Scarborough Model Railway: Organiser 'excited' ahead of show's return after lockdown

Model railway enthusiasts and exhibitors will descend on Scarborough this weekend as the town's model railway show returns.
Chris Martin promotes the Scarborough Model Railway Show.Chris Martin promotes the Scarborough Model Railway Show.
Chris Martin promotes the Scarborough Model Railway Show.

A total of 13 exhibitors will display their layouts which include a range across different sizes and locations from Scarborough trams on the seafront in 1910 to Gallows Close Scarborough Goods Yard in 1963, which is where Sainsbury's now stands.

Chris Martin co-organiser of the Scarborough Model Railway Show, said: "It was really great [to get the go-ahead]. Like anyone who has a hobby, if you can’t do it for a long period of time it’s frustrating. I know that in 18 months nobody has been to a lot of railway shows so this will be almost the first in the UK."

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Exhibitors will come from far and wide including Hull, Durham, Harrogate and Leeds to show off their dioramas which range from Z up to O gauge.

Organiser Chris Martin with one of the show's dioramas of Scarborough seafront and the Grand Hotel.Organiser Chris Martin with one of the show's dioramas of Scarborough seafront and the Grand Hotel.
Organiser Chris Martin with one of the show's dioramas of Scarborough seafront and the Grand Hotel.

"It will be interesting because there will either be a queue all the way down the road or it will be not very well attended because there will be a lot of people who are still concerned about their health, it could go either way!" Mr Martin said.

Chris' Gallows Close Goods Yard has taken three years to build and hours of painstaking modelling to create an accurate portrayal of the area in 1963.

"It’s a big project because what I wanted to portray was something that a lot of people will know," he said. "So I worked from books, maps and ordnance surveys and pictures when you could find them.

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“I’ve been doing this for 40 years now. I first got into it after being asked by someone to help create a layout for an exhibition, I said yes and then I got the bug! I made my own little ones at home but then I got the bug for making things to go and show."

Scarborough model train enthusiast Chris Martin has recreated the Gallows Close Goods Yard.Scarborough model train enthusiast Chris Martin has recreated the Gallows Close Goods Yard.
Scarborough model train enthusiast Chris Martin has recreated the Gallows Close Goods Yard.

Chris said ahead of the event that the preparation feels like a mixture of "excitement and trepidation" for himself and co-organiser Iain Hale.

Displaying at a venue they have not used before, and despite having organised the show before, "there's always something that will trip you up at the last moment!" Mr Martin said.

Chris said that the hobby of model railway acted as a respite for him during the coronavirus lockdowns.

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"It was very handy during lockdown as I was two years into the project of making Gallows Close so during those months from March up until October I spent a lot of time completing the project which was gratifying because there wasn’t anything else to do, I was very grateful for that!"

The show will have a capacity limit in place as well as a one-way system. Hand sanitiser and track and trace will be available as well as the option to wear a mask.

The show takes place at Newby and Scalby Community Centre on Scalby Road between 10am and 5pm on Saturday, August 7.

Admission costs £5 for adults and children under-14 are free with a paying adult. The venue is served by three bus routes and has free car parking.