RailX day one

"Well, how are you seeing things shaping up Brent?'
" I think its going to be an exhibition of 2 days. We're expecting the Da to put some hard yards in up front on the express, backed up by some US models. We are expecting the smaller scales to put up a bit of a fight, but we should have the mass up front on the day'

(Run a mile when the TV cameras show up. you have been warned)

So, day one is over. so how did it go?

Well, it has validated my choice of scales. The models are beautiful, run well and the detail is just fantastic. then there is a but...


It just doesn't get my juices flowing. Its just not my 'thing'. I guess I like looking at the scenery too much, the overall picture rather than the close up stuff. And man are those models close to the edge of the world a lot of the time. If one of those models was to head off the edge it would be like dropping a horse down a well. Another odd effect I've noticed is that any other scale looks tiny. I spent 5 minutes trying to work out if a British layout was 3mm or 4mm. And N scale looked just silly. How could someone model in anything so small?

Surprisingly there are even bigger models in the hall.

On surprise I did get this morning when unpacking the rolling stock boxes was the only 9mm model I have ever built.
A Q5 with a balsa wood hopper on an 11' von strap underframe. Rivets are PVA blobs. Its in the process of having some remedial work done, but the ad hock springing I invented still works. I had to put it behind the Wb, which is the only sound equipped loco that I have ever been impressed with. Again, no idea why, it just does it for me.

So, don't worry, I'm not swapping scales any time soon.