Thornleigh Exhibition

After a few weeks with nothing happening we have a weekend with an excess of events. I had to decide between the Thornleigh exhibtion and the Field day at the Campbelltown Steam museum. Waking to the sound of rain on the roof sealed my decision for the indoor event. Unfortunately the rain was little more than a nuisance. There was also the exhibition at Richmond Vale Railway. It is a special event and includes unlimited rides on the steam train with your entry. I must make the trip up there one year.

The Thornleigh exhibition is run by the Sydney N Scale Model Railway Club and as you would expect that scale dominates the exhibition. There were three layouts that weren't N (out of 8) and 2 of the 4 traders specialise in N. There was also a Bring and Buy stall to make up the 13 stalls.

The exhibition is threatening to outgrow the Community Centre, there were stands in the foyer and ante rooms were also used. If it is to grow a new venue will need to be found. However the current venue has good facilities with the basics in place. The club ran a refreshment stall with the standard fare of steak or sausage sandwiches. hot drinks etc. The only minus would be the parking, Thornleigh is a busy area and the centre is in a shopping area. The only parking is shared with Bunnings. Of course the location in northern Sydney is good with easy access from the main road and only a short walk from the station.

However there were a good range of layouts with only British models not represented unless you include the Thomas train running on Keith King's "Hundred Acre Wood" (also the name was inspired by A. A. Milne). All layouts were running well, not something you can say about all exhibitions. Some have been around for some time but that is not necessarily a problem.

I met a couple of people I knew and they mentioned it had been a slow start to the day, indeed there weren't many there while I was there. This is a shame as it is a good exhibition.

Next week is the Mt Victoria Train Weekend and I will try to get up there again. It debuted last year and can only get better. Hope the weather is better than the early forecast, the weekend deserves fine weather.