I watched a few hours footage on YouTube this evening and it looked like there was a good mixed selection of layouts on display. But I just hate those operators who think that moving locos around at a scale 2mph is somehow realistic. Having spent most of my working life around stations and depots it never worked like that. Sound fitted locos seems to be becoming the norm these days from when it was a gimmicky novelty a few decades ago and most of the sound chips are realisic to someone who worked with diesel locos. And the ready to run models available in many different liveries straight out of the box is a far cry from my modelling era when you couldn't even run a pannier tank without building and painting it yourself from a kit. Modelling skills seem to have moved on into creating more realisic infrastructure and landscapes as well as smaller layouts which can be broken down ito tha back of a few cars or SUVs. A problem for the older exhibitor is the inability to hire a van once a certain age is reached. A far cry from the old days at the Victoria Rooms in Bristol back in the 1970s where I met the Rev'd Wilbert Awdry with his little Thomas the Tank Engine themed layout which he folded up and strung over his shoulder at the end. Happy Days!
Roy