Model railways were the centre of a huge celebration in Yate over the weekend (February 1st and 2nd) as a society turned 30.
Alton Model Railway Group was formed in 1983 and has been welcoming members ever since with the society creating a number of impressive layouts which have become the pride and joy of many collectors. Saturday saw a celebration of all things model railways at St Mary's Church, Yate, and proved a huge hit with local people, Gazette Series reports.
Over 700 people attended the anniversary, 100 up on the previous year's event, and they were rewarded with a range intricately designed trains and tracks. One of the centrepieces of the show was a model of Wickwar during the 1950s created by Farnham Model Railway Club. This was among a host of layouts on display including Lulworth Steam 00 Gauge, Numchen Bavarian Layout N Gauge and Crossness Diesel Layout 00 Gauge among others.
Speaking to the news provider, show secretary Tim Crockford said: "The numbers were definitely up on last year and we certainly had more children come, which is what we wanted. It went really well and we are very pleased. We have had a lot of positive comments from people who visited.”
In the build up to the 30th anniversary, Alton Model Railway Group released a limited edition goods wagon. The model in question is a ten tonne, six plank coal wagon of A Flowers and Company, a coal merchant native to Portsmouth. This World War II era model comes in Flowers' red livery with white lettering. The society stated that an initial 111 units were going to be produced to go on sale at the anniversary event.
Alton Model Railway Group holds the FebEx events every year but the 2014 edition was extra special as members could look back at the history of the society on such a poignant day.