Model railways are an age-old hobby, almost as old as the railways themselves. A favourite of generations past and present. If you ask your family, I’m sure someone will tell you about the Hornby train set they got for Christmas that brought them hours of joy.  

In today’s modern world, the model railway is no longer as popular as it once was. Its popularity has been surpassed by new inventions, the most prominent of which is video games. How can a model railway compare to the likes of Train Simulator, where players can take charge of their own locomotives and simulate real world journeys in a detailed environment? 

Or, more likely, they prefer to play something like EA Sports FC, Fortnite, or Call of Duty. I can’t say I’m an exception, as I’ve sunk hours into video games over the years. 

But, in recent years, I have gained an interest in railways, and model railways have come part in parcel with that interest. In Dublin, there are two main clubs: The Model Railway Society of Ireland (MRSI), and the South Dublin Model Railway Club (SDMRC). In the name of fairness, the two clubs take it in turns to host an annual exhibition on the October Bank Holiday weekend, the biggest of its kind in Ireland. 

This year was the turn of the SDMRC to host their show once again in Blackrock College, and once again, they did not disappoint. 

The show has everything one could want; highly detailed layouts, passionate people excited to answer your questions about their work, the all-important tea and coffee stand, and, the source of financial ruin for many in this hobby, merchandise sellers. 

The annual Dublin show has become a tradition for me. Here is just a selection of some of the layouts, and the people, who made a great exhibition. 

This first layout is ‘Vesper Road’, by Adrian Clapa. It showcases a OO Gauge modern British freight yard.

This is ‘BelleVue’, showcasing an American HO Scale (1:87) scene. Built by Ivan Thompson.

This is ‘East Earlyton’, a scene showing the early years of the railways in Britain. I spoke to the owner at the Wexford show, and he explained that he designed the inside seen to be replaceable. the other scene is called ‘West Earlyton’, showing an early-American western railroad.

‘Past Avenue’ – OO Gauge Irish layout set in the late 20th century.

‘Dun Laoghaire DART’ – by the South Dublin Model Railway Club (SDMRC). This OO Gauge layout showcases Dun Laoghaire Station as it looked during the early years of the DART in the late-80’s.

‘Kildare Town’ – SDMRC. A large layout capturing Kildare Station as it was up to the early-2000s. Used as a test bed by some of the manufacturers, such as Accurascale/ IRM and Murphy Models, to show off their latest samples.

Speaking of which, Accurascale/ Irish Railway Models brought samples of their upcoming releases: GSR/ CIÉ 800 class (Ireland’s largest steam locomotive), and the Irish Rail 22000 class (the backbone of the modern intercity fleet. Both highly detailed models are due for release in 2026.

Also at the show were samples of their NIR 101 class ‘Hunslet’, and a sample of Murphy Models upcoming model of the new DART train, part of the DART+ programme.

This is Johnathan King a volunteer the Downpatrick & County Down Railway (DCDR), the only full-size heritage railway on the island of Ireland. “We run steam and diesel trains for families, for railway enthusiasts to keep our culture alive.” You can find more information on the DCDR website.

This is Glen Dixon, a member of the Model Railway Society of Ireland, with his layout ‘7 Éire’. It’s an N Gauge (1:148) layout based on Dalkey and Killiney, with one of the main features being the ‘Éire sign’ present on the real life Dalkey Hill. These were dotted around the coast of Ireland during the Second World War to alert aircraft flying overhead that they were passing over Ireland. “The beach itself is [made with] sand off Killiney beach.”

“The DARTs themselves are made by myself. They take around two weeks to construct.” Glen is also active on social media under the account @offdrails.

This is Bill Garrioch, another member of the MRSI, with his layout ‘Castlefinn’. It is a OO9 narrow gauge layout based on Castlefinn in county Donegal, once a part of the famous Donegal Railway.

“It’s no particular period; it’s just done up to look interesting and have a few cameos in it and interest the public.”

Bill bought the layout from a club member, but detailed it all himself.

“Recently, I did a complete revamp of all the scenery and made the little lights and everything with brass tubes.”

The mighty ‘Dundalk Works’ by the MRSI, hosts of next year’s show in Clontarf. Built over a period of seven years, this scene is over 19ft long and has been featured in the Railway Modeller magazine.

I spoke with Peter Kelly of the IPMS Ireland.

“IPMS Ireland is the International Plastic Modelling Society, the Irish branch.”

Members of the IPMS model everything from aircraft to tanks, and from Gundam to submarines.

“People come together, put their models on the table. We have a chat about modelling, we have a Facebook group and Instagram.”

“Because we’re a small country, and because the modelling is an even smaller community, we tend to all know each other. You get a lot of help from people, you get a lot of constructive criticism in the best possible way, and you get to meet new people.”

“From a mental health point of view, it’s great to go be able to have something where you go and spend some time and switch off. It can be a bit isolating, that’s why the IPMS is so good. Because you meet people who are in the same boat.”

“From six to ninety-six, everybody is welcome. It doesn’t matter what your level is.”

‘T-Trak’, a modular N Scale layout with an Irish setting. Many of the trains running round are custom made.

‘Morceaux Ville’ by David McFarlane – A HO Scale tram layout.

And finally, we have ‘Rathmichael’ by the Wexford Model Railway Club (WMRC). This OO Gauge layout models represents the now disused (but hopefully not for too long more) South Wexford Line that links Rosslare with Waterford.

It took the club over a year to build, and they run trains from the 1980’s onwards. This layout has won praise for its scenic detail.

The layout was named in honour of Michael Curran, a founding member of the WMRC.

And that’s just a small sample from this year’s South Dublin Model Railway Club exhibition. It was a year of anniversaries, with the SDMRC celebrating it’s fiftieth, and Irish Railway Models celebrating ten years in business.

Next year’s show is back to Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Clontarf, hosted by the MRSI.

But fear not, there’s plenty of other shows in the meantime, including Wexford MRC, Erne MRC, and the Mid-West MRC.