Whilst I reported in my introduction blurb that I did not have time to sample the famous cake selection, I did rush past before opening time and before the servery was swamped with hungry customers!

Just past the "Bistro" servery, we find the upper hall - with the exhibits already disappearing behind the crowds - and this shot was taken some 10 minutes before the doors opened!

A shot of the balcony taken from the depths of the main hall

Having fought your way along the balcony, you come to the gymnasium. It was as full as this all day long.

A view of the main hall taken from the stage, during the morning.

At one end of the main hall, the 7mm NGA was kept busy all day.

And the 009 Society sales stand at the other end of the hall also reported record business

An additional overflow room was in use, and this is the view I initially got of William Loyd's Oro Grande Railroad! Did I manage to barge my way in to take photos? Of course I did, see the next 3 photos!

William Loyd's superb Oro Grande Railroad, in Sn3 scale - 1:64 on 14.2mm gauge track. William built the layout to accomodate the Backwoods Miniatures American Hoist and Ditcher Digger seen here, which he completed as a fully operating working model.

A nice view across Oro Grande, Sn3 by William Loyd

A splendid ancient vertical boiler loco on William Loyd's Sn3 Oro Grande Railroad. A loco like this would look good in any scale and in any setting. I have got one on my building list for a future project already!

Elwyn, Ellis Johns' first exhibition layout, in 0-16.5

Elwyn, 0-16.5 by Ellis Johns of the Nailsea & District MRC

Mark Fielder's well known 2mm scale 6.5mm gauge pizza layout operated perfectly as usual and was seen at the 2mm Narrow Gauge Group stand.

A close-up of the centre scenic part of Mark Fielder's superbly built 2mm scale pizza layout

Another well known view in the form of Howard Martin's triple gauge 7mm scale layout Tor Farm.

Good to see Steve Bennett up and about after his recent illness. Here is a shot of his well known Gn15 micro layout: Big Cat Mine.

Simon Andrews with his tiny, but excellent, 09 estate railway: Black Hall Sidings.

There's something very attractive about Heywood style estate railways and this shot of Simon Andrews' Black Hall Sidings portrays this atmosphere exactly. The loco is styled after the Lanchester-powered ICL2 of the Ravenglass & Eskdale in the 1920's.

Personalised transport that makes my Roving Reporter inspection railcar appear luxurious! Simon Andrews' 09 speeder at his Black Hall Sidings is built onto a Japanese N gauge Caramel bogie.

A pity about the backdrop, but even so, Harvey Faulkner-Aston's 0n30 Darius Washington State mini-layout still managed to portray an American logging scene atmosphere very well.

An attractive box cab IC loco at Darius Washington State, American logging in 0n30 by Harvey Faulkner-Aston

This shot was one of my best efforts of the day, which I was very pleased with, particularly as it was taken on full auto low aperture hand-held fast shutter setting. Darius Washington State, 0n30 by Harvey Faulkner-Aston

Christopher Payne's well known 1:25 scale 16.5mm gauge Paradise Mining Company, with Adrian Ponting as the operator when I passed with the camera.

Highly individual 18" gauge freelance American stock on Christopher Payne's Paradise Mining Company - 1:25 scale.

Chris Peacock's 0-16.5 Calstock (Cothele), featured in depth in Railway Modeller Jan - March 2009 issues.

A nice view across Calstock (Cothele), 0-16.5 by Chris Peacock

A very attractive ancient Neilson box tank loco at Chris Peacock's 0-16.5 Calstock (Cothele).

Steve Green (left) with John Webb of the Wimborne Railway Society, with Steve's industrial 0-9 layout: Gideon Postlethwaite & Sons

A wide variety of 09 stock was featured on Steve Green's Gideon Postlethwaite & Sons

Graham Lindley has temporarily returned to 009 from his famous 1:24 scale Hythe layout, with his highly individual Lyddbridge Junction, which features mainly railcar operation and has a transport museum as its main setting. Jerry Oakey of the Wessex NG Modellers is the operator in this view.

This little diesel loco by Graham Lindley on his 009 Lyddbridge Junction, was recently the subject of some correspondence on one of the internet forums, in relation to its origin. I can reveal here that it started life as a now discontinued diecast "Salty the dockyard diesel" from the Thomas series. More serious students will know that Salty was actually a Ruston & Hornsby!

Graham Lindley has been modelling in 009 for many years and this Donegal railcar (in Isle of Man livery) was scratchbuilt from card over 30 years ago, many years before Pete McParlin produced his first Backwoods kits! Lyddbridge Junction, 009

More railcars at Graham Lindley's 009 Lyddbridge Junction. Another scratchbuilt Donegal railcar, this time number 15 (or 16?) with the first sighting in this collection of my "famous" Roving Reporter inspection railcar!

Gretton & Wenlock, the 0-16.5 layout of the Wimborne & District Railway Society, CLANGERS group (Colehill Locomotive and NG Enthusiasts Rly Soc in case you were curious!)

An attractive view across the station at the Clangers Group 016.5 layout Gretton & Wenlock

A very nicely done 0-6-0T loco at Gretton & Wenlock, 0-16.5 by the Clangers Group

An impressive 4-6-0T Baldwin on a passenger service at Gretton & Wenlock, the 0-16.5 layout of the Wimborne RS Clangers Group

A mixed train, hauled by one of the attractive Smallbrook Studios resin bodied loco kits at Gretton & Wenlock, 0-16.5 by the Wimborne RS Clangers Group.

A first visit to Shepton Mallet for Chris Mackenzie's very impressive large 16mm scale SM32 layout: Timpdon Lake

A live steam loco passes through the main station at Chris Mackenzie's SM32 Timpdon Lake Railway

Well in 16mm scale you can see the detail! One of many little scenes on Chris Mackenzie's SM32 Timpdon Lake Railway

The very impressive loco storage area at Timpdon Lake, by Chris Mackenzie in SM32

Not to be outdone by Chris Mackenzie's visiting SM32 layout, the Severn Mendip 16mm Group were in their customary place at the end of the gymnasium with their impressive scenic live steam running track.

Just one of many live steam trains running at Mendip Vale, the scenic running track of the Severn Mendip 16mm Group.

Another regular attender in the gymnasium is Mike Brown with his G Scale publicity stand. This year he showed Entwhistle Green, and an even tinier layout, only 2ft square, North Pole Cottage, just to illustrate that micro layouts are indeed possible in this large scale.

Gerry Bullock, from Essex (on the left in the headgear), has also become a regular attender at NGSW, with his highly original and attractive Gn15 essays. This year we were entertained with Gneiss Farm

Some of the fine detailed modelling to be seen at Gerry Bullock's Gn15 Gneiss Farm.

Wessex NGM member Stuart Reeve, with son, brought their table-top 009 layout Feltwell Road, which was very successfully debuted at Exbury Gardens, covered earlier in this photo gallery

A closer view of Stuart Reeve's 009 Feltwell Road

An aerial view of Tan-y-Bwlch, Angus Watkins' Festiniog layout set in circa 1900. This view shows how a simple track layout, with sweeping curves can create a very effective scene

The rear of Tan-y-Bwlch by Angus Watkins in 009 is also very effective! I have included this shot for students of fiddle yards, in particular well made traversers, to study!

The long sweeping curve through Tan-y-Bwlch station, 009 by Angus Watkins, creates a very impressive scene

Double Fairlie loco at the head of a typical early-20th century Festiniog train at Angus Watkins' 009 Tan-y-Bwlch

A Fairlie loco bursts out of the tunnel at Tan-y-Bwlch. Historic Festiniog by Angus Watkins in 009

The view through the tunnel at Tan-y-Bwlch, a Festiniog 009 layout by Angus Watkins. Note the clever arrangement of the backscene at the far end of the tunnel.

Charlie Insley with his well known and attractive West Midlands freelance 009 layout: Kinwardine Wharf

My Roving Reporter inspection railcar arrives at Kinwardine Wharf, Charlie Insley's 009 layout. For the curious, the railcar is built onto an Arnold kof II N gauge chassis

An attractive scene across the station approach at Charlie Insley's 009 Kinwardine Wharf

A feature of Charlie Insley's 009 Kinwardine Wharf is the wide variety of very attractive scratch built and kitbashed locomotives and rolling stock

The canal wharf at Kinwardine Wharf. 009 by Charlie Insley

Charlie Insley's latest steam locomotive at his 009 Kinwardine Wharf is this Hunslet tram loco that he has scratchbuilt, inspired by one of Paul Windle's early designs.

Another innovative new piece of motive power at Kinwardine Wharf, 009 by Charlie Insley. This was a first sighting for many, myself included, of an 009 loco built onto the recently introduced improved Grafar 08 diesel chassis.

A very attractive modification to the well known Liliput HOe Austrian U class 0-6-2T by Charlie Insley has turned it into a convincing English 009 locomotive. Gem Varikit boiler fittings, a new cab and front footplate extensionn are basically all that was needed - plus a very professional standard paint job!

A ivsitor to Charlie Insley's 009 Kinwardine Wharf in the form of this Kougai (Japan) HOn30 diesel belonging to Garry Whiting

Andy Cundick is making a welcome return to his Irish 00n3 series of layouts with a "work in progress" model of Strabane station, which will feature both the County Donegal 3ft gauge system and teh GNR (I) 5ft 3in gauge (21mm) lines. When completed this most impressive layout will be over 24 feet long.

Looking across the mixed gauge trackwork towards the tranship yard and narrow gauge sheds at Andy Cundick's 00n3 Strabane

An appetiser for future delight when the layout has progressed further in the form of a selection of Donegal stock at Andy Cundick's 00n3 Strabane

A very popular exhibit on Andy Cundick's 00n3 work in progress model of Strabane station, was this load on its way to the scrap yard to be turned into something much more suitable!

Danny Terry, Richard Bullock and John Thorne man the defences behind John's 009 Purbeck. This view shows something of the challenges of both operating and trying to get near enough for some photos at an event as popular as NGSW!

Purbeck, 009 by John Thorne

Some heavy machinery on flat cars at John Thorne's 009 Purbeck