Due to the Manawatu gorge still being closed, we went via the Pahiatua track, a road I had not travelled before. Its amazing road, very scenic, but due to the numerous twists and turns, I ended up a bit green around the gills. We had hoped to stop at the Pahiatua Railcar Society, but they weren’t open. Hopefully next time!
After a very wet trip, we arrived at the show nice and early, eager to have a look around and see everything. One of the first was a low one with Thomas and Toby that children could control, which seemed very popular. Another early highlight was one built inside an old trunk, with viewing windows cut of the front for kids to see.
There were also some familiar layouts, such as the one with cable cars and child operated magnetic crane. it was neat to see how they had changed or stayed the same since we last saw them.
Fay and Alan Giles from the WMR&ES were there, showing their classic Tri-Ang, a collection of framed railway images, and a poster for our own club show in September. Thanks for the plug, you two!
We also saw Paul Roxburgh, also from our club, and he and Blair had a good catch up.
My favourite of the day was the large G scale set up, from the Wairarapa Garden Railway Group, I also appreciated one which had a nod to Dr. Who. LLoryian enjoyed the Meccano set up, featuring many tricks and traps the engine needed to navigate.
After we finished at the show, we went for a walk up the main street before heading to Cwmglyn Farm and Middleton Model Railway, near Eketahuna.
This layout is very large and changes decade every so often. This time it was based in the 1980s. While the main layout is HO scale, there are smaller displays showing N and even T! Many of these displays had switches that allowed the viewer to take control, running the engines backwards and forwards, or turning lights on. They also show different brands like Marklin.
They have a well-stocked shop attached, and also sell craft cheeses, made with milk from the four cows who live in the front paddock. I was tempted by a few items, namely some 1:76 scale traction engines, but managed to resist.
Once we left there, we headed towards home again, this time taking the Saddle road, stopping by the big wind turbines so I could take a few photos.
I had a great day, and thank Blair and Lloryian for taking me along for the ride. It was a day full of firsts, as I had never been to any of these places before.