Don’t miss Immingham’s annual Model Railway Show this weekend

The Immingham Model Railway Show will take place on Saturday May 10 from 10am-5pm, and Sunday May 11 from 10am-4pm, showcasing 15 high-quality visiting layouts from N to SM32 gauges.

There will be Trade and Society stands and Immingham Museum layouts as featured in Hornby Magazine:

• Immingham Loco Shed 1912-1970 in ‘00’ gauge

• Barnetby to Wrawby 1970 – present in ‘N’ gauge

There will also be exhibits of the Great Central Railway and Immingham Dock.

So much history is tied up within the town and port of Immingham, from the dramatic escape of the Mayflower Pilgrims in 1607 to the opening of Immingham Dock by King George V in 1912.

The first floor of the museum is dedicated to an extensive model railway display and the influence of the Great Central Railway on the town and port of Immingham.

There has been a significant upsurge in interest in Immingham and Northern Lincolnshire’s railway heritage in recent years. Today, Immingham is widely regarded as carrying the largest tonnage of rail freight traffic in the country, with a quarter of all national rail freight tonnage departing from or arriving at the port.

It was The Great Central Railway (later the LNER) that built Immingham Dock in 1912, mainly to bring coal from the Yorks, Notts and Derby coalfield to the port for onward shipment. To bring workers to the dock in what was originally a sparsely populated area, the Great Central Railway built an electric tramway from Grimsby to Immingham.

This year Immingham Museum, located at the Civic Centre on Pelham Road, will have been telling the story of the town through some fantastic exhibits for 55 years.

This small, independent, family-friendly museum with charitable status is run by a team of 20 volunteers and attracts 2,500 visitors each year.

Visit Immingham Museum Model Railway Show this weekend to find out more about the town’s fascinating connection to the railways. Entry is £5 with accompanied children under 16 free. Unfortunately, there is no disabled access to the first floor of the museum, but the permanent railway models upstairs can be seen on a screen downstairs.

There is a large free car park opposite the museum (Satnav DN40 1QF). The No 5 bus from Grimsby Town Station goes every 30 mins Saturday, and hourly Sunday. Refreshments will be available on both days. Website www.imminghammuseum.org