Quorn pop-up railway is ‘a big train you can ride’

A group of model train enthusiasts have built what they say is “the biggest pop-up railway seen in the UK for almost 30 years”.

Construction of the 1,100ft (350m) long line began on Friday at Quorn station yard in Leicestershire, part of the Great Central Railway (GCR).

The Portable Railway Club is behind the project, which took around six hours to complete and saw four miniature railways come together.

Martin Paling, one of the organisers, described the railway as “a big Hornby train you can ride”, which people could do at the weekend.

The club is made up of miniature railway fans who get together to build and operate large pop-up railways for fun.

Organizers said they had been planning the project since January and that the GCR had been “fantastic” in giving them the space they needed to build the railway.

Mr Paling said the trip was enormous fun.

He added: “It’s almost like being on a little motorbike or a miniature horse, it’s quite a strange experience to run.”

Enthusiasts brought their own track, with some also bringing locomotives, including a number capable of carrying trains of up to 20 people.

Daniel Mason, the group’s chairman, is responsible for the track design.

He said: “We are designing the railway to be complex.

“We can theoretically have four trains running in opposite directions at a time, all on a track that was only built the day before.

“We have been running our annual meeting for three years now and they have been social, fun and successful events.

“Having the Great Central Railway as our host – one of the country’s best-known heritage railways – really raises our profile.

“It will be a great sight to see our miniature trains running alongside the big central locomotives.”