6 of the 24 locos on the Moors Valley Railway lined up ready for the day's activities, early on the Saturday

Tim Couling's fabulous 2-8-0 Athelstan, one of the most powerful 7¼" gauge locos in existence

Moors Valley 2-6-2 Zeus, finished in African style, complete with 12 wheel Vanderbilt tender.

Moors Valley workhorse, loco number 2, Horace

A large 8 wheel rod-coupled bogie diesel, a very powerful looking and impressive machine

0-4-2T Talos receives attention prior to working the shuttle train service

Graham Lindley presides over the fiddle yard on his famous 12mm scale Hythe, a model of the 15" gauge Romney Hythe and Dymchurch Railway

Jerry Oakey operates Hythe station, some 30ft from Graham in the distance, whilst Geoff Bowyer looks on.

Geoff and Chris Bowyer with Jerry Oakey watch Patrick Collins despatching trains from Hythe towards Alan Rolfe operating the fiddle yard. I caught a couple of gremlins in my camera on this occasion and did not manage any acceptable close-ups of the very attractive stock on this layout, but they are featured in an earlier set in this gallery, taken at Weymouth in October 2007

Chairman of the Wessex NG Modellers, Ian Turner with his very well known 009 African layout Roestok

Roestok acts as a setting for Ian to show off his fabulous mainly scratchbuilt large colonial motive power. Here with an NGG16 Garratt are two huge South African class 91 diesel locos.

A close up of Ian's latest model, a South African class 91 diesel in modern livery. Difficult to believe that this started off as a Bemo chassis. A very expensive and skillful "model bash" indeed!

A view across the yard at Roestok, As well as the two class 91 diesels, there are 3 Garratt's and a scratchbuilt NG15 2-8-2 in the scene

Ian has built no less than 3 class NGG16 Garratt locos. The red and blue ones in the foreground are superdetailed Backwoods kits, both fully authentic and with subtle detail differences, whilst the black loco in the background depicts an earlier version and is completely scratchbuilt.

And you don't get many of these to the pound!! A scratchbuilt Sierra Leone 4-8-2+2-8-4 Garratt brings a passenger train into Roestok.

Lee Bryant (in the grey shirt) poses with his assistant operator, Colin Finch and his imaginative little layout Thurtey - the quay scene has a track plan in the shape of a figure 3, whilst the fiddle yard at the rear is a figure 0

Lee Bryant's Thurtey - Lee built this layout to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Wessex NG Modeller's on a baseboard 30 inches square and to a budget of £30 (not including the stock!)

Cruel commentators have been heard to say that Lee called the layout Thurtey because it took him 30 years to build and it cost less than 30 bob - but I could not possibly repeat such a scurrilous remark! Here's an attractive little scene looking across the jetties

Thurtey might have been the smallest layout on show, but got the public vote for most popular - because Lee was brave enough to put the controller in the kiddie's hands and let them have a play - and you won't find that informal friendly approach at many layouts that you will see in a "mainstream, oh so serious" exhibition! Well done Lee!

The Glyn Valley, a very attractive model of Glynceriog station on the GVT in 009 that was originally built by Tim Tincknell and has been further developed by its current owners, (left to right): Peter Binns, Nigel and Adam Smith

A typical Glyn Valley Tramway train approaches Glynceriog station

Glyn Valley - 009 by Peter Binns and Nigel Smith

An overall view of the Glyn Valley 009 layout showing the simple yet very effective design.

Another simple design, but very professionally and attractively presented is Steve Flay's 009 Tan-y-Coed, which has featured in many of the premier exhibitions over the past 10 years or so - as seen by the "battle honours" on display on the fascia. The layout was for sale at the show - complete with stock. I do hope that whoever purchased this "ready to run" exhibition layout will continue to show it as it really is a superb layout that deserves to be seen.

Steve Flay's 009 Tan-y-Coed

A Festiniog Hunslet brings a goods train through the gorge after leaving Tan-y-Coed station

Hunslet 0-4-2T no.3 "Angela" simmers in Tan-y-Coed station. Top quality 009 by Steve Flay.

Tim Couling with Port St George, which was set up as an end-on junction with Tarrant Valley

One of Tim Couling's Clyre Valley Railway railcars waits for departure time at Port St George

A view of Port St George from the top of the harbourmaster's office

This superbly finished ex-War Dept Lt Rly Hunslet 4-6-0T spotted on the quay at Port St George was made from a Langley kit by Stephen Green

Regular readers should have no difficulty in recognising the Roving Reporter's personal railcar at Port St George!

Just half of the Tarrant Valley in its double-L configuration. John Webb operates Tarrant Gunville station with Stuart Webb and Stephen Green in the middle-distance

The 2nd part of the double-L leading towards the junction with Port St George. This is one extremely large and impressive 009 layout!

Tarrant Rushton RAF base was playing host to the world famous Red bArrows display team when we visited. Note the identification letters on the bArrows (spelling deliberate)

A Clyre Valley train arrives at Tarrant Gunville all the way from Port St George

Another train of Tim Couling's stock from Port St George calls in at Rawston & Rushton station on the Tarrant Valley Railway

Whilst further down the valley, at Stonemere, Tim Couling's permanent way train pauses to allow scheduled services to pass.

I thought that things needed brightening up a bit, so when nobody was looking, I introduced one of my Mull & Iona railcars into the traffic flow. It is a long way from the Inner Hebrides to Dorset, but I'm pleased to report that the railcar survived the journey!

A Hunslet diesel, another of Tim Couling's Port St George roster, pauses at Stonemere station on the Tarrant Valley.

And here is the proof that the Roving Reporter made it as far as Tarrant Gunville, upper terminus of the Tarrant Valley Railway, where my personal transport is spotted, waiting for a clear road to get me back down the valley, transfer the railcar onto a flat wagon at the junction with the Somerset & Dorset at Spetisbury and then back home in time for tea!