10/08/2026
Okehampton Model Railway Show 2026 – post show comment from the Exhibition Manager
For those who don’t know me, my name is David, and although we don’t have official titles in our club I am what most would recognise to be the Exhibition Manager.
So the dust has finally settled on what has been quite frankly a whirlwind of a weekend. For us it ran from first thing Friday morning until lunchtime Monday, thanks to the peculiarities of running an event like this in a rural location. I am thrilled to say we are all shattered, but happy, and those who do know me will know I’m not normally one to blow my own trumpet, but I think it is fair to say this weekend was an unmitigated success.
Firstly I want to pass on huge thanks to all of our wonderful exhibitors, those who supported us in our first year and those who came to visit us for the first time this year. All arrived ready to enjoy the day and have fun despite the many issues and last minute repairs/adjustments that always crop up.
Last year during our first year’s attempt at a show, we welcomed over 450 visitors, which at the time felt incredible, especially when considering we are effectively in the middle of nowhere. This year we doubled those visitor numbers, bringing hundreds of people into Okehampton with many travelling to us from surrounding counties having heard about last years show. Feedback so far has been phenomenal, and it is very satisfying to hear about how the show has managed to exceed expectations in most cases. I was on car park duty myself and took every opportunity I could to pounce on people as they came out and force feedback from them about what went well, and what suggestions they would have for improvements to the next show – we have had some great ideas come forward that will certainly be acted upon.
So looking forward to next year, we don’t start planning a show until around November time (we need a little break), and we will take the opportunity to reflect on and review this year’s event learning any lessons we can to make sure that the next show will be even better. Once we have done this, further announcements will be made about what our plans are for the next show.
This years layout of the show was Benbridge, brought to us by the East Dorset N Gauge Group who had (putting it mildly) quite a few technical challenges to overcome with their layout suffering damage pre-setup. But they pulled it off and exhibited a fantastic layout. They have already been in touch about returning next year with a different layout, so can’t wait to see that.
Finally I want to pass on my sincere thanks, and congratulations to every member of Okehampton Model Railway Club for putting themselves out there and laying on such a large event, showing positive attitudes and willingness to pitch in to everything that needed doing.
If you came to visit us at the show, we sincerely thank you, and hope you had a great time - please pass on your experiences, and if you didn’t come to the show, please come next year – you will be made very welcome.
