BONNIE SCOTLAND

Glasgow show enjoyed by all.

This was something of an impulse purchase from the Heljan stand at Model Rail Scotland. I'd actually been looking at the BR 4-wheel railbuses that were on sale, but I've been mulling over getting one of these Class 15s for a while. I've always been a big fan of small Bo-Bo diesels and, when Kim offered it me for a song, I couldn't resist. It's a lovely model - one of Heljan's best so far...

The day after a long weekend show always has a slightly anti-climactic feeling and I've been chilling out a bit today, after my exertions North of the Border. Having been up there since Thursday, it was nice to get home in time for the cup final yesterday. I'm not sure what was more tiring, manning the Model Rail stand at the SECC in Glasgow or watching Liverpool win the cup on penalties...

Regardless of the footy, I thoroughly enjoyed Model Rail Scotland - as always - and a combo of extremely friendly locals, some fine layouts and a couple of agreeable nights on the town made it another year to remember. Thanks to all the punters and traders who came to say hello and for all the hard work put in by the organisers. I'm already looking forward to next year...

Another source of great excitement for a wagon enthusiast like me, was the new Parkside Dundas kit for the iconic LNER 20t hopper. Can't wait to put this one together...

A blast from the past: It was great to see a BR blue 86 and 87 parked up at Carlisle on the way to Glasgow. The only means of photography I had was the webcam on my laptop, so I tried to capture the 86 at least, though it's come out back-to-front for some reason... looks like someone's put a waterslide decal on backwards.