJR7F88]

O Gauge

[@JamesSmith-mv9fp]

Nice layouts, but the Freight trains ! Freight trains in the BR steam era, had a thousand rules covering the position in a freight train of EVERY wagon ! Something that quiet obviously is totally unknown to these layout owners/operators. They don't even seem to know that "unfitted" (No brakes) wagons HAD to go behind any "Fitted" (Vacuum braked) wagons, for obvious reasons !!!

[@renekreisel8165]

Weiter so vorwärts und voran