Operation "Christmas Market" and The International Model Railway Day

Like the previous year our Model Railway Club was invited to display model railways and garden railways at the Christmas market held at the local Borgarsyssel Museum last weekend. This was also a great chance to promote model railways and garden railways to the Public as The International Model Railway Day was at December 2nd. Our club didn't arrange anything at that date due to our club house looks like a construction site with a initial start up of a new club layout. The very unofficial statutes for The International Model Railway Day claims that the official day is December 2nd, but events may extend into the following weekend. So I suppose this can be considered as a celebration of The International Model Railway Day after all even if it's 5 days late. This year it's the tenth time of The International Model Railway Day 'celebrations'. 

I brought my very portable H0e Christmas Pizza layout and a couple of 'Military trains' to run at the 'Garden railway section'.

We were up early Sunday morning starting to prepare our model railway displays as the venue opened to the Public just 2 hours later:

This H0 scale Norwegian winter layout was built by Heine and his son:

We also displayed 2 'winter micro layouts':

This tiny layout was built by Lars Tore in a Bell Jar in Z-scale (1:220)

My H0e scale 'Pizza Layout':

Our Garden Railway display with 2 loops. It saw heavy traffic through the whole day:

My German Military Heeresfeldbahn train ready for winter service:

I also brought my War Department Live Steam locomotive. The kids (and adults alike) was very impressed and I gave some kids a short brief how this engine works and how to get it started and how to run it:

Gylmer's trains:

A small cameo from one of his hospital wagons:

Another cameo from the same hospital wagon. This skier does not look too happy:

Rätische Bahn by Arne:

Heine brought his Thomas the Tank Engine which was very popular by the children...

...especially since it was loaded with candy. 720g vanished within an hour and a half:

Since we had more trains to run them all at once but no fiddleyard, Gylmer got creative and improvised  some 'displays':

I also took advantage of the opportunity to visit the rest of the Christmas Market as well. One exhibition which caught my interest was a local re-enactment group from the 'Great Nordic War' called 'Det Norske Geworbne Infanterie Regiment':

Kids could shoot at Pirate or Swedish ships with a heavy sprung operated cannon:

From their market stall:

They sold Prince August soldier at a price:

Lunch Time:

The members from Gleng Model Railway Club participating at the Christmas Market exhibition in connection with The International Model Railway Day:

Blog Postscript

When coming home after this day out I saw my wife had tided up some of her old things she was gong to throw in the bin. Amongst the items she was going to throw away was this old game: 

I vaguely remember this game from my own childhood, but didn't have it my own. I gave it a closer look before she threw it away and I found it contained several tools looking just right for my 16mm/SM45mm/G-scale trains. So it is 'saved' for now.