The UK's finest public outdoor 'Gauge 1' model garden railway weaves its way around the Bekonscot landscape. With over 400 metres of realistically-signalled main line and branch line, the Bekonscot Model Railway (BMR) is truly the most intriguing part of a visit to Bekonscot.
Click here to download a video of two trains at Greenhaily station.
There are normally between seven and ten trains running at any one time, either by automatic computer control or by the fully-interlocked ex-BR lever frame in Maryloo Signal Box. The complex control system is one of the most advanced model railway control systems in the world, being a fusion of 1930s mechanics, 1970s resourcefulness and 21st Century digital technology.
The operation, route, history and rolling stock of the railway is explained in greater detail in our 2008 guidebook.
We are often asked about the railway's construction. The present line is made from Tenmille 'G-scale' track, with points built by ourselves. G-scale track is the same gauge as 'Gauge 1' (45mm between the rails) but is coarser and more durable. The model trains are built to Gauge 1 standards, where 10mm equals 1 foot.
The railway was built as an original feature of the private model village in 1929, under the direction of world-famous model railway company Bassett-Lowke. Throughout the 20th century, the network grew with the additions of branches, goods yards and stock; but like British Railways, was consolidated in the 1950s and 1960s. The railway has run constantly every year since 1929 in all weathers - even in the snow - despite its full-size counterparts seemingly failing as soon as the "wrong sort of leaves" hit the tracks. The durability and reliability of the BMR is testament to the great skill and loving care lavished upon it by successive generations of staff.
With the transition from three-rail pickup to two-rail pickup in 1993, the railway become more manageable and efficient. Worn-out locomotives and stock were replaced, yet some of the earlier stock still runs, using new chassis.
There are currently eleven trains that run regularly on the BMR, shown on the right. These are occasionally supplemented by reconditioned 'heritage' stock from the Bekonscot workshops, or staff members' own rolling stock.
The locomotives are not all exact models of prototypes. The BMR was known for its house style; freelance-outline stock has always been a feature and experimental designs often pre-empted prototypes on the full-sized railways of the 'real' world. With the exception of the Bassett-Lowke "Brighton class" tank loco, all stock has been built by Bekonscot. The majority of coaching stock is represented by Bekonscot-built scale models of BR mk1 carriages; like the pannier tanks they are not strictly 1930s but generate the right image.
There are some very unusual pieces of rolling stock that see regular service on the BMR. These include the somewhat noisy Bekonscot-patented track cleaners, housed in a yellow salt wagon and a standard coach.
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