It’s a hobby that has been maligned as the dull cousin of trainspotting and the last refuge of middle-aged men building their models in attics and spare rooms.
But pop along to one of the model railway exhibitions that are staged in public halls across Courier Country from time to time, and who can fail to be impressed by the level of detail that enthusiasts put into the construction of their model landscapes – from buildings, streets, bridges and signal boxes, to intricately painted papier-mache hills.
The hobby has also been given credibility by a number of celebrities including Rod Stewart, Jools Holland, Roger Daltrey and Pete Waterman who have admitted recently that they enjoy building and playing with model railways.
30th annual show organised by club
On July 15 ad 16, it’s the turn of Cupar & District Model Railway Club to hold its annual model railway exhibition in Cupar Corn Exchange.
While the roots of the club date back to the 1970s, it’s the 30th annual show organised by the club since 1992.
But what do members get out of it?
The answer is self-evident when The Courier catches up with members of the Cupar club as they put finishing touches to this weekend’s displays.
Friendship and camaraderie
There’s a hubbub of activity as tweaks are made to electrics, trains are given a run around the test track and finishing touches are made to incredibly detailed layouts.
Perhaps most poignantly, however, there’s an atmosphere of friendship, camaraderie, creativity and support.
Club secretary Ryan Gray, 44, of Letham, has been a member of the club since he was 16 and secretary since 2007.
A former pupil of Bell Baxter High School, whose day job sees him manage business travel for a bank, he became interested in trains while visiting his gran in Broughty Ferry as a boy.
“She used to live in Brook Street,” he said.
“I remember being up in her flat overlooking the railway. It’s never really left me.”
Like many boys of that time, Ryan was the proud owner of a Hornby 125 train set.
It wasn’t really until he came to the club in 1995 through the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme that he became involved in modelling.
He’s been involved with the club ever since.
What layouts has Ryan built?
“It was 2017 before I built my first, but I’ve been involved in all sorts of layouts within the club,” he said.
“The first one I built was Eden Road TMG.
“I wrote an article about that one for Hornby magazine.
“It’s basically a modern image depot where they repair locos and service them.
“The second one was a lockdown project. Again, keeping the Eden name, Eden Park.
“That was just something I did to pass the time when we weren’t able to meet in the club and do things.
“The most recent one I did is called Wenstead.
“That’s set down in the GWR West Country area.
“It’s a modern image station terminus with a depot at the back.
“That’s due to feature in Hornby magazine last year.
“I was at the Rail Riders show in Crewe with that a few weeks ago.”
What makes a good model railway exhibit?
Ryan’s passion is for modern layouts, but when pulling a show together, he looks for stuff that will appeal to all, from the past or more recent.
This year’s Cupar show will feature 17 quality model railway layouts, including some brand new, never before seen, from various clubs including Glenrothes, Perth, Dundee, Renfrewshire and Falkirk.
From Cupar Model Railway Club they have “Parson’s Creek” by Larry Beveridge and “Hawklaw” both in N Gauge and “Fountain Hall TMD” in OO Gauge by Derek Scott and Jonathan Webb.
Exhibiting at Cupar Model Railway Club for the first time are Alan Aitken with “Lewis Lake” (On30), Martin Stewart with “Tulloch Bridge” (OO) and Tam Gault with “Cartom East” (OO).
A popular hands-on Lego layout will also be attending.
To celebrate their 30th anniversary show, the Cupar club has commissioned an exclusive OO Gauge wagon “Guard Bridge Paper Coy Ltd” by Dapol, replicating one of the fleet of wagons owned by the Guard Bridge Paper Company, based locally in Guardbridge.
These are available to buy from Stand 2 next to the admission and info desk.
Recreating St Andrews to Guardbridge line
Another point of local interest will be East Neuk Model Railway’s recreation of the former St Andrews to Guardbridge (N Gauge) rail line.
The model recreates the local line as it was between 1955 and 1965 with both steam and diesel traction.
This model is based on the final 10 years of through trains as the line to the south closed in 1965, followed by total closure in 1969.
All the buildings on the layout are scratch built based on mainly photographs as few of them still exist.
It’ll be poignant for Ryan’s 83-year-old dad who was born and raised in Guardbridge.
“I’m going to get him into the show on the Saturday and then I’ll see how true to life it is!” he added.
The club’s trade support is also invaluable.
They have again partnered with volunteers of Macmillan Cancer Research who are running a cafe, with all profits from the café going to the charity.
What do members get out of the club?
The Cupar club currently has a healthy membership of 27.
The youngest member is 22 and the oldest is 87.
The demographics of the hobby mean their members are currently all men.
Their attitude is members can get involved as much or as little as they want.
Some just come up for a coffee and a chat.
But Ryan dismisses those who stereotype model railway enthusiasts.
He says negative comments are “water off a duck’s back”.
“Playing with trains is part of it,” said Ryan when asked what members get out of their weekly meetings.
“But there’s much more to it than that.
“You’ve got the woodwork – you’ve got to build frames. You’ve got the electrics – wiring things up.
“Then you’ve got the scenic side of it.
“It encompasses so many skills.
“But it’s also important to mention that it’s great for your mental health.
“It covers so many aspects of life and it’s an escape. Life is tough.
“There’s no two ways about it.
“Here, there’s always a laugh and a carry on.”
‘It’s a bit like the Men’s Shed’
He added: “The camaraderie, the enjoyment of building the stuff.
“It’s a bit like the Men’s Shed.
“It’s a good social thing.
“It’s one of these things that I think the pandemic was actually good for because it brought people back in to their interests.
“Not just railways but Scalextric and Airfix and doing things with your hands.
“It arches back to hobbies of the past.”
‘Labour of love’ for club chairman
One long standing member whose interests in the railway extend beyond the club is Iain Smith.
Cupar born and bred, he was junior member number two when he joined in 1977 and is now chairman of the club.
The 59-year-old retired road sweeper, who was employed by Fife Council for 35.5 years, first became interested in full size trains on a school trip to the then newly opened National Railway Museum in York in 1975.
He’s now helping to restore an old Crewe-built locomotive at Aviemore, which ran mainly on the Dundee to Arbroath/Carmyllie freight lines between 1950 and 1966.
“It’s a labour of love!” he said, with his encyclopaedic knowledge of the locomotive’s history.
How did he get involved?
It was a visit to a couple of early model railway exhibitions in Cupar that saw him join the club as a 14-year-old in 1977.
“My mate up the road, Mike Manzie, joined first and got the first junior membership,” he said.
“I got the second.
“I’ve never built a layout for myself because I never had the space, but I’ve had lots of experiences helping others.”
Iain laughs that the room where the club meets and builds their models was actually his primary five classroom, led by Mrs Stewart, when the old theatre block at Cupar’s Castlehill Centre was the old Castlehill School.
The camaraderie and social side of building is incredibly important.
It’s also nice when their layouts get compliments from the public at shows.
“You need something quirky,” added Iain when asked what makes a successful exhibit.
“We’ll have a mix of old and new.
“But amongst guys in their late 40s and early 50s, there’s still a strong steam following. The BR era.”
When to see the exhibition and entry fee
To find out more about joining Cupar & District Model Railway Club, go to www.cuparmrc.co.uk or find them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Cupar & District Model Railway Club’s annual exhibition for 2023 takes place in Cupar Corn Exchange on Saturday July 15 and Sunday July 16 from 10am to 4.30pm.
Admission is £6 per person (including a free colour show guide).
Entry for children aged up to 15 is free when accompanied by a paying adult.
