Full steam from shop to depot

TWO years ago a small group of volunteers came together with the idea of creating a model railway to fill an empty restaurant window in Axminster, to lift community spirits in the run up to Christmas. It proved so popular that the group is now a charity with a permanent home in the town.

- GILLIAN ADAMS

Barrie Hedges, Secretary of For the Love of a Railway said: “We took on the premises we now call ‘The Depot in June 2024 and started the building of a more detailed model of the Axminster to Lyme Regis line. The team grew - having our own premises really galvanised us all to the point that we are now a registered charity.”

Axminster train station was opened in July 1860 by the London & South Western Railway, and in 1903 the Axminster to Lyme Regis branch line opened, running for 62 years until its closure in 1965.

The three Victorian steam locomotives used on the route were collectively known as Lyme Billy. The models and layouts offer a glimpse into the past and this branch line evokes a great sense of nostalgia, capturing the spirit of the era.

Barrie said: “It was a magical old line that came into being against all the odds, and was built on the cheap with tortuous curves and steep climbs plus a dodgy viaduct.

“Most locomotives they tried failed under all the challenges, and it took ten years (until 1913) before they finally found two already ageing Victorian Adams engines that could cope. A third was added later and that trio survived all the way through until 1961.”