Well, I think we can all say that the Noarlunga exhibition is one of the best run exhibitions around. The team of organisers know exactly what's going on and put on yet another good weekend.
Liralau didn't fair too badly either - picking up "Best Display" for the second NMRI show in a row. I'm not sure how we went in the public vote, but evidently, our peers appreciated our work, which is always a nice ego boost!
There has been a Walthers 90' turntable purchased, which will hopefully be incorporated into a working locomotive depot module (for home use, not exhibitions) some time in the future. A quick look at it, shows it looking quite similar to the SAR 85' electric turntable - it will be interesting to see what it looks like once its been painted oxide red. A two car SAR 300 class redhen set has also been purchased for conversion to the Superchook set (a one-off 300 class refurbishment which was a failure) - and after seeing Ian Wade's LokSound equipped 400 class hen, it might be our first sound equipped model.
So, after three shows in 2010, we can look at the work that will need to be undertaken over the layouts summer siesta. The main concern for all of us was the rear staging tracks, all of which are suffering and will need to be not only relaid, but the baseboards scrapped and replacements made. The Saturday of the exhibition showed very few faults, but the Sunday however dawned with a nice buckled join behind the pub - its always the worst spot isn't it?? The curves joining the staging yard to the sceniced section of the layout have a bow through the baseboards which will need to be replaced - not that i'm particuarly worried, as this gives me the excuse I needed to increase the number of roads in the staging yard from 2 1/2 tracks to 5 tracks, which once fitted with power operated points, should make for far more varied operations out the front.
With Sarah and I now hunting for our first home, here's hoping that 2011 will Liralau a new home, where it can be set up and left up - allowing us to actually use it for more than a few days a year!
