Welcome to the Southampton Model Railway Society website.
Important Notice - April 2012
Our clubroom is currently unusable due to a serious fire in one of the industrial units located underneath our premises.
The fire resulted inthe electricity and water supplies being cut off due to fire damage.The clubroom will be unusaeble until they are replaced.
Please check back for details of the club re-opening.
An introduction
The Southampton Model Railway Society was formed in 1966. In 1986, after many years of meeting at Sholing Station, the Society moved to rooms at the Eastpoint Centre. Due to the redevelopment of Eastpoint in 2011, we moved into our own small site on an estate in Millbrook. Here Members of the Society can meet at any time, but mainly on Wednesday and Friday evenings from 7.00 pm to 10.00 pm throughout the year. The Society provides a friendly atmosphere, both for members and visitors. Wednesdays are usually given over to construction and modelling, while Fridays are usually operating evenings. There are no restrictions on what can be operated on the layouts, and therefore it is not considered unusual to see a German or American trains passing through British stations!
New members are always welcome. If you would like to find out more about us, please contact the Society's Hon Secretary, or come along to one of our evening meetings. You can find details on our Contact Page.
Our models
The Society has a wide range of interests, in both the prototype and modelling. The Society has a number of permanent layouts that reflect this diversity of interest:
- Casterbridge in 7 mm/O Gauge (construction well advanced and operational).
- Ackthorpe in 4 mm/OO Gauge (construction well advanced and operational).
- Lowe Quay in 4 mm/OO Gauge (construction well advanced and operational).
As well as its own exhibition, the Society is well represented at many exhibitions around the country, both through its own layouts, or through members' own private layouts. Attendance of Society layouts at exhibitions is at the discretion of the committee. Click the Society Layouts link in the side panel to find out more.
For many years, our OO gauge model Romsey, represented the Society on the exhibition circuit. With Ackthorpe having become well-established on the circuit following its introduction at our 2006 Exhibition, Romsey has been retired. You can find pictures of it by clicking the Archive link in the side panel.
Over the years, the society has built and exhibited many layouts of all the popular gauges and scales, and has supported both local and out-of-area exhibitions. The Society has also helped many members with their own layouts and models, not only by producing models for them, but by helping them develop their own skills. Everyone is encouraged to get involved, whatever their skill level. Click the Members' Layouts link in the side panel for turther details.
With this aim in mind, a new OO layout, Lowe Quay, has been designed and built by the recent joiners of the Society. The layout is of a freight yard and canal basin. In parallel with this, 'skills workshops' are also held. Such workshops are run by those members with particular skills, such as 'baseboard wiring' and 'model building construction'.
Our annual exhibition
Over the years, our own annual exhibition has become one of the top shows in the country, thanks to the dedicated efforts of the members, and, in particular, our Exhibition Manager, David Barker. The exhibition takes place on the last weekend in January at Barton Peveril College, Eastleigh. For more details, click the Exhibition link in the side panel.
