A view across the main hall - narrow gauge models and people as far as the eye can see!

The 009 Society Sales under Brian Guilmant made a welcome return to Expong after a gap of 4 years. The sales stock is so large that a complete squash court had to be taken into use. Here is Brian with his emporium shortly before opening time.

The 009 Society was also represented in the main hall with a modelling demonstration by the Sussex Downs Group and their own display case and animated diorama

The Sussex Downs Group of the 009 Society's display case and animated diorama/mini layout

Those who follow my reports will know that the Roving Reporter travels between the best layouts in his own private Inspection Railcar. Here it has just arrived at the 009 Society display stand station

The 7mm NGA always bring their full sales, publicity and publications stand to Expong, which always results in a very busy stand, as can be seen here!

Chairman of the 7mm NGA, Howard Martin (seated, centre), has his own range of resin locomotive and rolling stock kits that he markets as Avalon Lines. His stand always features an attractive small demonstration layout

The demonstration layout on the Avalon Lines stand set Howard Martin's attractive 7mm scale industrial locomotive and rolling stock kits off to advantage

Malcolm Savage, secretary of the 5.5mm Association with his smart and very professionally presented society stand. I believe several new members joined on the day (I joined myself just a week earlier!)

White Elephant Mine, a small 5.5mm scale animated diorama by Francis Stapleton, which shows off Francis' own range of resin wagon kits

The main part of the 5.5mm Association display is the attractive Bronabar Sidings, which shows Malcolm Savage's models and Mike Chinery's chassis.

An MSM Festiniog England 0-4-0ST kit at Bronabar Sidings, which originated as a 5.5mm scale Gem kit back in the early 1960's

The late Dave Scott's final layout before his death in 2006 was Beccadale Haematite Mine, in 5.5mm scale and now owned by Francis Stapleton.

An attractive scene at Francis Stapleton's Beccadale Haematite Mine, 5.5mm scale originally built by the late Dave Scott

An industrial Sentinel locomotive on Francis Stapleton's 5.5mm scale Beccadal Haematite Mine, originally built by the late Dave Scott

Beccadale Haematite Mine, the late Dave Scott's 5.5mm scale layout, now owned and being further developed by Francis Stapleton

Narrow gauge modelling at the tiny end of the spectrum in the form of Mark Fielder's exquisite 6.5mm gauge 2mm scale Am Clair

I took this snap for the benefit of all of those people who have heard of Paul Windle, but have never seen him - here is the great man himself!

Andrew Hastie, of Parkside Dundas, berated me for "never taking a photo of their stand". Sorry Andrew, here's the best I could do on this occasion, I'll try harder next time! Here, Ian Hastie (nearest) and Andrew (furthest) are hard at it providing an absolutely essential service to narrow gauge modellers - where would we be without you guys!

Don & Val Sibley live in Belgium but have brought a layout to Expong every year since it began. This year they brought the HOe layout El Tortuga that Don showed at the very first Expong 25 years ago.

Don & Val Sibley's El Tortuga was originally built to accomodate the Japanese HOe Joe Works range. Don's Joe Works stock went some years ago, so it was fortuitious that Garry Whiting was on hand with his collection of Japanese HOe models to stock the layout for the day

El Tortuga, HOe by Don & Val Sibley with stock supplied by Garry Whiting

Dave & Midge Grassing have regularly attended Expong with several animated American layouts. This year they brought their dual gauge HOn3/HOn30 Foss Landing

Foss Landing, by Dave and Midge Grassing, in HOn3 & HOn30, is a scenic layout very much in the style of the famous American modellers, Haydn & Frary

The Roving Reporter inspection railcar was not the only small "critter" buzzing around the narrow gauge tracks at Expong. Here is an American 3ft gauge version on the 10.5mm gauge HOn3 tracks at Dave and Midge Grassing's Foss Landing

John Wormington, with his West Midlands 009 Group assistant David Churchill, and the 009 layout Bachdale & Dibley Level

A view across the station area at John Wormington's Bachdale & Dibley Level

Bachdale & Dibley level, a very attractive 009 layout owned by John Wormington

John Wormington received the Reinier Hendriksen Award from Chris O'Donoghue for his freelance Bachdale & Dibley Level

Steve Green (left) and his Wimborne Railway Society assistant, Andrew Webb, with Steve's 09 Gideon Postlethwaite & Sons

Gideon Postlethwaite & Sons, an industrial 09 layout by Steve Green

Phil Davies showed his very attractive 1/24 scale 16.5mm gauge Aberfal Mining & Minerals Ltd, a Cornish mining layout.

Newton Halt, an original and very smartly presented micro-009 layout by Andy McMahon and Sheila Perry

A scene showing almost all of the attractive little Newton Halt, 009 by Andy McMahon and Sheila Perry

The Roving Reporter gets away from Newton Halt in the inspection railcar after a successful photographic visit to Andy McMahon and Sheila Perry's layout

In a side hall, a competition was set up for layouts with dimensions of 40 x 25 inches in recognition of the G&DNGS 40 anniversary and 25th Expong. Lee Bryant's imaginative and clever entry from the Wessex NGM's, Coil End Lane, featured triple 6.5, 9 and 12mm gauge trackwork.

A converted Dapol Drewry diesel and Lee Bryant's award winning mail coach at his triple gauge 006.5/009/00n3 Coil End Lane

Another 40/25 competition entry was Sunnyside Mine in Gn15 by Andy Jagger

Les Coleman is a well known "MOMING" layout builder, and for the 40/25 competition he entered this attractive little Gn15 layout "Moreau et Fils"

Neil Moss entered this wartime 009 layout Jersey 1942 into the 40/25 competition

Le Chêne Blanc (French for "The White Oak" - the name of the Expong venue, by skilled French modeller and regular Expong attender, Bernard Junk

And the winner is: Bernard Junk receives his 40/25 winning prize from NG World producer, Trevor Ridley. G&DNGS competition organiser Richard Glover supervises proceedings.

A highly acclaimed layout that has been on the exhibition circuit for only a year is John de Fraysinnet's County Gate. I was lucky enough to see it at close quarters on its exhibition pre-debut at an 009 Society members day at Ashchurch in 2007 (see earlier report in this gallery), as the chances of getting near enough to take decent photos at Expong were "difficult" to say the least, due to the numbers of people queueing to see it. Here's a shot taken before opening, with the frustration that even then there was somebody in front who refused to move out of the way!

An end-on view of John de Fraysinnet's freelance Lynton & Barnstaple extension railway County Gate. Approximately 30 feet of North Devon countryside in 1/76 scale - something in the order of 3000 trees and bushes were modelled!

A view from the harbour end of County Gate by John de Fraysinnet. The crowds at the barrier illustrate the challenge posed for budding photographers to get anything like decent images "in the can" on the day. I gave up and will catch up at a later date!

John de Fraysinnet's scratchbuilt collier in Glenthorne Harbour at County Gate. It is a scale 180 ft long (nearly 3 feet in 4mm scale) and I personally thought it to be a super model. It was very nice to see a scale model ship in 4mm scale of substantial size and although this would probably overwhelm most model harbours, it suited the scene at Glenthorne Harbour very well.

An innovative, imaginative, yet fully researched and credible art deco styled 1930's 3-unit railcar calls at Glenthorne Harbour on John de Fraysinnet's 009 County Gate

As this long distance view was taken from about 12 feet away using full zoom on my camera, I was quite content that this aerial view of the station area at County Gate was the best I could achieve under the circumstances.

Although we have already seen John de Fraysinnet's Glenthorne Harbour on his 009 County Gate, I have included this overhead view as it shows to advantage the very clever blending of the backscene into the modelled scenery. Superb modelling that is worth a long look

Hollies End, an attractive freelance 0-16.5 layout by Brian Stubbles.

Unfortunately the current trend towards perspex screens on layouts to deter sticky and prodding fingers has a detrimental effect on photography and overhead views are a necessary compromise. Nevertheless, this shot shows some of the nice detail on Brian Stubbles 0-16.5 Hollies End

A view along the length of the layout at Brian Stubbles' 0-16.5 Hollies End

Now here's something original! Gerry Bullock's Slovenian salt pan Gn15 layout Secciole Salina, with operators in appropriate dress!

John Thorne's Purbeck, Dorset clay mining in 009, was another layout that was almost impossible to get near enough to photograph without hogging the layout frontage (as the French magazine photographers have a habit of doing at Expong....) Fortunately a very comprehensive photo set on this layout has an earlier collection all to itself in this gallery.

A view across the other photographer's set-ups of the station area on John Thorne's very attractive and popular 009 layout Purbeck

Nothing stops the Roving Reporter! Despite the problems facing photographers, the Roving Reporter managed to get through as can be seen by the inspection railcar arriving safely at Purbeck.

Gordon and Maggie Gravett's magnum opus: their 1:50 scale 18.2mm gauge French Résau Breton layout that has just about everything scratch built. It took a total of 17 years of research and building to complete this work.

A scene showing the station on Gordon & Maggie Gravett's 1:50 scale Pempoul

Pempul, French metre gauge in 1:50 scale (18.2mm gauge) by Gordon & Maggie Gravett

Gordon Gravett receives the David Lloyd Trophy from Editor of Continental Modeller, Andrew Burnham. Richard Glover of the G&DNGS acts as officiating officer

This French exhibit of a layout built in 3 suitcases and bridging pieces proved to be very popular with visitors. Sucrerie Durand & Gault, 0-14 by Jack Treves

A second view across the triple suitcase set-up containing Jack Treves' 0-14 layout Sucrerie Durand et Gault

One of several animated vignettes on Sucrerie Durand & Gault, an 0-14 layout by Jack Treves

The sugar beet factory in one of the 3 suitcases that accomodate Jack Treves 0-14 layotu Sucrerie Durand et Gault

Members of the Sussex Downs Group of the 009 Society with Simon Wilson's Southwold

Simon Wilson operates his 009 Southwold, showing the innovative and clever front operating console, mounted on a swivelling TV/monitor wall bracket

Southwold, 009 by Simon Wilson is a fascinating blend of Suffolk scenery and convincing models of the old 3ft gauge Southwold Railway structures, with freelance 009 stock. It all blends in very well.

The main station on Simon Wilson's 009 Southwold

A view from the other direction of the main station at Simon Wilson's 009 Southwold

Whiteoak Light Railway, a very attractive industrial dock setting in 0-16.5 by Martin Coombs

The backscene on Martin Coombs' 0-16.5 Whiteoak consists entirely of warehouses and dockside buildings - very convincing and atmospheric

A nice view of the Kayleigh Zoewick tied up at the dockside at Martin Coombs' 0-16.5 Whiteoak. In 7mm scale a model ship is BIG and impressive!