The NEC in Birmingham played host to a model railway exhibition in 2006, and showcased some truly amazing model railways from high powered modern electric to old-time elegant steam locos, as the following video shows:
A great many locos in some very imaginative scenery and something I have never seen before, busses running on roads surrounding the track, driven by what is known as the Faller System.
The Faller System is a method whereby a model vehicle such as a bus or car has a motor, batteries and front axle which is then attached to a magnetic guide arm. A thin metal wire is then laid down, usually below the surface of the track, plotting out the course for the vehicle, which it then follows.
This system has allowed for even more realistic train sets, with not only fantastic train, track and scenery, but also moving traffic alongside the trains with the ability to sync these up to certain routs and obey traffic lights. Now all that is needed is for this to sync up with level crossings to provide the ultimate in train set realism.
We have found two videos we feel best demonstrate the system and the realism it creates:
