00 – Junior modellers

The High Wycombe club has a tradition of encouraging and supporting younger railway enthusiasts and the layouts below are an example of the level of modelling achieved by a thriving group of our Juniors Modellers with the support of experienced club members.

Their current exhibition layout, regularly seen flying the flag for Junior Modellers at exhibitions is Mothecombe.

Our Junior Modellers can also often be seen operating other Society, and indeed also some of our other members layouts, at exhibitions and during our Clubroom open days, and are an asset to the Society.

Our Junior Modellers section is open to young modellers aged 12 to 18 (accompanied by a parent or guardian)  and for details on joining click here.

Mothecombe is a quiet through station on a rural line somewhere in south Devon, close to the coast and Plymouth, and is operated in both GWR/SR or BR periods.

At either end, two fiddle yards feed trains through the layout. A bay platform is provided for the local push-pull service and a small yard serves the local community. Occasional diversions from the main line add interest during the day.

Our Junior Modellers represented modellers of all ages at the new Key Model World exhibition at the NEC in April 2024.

A great weekend was had by all and we got the seal of approval from Pete Waterman and some of our Junior Modellers could also be found operating his record breaking ‘Making Tracks’ the world’s largest portable model railway layout.

Mothecombe has continued to fly the flag for our active Junior section during 2024, attending 5 local exhibitions and then Model Rail Live at the NEC, a fitting tribute to their enthusiasm and involvement during the year. In 2025, we are booked for five further local shows and then in October, The Great Electric Train Show in Milton Keynes.

The next Junior Modellers layout project is underway called Shadwell East based on an East London yard setting that can be operated through a range of different time periods from 1960s up to the present day.

Progress as at January 2025

Shadwell East is currently in its final tracklaying stage. Wiring will then be completed before we move onto the scenic work, some of which is already been worked on off the layout. We are aiming to present the layout at the Haddenham Exhibition in September 2025 – a challenge but one we are sure that a combination of our Junior modelleres and the ‘layout support team’ will meet!