Our first Museum and fundraising group
30 August 2008 by Tim Dunn
The first museum for Britain's miniature railways, the Miniature Railway Museum Trust (MRMT), will launch on Saturday 6th September. We hope that the museum will be based near the Cleethorpes Coast Railway, a 15" gauge heritage miniature railway in Lincolnshire.
On Saturday 6th September, the MRMT will also launch its supporting and fundraising group "The Friends of the Miniature Railway Museum Trust" which enables the public to join in with projects and contribute.
The MRMT's first project will also be on show a display on the history of the Sutton Miniature Railway which is based in the Griffin Hall of the Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway. The annual Sutton Miniature Railway Gala coincides with this public launch :the entire weekend of the 6th and 7th of September will be focused on this prolific railway from Sutton Coldfield that closed in 1962 and was moved almost in its entirety to Cleethorpes in 2001 after almost 40 years of storage.
It is hoped that the new display will be formally opened at 12.30 pm on Saturday 6th September by John Tidmarsh, an ex-Sutton Miniature Railway driver, and author of "The Sutton Coldfield 15 inch gauge railway", published by Plateway Press.
There have been 3 comments. Add yours »
While any new Museum project has to be welcomed by enthusiasts, how will this fit in with the many existing heritage operations especially on the 15" gauge lines - the marvellous Heywood collection at Perrygrove, SYNOLDA at Ravenglass, COUNT LOUIS at Evesham, the replica KATIE and train at Eaton Hall, all the classic Greenly engines and rolling stock at Romney, etc.?
In reply to David Jones, the Trust will not be taking away any need for the 15" gauge museums you mention. However, the aims of the trust are to cover many gauges, not just locomotive and rolling stock, but also the social history.
Full details can be seen via the 'About the Trust' tab at the top of the page.
Hope this helps.
Kind regards.
David Humphreys Chairman
Hi John - I still remember you and Jeff Lamin walking me and Peter along the track bed of the miniature railway on Duffield Bank - glad you are still a rail enthusiast.
Do get in contact - I'm after some of your old photo stock of the Baptist Church days!! (hope you've digitised them)
Gareth