Show report - the Rijswijk Model Railway Show, 2015

[tedp]

Today I visited the Rijswijk model railway show, about half an hour down the railway to Rotterdam from my place. Two Dutch Group members were showing their layouts - The Corn Mill by Henk Wust (partly built by John & Jane Jacobs and Derk Huisman, scenics by Henk), and Irgendwo, an exquisite Harz style scene in H0e by Gerbrand Haans. Eight of the Dutch members came to the show, either exhibiting or visiting.

The Corn Mill:





Irgendwo:







From Britain there were two layouts - Sutton Wharf in 1:22.5 by Christopher Payne and Ramma Wood in 7mm scale 0-9 by Simon Andrews.











In 0 scale narrow gauge there were two layouts I photographed: Java 1946 in 0e by Paul de Groot and Mara Harbor by Martin Welberg, a Maine-style 0n30 layout. Java 1946 depicts a scene during the independence struggle in post-war Indonesia, although there are one or two scenes that look rather more like the 1920s.

Java 1946:







Mara Harbor:







Inevitably, in a general model railway show, there are what on NGRM would count as 'heresies' - standard gauge model railways. There were some particularly good ones I include here for scenic interest.

This one is definitely a heresy, included for the way the river continues in the backscene:



Next is Cattle Bay, American N scale, a continuous run built around a central box painted with backscenes:





This layout was built by a husband & wife team, the 'Wim & Susan Model Railroad Association'. More of Cattle Bay can be found here, in Dutch: http://www.wsrra.nl/cattle-bay.html

Next is 'Scones please!', a 1960 British Railways scene in 00 featuring a station named Leek Junction, completely digital in operation, including layout lights, signals illuminated etc., but scenically quite attractive as well.




More on this layout on the Beneluxspoor forum, in Dutch: http://forum.beneluxspoor.net/index.php/topic,49288.0.html

Next, and last in this report, two beautifully made Dutch period standard gauge layouts, one of which is a back to back main line set-up by Team Mitropa, depicting two main line through stations - Rhenen including the river bridge which was cleverly set up against a mirror, and Oosterbeek-Hoog depicting a through halt in the wild moor area of central Gelderland.

More on this layout, in Dutch: http://www.teammitropa.nl/ and http://www.teammitropa.nl/oosterbeek-hoog

Regrettably the expensive sound-equipped class 3700 4-6-0 locos displayed my pet hatred - badly synchronised exhausts, and in addition they were driven rather unprototypically... Why lavish such care on a beautiful layout and then mar it by fast starts and stops?













Finally the branch station of Rolde in the Northeast, long gone, in the 1950s with some steam as it was in the 1930s. A beautifully modelled goods yard and the landscape copied faithfully from the prototype, including a megalithic grave typical of the area. The layout was built by F.Feenstra and Th.Maris.





Look at the way the road merges into the backscene:



The prehistoric gravesite:



And finally, a 1950s 2400 class diesel blocking the level crossing, with the local church depicted on the backscene:



Apologies for the 'heresies', but the quality was such that I didn't want to omit them.

The entire album can be viewed HERE.

[tedp]

If you don't mind a standard gauge tram layout, here are views from the Hellevoetse Tramweg Maatschappij (same initials as HTM, the municipal tramway company of The Hague). This layout by Paul Roos features tram models mainly from The Hague. The trams are beautifully modelled and use live overhead wires. When I visited the layout, several PCC cars were doing the rounds - American-designed trams that were the leading thing in the 1950s.





At the Goes show, about a year ago, I also photographed this layout, including some close-ups of works stock and a steeple cab locomotive.





An older HTM tram set, pre-dating the PCCs.



More of this remarkable tram layout can be found here, in Dutch: http://hellevoetsetramwegmaatschappij.blogspot.nl/

I will be publishing a video of the Rijswijk show. This will include some video made at Valkenburg of two narrow gauge layouts present at the Rijswijk show which I didn't visit this time.

[tedp]

Some photos made last September of the two NG layouts at Rijswijk which I didn't visit for lack of time:

Ren

[MickT]

Looks like it was a good day out Ted and thanks for posting your report - all heresies forgiven!

Mick

[tedp]

Thanks Mick - it was worth the trip.

Contrary to usual practice I'm now beavering away at the video report, which landed me in an argument with the video software - it refused to load the Valkenburg video to cut out the passages I need to complete this. Workaround found, but it took me an hour or so. D***n useless stuff they pack with video cameras!

[Hugh Norwood]

Lovely photos, Ted. That second shot of the the Corn Mill is simply stunning.

[tedp]

Thanks, Hugh - that is my favourite as well as it shows so much detail.

[tedp]

Well - I finally managed it, though not quite to my liking as the video processing package packed with my camera refuses to re-load a film it had made itself. This was needed to cut out a section showing two layouts that were present at Rijswijk but which I had filmed at Valkenburg. The alternative option to merge the wmv source files under Movie Maker produced a video with less than optimal train movement. So here are two separate videos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOs7NwG1Neo

And the second part, a short section which was cut out of the Valkenburg video and reprocessed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iirfJQhA68

Some notes on sound-equipped locos and operators running trains: at Herbert's Crossing, the Climax loco's sound is perfectly tuned to the movement. But if you see the standard gauge Dutch 4-6-0s on Rhenen, you will find the sound is very much out of step with the wheels. Also, the art of running a steam train has been less than perfected. Apart from that it is an exquisite period scene.

Despite the grumbles, I hope you like the result!   :P