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On the right track: Enthusiasts and visitors help signal success for major model railway show’s debut in Stevenage
Visitors to the Chiltern Model Railways Exhibition look at one of the working models. - Credit: Archant
The decision to hold Hertfordshire’s biggest model railway event in Stevenage for the first time at the weekend proved to be firmly on the right track.
One of the halls of the Chiltern Model Railways Exhibition at Stevenage Leisure Centre. - Credit: Archant
The Chiltern Model Railway Association held its annual show just down the line in St Albans for 30 years, but this year decided to relocate to a bigger, more accessible location at Stevenage Arts and Leisure Centre in Lytton way.
The weekend featured some magnificent layouts and incredible modelling craftsmanship with a celebration of all things rail related delighting enthusiasts and newcomers alike.
Trade stands, demonstrations, exhibits and refreshments all added to the mix.
CMRA is made up of clubs from all over the UK, so the exhibition brought railway fans from far and wide.
Exhibition organiser David Crosby said the event worked very well in Stevenage and there are already plans to bring it back again next year.
“It was a very good weekend and we weren’t disappointed with the numbers of people,” he said.
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“We’ve had reports coming in from all over the place which suggests it has been a very good exhibition.
“We’re very pleased with the way Stevenage Leisure Limited handled everything.”
David, who has been organising the association’s exhibition since 1992, estimates between 2,000 and 3,000 people attended the two-day event.
He added: “People tend to get interested in railways when they are young and then come back into it when they are 30, 40 or 50. There’s an awful lot to it with everything from timetabling and signalling to locomotives and track layouts.
“The layouts on display were very good indeed this year.”
For more about CMRA and its associated clubs, visit www.cmra.org.uk.
