On Sunday 20th October 2024 at Lyde Green Community Centre (Willowherb Road, Lyde Green nr. Emerson Green, Bristol. BS16 7GW) we delivered our first and a successful Open Day.
Following on from the success of both our exhibition earlier this year and our Open Day, we’re already receiving an appetite from local clubs, societies and modellers, traders and demonstrators and we’ve already secured a comprehensive and exciting display of layouts, traders and demonstrators for our next exhibition on 1st March 2025. Full details will be advertised in due course.
We’re also in the process of planning a second Open Day and we’re hoping that it can be delivered again in the Autumn later this year locally. The aims of the events are to deliver a full range of layouts and modelling displays to help visitors ‘See how it’s done’, to ‘Find out how it’s done’ and to ‘Inspire the hobby’. This is an opportunity for modellers and enthusiasts, societies and local traders to advertise and enthuse the hobby. All proceeds raised at the Open Day were donated to various charities and this year we will aim to do the same. Full details will be advertised soon.
We’ve several aims for the Open days. Firstly, it’s an opportunity for as many local model railway clubs and societies to display and showcase what they do and to inspire and enthuse both existing and new modellers in the hobby. If it generates new members to these clubs then that is another plus.
The second aim is to deliver a comprehensive and diverse range of layouts, modelling displays, societies and local trades to help visitors ‘See how it’s done’, to ‘ask how?’ and to ‘find out how to do it’ and to ‘Inspire the hobby’.
This is an opportunity for modellers and enthusiasts, societies and local traders to advertise and enthuse the hobby. All proceeds raised on the day will be donated to the local community and numerous charities.
October 2024 Open Day
There is ample free parking and a local Park and Ride for overspill parking too.
The event is all on the ground floor with full dissability access and light refreshments are available.
The event is open from 10am until 4pm. Entrance is £3 per adult and all accompanied children have a free admission.
Layouts and displays as follows:
| EXHIBITORS | Exhibits/Stands | WHO |
| 2mm Society | Various layouts and modelling demos | C/O clubs below |
| 3mm Society | Layout ‘3mm’ (6ft) TBC and modelling demo | Doug Richards |
| S Scale Society | Society Stand and modelling demo | Paul Willis |
| Larger Scale BSMEE | Engineer’s Stand and live steam locos | Peter Nicholas and the BSMEE members |
| EMGS Scale | Society Stand and modelling demo | Dave Burnett |
| Bristol GOG | Exhibits TBC | Bob Savage |
| GLOS GOG | Exhibits TBC | John Greathead |
| Avon Valley Trust | 2nd Hand model railways | Paul Baulch |
| SVMRC Club Shop | 2nd Hand model railways | Chris Lee |
| Tony Wilcock | 2nd Hand model railways | Tony Wilcock |
| Lord and Butler | R2R/accessories | Peter Lord |
| Paul Fogg | Railwayana Sale | Paul Fogg |
| Sodbury Vale MRC | Codrington ‘00’ York Gardens ‘00’ Hagbourne Rd ‘00’ Mangotsfield Station ‘00’ | SVMRC members |
| Shirehampton | Binegar ‘N’ and a 3mm TT demo | John York and Gary Castell |
| Thornbury & S. Glos | Thorberton ‘N’ plus modelling displays | Peter Oddy |
| Nailsea/Backwell | Morrella LR ‘009’ Test Track plus static displays | Heather Hatch |
| Nailsea/Backwell | Portishead TMD ‘00’ layout with sound | Charlotte Carpenter |
| Bristol East | Modelling buildings and structures in 00 | Richard Lear and Phil Lovell |
| BDMRC | Calderbridge (N) and Clement Street Yard (0) | Mark Savage and Norman Clymer |
| Forest of Dean | ‘N’ gauge starter layout plus stock and kit building demos | Jon Beales |
| West Wilts MRC | Exhibits TBC | Rod Towler and Les Gibbs |
| Jon Edwards | Barwick Green ‘0’ plus controlling a layout via an ipad or iphone | Jon Edwards |
| DCC Supplies | DCC concepts and the Basics of DCC | Fiona Forty |
| Brass Loco Building | Demo of soldering techniques | Dave Murdoch |
| Painting techniques with air brush spraying | Derrick | |
| Kit building | Jon Beales | |
| Scenics/Buildings | Neil Walker and Andy Babb | |
| Rolling stock construction | Paul Willis | |
| 3D Printing | Dave Burnett | |
| Test Track for running your own trains | Heather Hatch |
