The main hall from the treacherous staircase leading down from the upper hall and dining area

The crowded scene in the upper hall shortly after opening. Maggie and Flo's famous bistro is already under siege!

The 7mm NGA was present at one end of the main hall with their publicity and sales stand

Whilst at the other end of the hall the 009 Society Sales swung into full activity

This little diorama by Francis Stapleton featured on the 5.5mm Scale Association stand

The main display of the 5.5mm Scale Association was Bronaber Sidings, a dual gauge (12mm and 16.5mm) 2ft/3ft gauge diorama, hosted by well-known names in the hobby: Mike Chinery and Malcolm Savage

Steve Bennett's well known Gn15 display layout: Big Cat Mine enjoys a rare moment without crowds in front of it (because this photo was taken an hour before opening to the public!)

Howard Martin's triple-gauge 7mm scale demonstration layout: Tor Farm

The G Scale Society exhibited their minimum space layout Entwhistle Green, to show that even in G scale, a tiny layout can be successfully built.

At the other end of the spectrum was a truly tiny layout in Nn3 (6.5mm gauge, 2mm scale), The Exmoor Treacle Mining Company, by Charles Wright. A full layout complete with continuous run and a spiral in a briefcase!

Graham Gatehouse showed his well known 0-16.5/0-14 layout: The Door with a "for sale" sign. I noticed that the sign had disappeared during the morning, so assume that it has gone to a good home! I hope we shall continue to be able to see this attractive layout in the future.

A scene on Graham Gatehouse's 0-16.5 and 0-14 quarry layout: The Door

The Door, 0-16.5/0-14 by Graham Gatehouse

An original Wrightlines de Winton vertical boiler loco on Graham Gatehouse's 0-16.5/0-14 layout: The Door

Bramble Bottom, a 10mm scale 16.5mm gauge narrow gauge fantasy in all its glory - this layout was very well patronised by the mums and kids throughout the day.

A closer look at Bev Rawlins' 10mm scale Bramble Bottom

Peter Leadley came down from Hull to show his very popular 009 layout on an ironing board: Briding Noora

First sighting of this show of the Mull & Iona directors on their world record traversal of 009 layouts using my inspection railcar.

Ian Drummond, from Leeds, has taken a temporary break from his 009 Waterhulme, to give his new 0n30 layout: Blackhawk House, still under construction, its first public showing.

A very nice Denver & Rio Grande "Goose" railcar on Ian Drummond's 0n30 Blackhawk House

Blackhawk House, a Colorado 0n30 layout by Ian Drummond

Nettlecombe, John & Jane Jacobs' fabulous piece of modelling in 009, before the doors opened to the public and the only time during the day that it did not have crowds in front of it

And this is why Nettlecombe attracts the crowds. This little animated scene is typical of many others to be found throughout the layout.

Although I took a bit of time tidying this photo up, I was really pleased with the result, and I am pleased to report that John also approved! The village church is a fitting tribute to Jane's scratchbuilding skills

Past 009 News Editor Simon Coward (left) with his new Port Elizabeth module to the Isle of Mudd, chats to current 009 News Editor, Mark Howe (right)

An atmospheric view of the station loop on Simon Coward's DCC-equipped 009 layout: Isle of Mudd

Simon Coward's 009 Isle of Mudd is not exclusively large diesel-powered. Here is a Paul Windle-built Hunslet-Heisler.

Tim Tincknell revealed his splendid little 0-9 layout: Specialist Mining Co. at the MOMING meeting at Pewsey in August 2007. It proved extremely popular and it was a pleasure to meet up with the layout again at NG SouthWest.

A brief glimpse of Tim Tincknell's 0-9 Specialist Mining Co. showing that he has added a new yellow industrial diesel since we first met this attractive little layout in the earlier MOMING Pewsey photo collection in this gallery

Bad Heidrechstein, Mark Howe's Austrian HOe tourist railway

Mark Howe's Bad Heidrechstein, HOe

A highly detailed and attractive Wismar railcar by Bemo on Mark Howe's HOe Bad Heidrechstein

Alan Gee's 00n3 Donegal, which has become one of the most popular layouts on the exhibition circuit over the past year or so.

A Class 4 Baltic tank loco shunts on Alan Gee's 00n3 Donegal

CDR tractor Phoenix prepares a train at Donegal, by Alan Gee in 00n3

A comparison between two tiny railcars at Alan Gee's 00n3 Donegal. On the left is the Tralee & Dingle inspection railcar and on the right is the pioneering County Donegal railcar number 1. Both were built with the aid of Worsley Works etched brass body components.

A class 5A 2-6-4T arrives at Alan Gee's 00n3 Donegal station with a passenger service.

A busy scene at Donegal, Alan Gee's popular 00n3 Irish layout.

Andy Cundick has just completed this superb 4mm scale model of the very rare Castlederg & Victoria Bridge Tramway Fordson paraffin engine powered railcar.

A passenger train hauled by a 2-8-2 Kitson locomotive at Stan Williams & Roger Christian's Rothampton. This layout was originally built by Paul Windle for his Roth Valley railway and featured in Railway Modeller in that guise.

The same train as the previous photo has now arrived at Rothampton station. In the background is a Nasmyth Wilson 2-8-0 tender loco, built by Paul Windle

Roger Christian's 009 Paul Windle "special" on show at Rothampton was this reduced size, 4-8-2 version of the South African Avontuur Railway NG15 class. Shall we christen this a "NG15-R" class loco? (R = "Reduced")

A Backwoods Fowler diesel at Stan Williams and Roger Christian's 009 Rothampton

There's the Mull & Iona directors on their world tour again! Another classic layout ticked off!

Nancledre Harbour, an imaginative and attractive 0-16.5 layout by the Warley MRC

A scene on the Warley MRC's 0-16.5 Nancledre Harbour

The Warmington-on-Sea Home Guard Platoon have taken the train to Nancledre Harbour for their summer training camp in Cornwall.

A busy scene at Nancledre Harbour, 0-16.5 by the Warley MRC

Chris Perkins exhibited Threlkeld Quarry, an animated diorama with working features in 0-14.

The Ruston-Bucyrus excavator at work at Chris Perkins' 0-14 Threlkeld Quarry

The Severn Mendip 16mm Group set up their Mendip Vale live steam layout in the traditional location in the Gym. It just wouldn't be NG SouthWest without the whiff of butane gas and live steam engines!

Mendip Vale, SM32, (16mm scale) by the Mendip Vale 16mm Group

Tony Mortlock with his highly original and well modelled winter scene: Hayesden, in 0-16.5

A wintry scene at Tony Mortlock's 0-16.5 Hayesden

Belfield Hall, a circular 0-9 layout now owned by Tony Hill is well-known on the exhibition circuit. The circular layout rotates as a train travels on its journey through 3 different estate scenes

A goods train passes the Belfield Hall station scene on Tony Hill's 0-9 layout.

A flash photo, making the railcar stand out rather starkly, as it passes the woodyard scene on Tony Hill's circular 0-9 layout Belfield Hall

Secciole Salina is a very original Mediterranean salt pan layout by Gerry Bullock of the Basildon MRC, which depicts salt production in the Adriatic region in Gn15 scale.

Gerry Bullock's Gn15 Secciole Salina

Secciole Salina by Gerry Bullock in Gn15

Gn15 provides an opportunity for imaginative modelling and the application of much detail as shown by this locomotive on Gerry Bullock's Secciole Salina

The largest layout on show was the West Yorkshire 7mm NGA Group modular layout: Yaggenthwaite, 0-16.5

Yaggenthwaite, the West Yorkshire 7mm NGA modular 0-16.5 layout also has some 0-9 depicting a 15" gauge line at the NG Railway Museum. Mogul "James" rests between duties in this photo.

An attractive pair of railcars in 0-16.5 on the West Yorkshire 7mm NGA Group's Yaggenthwaite.

Yaggenthwaite! - It could only be in Yorkshire with a name like that! A Wickham railcar features in this little scene on the West Yorkshire 7mm NGA Group's modular layout

One of the most photogenic layouts around currently, and a good example of a simple but effective layout design is Peter Hogarth's 009 Gilderdale Mine

Gilderdale Mine, Peter Hogarth's attractive little 009 layout, all the way from Tyneside

Peter Hogarth brought his 009 layout: Gilderdale down from Tyneside to the show. It was well worth the trip, to be able to see this attractive little layout.

Another "Geordie" layout visiting from Tyneside was Willie Smith's 009 Perth Green Wharf, which Willie was showing in memory of the late Paul Morris, a stalwart 009 Society member who sadly passed away in 2007.

Willie Smith has just sold Perth Green Wharf to another member of the 009 Society. We hope that we will continue to be able to enjoy seeing this attractive layout at exhibitions in the future.

An attractive piece of rolling stock on Willie Smith's Perth Green Wharf is this PW Dept travelling crane, which Willie described in 009 News some years ago.

Star of the show without doubt was David Taylor's unique public showing of a combined Bridport Town and Charmouth layout. This view shows the whole of Charmouth, the most famous of the pair, which was regularly exhibited and featured in the model railway press in the 1990's