T h e 2 0 2 3 H a r r o g a t e M o d e l E n g i n e e r i n g & Model Railway Exhibition

There was a welcome return to Harrogate for the 2023 Model Engineering and Model Railway Exhibition This event, after quite a long gap, provided an excellent oppor tunity to showcase two aspects of our great hobby

The last model engineering exhibition held here was housed in the same hall but during the intervening years a superb new building has replaced the old Hall 1. This presented a wonderful new space in which to hold the event

It was warm, well lit and well laid out with easy access for everyone including wheelchair users The central cafe area between Halls 1 and 2, as always, provided a good area to rest a while and enjoy some refreshments Hall 2 provided the space for the majority of the model engineering clubs and societies Both groups provided a wealth of fine displays and models emphasising the great engineering skills which still abound in this part of the country However, the weather intervened with the biggest snowfall of the winter This did have an unfortunate effect on attendances on the opening Friday; indeed a number of traders didn’t make it because of the weather Saturday made up for it though with both halls being very busy with interested visitors Having displays of both model engineering and model railways together did provide a great deal of interest for all visitors as the crossover between the two hobbies was much in evidence The difficulty for me was knowing where to start with such a tremendous selection of superb models to see I will start with the Model Engineer and Model Engineers’

Workshop magazines stand who had a comprehensive display of the magazines and books available from our publisher, covering a wide range of topics, many depicted in the models on display Conveniently displayed right next to our stand was the wonderful array of models, both static and operating, provided by the Pickering Experimental and Engineering Society – or PEEMS as everyone knows them Once again they excelled with some fine e amples of skilled model engineering The star of their display was a new model, still under construction, by Mike Sayers of a 40 fine scale model of the 1926/27 Delarge 15S8 British GP engine that powered the car to victory at Brooklands (photo 1) The model itself was mounted on a display board fitted with a mirror so the underside detail could be inspected

Building tools and equipment accompanied the display As usual the workmanship and detail was exemplary and was a magnet for visitors with Mike answering their questions in his usual, quietly-spoken and wellpractised way To add to this, another distraction was the 1/3 scale 4 5 litre Blower Bentley engine built by Mike (photo 2) There is always so much to see from this club which has an almost endless production rate The selection of models from Brian Stephenson would fill a stand on its own There was also a very nice 4½ inch scale Foden Steam lorry on the stand built by David & Adrian Hick (photo 3)

Located in Hall 1 were a selection of larger traction engines which again attracted a lot of attention The 6 inch J & H McLaren compound traction engine and living van were located in a position that provided good access for visitors (photo 4) No builder’s or owner’s information was available for this display so I cannot enlighten you Moving into all 2, for the first time visitors were faced with an excellent and comprehensive display of model aircraft by the Harrogate Model Flying club (photo 5) I think this display covered a wide range of prototypes and all were well built and presented Adjacent to this display was the 7¼ inch Gauge Society who again displayed an eclectic mix of locomotives and rolling stock Included on the stand was a very nice model of a G5 0-4-4 locomotive that has been built by Norman Ash who, as a newly promoted fireman, worked on this engine in 1952 The model was completed in 2022 (photo 6) A fine e ample of an LNER 20 ton Bottom Discharge Hopper wagon (photo 7), the sort of wagon which would have worked with the G5, added further interest to the display.

Taking centre stage, however, was the superb LNER A4 4-6-2 being built by Tony Bickerstaffe This model of Silver Fox is showing exemplary workmanship in both the buil d and finish (photo 8) When completed it will be a joy to see in operation

The Leeds Society of Model & Experimental Engineers had a wide range of models and equipment on their stand with the pride of place being a 7¼ inch gauge model of an American 4-4-0 tender engine, Thunderbolt (photo 9) This locomotive also has an interesting history having been built by the boys from Leeds Grammar school in the late 1960s (Oh, for schools like that these days!!) The building of this locomotive was published in M E magazine in March 1971 and hopefully a report of that endeavour and its refurbishment by present owner, Mark Batchelor, will be published in a future M E issue It was a real eye catching model Of course, the Leeds Society includes a great deal more than one locomotive and in complete contrast was a quality model of a Clarkson Steeple Engine built by Geoff Shackleton (photo 10) A pair of LNER 4-4-0 Atlantics were also prominent, one in 7¼ inch gauge and one in 5 inch gauge, but the interesting detail here was that the larger engine was fitted with outside Walchaerts valve gear, something that I have not seen before (photo 11)

The Scunthorpe Society of Model Engineers was another well filled display of members work with the 5 inch gauge 16 inch Naval Gun Set built by Vic Crossman standing out (photo 12) A number of excellent wagons and locomotives created a good balanced display The Clayton Railbus was an unusual model but extremely well made (photo 13)

I liked the presentation on the York City & District SME display where they had created a scale model of their own track and site buildings Included was a scale raised running track with a small Diesel shunter and two passenger carriages driving round the track (photo 14) Another intriguing model was still in good working no indication whether it was a club display or a collection of individuals However, one model was identified as being the latest creation from Alan Crossfield The inch gauge GWR Pannier tank 0-6-0 was up to Alan’s expert standard with exquisite workmanship being shown in every aspect of the model (photo 16) The cab layout is an amazing piece of work in such a confined space (photo 17) I have built a similar model, but having seen this example I think I’ll put mine in the bin!! In the same group of models was another superb example of fine model engineering. This was the Holmes Mill Clayton & Goodfellow Cross Compound engine built by Mick Keenan Wonderful workmanship and finish (photo 18)

From the Southport MEC was a well filled stand displaying a great range of model locomotives in a variety of scales They also had a locomotive representing each of the ‘Big Four’ companies pre British Railways A very nice 5 inch gauge LNER A4 was prominent, as was a well made but unpainted B1. A couple of GWR Halls plus an LMS Hughes Crab with a nice little Southern Q class provided a good display to ponder over (photo 19)

A club I have not seen at an exhibition in recent times was the Stockton & Darlington Model Engineers and they offered a good range of locomotives and stationary engines together with some rolling stock. A couple of 7¼ inch gauge 9F boilers were a prominent feature (photo 20) and the staying in the firebo was something I had not seen before Each stay was drilled through from each end - just to the depth of the water space, not all the way through - so that should a stay crack at any time, the leak would be immediately noticed and identified (photo 21) Apparently this practice is now a feature of larger scale steel boilers made commercially by a well known boiler maker.

Among the other interesting exhibits here was a small belt driven shaping machine which looked to be quite a substantial piece of equipment (photo 22)

Both the Northern Association of Model Engineering clubs and the Federation of Model Engineering Societies provided their usual range of information and services which all model engineering clubs can access

Four well presented boat clubs added that dash of colour which always brightens up the exhibition There were some very nice marine models on show but it was unfortunate that the promised boating pool where visitors might have seen some of the models in action did not materialise The Kirklees MBC had a comprehensive selection of marine craft from warships to small fishing vessels and included a small set of steam plants suitable for marine work

Adjacent to this stand were two outstanding examples of warships built by Colin M Vass Both ships were completely scratch built in 1/72 scale and seemed, to my untrained eye, to be complete down to the last small detail HMS Warspite (photos 23 and 24) was a master class in marine modelling and is portrayed as it was in 1942 after repairs in the USA It had the most battle honours of any ship in the Royal

Navy. This Gold Medal winning model had been a contender for the DOE Challenge Cup at the last M E Exhibition

The Bradford MES had a wide selection of models including a very nice 4 inch scale Burrell traction engine (photo 25) and an Isle of Man tram (photo 26) which has some superb timber work and lighting included The tram bogies have a difficult frame profile with a curved edge This had been achieved using a welder to heat and change the profile as can be seen in the photo of a trial frame A regular event at their Northcliffe track is the annual Fun Run competition which involves high speed locomotives being timed around the 440 foot oval track Each engine is built for the event and each competitor is allowed three attempts Two circuits of the track takes about 28 seconds, that is, of course, if they stay on the track! Three of these engines were on display at the exhibition and some clever engineering and electronics are involved (photo 27) The LNWR Railway Society stand had a good selection of historical photos of this much admired railway company on show and these were accompanied by some excellent models of typical prototypes

The rebuilt Hall 1 was, of course, the place to see some wonderful smaller gauge layouts, none more so than the amazing 200 foot long Heaton Lodge Junction Railway, the work of Simon George (photo 28). This large O-gauge layout represents about 1½ miles of the actual railway It is depicted in winter time, hence the frost on the ground and buildings It was started in 2015 after three years of research and is the work of one man, not a club project, although friends have contributed all the electronic controls and laser cut support structures The storage and marshalling yards are just as amazing as the scenic part of the railway It was so large that, photographing the whole length, it was difficult to get everything in focus but I hope my pictures give you a flavour of an amazing piece of work There were a number of other layouts which I will cover in the next report

A further report covering the exhibition will be published as Part 2