On March 7, members of the Manchester Model Railway Society (MMRS) came together to celebrate 100 years since the group formed in the home of J.A. ‘Arch’ Dean. Not only can MMRS claim to be the third oldest model railway club in the world, but it has been organising public model exhibitions for longer than anyone else.
On an enjoyable day, members were treated to an illustrated history of the society’s formation and a look back at notable events and well-known members who went on to have an impact on the wider hobby, such as Alan Jackson and Sid Stubbs, while Sir William Stanier can also be listed as a former member!
Model Rail’s George Dent, Railway Modeller’s Craig Tiley and Simon George of ‘Heaton Lodge Junction’ fame were guests of honour, who were tasked with judging entries in a special centenary layout building challenge, based around self-contained layouts in a 2m by 0.45m footprint. This proved a difficult prospect, as each entry was excellent, but ‘Porth Dinllaen’, a BR-era steam shed scene built by Rob Ogden and Chris Morgan, took first place (below right).