After 29 years away, the Rail Riders club will be returning in 2020.

The club is for avid rail enthusiasts who are back after nearly 30 years since the iconic British Rail fan club closed. It is being revived by railway accessory supplier, Bufferbeam.

Bufferbeam has been selling merchandise with the classic club logo on for more than a year and the feedback about the club inspired the plan to bring it back.

At its height in the 1980s, Rail Riders had more than 80,000 members, including one of the people behind the revival, Simon Buxton.

The new club will be open to enthusiasts of all ages, not just 5 to 15-year-olds.

Rail Riders is working with various preserved railways to offer discounts to members and is in discussions with model railway shops and railway book publishers.

Bufferbeam’s parent company applied for and obtained Trademark protection on all Rail Riders logos to ensure that the club could retain the original name and distinctive logo so fondly remembered by former members.

The Rail Riders Express magazine will return with members receiving four issues per year, containing a wide range of features and competitions.

There will also be a passbook that members can get stamped at participating locations to encourage trips to museums, heritage railways and other locations.

What did the officials say?

Commenting on the new venture, Simon Buxton said:

“As a lad I fondly remember going to Rail Riders World at York and watching all the trains on the layout. I also loved collecting stickers to fill the famous wall chart and eagerly waiting for the magazine to come through the post.

“I decided to add the Rail Riders logo to my range of railway images last year and could not believe how many customers remembered it. The response since going public with our plans has been fantastic and I see this as a way to bring people together and promote the hobby.  We plan to go live with membership in February 2020 and hope old members and people that were too young or not even born would like to join.”

For more information visit the Rail Riders Facebook page here

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