An overall view of the layout from the public side. Left to right are: Garry Whiting, John Varley and Hugh Norwood - all members of the LAMPOONS (Leeds & Morley Provisional 009 Society) Group of the 009 Society.

The operating team at the time of my visit - Garry Whiting, John Varley and Hugh Norwood

A very simple. yet effective publicity display for the 009 Society had been set up by the team adjacent to the layout. It consisted of a vinyl pull-up banner, a laptop showing videos of narrow gauge layouts and a small display of 009 models by John, Garry and Hugh. Other Society Groups and exhibitors could learn from this effective example.

A good variety of 009 models of various types on display. NG modelling is not exclusively Welsh slate and tourist railways!

An aerial view of Ghylldaleside town and harbour from the south

Ghylldaleside harbour. The stone setts modelled on the jetty are particularly effective

This view of the whole layout shows the effective design for an exhibition layout and the proportion of scenic layout to hidden fiddle yards.

The hill at the north end of the layout provides a very effective scenic break and gives the layout a sense of depth. Significantly, Ghylldale was the only narrow gauge layout at this prestigious show, and was amazingly one of only three layouts that contained any scenic features to speak of! In fact, the "star" layout of the show had moorland scenery that looked very much to me as if it had been made with carpet tiles.

Aerial view of the layout from the north end, also showing the neat but effective hidden storage sidings

Whilst Ghylldale often sports a variety of visiting locomotives, John Varley's own locomotive stock tends to concentrate on prototype designs that were manufactured in his home city of Leeds. Here a Hunslet 0-6-4ST brings a goods train through the station loop, whilst a small 0-4-0ST quarry Hunslet acts as the harbour shunter

Another Hunslet design, this time a Sierra Leone (Later Welshpool) 2-6-2T built from a Parkside Dundas kit, pauses at Ghylldaleside with a goods train.

A view of the goods train from the reverse angle. Note the bogie tanker, which utilised an old Triang TT tanker body picked up at cheaply at a swapmeet.

Two Paul Windle-built Hunslet locos at the small stabling shed at Ghylldaleside.

Another view of the stone jetty with its two sidings and transfer wagon turntables

A Manning Wardle loco brings a passenger service into Ghylldaleside station

Trains passing in the station loop have not distracted the morris dancing team from their concentration.

Another lower angle view of goods and passenger trains passing at the station loop.

A freelance 2-8-2T, owned by Garry Whiting.

A close view of the stone jetty, showing the very neat and realistic stone setts.

Sea level view of shipping in the harbour.

An ancient Victorian-era coastal steamer leaves the jetty. All the ship models were scratchbuilt by Darryl Foxwell and have had some further work done by John Varley

This steam coaster, as with the other ship models is actually very small for 4mm scale, but they all fit perfectly into the overall scene. Larger models would have simply overwhelmed the rest of the layout and distracted from the overall image.

The attractive coastal steamer. Whilst a close-up view shows the very compressed nature of the model, it does nevertheless fit very well into the overall scene.

A small vessel outside the protection of the harbour wall is temporarily stranded until the tide comes in.

A sign that an 009 layout has "arrived" is a visit by the Roving Reporter's inspection railcar. Here it has just arrived at Ghylldaleside, and the driver waits whilst the Roving Reporter has repaired to the Boat Inn across the road, for lunch.