IT WAS full steam ahead at the annual Trainwest model railway exhibition over the weekend which pulled in a crowd of nearly 2,000 train enthusiasts to Melksham for Wiltshire’s biggest display.

The event, which has been held at Christie Miller Sports Centre for the past nine years, featured 62 stands including 21 working model railway layouts and the Gresley Beat layout from Kent.

Designed by Cliff Parsons and depicting King's Cross at the turn of the 1930s, it is one of the largest portable model railway layouts in the country. So large that it had to travel in two vans and took a team of nine people more than 10 hours to set up.

Geoff Endacott, who has been organising the event for more than 20 years, said he was pleased that attendance was up by three per cent this year.

Mr Endacott added: “The Gresley Beat layout was very popular and we had people travelling a long distance to see the display. This was probably the last chance for people to see it in this part of the country and they were pleased that it made an appearance.”

However Mr Endacott is fearful the exhibition could be a victim of its own success.

He said: “We are running out of space. We would love to hear from someone who has a large space within a five-minute drive of a car park that has space for more than 500 cars.

As a Chippenham-based club, the Bentley Railway club needs an exhibition space of 15,000 sq ft, within 10 miles of the town and with enough parking for several hundred cars.

Despite the lack of space, more than 20 display organisers are already signed up for next year’s event, which will take place somewhere in Wiltshire on April 9-10. To recommend possible spaces to hold future events, visit www.trainwest.org.uk