Enthusiasts flock to Bexhill Model Railway Club Exhibition

The Bexhill Model Railway Club held an exhibition at St Peter's Community Centre which attracted a steady stream of visitors keen to learn more about this interest which for some turns into a lifelong fascination, with its scaling-down of past worlds and meticulous attention to detail.

Exhibition organiser Paul Howard said: "It has been very good - we have had lots of people, and comments have all been favourable."

"Events like this enable us to buy equipment and models for the club, but we get to display our lay-outs which is the biggest thing, and display our trains, so we need to have a big venue like this. The best of it is being able to show off the lay-outs and giving the public some enjoyment."

Fellow organiser Mike Canning has been a model railway fan since he was a child. He said: "I was four years old when I had my first Hornby train set. My father was not a model train enthusiast per se, but he was an engineer so he was keen on everything that moved.

"But this is something you might move away from for a period in your life, and come back to again when you have more time."

Visitors were able to pore over a number of impressive lay-outs, such as the Bexhill club's interpretation of BR Southern Region in the 1950's, or Bulverhythe by Peter Bossom, which was an example of Southern Railway set in 1941. Other points of interest were the modern day Japanese scene by Ben Robins from Newhaven and District Model Railway Club, entitled Nagoya Yuki, and Lemano, by Simon Chant, which was a contemporary image of Southern Switzerland.

Ian Sharp, who set up a lay-out representing East Germany from 1960-70's, said: "It is good to have a look around, and you get asked a lot of questions about what you have got, and your lay-out, and it's just passing information on.

"I used to work on the railway, and I have always been interested - ever since I was a kid.

"The lay-outs here are all so different, each one has got its own good points."

An exhibit which received great attention was Souk El Khemis, by Andrew Walters , who came over from Redhill in Surrey. His lay-out was a Moroccan market scene set in 1938.

Andrew said: "This work was the inspiration of a late friend of mine - Frank Saunders, from Berkshire. I took on the lay-out which I have now had for four and a half years. It is so different - deserts have always had excitement and attraction for people, they are exotic and romantic, so to have that as a model railway is something totally different.

"I made it all from odd bits and pieces, nothing expensive or difficult to get hold of. For instance, the palm trees are made out of wire bound with paper for the trunks, and then the leaves are frayed and dyed pieces of cloth. If you look over the market-place, the pots and pans are the fastening studs for earrings, the fruits and vegetables are seeds that have been painted, and the figures are readily available model figures that have all been dressed in individual clothing in the arab style, such as the black-cloaked women going to the market. The snake charmer used to be a rifle man - but he has swapped his rifle for a pipe.

"The buildings are made from stripped wood and cardboard.

"It attracts a great deal of interest from the visitors - often they will have a go and get it running, and get some inspiration from it.

"It gives us a great buzz if someone leaves thinking - I could do that.

"It makes it all more worthwhile if someone is inspired to go off and do something for themselves.

"But for those of us raised on Blue Peter, it is amazing what you can still do with a cornflake packet."