ONE of the regular model railway exhibitions was held at Ludlow racecourse.

It was put on by the Craven Arms and District Model Railway Circle, whose members have been playing with trains for nearly half a century.

The group works to retain in miniature the railway as it was many years ago.

Railways were at the heart of the British transport system for many years.

A model made by the Circle shows the railway as it was in part of south Shropshire between the two world wars.

The railway system took a battering during the second world war and was nationalised in 1948 by the Labour Government when British Railways was created.

In the following years the railway suffered from under investment and a growth in road transport both for personal travel and the moving of freight.

Many services became uneconomic and there was a major cutback on the system in the 1960’s as a result of what became known as the Beeching axe.

The railways were privatised again in the 1990s with a separation of the operators of train services from the responsibility for the infrastructure.

Fortunately, the Craven Arms and District Railway Circle has had a less turbulent history.

Its members are enthusiastic modellers who enjoy showing their work to others and encouraging people to try for themselves.

The club was formed in the 1970’s in Craven Arms and it was decided that they would construct a model railway layout of Craven Arms station and junction as it was in the 1920s and 30’s. This layout was built, and it is still in the clubroom for all to see.