The Best UK Model Village

I'm biased. I first visited Bekonscot as a child, accompanied by my parents. Later I took my own children and now I take my grandchild. One day, when I am too old to drive there I expect to be taken by my children or grandchildren.

This model village (including Gauge 1 railway network built in 1929) does not stand still. It evolves and the level of detail is such that each pass around the complex you will spot something missed before.

Rescue Mission - A True Story

There are a multitude of paths that bridge the railway lines bordered by low railings. In front of us a young infant fell over the railing (about 30cm drop). The crying infant was quickly retrieved by its parent who was worried about electrocution from the live rails (having seen notices warning of live rails). Thankfully, there did not seem to be any long term damage to the infant.

However, the infant fell onto a train about to pass under the bridge causing the trailing bogie of the first coach to derail. The train carried on its journey with the trailing bogie bumping along the sleepers and being skewed made a glancing blow on a train passing in the opposite direction. Both trains carried on unaffected with the offending bogie still bumping along the sleepers. As the train approached a stretch alongside a path I took a unilateral decision to correct the fault by gently lifting the coach whilst it was in transit and placing the bogie down onto the rails. A perfect alignment resulted and the train continued happily. This is a feat that could only be undertaken by a railway modeller, such as myself, used to correcting model train derailments. No ordinary mortal could do it for a train in motion!

This is the train in question: