Article and images by Jonathan White
Train enthusiasts of all ages can once again ride on The Peacock Railway courtesy of South Cheshire Model Engineering Society.
The beloved local miniature train rides will return on Sunday 2nd April 2023, 12-3pm.
The Peacock Railway offers miniature-gauge steam and battery electric (diesel body) train rides on a 5-inch railway track which is almost a quarter of a mile in length.
The train rides are organised by members of South Cheshire Model Engineering Society and take place on the first Sunday of every month between April and October, on their premises at the back of The Peacock Inn on Crewe Road in Willaston.
Rides are £1 for two laps of the railway and this helps raise vital funds for the society.
Membership
The club offers members the opportunity to learn to drive the locomotives, and new members start on electric before moving onto steam.
You don’t need your own loco to join, just an interest in model engineering.
There are working parties at the site most Tuesdays (from 10am until late afternoon).
This is a time for all members to come down and help with maintenance of the track and grounds. They also have weekly email updates with details of news and events.
Monthly meetings – with talks and presentations – are held in Nantwich Methodist Church on the third Tuesday of each month.
The society is always recruiting helpers to help run the railway on their open days.
These are an important part of their fundraising, along with other events that they run throughout the year.
There are also opportunities to work with the wider local heritage sector.
Club history
The South Cheshire Model Engineering Society was founded in 1968 by five men, each with a strong desire to build and drive live steam locomotives.
A site was rented from the Horseshoe Public House on Newcastle Road in Willaston, and a 600ft track was built – complete with signals, steaming bays and meeting room.
The membership grew to around 70, but in 1990 it was announced that a new main road would be built across the site.
Months of searching produced a second site – owned by Greenall’s Brewery. The club took over the 2.5 acre site in 1991.
It had previously been used as a tip for builders’ waste and was far from flat and level.
Money was raised from members and help came in other ways from various sources.
For example, the local agricultural college prepared and seeded the site, the local ordnance factory threaded thousands of bars for the track, and the Cheshire Corn Seed Fund provided trees and shrubs.
Members then cast over 500 concrete track support pillars.
Three quarters of a mile of steel rail was used, plus thousands of bolts for securing fish plates.
The result is that they now have a track almost a quarter of a mile long for 3.5-inch and 5-inch trains with automatic signalling.
Their old track has been re-erected within the new track for 2.5-inch, 3.5-inch and 5-inch trains.
They also have a new pavilion, after the original one was damaged in a fire.
Future plans
The club is currently building a gauge 1 (45mm) track, which should be complete in 2024.
This will offer a run of 310ft (95m) to the model locomotives. It will have steaming bays and stations as well.
Further information
For the latest information relating to the South Cheshire Model Engineering Society please visit their Facebook page, website, or email.
