So, the Porthmadog show then. Firstly the venue was excellent -a modern leisure centre,plenty or room, good car park, near to the station etc. I didn't have time to try any food/drink so can't comment on that.
The programme/guide was very well designed in the Roy Link house style and sports a full colour cover too. To top it all, it was free*!
*one assumes it was paid for though through the entry fee, so it depends on your definition of free!
On entry, I mooched around a few trade stands, before I started taking a photo at this layout- the lentil soup works railway (LSWR - get it?). This consisted of various bits of quarry machinery dispensing split peas into wagons etc.
The WHR(P) were there pushing the Russell appeal (http://www.russell2009.fr/) - hence the model below - and the ashbury heritage coaches appeal (http://www.ashburycarriages.co.uk/).
Mercian models were there and were friendly as usual. They laid out this superb model of Prince in 7mm onto a backcloth so I could take a decent shot of it. Top model, top people - buy their top kits now!!!
and Backwoods... one day my K1 will look like this... (except I'll obviously paint mine!)
Tan-yr-allt - a super little Welsh layout loosely based on Tan-y-bwlch, but much slimmed down. The stock was well modelled and the scenery was good. The perspex front obviously helps protect the model, but did make photography more difficult, so I'm not sure if my model with incorporate that feature or not. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfNJonmShX0 - watch a short video of Tan-yr-allt. This showcase of 7mm NWNG/WHR/FR stock was on display -very nice indeed.
Scrub's Lane/The Maltings (next 2 images) - a perfectly nice model in 009. Note the level change in the backscene on the second photo - this is one option for part of Rhyd Ddu as the levels of the hillsides in front of the backscene varies considerably.
Moorton Bottom Yard - Paul Windle's latest and superb, especially the wagon lift that moves wagons between floors of a building at the far end of the layout. The only thing I could fault this layout for was the bridge on the left hand side that leads off the layout towards the viewer and just hangs there in the middle of nowhere.
A close up of that bridge...
NG Sand and Gravel - fantastic in all respects especially weathering and sound, Roy Link really has a layout here that will go down in model railway history. 10/10 Watch a clip with sound here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TtuZ_GPrlo
Shoeby -a 'layout' in a shoebox, simple as that.
Finnegan's crossing - 3mm scale, 9mm gauge Irish 3ft prototype. Nice, but I don't really have any interest in Irish narrow gauge...
Penrhyn Quarry Railway - a diorama in 16mm scale - very nice indeed and recently in railway modeller.
and finally Greys Steel Works - an industrial steelworks. It was nearly 5 metres long and I particularly liked the smokey chimney!
Colin
