Bristol 2026 model railway show promises 30 layouts and 40 traders

The Bristol Model Railway Exhibition opened at Thornbury Leisure Centre with the kind of line-up that makes a long trip feel worthwhile: more than 30 layouts, more than 40 retailers, clubs and societies, and a spread of scales and gauges that ran from OO and N to O, P4, EM, OO9 and HO. Among the names on the boards were Bodmin Generally, Bristol Road, Bristol St. Philips, Carlerton, Elmore, Ewe, Felallyn, Frecclesham, Gorsty Knoll, Clements End, Greenford Broadway, Kidingme, Kingsbridge, Kingsbury, Leysdown, Lintor Town, Lisworth Bay, Mauch Chunk PA and more. Returning favourites such as Hills of the North in OO, Kingsbury in O and Lisworth Bay in N gave the show immediate pull for visitors who follow the exhibition circuit closely.

The event ran from Friday 1 May to Sunday 3 May, with Thornbury Leisure Centre in Thornbury, South Gloucestershire, hosting the full weekend. Opening hours were set at 12.30pm to 5.30pm on Friday, 10.00am to 5.00pm on Saturday and 10.00am to 4.00pm on Sunday. Pre-booked ticket holders got early entry from 9.30am on Saturday and Sunday, adult advance tickets were listed at £14 and on-the-day admission at £15, parking was free and a showguide came with the ticket.

The show also carried the weight of a long-running local institution. The Association of Model Railway Clubs Wales & West of England said it was founded in 1968 to stage a large Bristol-area exhibition, and it has held annual exhibitions since 1969. The 2026 event was billed as the 56th Bristol Model Railway Exhibition, presented by the association in conjunction with Warners Group Publications, and the show’s own website described it as the largest model railway exhibition in the South West of England.

What made the Bristol weekend stand out was not just the quantity of stock and scenery, but the range of practical value packed into one hall. World of Railways said the line-up included live demonstrations and expert advice, while the exhibition site added QR codes on each model railway so visitors could scan for more information about individual layouts. Many of the layouts had already featured in BRM magazine, which hinted at a particularly polished selection, from quiet rural branch lines to busy urban scenes. For builders, buyers and anyone looking for fresh operating ideas, Bristol offered the sort of concentrated, hands-on inspiration that keeps the hobby moving from one season to the next.