Edington Exhibition Beats The Big Freeze

Hundreds of model railway enthusiasts beat the freezing weather conditions to flock to the Annual Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust’s Model Railway Exhibition at Edington Village Hall on Saturday and Sunday January 2nd and 3rd.

A warm welcome was in store for the enthusiasts as an impressive array of layouts awaited the eager visitors along with a welcome cup of tea and warming snacks from Pat’s Bar to help keep out the cold.

Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust Chairman Godfrey Baker said “ It was very heartening to see so many people turn up to support this event. The weather didn’t deter people from turning up and made all the efforts by Trust volunteers to stage the event worthwhile. A big thank you has also to be made to the exhibitors who as always put on a superb set of displays “.

Edington will again be the venue for next year’s exhibition in January 2011 but a special treat is in store when the 2012 event will hopefully feature only Somerset & Dorset themed  layouts to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the  last running of the “Pines Express” over Somerset & Dorset metals before it was diverted over ‘foreign ‘ rails in 1962, four years before the line’s closure .

Many believe that the diversion of the ‘ Pines’ from the Bath to Bournemouth line was a major factor in the decision to close the route in 1966 as by that time traffic had been reduced to mainly local services.

Model railway enthusiasts and Trust members will be informed of the future exhibition details in the next few months.

A selection of photographs taken at the Exhibition by Trust members Andrew Marsh and Paul Guppy are below:

1. Edington Junction By Shepton and District, Gauge 00

Description: Edington Junction was on the Somerset & Dorset branch line, which ran from Evercreech Junction to Bridgewater and Burnham on Sea. As its name implies, it was the junction station where the line from Evercreech diverged to Bridgewater and to Burnham-on-sea via Highbridge. The line from Bridgewater ran into the bay platform, whilst the Burnham-on-Sea trains used the passing loops in the main platform. As was usual at country stations, there was a small goods yard dealing with coal and cattle. The period modelled is that of the late 1950s early 1960s.

2. Lymemouth SR By Dave Fosberry

Description: Lymemouth is a busy industrial town east of Lyme Regis. Express, semi fast and local trains bring visitors to its (unusual in this area) safe sandy beach via Chard Junction circa 1960-65. It is normally a U shape in a 9' x 7' bedroom but has been adapted as 17' straight run for exhibitions.

3. Chedway By Burnham and District MRC, Gauge 00

Description: Chedway is a ficticious country town station somewhere in SW England. It is on a mainline through route as well as a terminus for local branch lnes from Newburn and Oddsan End. It is the local market town and collecting point for produce and traffic to and from local rural areas. Being by the sea, there is considerable holiday passenger traffic during the summer months. The small fishing harbour and the nearby cargo-handling wharf give rise to round the year freight traffic. GWR and some LSW passenger trains, with the occasional LMS excursion, using the line! The line is twin track with a passing loop in the station. Local branch-line trains also cross the 'up' line to rach the goods yards. Re-fuelled and watered locos can pull out of the engine shed to couple up to coaches in the terminus, making the return journey, the incoming loco later passing to the engine shed for re-fuelling and water. Colour light signals indicate point setting or, controlled from the control panel, stop the train if on red.

4. Dovington Camp By Paul Taylor & John Anderson, Gauge 00

Description: Dovington Camp was developed during WWII as an Army Stores & Training Depot, with quite an extensive rail network. This has been 'rationalised' over time but it still maintains a rail link for the movement of fuel, stores, munitions and of course a wide variety of military vehicles. There remains an old WD/MoD loco, or two, for shunting within the depot. The main stores and offices have been built with the interiors open to the public. With military buildings not altering a great deal over time, the use of different interiors in these buildings, together with a variety of railway stock/locomotives, military vechicles, signage etc, allow operations throughout the 1960s-1990s and different geographical locations to be modelled. Dovington is of a modular nature and is seen here in its smallest format. It can take several forms/sizes and can be combined with Pauls other layouts Whitchurch Canonicorum (1960s) and Aneilan Road (1990s).