Model railway show staged in Colne

Lots of great rail models were on show when Pendle Forest Model Railway Society held its annual exhibition at Park High School in Colne.
Mr Peter Carroll and his grandson 3-year-old Henry Jackson enjoy the model railway exhibition at Park High School in Colne.
Photo Ben ParsonsMr Peter Carroll and his grandson 3-year-old Henry Jackson enjoy the model railway exhibition at Park High School in Colne.
Photo Ben Parsons
Mr Peter Carroll and his grandson 3-year-old Henry Jackson enjoy the model railway exhibition at Park High School in Colne. Photo Ben Parsons

And anyone who did not get to this year’s show missed a real treat. There was an absolutely fantastic collection of layouts this year.

“All credit to the society for such an enjoyable event” – such was the distillation of the many favourable comments made by people who attended the exhibition.

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The event attracted a mixed audience of enthusiastic modellers and families with children – all of whom were extremely pleased with what was on display.

Model Railway exhibition at Park High School in Colne.
Photo Ben ParsonsModel Railway exhibition at Park High School in Colne.
Photo Ben Parsons
Model Railway exhibition at Park High School in Colne. Photo Ben Parsons

There were models of all shapes and sizes with a wide variety of themes – there were modern British trains with realistic sound effects, massive American diesels battling their way through snow-laden scenes, and tiny narrow gauge engines pulling tourist trains through typical sunny Welsh countryside.

For anyone wanting to build a layout in a small space, there was a suburban station terminus layout – “Festive Lane’ – small enough to fit on a bookshelf, while the largest layout there was “Llanfair Caereinion” that would require an area. It was some 25 by five feet.

There was also a lovely scene in Austria and a rail model with lorries whizzing round impressively, too.

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As well as the record number of layouts at the exhibition, there were eight traders offering everything from train sets to detailing parts as well as railway books and second-hand equipment.

Throughout the show, the public were asked to vote for what they considered the best model and the award went to “Whispering Hollow”, a very attractive American model under a very convincing layer of fresh (model) snow!

Secretary David Carter said: “We looked upon this year as the run up to our 50th anniversary and so we went all out to put on a first class show so as to whet people’s appetites for our anniversary events in 2014.

“With eleven layouts on show we tried to include something for everyone and, judging from comments as people left, we succeeded in that aim. Thanks are due to all concerned for their contribution to the smooth running of the exhibition and we are very grateful for their help in putting on a most enjoyable weekend.”

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As well as a variety of events during the year, the next local exhibition will be at St Luke’s Church, Brierfield, on March 15th and 16th next year, and the society’s annual exhibition will then be on November 15th and 16th.

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