The Bentley Model Railway Group

Best viewed with, any browser

Just to make sure there's no confusion the Bentley Model Railway Group are based in Calne, Wiltshire, United Kingdom. Also we're neither of the following: Bentley Miniature Railway; Westinghouse Model Railway Club


Calne Model Railway Show 2024

Calne Model Railway Show 2024


It all started with a layout, Bentley St. John's, which was built with the aid of a grant from the School fund and exhibited in Swindon in the spring of 1976. Things were a bit rough and ready back then (thinking about it I'm not sure they're all that different now). The layout stood on tables borrowed from the physics labs (lessons were conducted on the floor for a couple of days), and a certain amount of last minute finishing off was required on site. In fact, when the time to leave arrived we had to employ a hacksaw to dismantle the layout.

We resumed again many years later as a group of older, but no wiser, school friends who got together now and again to play trains. Since then we've been joined by several other nutters and have a number of layouts that we show here and there. After going through a bit of a quiet patch we started exhibiting again with layouts such as Elm Park, Hedges Hill Cutting, Gladstone Road, and Pengwynn Crossing.

The major OO layout to exhibit will be Kannotburn. Also as an interim a revived version of an old layout Highbridge Road has made a few appearances.

On the N gauge side the major layout under construction has the working title of Matworth. Whilst physically smaller in scale terms this is at least as ambitious, if not more so, than Kannotburn or Highbridge Road. Fundamentally it is a revitalisation of a bought in layout, Tamworth, with the original fiddle yard and wiring replaced.

Our clubroom is located in the Porte Marsh Industrial Estate, Calne. We occupy a small industrial unit conveniently close to the take away Pizza shop, What3Words: ///grows.fists.fastening. One of the great advantages of not being in a residential area is we can stay as late as we like making as much noise as we like.

General meetings are officially scheduled for each Tuesday evening starting at 7:30 p.m. and ending when everyone has gone home but as we have 24/7 access to the clubroom various groups of members arrange to meet up at different times during the week.

If you would like to come along one evening to find out what we do and what we are like, or would just like to know more about the club please E-mail the club Secretary.

Links:

Chiltern Model Railway Association

Historical Model Railway Society

Steam - GWR Museum, Swindon

Information Britain


© Monitor Computing Services Limited 2023