Welcome
Welcome to the Southampton Model Railway Society website.
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 its present rooms at the Eastpoint Centre. Members of the Society meet here 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!
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 (under construction).
Moss of Barmuchity in 2 mm/N Gauge (under construction but 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 Layouts button to find out more.
For many years, our OO gauge model Romsey, represented the Society on the exhibition circuit. With Ackthorpe beginning to appear on the circuit more and more, following its introduction at our 2006 Exhibition, Romsey has been retired.
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.
With this aim in mind, a new OO layout, Lowe Quay, is being 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; for 2009, the exhibition will take place at Barton Peveril College, Eastleigh for the first time. For details of this and other forthcoming events involving the Society, click the Events button.
Copyright© 2008 The Southampton Model Railway Society
Site last updated 10/06/08
Website designed & produced by Stan Clarke
