The main village hall - some familiar faces - but where is everyone else? See next photo!

Here they are! Brian Guilmant (foreground left) set up the fantastic aladdin's cave of the 009 Society members sales in a side room which ensured that the main hall was free enough to walk around and enjoy viewing the layouts, whilst the sales tables were under siege all day!

Geoff and Shirley Harper represented the West Midlands group with their 009 layout "Upper Norton"

Upper Norton, Geoff Harper's 009 layout

A view across the station and market square at Geoff Harper's Upper Norton

David Gander is the 009 Society Trade Liaison Officer and is also a member of the local group. He contributed his famous and much published 009 Welshpool & Llanfair inspired layout, Green End

And what could be more suitable on a Welshpool & Llanfair-based layout than a W&LLR Beyer Peacock loco? This fabulous prizewinning model by Stephen Sullivan was made from the basis of a Golden Arrow kit.

Stephen Sullivan's model of W&LLR 0-6-0T "Countess" at David Gander's Green End

Stephen Sullivan's model of Manning Wardle 0-6-2T "Canopus" at David Gander's Green End water tower

0-6-2T Canopus, built by Stephen Sullivan, has been constructed from a Backwoods kit. Seen here on David Gander's Green End layout

Unusual French vehicles at David Gander's Green End - the grey locomotive is a Crochat petrol loco of 1st world war vintage

Jeff Haigh from the Northampton Group brought his latest micro layout "Watling Beck"

Watling Beck by Jeff Haigh is all of about one foot long, but really is a case of "less is more" with the superb modelling displayed

A Paul Windle 0-6-0T brings a train of Glyn Valley stock into Jeff Haigh's Watling Beck

Watling Beck. An 009 micro layout by Jeff Haigh

Jeff Haigh's Watling Beck, a rather nice view showing his superb modelling skills to advantage.

Mike Higgins came over from West Bromwich with his 009 Holloway St James layout

Holloway St James by Mike Higgins

A scratchbuilt Clogher Valley style Beyer Peacock tram loco that runs on the cheap but very reliable Bachman 6wh diesel chassis at Mike Higgins' Holloway St James

Holloway St James by Mike Higgins. The loco in this photo has a scratchbuilt body on the Bachman American Prairie N gauge chassis.

The only non-009 layout was David Coates' N gauge continental St Niklaus. A very professionally presented layout.

A suitably Christmasy scene at David Coates' "St Niklaus" in continental N 1:160 scale

Dr Stephen Sullivan is another local group member who brought along his Lincolnshire potato farm layout "Holbeach Estate" which acts as a very nice setting for him to run his collection of superbly modelled industrial stock.

An attractive enhancement to Stephen Sullivan's Holbeach Estate is the working Faller system road, providing movement in addition to the trains from this cleverly adapted tractor and trailer.

A Nigel Lawson model of an O&K diesel shows that it has sufficient torque to haul a heavy train across the potato fields at Stephen Sullivan's 009 Holbeach Estate.

I just had to include this photo taken through the back door of a 4mm scale nissan hut as Stephen Sullivan did not believe it was possible!

More exotic IC motive power at Stephen Sullivan's excellent little slice of Lincolnshire - Holbeach Estate

Stephen Sullivan showed his latest acquisition to the Holbeach Estate stock roster, an unusual locomotive built to special order by Paul Windle. Stephen thought that the prototype was a Hudswell Clarke loco built for the Egyptian Delta Light Railway at around the time of the 1st world war, however 009 Society member Tony Wall has sent me clear pictorial evidence to suggest that it is a model of a Hawthorn Leslie 55hp petrol loco that was supplied to the War Dept for use in Alexandria in 1915 and then found its way to the EDLR - which seems to tie together any loose strings, and is good enough for me - unless anybody else can prove Tony wrong?....

A rail tractor crosses the very realistically modelled drainage ditch at Stephen Sullivan's Holbeach Estate

The workers take their lunch break in the sunshine at Holbeach Estate, 009 by Stephen Sullivan

This very finely detailed Plymouth is an etched brass American kit by Brick Price that runs on the popular and economical Bachman 6wh diesel chassis. Model by Stephen Sullivan

Who hasn't got room for a model railway? This is T gauge, 1:450, running on 3mm gauge track! Japanese of course, the model is by Eishindo and I am informed is available from Gaugemaster.

A much larger than life close up of the tiny Eishindo T scale (1:450, 3mm gauge) trainset that Stephen Sullivan brought to the event. It works perfectly as well, it is just a job to see it!

Beds & Bucks Group member, Brian Key brought along his superb Lynton & Barnstaple "freelance essay" Ilfracombe East, which has expanded in the past two years from a small L shaped terminus to fiddle yard to a large U shape accomodating a model of Chelfham viaduct and a new passing station. An excellent layout in all aspects.

One of Brian's very nicely modelled L&B Manning Wardle locos. I think his stud uses the Stenning and Chivers body kits, which still make up into excellent models if careful attention to detail is applied. This loco runs on the much derided (by the "experts") but reliable and obtainable (!) Minitrix 2-6-2 chassis. I have several in my own chassis stock!

Brian's imaginative articulated railcar built from a Dapol 00 plastic kit and running on a Kato tram chassis was described in 009 News January 2009 issue.

Brian Key's Dapol railbus is in the "Minehead and Lynmouth Railway" livery, which makes a nice subtle contrast to the Southern liveried Lynton & Barnstaple stock on his Ilfracombe East layout.

Brian Key's 009 Ilfracombe East

A train crosses the new viaduct section on Brian Key's 009 Ilfracombe East

Overhead view from the roving reporter helicopter of the viaduct on Brian Key's Ilfracombe East

Brian Key has added a new module to his excellent Ilfracombe East layout, with the passing station of Brinscott

A coachload of tourists has stopped for lunch at the White Hart hostelry in the North Devon village of Brinscott at Brian Key's Ilfracombe East 009 layout.

A fiddle yard view of an innovative repaint of the popular Liliput 2091 HOe diesel at Brian Key's Ilfracombe East

This Minehead & Lynmouth liveried 0-6-2T is a cleverly anglicised 009 rebuild of the common Liliput Austrian HOe class U 0-6-2T. Brian Key's article on how he made this model was published in the September 2007 issue of 009 News

John Lee, from the Chelmsford MRC, brought his superbly modelled Avon Quay. This layout was described in 009 News in the October 2007 issue

A Clyde Puffer, very nicely detailed from the Langley kit, at John Lee's Avon Quay

Avon Quay by John Lee in 009. The passenger train was constructed using the ever-popular Ratio coach sides and is headed by a Gem Bagnall 0-6-0T kitbuilt loco.

An overhead view from one end of John Lee's excellent Avon Quay. Note the front operating position of the impressive console.

Detail abounds at Avon Quay, 009 by John Lee

An industrial siding at John Lee's Avon Quay, featuring a Minitrains Baldwin diesel and a tiny Backwoods 0-4-0 tender loco

John Lee's Avon Quay is not all trains - here is a superbly modelled scenic feature.

A railcar passes through John Lee's Avon Quay. I thought this was an old MS Models railcar, but now I am not so sure as it looks to me as if it is running on a Kato chassis. Can anyone confirm the provenance of this model please?

Another detail scene showing the rocky cliffs at John Lee's Avon Quay

A very attractive little Sharp Stewart 2-4-0T at Avon Quay, by John Lee

The tiny Backwoods kitbuilt 0-4-0 tender loco passes on the high level line at John Lee's Avon Quay

John Lee's Avon Quay features some impressive scenic work, both rural and urban. This industrial cameo includes the Langley vacformed low relief warehouse and components from the Metcalfe card brewery kit. Skilled modelling has merged the two types of model very nicely into a single credible scene.