Plans to close 40ft model railway 'devastating'

Volunteers said the closure of the David Clarke Model Railway was "deeply flawed", while charity trustees said they had not taken the decision "lightly"

Volunteers who care for a 40ft-long (12.2m) model railway have said they are devastated and bewildered at plans to close the attraction.

The David Clarke Model Railway - a replica of the signalling practices of the Great Western Railway from the 1930s - has been in operation at Ulverscroft Grange, near Markfield in Leicestershire, since 2000.

Trustees from the Shuttlewood Clarke Foundation (SCF) announced the decision to shut the railway at the beginning of October - citing increased employment and energy costs - and said finding a new home for it "is a priority".

It is set to close to the public on 19 December - but a petition is calling for the plans to be withdrawn.

Three signalmen control the signals and each driver drives their train around the layout observing the signals

The 20-ft wide (6.1m) railway was a passion project for the foundation's founder David Clarke, whose uncle was a signaller on the real-world railway.

It is a recreation of the signalling practices of the Great Western Railway from the 1930s, where controllers operate from a signal box as if they were driving an actual locomotive around the layout.

The railway is unique in how it is controlled. It was operated by radio when it was first built in the 1970s but is now also wi-fi controlled.

Alan Godber, a representative of the volunteers who run and maintain the railway, said the model weighed close to eight tonnes and would need to be chopped up to be removed.

He called the proposed closure a "bewildering" and "deeply flawed" decision and said fellow volunteers were devastated by the decision.

"David's founding mission, continued by the charity, is to support the elderly and young through activities supporting their wellbeing," he said.

"We bring together young and old to talk and share interests which enriches their lives.

"Closing the railway is the ultimate snub to David's memory, even though it was he who established the charity in the first place."

The fourth wall of the building was added after the railway was moved inside due to its size

The railway is open during the day on Wednesdays and Fridays and has operated at a "neutral cost" to the foundation because of donations of visitors, Mr Godber said.

However, the trustees said the railway was "running at a loss and not at a neutral cost."

"The facility would allow us to expand our ever growing and successful retail business, whilst at the same time improving other facilities at the grange," a statement said.

They added that they would assist volunteers to help "preserve David Clarke's legacy".

Trustees of SCF said the adapted barn that houses the railway needed repairs that were "extensive".

It said on its website: "Whilst acknowledging that it will upset and disappoint many of you, and particularly the volunteers whose time and commitment has made it such a feature, economic reality affects us all.

"Increased costs of employment, energy and maintenance mean that the foundation must look towards increasing revenue to maintain and extend its services in the areas of well-being and education, which is the heart and soul of the foundation."