Model railway enthusiasts are set to descend on to Nottingham to celebrate the hobby as part of a special event.
The Nottingham East Midlands Model Railway Exhibition 2014 will take place at Hadden Park Hill School, Bilborough, on March 15th and 16th. The event will revel in all the very best the modelling community has to offer and will showcase some top of the line products from a range of big name traders. It is not just about finding a new model for a collection as there will be a number of demonstrations showing people how to get the best out of their own model railway.
Whether you are a seasoned modeller or you are looking to get into the hobby for the first time, the exhibition has all bases covered. Experts will be on hand to provide some helpful tips on how to build a collection that you can be proud of. This ranges from what trains will work best on a certain track to what material is best to use when you are looking to create a realistic layout of areas of the UK or even further afield.
Creating layouts can be a hugely painstaking process and takes some collectors years to complete. Many people replicate famous train stations and junctions such as London King's Cross or Edinburgh Waverley while others opt for recreating scenery from their childhood. Maybe a rural train line which snakes its way through the countryside before reaching its destination in a sleepy market town.
Whatever the design it is an arduous process but one that is wholly worth it when it is finally finished. The Nottingham East Midlands Railway Exhibition will have host of expertly crafted layouts on display from some of the most dedicated modellers. All the layouts vary in the era they are set in but the likes of British Railway Steam, British Post Privatisation, the US and Europe are all represented.
Modellers have recreated the likes of Leeds Central in OO track gauge, Meadow Lane in OO, Melton Mowbray North in N and Boomeer in HO among a host of others. All the layouts track the recent history of the railways in the UK, Europe and the US and highlight the beautiful countryside that flanks the railways. It may even provide some inspiration for people to begin a building a layout for themselves.
While the layouts will no doubt be a big hit for people in attendance at the event, there will also be a host of traders providing ideas and products that could fit perfectly into a person's collection or even their own layout. Companies such as A1 Models, Hobby Holidays, Layouts4u, Sherwood Models and Judith Edge Kits will be among the 31 companies setting up shop at the event.
Everything a collector could ever need will be on offer including exclusive items, coaches, wagons, components, magazines and all the accessories that anyone could require for creating an impressive layout.
The fun kicks off on Saturday March 15th at 09:30 GMT running till 17:30 GMT while Sunday will start at the later time of 10:00 GMT and finishing at 17:00 GMT. Prices are £8 for adults, £2 for children (under 5s go free) while family tickets cost £18.