Scotland’s premier model railway exhibition returns to the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow on February 24 to 26. MARK CHIVERS previews this annual three-day exhibition.
MORE THAN 50 layouts are set to appear at the Association of Model Railway Societies in Scotland’s (AMRSS) annual model railway exhibition Model Rail Scotland at Glasgow’s Scottish Event Campus (SEC) on the weekend of February 24 to 26 2023.
As in previous years, the impressive line-up of layouts includes a super selection of home-grown layouts – some of which have appeared within the pages of Hornby Magazine – including the Scottish Region Study Group’s ‘OO’ gauge Alloa (HM60), East of Scotland 4mm Group’s ‘P4’ layout Burntisland 1883, Glenrothes Model Railway Club’s (MRC) contemporary ‘OO’ gauge Cadham Bay (HM144), Elgin MRC’s ‘O’ gauge Glebe Street, Greenock and District MRC’s ‘N’ gauge Lammermuir, Edinburgh and Lothians Miniature Railway Club’s ‘O’ gauge Puddle Bridge (HM140) and more.
Above: Glenrothes Model Railway Club’s Cadham Bay is set to reflect the contemporary Scottish scene in ‘OO’. Mike Bisset/Hornby Magazine.
Also set to appear are several layouts making their first appearance north of the border, including Mick Bryan’s ‘OO’ gauge Deadmans Lane, Malcolm Briggs’ ‘OO’ gauge North Cornwall Brewery (HM163), Terry Tew’s ‘OO’ gauge Rossiter Rise (HM171), while George Woodcock’s ‘OO’ gauge Ballachulish, Glasgow and West Scotland MRC’s ‘OO’ gauge Lockerbie and the 57 Study Group’s ‘OO’ gauge Malling Park will also be making their exhibition debuts.
Above: The Scottish Region Study Group’s ‘OO’ gauge Alloa is also set to appear at this year’s Model Rail Scotland. Hornby Magazine.
Continental layout highlights include Ian Drummond’s ‘On30’ Blackhawk House, N Gauge Society’s ‘N’ gauge Depot Des Camions, Cupar MRC’s ‘On30’ Four Feather Falls, Malcolm Rochford’s ‘HO’ Gresten and East Neuk MRC’s ‘Z’ gauge St Aiden.
Hornby Magazine will also be at the show once again with special show-only offers on subscriptions, publications and models, while our all-new ‘OO’ gauge diesel depot project will be making its exhibition debut.
Above: Puddle Bridge is an ‘O’ gauge layout based on a station on the former Macmerry branch in East Lothian, Scotland, set in the 1950s. Mike Bisset/Hornby Magazine.
Amongst the manufacturers due to attend are Accurascale, Bachmann, Cavalex Models, Heljan, Hornby, Peco, Rapido Trains UK, Realtrack Models and Revolution Trains, while an extensive selection of trade support will also be there including Cheltenham Model Centre, Digitrains, Durham Trains of Stanley, Ellis Clark Trains, Footplate Models, Gaugemaster, Going Loco, H&A Models, Harburn Hobbies, JDM Models, KMS Railtec, Kytes Lights, Langley Models, Locomotion, Pennine Models, Primo Models, Rainbow Railways, Ten Commandments, The Junction Box, The Model Centre, West Hill Wagon Works and others.
Above: Terry Tew’s ‘OO’ gauge Rossiter Rise represents a fictitious North London station in the 1950s. Trevor Jones/Hornby Magazine.
For those wishing to discover more about Scotland’s rich railway heritage, a selection of specialist societies will also be attending including the Caledonian Railway Association, Friends of the West Highland Line, Great North of Scotland Railway Association, Highland Railway Society, Scottish Railway Preservation Society and more. Scale societies will also be on-hand to offer guidance and advice including the 2mm Finescale Association, Double O Gauge Association, Gauge O Guild, Model Electronics Railway Group (MERG), N Gauge Society, and Scalefour Society.
Above: Bulleid ‘Q1’ 0-6-0 33009 negotiates Malcolm Briggs’ superb ‘OO’ gauge North Cornwall Brewery layout. Mike Wild/Hornby Magazine.
Tickets can be purchased in advance or on the day, while a special vintage bus service will be operating during the weekend between the venue and the main city centre railway stations of Glasgow Central and Glasgow Queen Street.
THE DETAILS
Event: Model Rail Scotland
When: February 24-26 2023
Where: Hall 3, Scottish Event Campus (SEC), Exhibition Way, Glasgow G3 8YW
Times: 10.30am-6.00pm Fri, 10.30am-6.00pm Sat, 10.30am-5.00pm Sun
Prices: Adults £15, children £5, family (2+2) £35
Website: modelrail-scotland
Features: 50+ layouts, trade support, societies, demonstrations, displays, refreshments, parking, disabled access and free vintage bus link between venue and Glasgow Central/Queen Street railway stations.
