Photographs by Anthony Mead

Railex 2017 was held on the weekend of the 27th/28th May.

All the layout exhibitors acting as judges, cast their vote for the layout that they thought was deserving of the title of Best Layout in Show.

They decided that this should be Pempoul exhibited by Gordon & Maggie Gravett.

Iain Rice (in the middle) congratulating Gordon & Maggie Gravett.

A view of the winning layout.

For the Best Model on a layout Iain Rice went round the exhibition to pick what he thought was the Best Model. The winner was the viaduct on Fence Houses exhibited by Bob Jones & The Fence Houses Team.

Iain Rice (left) congratulating Bob Jones.

                                           The Victoria Viaduct.

My construction methods were described in Model Railway Journal 198, part of which can be seen in the background of the photo of the award ceremony. The track base is of 12mm thick MDF including supporting uprights. This base work was then covered with 3mm thick plywood to give the arch shape outlines and the undersides of the arches were clad with thin cardboard curved to shape and glued on. The plywood was then clad with 1mm thick Polyfilla, and scribed to obtain the stonework effect. Mike Raithby painted both the viaduct and the back scene. Various wood sections were created and added, along with the use of expanded polystyrene to create the landscape base (shown in the early construction phase photo). Some 200 two part etched nickel silver ‘dog legged’ L section handrail stanchions are employed along with wire horizontal's representing the safety barriers.

The Viaduct Under Construction, Photograph by Bob Jones.