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Model railway celebrates 200 years of history

Daisy BodkinGloucestershire
News imageGreat Western Railway A model railway station replicating the outside of Gloucester station. There is a model road, a zebra crossing, cars, a post box and people. It shows the entrance to the station with the words Gloucester Railway Station above the door. Great Western Railway
The project has been described as a "labour of love"

A new model railway with "an exquisite level of detail" has been installed in a station waiting room to help bring its history to life.

The display celebrates 200 years of Gloucester's railway, with miniature scenes of everyday life across different time periods.

Laurence Pegrum, a member of the Gloucester Model Railway Club, said the project has been a "labour of love".

He said: "[It] celebrates Gloucester's railway history and the generations of people who have worked and travelled through the station."

Gloucester Station manager Chloe Coglan said the level of detail was exquisite, adding: "Each time you look at it, you find something new. Every part tells a story."

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The project took 12 people about 12 months to complete and was unveiled by the mayor of Gloucester, councillor Ashley Bowkett.

Visitors to the station can see the intricate details, including customers, hand-painted signs, a roaming cat and a mirror that creates the illusion of a continuous stretch of track travelling through different time periods.

News imageGreat Western Railway A model railway showing Gloucester station in two different time periods. The left side of the display represents a more modern era, with a more modern-looking car, while the right side shows an earlier, more industrial version of the station with an older model car.Great Western Railway
The project took 12 people one year to complete

Pegrum said he hopes the diorama will encourage more people of "all ages, backgrounds and skills" to get into model building.

The project was funded by a £1,000 grant from Great Western Railway (GWR).

Coglan added she was "proud" to have supported the project and to welcome it to the station for people to enjoy.

"It captures the history of the station beautifully," she said.

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