IT'S full steam ahead at Lakes Leisure Kendal this weekend (January 25-26) as the much-awaited Kendal Model Railway Club Exhibition has arrived in town.

Miniature model railway enthusiasts continue to flock to the 14th annual exhibition held at the centre and thousands are expected to attend the weekend event.

People from around the area and beyond looked on as model steam and diesel trains weaved their way through realistic-looking stations, tunnels and intricate viaducts.

The club, which has recently celebrated its 50th anniversary, took over 10,000sq feet of the centre, with a range of exhibits and stalls.

“The exhibition remains so popular and continues to attract people to the area because people have always and continue to have an interest in trains,” said Kendal Model Railway Club chairman Ian Conway.

There were 35 exhibits on show, covering a time period from the 1930s to the 1980s, including Kendal Model Railway Clubs own award-winning exhibition.

The layout, entitled ‘Scorbiton’ is modelled on a medium sized town situated on the banks of the River Severn and won the Railway Modeller Trophy for the best layout at the Warley show at the NEC in Birmingham last year.

Work began in 2004 and has taken almost ten years to complete.

Peter Sedgwick, from Kendal, was a member of Kendal Model Railway Club for 40 years and was showing off his own miniature trains during the weekend.

The 81-year-old said: “I particularly like using meccano to build my trains. I don’t use any type of plans or instructions to make my models, it is all by memory.”

Mr Conway added: “Local people and people from all over the country come to the show. The furthest an exhibitor has travelled to be here today is Bognor Regis.

“We expect around 1,500 people to come to the event.”

The exhibition will run until 5pm today and tomorrow (January 26) from 9am to 5pm.