Model railways celebrated by heritage group's event

An exhibition celebrating the world of model railways is set to be hosted by a heritage railway.

More than 25 model layouts will appear at Severn Valley Railway (SVR)'s event including a miniature version of its Eardington Station.

Heritage services returned to Eardington last year for the first time in 40 years after the group received permission for trains to make a stop at the station, the railway said.

The event on 4 and 5 May at The Engine House, Highley, Shropshire, will also feature working street lights and a night-time scene.

“A particular highlight is set to be the Bond Lane layout which features plenty of unusual innovations such as LCD screens, sound and dynamic lighting," the SVR's Lewis Maddox said.

The railway, which is largely run by a group of more than 1,600 volunteers, provides a 16m (25.7km) route between Kidderminster, Worcestershire and Bridgnorth, Shropshire.

It originally opened as a passenger line in 1862 before all services stopped just over one hundred years later and the line was sold to SVR in 1966.

Their Eardington station was recently the subject of a break-in in which rare lamps and other historical items were taken, leaving volunteers heartbroken.

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