ON THE RIGHT TRACK

All aboard! Erewash Museum’s ever popular Model Railway weekend rolls into Ilkeston from Friday 10th January until Sunday 12th January  offering plenty of fascinating insights and fun for model enthusiasts of all ages. Davey Jones, from the Nottingham Model Railway Society, will be displaying his amazing model of a 1930s Ilkeston Town Railway Station in the Hayloft. Due to popularity, Davey’s model will also be on display at the museum on Thursday 9th January and Tuesday 14th January. Ilkeston Woodside Model Railway Club will be presenting their ‘drive it yourself’ Thomas the Tank engine layouts as well as a replica of the Old Station at Heanor and a model section of Bennerley Viaduct. Members of the Toton Sidings Remembered Project will be taking along their model of a hands-on hump shunting track design. Hump yards are the largest and most effective classification yards, allowing vehicles to roll down an incline or ‘hump’, pushing the cars into pre-set routes in the railway yard. Erewash Borough Council’s Lead Member for Culture and Leisure, Councillor Mike Wallis, said: “It’s fascinating to see just how much detail and devotion goes into creating these incredible model railways, and even more interesting to see how Ilkeston and the surrounding areas used to operate their rail infrastructures in bygone years.”

Erewash Museum is located in Ilkeston town centre, a short walk from the Market Place. Opening hours are Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10am-4pm, and Monday to Saturday during school holidays. Admission is free. Contact 0115 907 1141, email museum@erewash.gov.uk  or visit the Facebook page /erewashmuseum. You can also follow the museum on Twitter @Erewash_Museum, and Instagram @erewashmuseum