Folkestone MRC Annual Show

On the 7th of October 2012, I was lucky enough to visit the Folkestone, Hythe & District Model Railway Club 2012 exhibition.

It was the second time I'd visited the exhibition in as many years, and the weather was, once again, superb. There's something about a Sunday morning on the cliffs of Folkestone - the crisp air, gentle breeze, and sunshine just seem to come together to set the mood for the day.

I was, predictably, early, so took a gentle stroll along the cliff top path. There's an interesting funicular railway (the Leas Cliff Railway) that dates from 1885 which is worth a look, and often a car boot sale in the car park beneath the cliff.

Eventually it was time to meander back to the Leas Cliff Hall, buy tickets, and stand in line for entry to the show.

Flicking through the programme (I tend to buy one as a kind of souvenir), it became obvious that the day would be special - at least for me - as there were several layouts that I'd seen in magazines, but never in the flesh, so to speak.

One of these is the military themed Rowland's Castle, which I've always wanted to see running, and was surprised at the amount of detail that's left out of magazine articles on it. If you're lucky enough to see Rowland's Castle, look out for the Standstead Forest infantry camp.

The attention to detail is stunning.

The Folkestone MRC show itself is liberally spread on two floors, plus balconies and corridors, full of things to see, operate, and buy. All the stalls from last year were much as I remembered, all well stocked and relevant, but once again I was surprised that only a few of them seemed willing to accept card payment.

Hornby was there, again, extolling the virtues of their DCC system. I'll freely admit that last year I gave them the cold shoulder, after having a few bad experiences with low quality DCC gear from them in the past.

This year, I decided to have a second look at what they have to offer, as I'm evaluating computer control options for my two layouts. For those who don't know, the options are to stay with Piko, and use an IR transmitter to control the layouts.

This isn't ideal, and the feedback options are limited, so the next option is a Sprog 3 plus Heathcote Electronics interfaces, but it's still a bit of a chewing-gum and sticky-tape solution. Flexible, but tricky.

From what I saw, the Hornby Railmaster software, plus the Elite Controller (and a laptop) is the way forward, and something that I'll be investigating whilst I put together my Christmas list!

So, at the Folkestone MRC show, I saw layouts that I'd previously only seen in magazines, found a few answers to some pertinent questions relating to DCC, and saw how layouts get operated once they're built.

It's a full day for a model rail enthusiast, and perhaps half a day for those with only a casual interest, not including shopping time!

More information about next year's exhibition, which I also hope to be attending, can be found on the Folkestone MRC web site.