Model railway displays to be showcased at annual exhibition in Cox Green

A wide range of model railway displays will be showcased this Saturday as a long-standing exhibition returns in Cox Green for another year.

The annual winter exhibition has been organised by Marlow, Maidenhead & District Model Railway Club (MMDMRC) for more than 20 years and will take place at Cox Green Community Centre from 10am to 4.30pm.

Set out across three rooms in the centre, the event will feature displays of model railways as well as demonstrations of railway modelling and some specialist suppliers will also be selling their products.

Some of the layouts will include the Cromwell Road Bridge O Gauge, the Helland Wharf OO Gauge, the Quarry View O Gauge, the Llanfair Rhyd OO9 Narrow Gauge and the Mamhead O Gauge.

A gauge refers to the distance between two rails on a railway track.

The Cromwell Road Bridge O Gauge is the club’s O gauge layout, which represents a small yard on a West London secondary through route going between the western and southern regions.

Set in the 1930s, the Mamhead O Gauge is a fictional Great Western Railway (GWR) branch terminus serving a village to the south of Exeter, with a passenger service to Exeter and a mixed service to Torquay.

The Helland Wharf OO Gauge is inspired by classic photos by Peter Gray and others, showcasing the Beattie well-tanks and the 1366 pannier tanks squeezing past the cottages at Helland Wharf, on their way to Wenford Bridge. The layout features Peco bullhead track.

The Llanfair Rhyd OO9 Narrow Gauge is a representation of the upper terminus of a Ffestiniog-style narrow gauge line in North Wales, which was designed with a flexible time frame to allow operation during both the Victorian and latter-day preservation eras.

The Quarry View O Gauge is a minimum space O gauge project which was created during the first COVID-19 lockdown.

The layout is in an enclosed box with LED lighting.

The event will also feature an MMDMRC kids’ layout and youngsters are welcome to have a go at driving a train.

There will also be a club information and modelling demonstration, which will see MMDMRC member Alan Monk offer a hands-on wagon weathering demonstration.

There will be organisations visiting on the day, including the Pendon Museum and the French Railway Society.

Guests will see several traders at the event, including Neil Cresswell Model Railways and Toys, which will have new and high-quality used model railway items in OO and N gauges.

The team from Roxley Models, a model shop in Surrey which supplies model railways, plastic kits and Scaletrix alongside spares, paints, tools and advice, will also be present.

There will also be a selection of pre-owned items sold on behalf of members of the MMDMRC club.

Guests will also be treated to a selection of light refreshments from the servery on the day.

MMDMRC chairman Mark Pollard said the event generally attracts around 500 visitors throughout the day.

He added: “It is always good to see the interest in the model railway hobby and the enjoyment our layouts give to both experienced modellers and also younger visitors and families.”

The club will also be holding a summer exhibition on Saturday, June 13 at Knowl Hill Village Hall.

For more information, visit: www.mmdmrc.org.uk