No. Not celebrating the somewhat overlong delay since my last update.
Having recently spent three, thoroughly enjoyable days at Model Rail Scotland, the first of the ’big’ exhibitions to reappear, its important to recognise the hard work that Ian Porteous and colleagues in the Model Rail Scotland team and the management and staff at the SECCC put into the exhibition against the uncertainties and challenges present by Covid and it’s associated restrictions. Everyone I spoke to, either around the exhibition, or from behind my demo table seemed happy and appreciative. The standard of exhibit was very high, and some of the trade stands continue to raise the bar in terms of professional appearance. A superb return to exhibitions. Possibly, the new ’normal’, is better than the old normal
As tends to be the way, my share of our allocated area wasn’t enough. Fortunately, my friends at the ScRSG are sympathetic to the needs of models of large buildings. Or me! The Morrison St baseboard and various buildings along with a work area just wouldn’t fit a single table.
Davy Scott brought a sample of the railings he’s building for me. It’s evolved quite a bit since the first prototypes appeared, although just placed against the retaining wall, it looks superb and totally transforms the scene. Not obvious from this photo, he has captured posts that have corroded away.

Time was also spent developing a method of adapting Ratio spear fencing into something more suitable for a tenement garden railing. This involves removing the thick post and joining lots of bits together.
Previously, attempts failed as the joints lacked sufficient surface area and strength to support its own weight. The solution appears to be bracing the railing panels with the coping stones from the wall into which the railing is set and a bit of support behind the top rail, courtesy of Evergreen, which disappears when painted black. A little more time is needed to get the spacing correct at the joints when the final version is made, so the eye doesn’t immediately pick up the pattern. The original Ratio moulding is on the left.

So, why do we exhibit?
On the first day of the exhibition, an elderly visitor was talking about Princes St and, noticing the signal box, asked if I was going to complete the interior. He then mentioned that he’d obtained the clock from the box. Our conversation suggested he’d had it for some years, and that his children, not having his interest in railways, didn’t appreciate its history, and were possibly sceptical of its alleged origin.
Four years ago, I’d taken several screenshots of photos of the inside of Princes Street Signal box in LMS days. I can’t remember where I found them, but they weren’t watermarked. The last photo had the clock. Dead centre of the image.
“That’s my clock!”
A copy of the photo was forwarded to the gentleman there and then, and checked that he’d received it before he left me.
A complete stranger had come to the exhibition, and left with something he didn’t know existed, let alone was hoping to get, which adds value to something already in his possession, and it didn’t cost him a penny! To say he was happy would be an gross understatement.
At the end of the day, regardless of how we prefer to phrase it, surely in the most basic terms, we exhibit in the hope of enhancing somebody’s life in some little way?
Take care