There is always something going on at Wester Pickston! This section of our site gives updates of what we are working on, and other trust related information.
Our resident photographer and videographer, Andrew Gebbie, was on site at our recent exhibition to record the layouts that were on show. He’s edited them together, grouped by scale, which you can view below. Also of note is that the voice over is computer generated, representing what is probably SMET’s first use of “AI”! N scale layouts 00:00 - Intro 00:27 - Calla Fountain Crossing 03:31 - Crianlarich 04:46 - Mauchline 06:08 - Westertoun 07:34 - Canal Way 08:47 - Roxby …
The curtain has come down on our 2023 modal railway exhibition - and what a weekend it was! We’ll have more photos and videos from the event, but for now we’d like to offer our congratulations to the award winners from the show. We had four categories of awards this year: The Harburn Hobbies Trophy for best in show as voted by the public went to Alisdair MacDonald for his layout Whithorn. The Ten Commandments/Greenscene Trophy for architectural modelling was won by The NOEL Group of …
There is a little under a month to go until our 2023 model railway exhibition gets underway! Running on Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th June, at the Dewars Centre in Perth, the exhibition will be open from 10am to 5pm each day. This year we have: 39 layouts show casing T gauge to O and everything in between. 36 traders for all your modelling supply needs. 17 groups and societies including modelling demonstrations. Tickets are on sale now, and can be purchased online using the link below: Buy …
We are delighted to announce that Perth Model Railway Group (PMRC), part of the Scottish Model Engineering Trust (SMET), won the Glenrothes Model Railway Club’s (GMRC) Silver Link Trophy at the recent Glenrothes model railway show. The Silver Link Trophy is awarded after a public vote over the two days of the exhibition and was awarded to our Whyte Hills Pass layout. Designed and created by Bill Garden, Whyte Hills Pass is a North American themed N scale layout. While it was never intended …
Recently there was a request for articles to interest both the non-members and the membership. It strikes me that such articles might also stimulate the enthusiasm of the relative beginners to our hobby. As usual this is not a new concept and I remember LBSC targeting articles for the “tyros” as he called beginners in the 1960s. Many clubs have formal talks together with displays of work in progress which seem to be very successful. At least in part this can now, of course, be shared digitally. …
Not long until our next open day! Sunday 28th May, 2023 will see our Wester Pickston site open at 11am for the general public to join us on member’s steam and electric locomotives (7¼″ and 5″ gauge) for rides around our 2km of track. The open day will run through to 4pm and if the weather is good, bring a picnic lunch to have next to our Wester Pickston station and enjoy watching trains go by! The model railway shed (63A) will also be open, show casing O, OO and N gauge layouts, where you will …
Easter Sunday, 9th April, saw our first open day of 2023, and what a treat! While it wasn’t a particularly sunny day in the end, the weather held and it was warm enough for picnicking next to Wester Pickston Station as the trains went by! Five steam engines and two diesel electrics were in operation on the main line with hundreds of passengers taken around the sights of Wester Pickston. In 63A we were treated to a preview of the O gauge San Andreas Beach before its outing at the PMRG show …
We are delighted to host our first open day of 2023 on Sunday 9th April. Our Wester Pickston site will open at 11am through to 4pm for the general public, with rides being offered on member’s steam and electric locomotives (7¼″ and 5″ gauge engines will be running on our 1.5km of track). The Miniature Road Vehicle members will be offering rides on steam powered engines around the site. The model railway shed (63A) will be open show casing O, OO and N gauge layouts. The 32mm gauge garden railway …
Today, with a heavy heart but knowing it is the right thing to do, the Trustees of Scottish Model Engineering Trust along with the Exhibition Manager decided that it was no longer viable to run the Perth exhibition this year. The continued uncertainty and with peoples’ health and well being in mind meant that only one decision could be made. We will be back in 2021 however and have been planning a great show which we can all enjoy once the virus crisis has been resolved.
Following a message from Graham which was circulated to the members the Trust can announce that the new PMRG home is complete and has been given local authority approval for occupation. Following extensive work on the building electrics by Bob Scales and others the electrics were signed off a few days ago. As part of the electrical activity a new electrical power system for the Trust site has replaced the ageing generators with solar panels and a new standby generator. It is expected that the …