TEAMYAKIMA Posted January 3, 2021 Share Posted January 3, 2021 (edited) I must admit that I am no expert on this subject - hence my question. I was aware some time ago that there were several permanent exhibitions around the country and there were some about to open. Some are/were purely holiday fun and one/some were more serious ventures designed to educate as well as entertain. Could I please ask entrepreneurs/volunteers to post details of their exhibitions - Who? What? Where? I am aware of Pendon Museum and PECORAMA and just want to see what else exists and/or is planned and how they have fared in these troubled times. Thank you. Edited January 3, 2021 by TEAMYAKIMA Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
peach james Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 Not a help for the UK- but "Little Canada" in Toronto, Ontario. https://little-canada.ca/ Toronto Model Railway Club (Central Ontario Railway), http://www.modelrailroadclub.com/home.html I don't think that there is a similar one in Vancouver- there had been one in Grandville Island, but that has been gone quite some time. I understand parts of the layout build for the location exist, and are in Revelstoke (?) at the railway museum there. It was no-where near as fantastic as they advertised it to be, coming from a scale model railway guy. Miniature Wonderland would also fall in the abroad groupings James Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Andy Hayter Posted January 4, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 4, 2021 Mini world Lyon is shut as is minatur Wunderland in Hamburg as is Pendon Arguably these three stand a better chance of long term survival than most. Life for the others does not look rosy. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold tomparryharry Posted January 4, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 4, 2021 The Pontypridd museum at the Old Bridge, Pontypridd. Please check, but most probably locked down at the moment. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Dagworth Posted January 4, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 4, 2021 Wasn’t there meant to be a big one opening in Ashford (Kent)? Not heard anything of it for a while though. Andi 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johndon Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 28 minutes ago, Dagworth said: Wasn’t there meant to be a big one opening in Ashford (Kent)? Not heard anything of it for a while though. Andi That was AIMREC, they did have a temporary place last year but lost it just prior to lockdown: https://www.kentonline.co.uk/ashford/news/model-railway-centre-closes-its-doors-231945/ Not heard anything about it since. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mike Bellamy Posted January 4, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 4, 2021 There is a permanent model railway display at Wroxham in Norfolk https://wroxhamminiatureworlds.co.uk/ Something similar had opened in Birmingham a few years ago but then went bust and closed https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/founder-major-birmingham-tourist-attraction-12944991 A bit more searching makes me think the Birmingham display has been moved to Wroxham ? ? ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zomboid Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 I haven't been to either, but I think there's one in Bourton on the Water (Cotswolds), and another at Fort Victoria (IoW). 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damo666 Posted January 6, 2021 Share Posted January 6, 2021 Is Mevagissey Model Railway (in Saint Austell , Cornwall) still around (talking about in 'normal' times)? I recall visiting there 18 odd years ago with my young son, before the bug hit me. They had a permanent layout and lots of Hornby models which they claimed they tested for Hornby before going into production. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEAMYAKIMA Posted January 6, 2021 Author Share Posted January 6, 2021 Thank you all. I am aware of the Ashford one, but I seem to remember seeing photos (a couple of years back now) of huge chunks of baseboards being off-loaded into a venue and got the impression that it was going to be a UK version of Miniaturewonderland in Germany. Maybe it's the one in Norfolk? But the one in Norfolk seems more like a 'museum of childhood' rather than a dedicated model railway attraction. I have no axe to grind, no agenda, it's more just trying to see what's out there. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ikcdab Posted January 6, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 6, 2021 (edited) I like the one at Lynmouth. It's huge and now a bit old and dusty, but great fun. Lots of exhibits of vintage trains etc around the model, haphazard and random. Free entry. We went last September, only restriction was wearing masks. Not sure if it's still open. https://visitlyntonandlynmouth.com/visit/lynmouth-model-railway/ Edited January 6, 2021 by ikcdab 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEAMYAKIMA Posted January 6, 2021 Author Share Posted January 6, 2021 13 minutes ago, ikcdab said: I like the one at Lynmouth. It's huge and now a bit old and dusty, but great fun. Lots of exhibits of vintage trains etc around the model, haphazard and random. Free entry. We went last September, only restriction was wearing masks. Not sure if it's still open. https://visitlyntonandlynmouth.com/visit/lynmouth-model-railway/ TBH that is a new one on me - looks fascinating in a 'retro' sense. Is it a one-man collection put on display? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Adam FW Posted January 6, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 6, 2021 There’s also Famous Trains in Derby, shut due to Covid at the moment according to their website http://www.famoustrains.org.uk 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ikcdab Posted January 6, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 6, 2021 21 minutes ago, TEAMYAKIMA said: TBH that is a new one on me - looks fascinating in a 'retro' sense. Is it a one-man collection put on display? I imagine so. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Welly Posted January 6, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 6, 2021 I recall seeing a layout at Alton Towers 30 odd years ago - is that still there? 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolongtoremember Posted January 6, 2021 Share Posted January 6, 2021 (edited) Wasn't there supposed to be a big one being constructed this year near Hyde Park in London? Edit: That is Pocket Planet and they seem to have the money to go ahead. It is on Gaugemaster website. And their own website: https://www.pocket-planet.com/ Edited January 6, 2021 by toolongtoremember 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEAMYAKIMA Posted January 6, 2021 Author Share Posted January 6, 2021 16 minutes ago, toolongtoremember said: Wasn't there supposed to be a big one being constructed this year near Hyde Park in London? Edit: That is Pocket Planet and they seem to have the money to go ahead. It is on Gaugemaster website. And their own website: https://www.pocket-planet.com/ I have just emailed them to ask if they still plan to go ahead with it. The website says that they planned to open in 2022 and that it would take a year to build so that implies that they would start work in 2021 but that 'posting' may have been made some time ago. It's definitely not the venture I had seen some time ago but it is interesting - a lot closer than Germany! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolongtoremember Posted January 6, 2021 Share Posted January 6, 2021 1 minute ago, TEAMYAKIMA said: I have just emailed them to ask if they still plan to go ahead with it. The website says that they planned to open in 2022 and that it would take a year to build so that implies that they would start work in 2021 but that 'posting' may have been made some time ago. It's definitely not the venture I had seen some time ago but it is interesting - a lot closer than Germany! The report was released August this year, so I assume they knew about the lockdowns etc I should hope! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jchinuk Posted January 6, 2021 Share Posted January 6, 2021 When I hear "permanent exhibitions" one name comes to mind, Bernard Otto. This link is to a previous thread on these forums. I remember one of his layouts at Colchester Zoo many years ago. jch 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators AY Mod Posted January 6, 2021 Moderators Share Posted January 6, 2021 1 hour ago, Welly said: I recall seeing a layout at Alton Towers 30 odd years ago - is that still there? Long gone I'm afraid, probably as far back as the eighties. That area of the towers is now given over to their Hex ride - https://www.altontowers.com/explore/theme-park/rides-attractions/hex-the-legend-of-the-towers/ Correction - closed 1992 - https://www.towerstimes.co.uk/history/past-rides/model-railway/ 1 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
daltonparva Posted January 6, 2021 Share Posted January 6, 2021 There was York Model Railway, which moved to a site on an old WW2 airfield in Lincolnshire which is an Antiques center and weekend market, (forget the name), but I did hear it went bust. No idea of the current situation. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolongtoremember Posted January 6, 2021 Share Posted January 6, 2021 2 minutes ago, daltonparva said: There was York Model Railway, which moved to a site on an old WW2 airfield in Lincolnshire which is an Antiques center and weekend market, (forget the name), but I did hear it went bust. No idea of the current situation. I remember visiting that one as a child in York, as a child I really enjoyed it! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Welly Posted January 6, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 6, 2021 59 minutes ago, daltonparva said: There was York Model Railway, which moved to a site on an old WW2 airfield in Lincolnshire which is an Antiques center and weekend market, (forget the name), but I did hear it went bust. No idea of the current situation. Hemswell - my Dad and I visited it one afternoon and we were very underwhelmed... I doubt it's there anymore. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
009 micro modeller Posted January 6, 2021 Share Posted January 6, 2021 Wasn’t the Gravetts’ ‘Pempoul’ part of one of these schemes? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Welly Posted January 6, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 6, 2021 1 hour ago, AY Mod said: Correction - closed 1992 - https://www.towerstimes.co.uk/history/past-rides/model-railway/ The most interesting part of the layout was that it was automated, signals actually turning red with the trains passing them - there was a large rack of GPO relays working the layout. The trains themselves were rubbish - carriages being held together with electrical tapes at each end! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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