Love little trains? We visited the oldest model railway club in the world — check out the video.
Thousands of miniature trains pull up at Alexandra Palace this March, for the London Festival of Railway Modelling.
Celebrating its 25th year at the north London venue, the massive celebration of diddy trains fills out two great halls, with over 40 working train track layouts based on regions in the UK, and further afield.
Altogether, over 90 traders and societies, plus retailers and manufacturers, will be on hand for tips and demonstrations — with some 10,000 people expected to show up over the weekend of 21-22 March 2026. So let’s pray the life-sized trains are running OK.
The star attractions, needless to say, are the painstakingly put together layouts; among those on show this year are Southgate Park (set in 1986-1992, with ‘slam door’ Network SouthEast trains); Horsethief Bridge, in which double-stack container trains amble through the Washington State great outdoors; and Beijiao, recreating the final years of main line steam in China.
See a full list of 2026’s layouts on the World of Railways website.
Despite the show being attended by the kind of people who know what a Tenshodo Coreless motor bogie is, don’t be put off if all this is new to you. If you’re dipping your toes into a potential new attic hobby, or just want to feel like a giant while watching replica Mallards zoom underneath your nose, this is a welcoming space. In short: all aboard!
London Festival of Railway Modelling, Alexandra Palace, 21-22 March 2026.
