Model railway enthusiasts will be looking to break a world speed record this weekend.
At the Festival of British Railway Modelling at Doncaster Racecourse this weekend (Feb 9th/10th 2019), a live steam model of the famous steam locomotive Mallard will attempt to smash through the existing astonishing model train speed record of 186mph.
The original A4 class Mallard was built at Doncaster and is the holder of the world speed record for steam locomotives at 126 mph (203 km/h). This record was achieved on 3 July 1938 on the slight downward grade of Stoke Bank south of Grantham on the East Coast Main Line, and the highest speed was recorded at milepost 90¼, between Little Bytham and Essendine.
Hornby live steam models were discontinued in 2008 but members of the OO Live Steam Club continue to run them and members will be at the Festival this weekend to try and break the record set December last year by Alistair Proudfoot.
Andy is a lifelong modeler, writer, and founder of modelrailwayengineer.com. He has been building model railways, dioramas, and miniatures for over 20 years. His passion for model making and railways began when he was a child, building his first layout at the age of seven.
Andy’s particular passion is making scenery and structures in 4mm scale, which he sells commercially. He is particularly interested in modelling the railways of South West England during the late Victorian/early Edwardian era, although he also enjoys making sci-fi and fantasy figures and dioramas. His website has won several awards, and he is a member of MERG (Model Railway Electronics Group) and the 009 Society.
When not making models, Andy lives in Surrey with his wife and teenage son. Other interests include history, science fiction, photography, and programming. Read more about Andy.