Model railway exhibition on track for Limerick

A MODEL railway exhibition will arrive in Limerick this weekend.

Exhibitors from around Ireland will descend on the Castletroy Park Hotel for the two-day event.

It’s being run by the Mid-West Model Railway Club, whose members are holding their first ever exhibition, something they hope will become a yearly event.

Between 11am and 5pm this Saturday, May 31 and Sunday, June 1, dozens of displays will be kept on track.

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In an ironic twist, the exhibition is to be opened on the exact 199th anniversary of the signing into law of the legislation which paved the way to link the Mid-West to the rest of Ireland through steam power.

The event is being supported by O’Connor Sutton Cronin (OCSC), consulting engineers on the architectural conservation and built heritage aspects of the Foynes to Limerick railway reinstatement project.

Brian O’Rourke, a director at the firm said: “Respecting our past is essential to shaping the future. At OCSC, we take great pride in delivering engineering solutions that not only meet today's standards but also honour the heritage and character of the communities we serve.”

As part of the exhibition, the Mid-West Model Railway Club will display its own recently constructed layout named ‘The Junction’, which carries an uncanny resemblance to the rail stop generations of locals have changed trains at en route to Dublin.

Nineteen other layouts will be on display, including scenes from the Bavarian mountains in Germany and Austria and further afield.

Some of them have been displayed at rail shows in Britain and further afield.

The exhibition will also cater for other hobbies, and suppliers of materials and kits.

Tickets for the event are priced at €5 per adult.

Alternatively, it is €3 if you are aged between five and 18 years. Under fives go free.