MODEL railway enthusiasts gathered at an annual exhibition that attracted visitors of all ages to Kendal.

Kendal Model Railway Club celebrated its 60th event in Kendal with exhibitions from as far away as Dorset. More than 1,750 visitors visited the leisure centre at the weekend.

A selection of fourteen layouts was on display with the supporting trades, societies and groups.

The Westmorland Gazette: St Seeb built by Colin Postlethwaite St Seeb built by Colin Postlethwaite (Image: Filipa Gaspar, Newsquest)St Seeb layout was voted Best in Show by the Kendal Town Mayor Councillor Julia Dunlop. 

The layout was built by Colin Postlethwaite, from Askam, and is based on a town in the North West with a small station on a single-line system. 

Mr Postlethwaite said: "I'm quite proud. It is good that somebody likes it because this is its first-ever show that has been to."

The Westmorland Gazette: Lily Lane's exhibition and a photo showing Lily building the layout.Lily Lane's exhibition and a photo showing Lily building the layout. (Image: Filipa Gaspar, Newsquest)Lily Lane won the Best in Show as voted for by the members of the public. The layout was made by Lily Rayton when she was eight years old and her grandad Les Nehrlich, from near Kirkham.

Ever since 2018 Lily has wanted to have her own railway so she started designing one for 2019 and it took them eighteen months to finish the layout. 

Martin Elson, a member of Kendal Railway Club, said he had been building his layout called Marshside for seven years.

The layout is based on a fictional branch line between Preston and Southport going onto the south bank of the Ribble estuary.

The Westmorland Gazette: Martin Elson and his layout Marshside. Martin Elson and his layout Marshside. (Image: Filipa Gaspar, Newsquest)

Mr Elson: "It always has work that needs to be done so I don't know how long it is going to take until I get it completed.

"It is an area I have always been interested in and the time period of LMS in the 1930s is a period I have always been interested in and so it was building something that would cover those interests and also fit in the large room in the house that I have available to put it in."

The Westmorland Gazette: The Mayor congratulated the winner of Best Layout.The Mayor congratulated the winner of Best Layout. (Image: Submitted)Mayor of Kendal Cllr Julia Dunlop was delighted to be shown around the show by the exhibition manager, Ian Conway.

The mayor said: “This show is a credit to the organisers. The enthusiasts had a great time and the traders reported brisk business. Many of the visitors stayed in Kendal accommodation and ate out in the town - making a great contribution to the local economy.”

Exhibition manager Ian Conway said: "We are getting a lot of children coming this year so we are hoping we will get more people who might be interested in model railways in the future."

The 2025 show is already in planning and will again take place in the Leisure Centre during the last weekend of January.