Model Railway Exhibition May 2, 2009

Railway heritage is very much in vogue this year, both nationally and locally. With the appearance on British rails of the first newly built steam
locomotive for many decades in the form of Tornado and the Easter weekend celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the opening of the direct rail link
from London to Portsmouth it seems that nostalgia for the glory days of the railway network abound.

However some of the most memorable landmarks of this history are lost and gone for good - at least as full-size originals. There is out there too, though, a veritable army of scale modellers busily at work recreating many of the lost scenes in miniature. Many of them will be coming together at the beginning of May at Tilford's museum of country life, the Rural Life Centre.

The event is the resident Old Kiln Light Railway's Model Railway Exhibition on May 2nd.

Among the layouts scheduled to appear is HMS Rover showing a south coast scene in the early days of the second world war. This is complete with motor
torpedo boats, ocean-going tugs, dockyard locomotives and wagons all preparing to help repel the expected German invasion. Based nearer to London will be the Kew Bridge pumping station layout complete with distinctive tower and street tram layout.

In a lighter vein, the museum's own 'O' gauge live steam layout will be running with locos based on Welsh narrow gauge prototypes but with a wide
variety of engineers and firemen that should attract the younger visitors. They will include Bob the Builder in his rail mounted excavator, Wallace and
Gromit in their model T Ford rail truck and Snow White and the seven dwarves complete with their train of diamond mine wagons. Taking British railway
history back to the earliest days will be a cartoon-like George Stevenson on Rocket.

Outside the buildings housing the exhibition, the OKLR's venerable two-foot gauge steam engine, Elouise, will be busy hauling fully loaded passenger
trains around the ten acre museum site. For those wishing to have a go at modelling railway history in miniature, there will also be a number of trade
stands on hand to help with advice and supply the tools and materials you will need to get started.

The OKLR Model Railway Exhibition takes place on Saturday May 2nd and is open from 10am to 5pm at the Rural Life Centre, an accredited museum of village life, which lies mid way between Tilford and Frensham in Reeds Road off the A287 three miles south of Farnham. For further information telephone 01252 795571.

Official Website: http://www.rurallife.plus.com/rlc/page9.html