The second Cam and Dursley Model Railway Exhibition run by Wings & Wheels Society in conjunction with the Gloucester O Gauge Group, was held at Dursley Community Centre on Sunday 8th June, writes Rich Kelsey.
The show was a resounding success and saw around 250 visitors from families to enthusiasts attending. All profits will be going to the Blood Bikes and the Dursley Community Centre charity trust. This year’s show remit was the same as the previous 2024 show: working with local charities in and for the community. Due to the success of the first show the charity donation was used to install a defibrillator unit on the side of Dursley Community Centre.
This year’s exhibition was held across three rooms and a bar area, showcasing working model railway layouts and dioramas in N/O/OO/16mm gauges, and a rather large 3.5-inch LNER Class N2 steam locomotive, along with trade stands and a 3D printing demonstration. The Avon Valley Railway, based at Bitton, and the Vale of Berkeley Railway also had stalls that proved popular with the visiting public. Outside the Blood Bikes had a stall with an NHS blood bike and car on display.
The show had a part emphasis on local railways and featured a 7mm (O gauge) fine scale model diorama of Dursley and Berkeley Station circa 1960. Also, a stand with Dursley Branch Line photos and memorabilia was on show along with rail historian Ian Thomas on hand answering questions about the history of the area’s railways.
The exhibit hall upstairs had a very large O gauge test track layout (owned and operated by the Gloucester O Gauge Group) that is 28ft x 18ft. A large scenic N gauge model railway on show (among other layouts) in the downstairs main hall named Bridgebury Gate from Taunton, 15ft x 1.5ft in size attracted much public attention.
There was a total of 15 model railway layouts and dioramas of outstanding quality operating throughout the day across the 3 rooms, made by clubs and individuals from Somerset, Bristol, Thornbury, Cheltenham, Cirencester, Swindon, Dorset and the Forest of Dean. There was also a Hornby Dublo layout named ‘Memory Lane’ that could be operated by children and parents on the day, proving to be much fun.
Wings and Wheels Society Dursley and the Gloucester O Gauge Group would like to thank all the Exhibitors, WI Ladies, Blood Bike volunteers, Community Centre, Trade and Society stands along with their enthusiasm for the show for making the show possible.
Pictures by Rich Kelsey
