Model railway enthusiasts keeping hobby alive

A group of model railway enthusiasts have said they are hoping to inspire a new generation of creatives after the seasonal reopening of an attraction in Cornwall.

The Mount Edgcumbe Railway and Model Society has been running since 2017 and is home to a 5in (12.7cm) ride-on track and model railway set.

Members said the railway, which is comprised of various small scale electric and steam trains, could see up to 200 visitors a day during peak season.

Nigel Sylvester-Thorne, a volunteer, said the activity was a "diminishing hobby" but he said the group wanted to change that by giving people the chance to operate all kinds of miniature railways.

Mr Sylvester-Thorne said: "We wanted to set up a model railway group within the area, we wanted to cover everything from the larger scale railways all the way down to the tiniest.

"We want to give people a view of what happened in the past, while introducing them to something they could take on board and build for themselves."

David Brown, who is 89 and one of the club's longest-serving members, helped build the estate's rideable Great Woodland Railway and one of its main locomotives, the Pirate Puffer.

He said he had been partly inspired by Thomas the Tank Engine but his designs were ultimately "pure imagination".

"I think I was born to make things, I've always loved making anything," he said.

"I've made an old canoe, a motorboat and my own home in my spare time.

"I wanted something the kids could really enjoy and a number of our members have added additions."

One such addition is a small canon on top of the Pirate Puffer's cab that can "fire chocolate balls at pedestrians", he said.

Volunteer Bryan Luxford, who works as the society's primary model engineer, said he learned to drive model steam engines at the age of eight.

"My father was a model engineer, he started building locomotives back in the early 1950s," he said.

"Driving them is another experience completely.

"The joy of a steam engine is you're creating the energy yourself - if the fire's not right, it's going to go out and you don't go.

"The water has got to be at the right level, the coal's got to be right, the pressure's got to be right, and if you've made it yourself, that's something special."

One of the club's youngest members, Harley, 11, said the hobby was "certainly fun" and hoped it would kickstart a future career.

"I've loved trains pretty much my entire life," he said.

"Right now I can't just hop in a full size train and drive it to Penzance.

"This brings me joy by driving a train because my lifelong goal is to be a train driver."

The Great Woodland Railway and the model displays are open between 11:00 and 15:00 BST on Sundays, Thursdays and for several park events until the end of September.

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