TINGS 2026 #1

My weekend was spent at TINGS (The International N Gauge Show), exhibiting an N-Club layout with some of our Stuttgart German friends. They provided a few modules, the digital control, and the fiddle yard, but the rest of the layout came from four English friends. Allan drove up Thursday afternoon, ready for a full day setting up on Friday. Saturday and Sunday was the show, and we took it all down in an hour and a half on Sunday evening. We came home Monday morning. Setting up is always the hard bit, but all the modules generally went together well, and even the computer control was working. It always fascinates me to see an empty hall gradually fill up with trains and traders. I thought that the show was very good this year. There was a very good selection of layouts, with no ‘fillers.’ Plenty of trade and some good bargains (unfortunately), but a shortage of small traders – they are being priced out of a lot of shows now. Not least, there is the fun of hunting a bargain at Anoraks…