The History of Redditch Model Railway Club

The future

The move to our industrial estate premises has proved to be a great success. Not only has it attracted several new members, but productivity has also increased as we now meet twice a week, on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. After all, if we're paying for the clubroom, we might as well make the most of it! Although we don't usually have a layout operating on club nights, we are a very active group of modellers. Most evenings are spent constructing buildings, creating scenic items and working on our latest projects. Our current major undertaking is Norgrove, a fictitious South Birmingham layout set in the 1970s. Construction began in August 2020 following the completion of our Oakenshaw and Smallwood layouts, and, like all ambitious club projects, it will take a number of years to complete. The club has an excellent record of producing exhibition-quality layouts. Work on Oakenshaw gathered pace with a self-imposed deadline to have it ready for its debut at the Warley National Model Railway Exhibition in 2014. The layout was successfully completed on time and, in June 2014, was photographed by Trevor Jones for Hornby Magazine, where it appeared in the October 2014 edition. Construction of Smallwood began in 2013. Designed as a compact end-to-end layout suitable for one-day and smaller exhibitions, it is set in the 1970s and was built using full DCC control throughout. Smallwood also served as a proving ground for many of the ideas and operating techniques that would later be incorporated into the much larger Norgrove project. Alongside these new layouts, club members have also refurbished the scenery on our long-standing Arrowmouth and Dagnell End layouts, ensuring they continue to appear at their best on the exhibition circuit. In late 2024 the club received a generous donation of a part-completed model of the former Saltley Traction Maintenance Depot in Birmingham. The layout had been started by Richard Periam, who, together with several club members, hoped to complete it for exhibition. Sadly, Richard passed away in September 2024, but it was his wish that the club should finish the project. We are proud to be continuing his work and look forward to seeing the layout completed as a fitting tribute to his enthusiasm and craftsmanship. As always, we are keen to welcome new members. Whether you're an experienced modeller or just starting out, there is always something to get involved with. Even when trains aren't running, there are buildings to construct, scenery to create, wiring to install and plenty of modelling techniques to learn and share. With five exhibition layouts to maintain and two more currently under construction, the future of the Redditch Model Railway Club has never looked more exciting. Why not get in touch and become part of the team?

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