By Adrian Lee | Photography @Blyth & Tyne Motorcycle Railway Society
Is the Blyth & Tyne Model Railway Society
Shields’ best kept secret? On the first floor above ASDA on Saville Street and occupying the same area (about 10,000 square feet) is The Blyth & Tyne Model Railway Society.
If Carlsberg did model railway clubs, this would probably be the largest in the UK.
Open on this site since 2011, this model railway club is massive – a hidden gem, yet only open to the public a couple of times a year.
The next open days will be in December on the same weekend as the Victorian Festival which takes place annually in Northumberland Square. The club is one of the oldest model railway clubs in the North East of England, with over 90 members from teenagers to octogenarians.
They currently have over 30 layouts in 2mm, N, 3mm, HO, EM, OO, O and 7 Scale gauges plus a Lego layout.
Layouts are local and overseas – a combination of real, imagined or adapted covering railways through the ages.
Their Fencehouses layout was voted as one of the top 10 layouts countrywide as was the Roundtrees sidings (currently in storage).
If you are interested in viewing, I Love North Shields has arranged exclusive, escorted visits during club opening times by arrangement:
To make a booking please email: [email protected]
website www.btmrs.co.uk
