Model railway lovers are in for a treat over the weekend of 7 and 8 October when, for the third year running, the Severn Valley Railway will be hosting its O Gauge Get Together at The Engine House in Highley.

The Get Together is set to feature an impressive collection of award-winning model layouts, as well as trade stands including Dapol and Ellis Clarke Trains. There are planned to be seven O Gauge (1:43.5 scale) layouts on display, which will recreate the sights and sounds of railways from their early days of the railways through to the modern era.

Among the exhibits will be an award-winning layout called ‘Central Works’, which shows the railway’s involvement within a car factory complex. It is designed to be operated as either Ford’s factory at Dagenham in Essex or BMC’s factory at Longbridge in Birmingham. One of its features is a quirky coal ‘tippler’ which turns fully loaded wagons upside down to empty them.

A special Dapol O gauge wagon has been commissioned by the volunteer organisers of the event. Harry Bradley, a member of the volunteer organising group, explains: “It features Edward Russell coal merchants of Kidderminster and Netherton, and we’ve kept this to a limited edition of just 50 which will be on sale at the event.

“We’ll also hold a raffle for thousands of pounds worth of O gauge prizes, with proceeds going to the SVR’s Survival Fund.”

Tom Clarke, another of the volunteer event organisers, said: “For the first time, we’re welcoming the ‘Newchapel Junction’ layout. “It’s absolutely huge and takes seven hours to set up. It’s fully signalled and needs five people to operate. It’s run like a real railway system, depicting the 1930s on the Great Western Railway.”

There is no charge for entry to the O Gauge Get Together at The Engine House, in Highley, but there is very limited parking. It is recommended that visitors travel there by the Severn Valley Railway, and tickets are available at svr.co.uk.