World of Railways and Manchester society launch December model railway show

World of Railways has put a new date on the winter model railway calendar, teaming up with the Manchester Model Railway Society for The Manchester Model Railway Show on 12-13 December 2026. The announcement frames the weekend as a celebration of the hobby, with layouts, traders and community spirit at its core, and tickets are due to go on sale in September.

The partnership carries weight because the Manchester society brings deep local roots and a long exhibition record, while World of Railways adds a national platform. The society was founded in 1925 and says it is one of the oldest model railway clubs in the country and the third oldest model railway society in the world. It has owned its own clubroom building since 1969, based at Dean Hall on Mersey Road in Sale, postcode M33 6HL, about five miles southwest of Manchester city centre and roughly half a mile from junction 7 of the M60.

That mix of reach and heritage is exactly the sort of combination that can turn a show into a destination rather than just another local hall booking. Manchester’s own exhibition history backs that up. The society says its first public exhibition was staged on 14 November 1931, and its December 2025 centenary exhibition drew attendance up by about 30% compared with 2024. For a winter event, that is the kind of momentum traders, societies and layout owners notice quickly.

The Manchester exhibition has also shown that the city can support more than a simple sales floor. A World of Railways feature on the society’s exhibition website highlighted a special themed area tracing the history of railways and railway modelling in Britain, with Manchester’s timeline starting from 1804 and a reference to Richard Trevithick. That kind of presentation gives the event a broader appeal, especially for visitors who want layouts and trade stands wrapped into a stronger story about the hobby itself.

With the date fixed and tickets not due until September, the December 2026 show is now firmly on the radar for clubs planning demos, traders weighing stock, and visitors choosing which winter event deserves the journey. The Manchester pairing has the look of a show built for scale, and the calendar space around 12-13 December is already starting to matter.