Model railway created by Pete Waterman to be showcased at our company's The Greatest Gathering event in Derby
Making Tracks 3 to Headline Model Railway Village at The Greatest Gathering in Derby
The Model Railway Village, a collaboration between Alstom and Key Model World, will be a highlight of The Greatest Gathering in Derby this August. This three-day charity festival, marking 200 years since the Stockton and Darlington Railway's opening, is set to be the world's largest-ever gathering of historic and modern rolling stock.
At the heart of the Model Railway Village is Pete Waterman's Making Tracks 3, a 64 ft x 12 ft OO-gauge layout based on the West Coast Main Line and featuring a recreation of Milton Keynes Central railway station. This intricate model railway has evolved through several iterations since its launch in 2021, with Making Tracks 3 being the centerpiece for Alstom's The Greatest Gathering event in Derby.
Pete Waterman, an acclaimed music producer and passionate railway modeller (honored with OBE DL), expressed delight about bringing Making Tracks 3 to The Greatest Gathering. He encourages both seasoned and new modellers to visit, highlighting model railways as a rewarding hobby that captures the essence of Britain's railways, which have fascinated the public for nearly two centuries.
The Model Railway Village will also feature around 20 trade stands from major model railway brands like Hornby and Bachmann, alongside high-quality miniature layouts illustrating British railway heritage in miniature form. Other notable layouts include Mick Bryan’s Deadmans Lane, Eric French’s London Underground layout (Harefield Road), and Key Model World's Twelve Trees Junction.
Derby Litchurch Lane Works, one of the world's largest rolling stock factories and the only UK facility that designs, engineers, builds, and tests trains for both domestic and export markets, will also be a significant part of The Greatest Gathering. Andy Butters, Managing Director of Derby Litchurch Lane Works at Alstom, expressed excitement about welcoming Pete Waterman and his Making Tracks 3 layout to Derby for the event.
A video series on the Derby Litchurch Lane Works model will be released by Key Model World this summer, and a full series build of the model will be featured in Key Publishing's Hornby Magazine from July-September. In addition, Key Model World will debut a new OO gauge model railway layout at The Greatest Gathering, based on a section of Derby Litchurch Lane Works.
The Model Railway Village is just one part of the wider festivities for Railway 200, a year-long celebration marking the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway on 27 September 1825. For more information about The Greatest Gathering and the Model Railway Village, visit [website URL].
[1] Key Model World Press Release, "Making Tracks 3 to Headline Model Railway Village at The Greatest Gathering in Derby," [date], [link] [2] Alstom Press Release, "Derby Litchurch Lane Works to Host The Greatest Gathering," [date], [link] [3] Railway 200 Official Website, "The Greatest Gathering," [date], [link]
- The Model Railway Village, showcasing the intricate Making Tracks 3 layout, encourages a sustainable lifestyle by promoting smart trains as a viable part of home-and-garden settings, similar to the actual railways that have fascinated the public for nearly two centuries.
- Incorporating the latest in sustainable technology, the upcoming OO gauge model railway layout by Key Model World, based on Derby Litchurch Lane Works, underscores their commitment to a smart, sustainable future for mobility and echoes the theme of this year's Railway 200 celebrations.
- As the Model Railway Village and Making Tracks 3 join forces to headline The Greatest Gathering in Derby, it showcases the fusion of two passions – sustainable trains and home-and-garden hobbies – proving that one can maintain a meaningful connection with Britain's railways while embracing a lifestyle sympathetic to the environment.
