“The Donaghadee Branch and Harbour" by Gordon Hunt

[leslie10646]

LIVE + ZOOM : 18.00 - 21.45 : Friday 10 October 2025

 

Gordon is an active member of the RPSI and the Ulster Model Railway Club. His special interest in Donaghadee stems from childhood and he has now built a highly acclaimed, award-winning model of Donaghadee station and its environs. In the context of a brief history of the BCDR, he will focus on the Donaghadee branch, the life and demise of the station, and the rail-connected harbour including its novel form of construction. And he will recall the highs and lows of building his superb model during the difficult Covid years.

 

 At The Gallery at Alan Baxter, 100m from Farringdon station, now the most accessible location in central London. Door opens at 17.30. The Gallery is a smart and spacious community space, ideal for our talks, and with stepfree access available. We hope as many as possible will be able to come along, see the speaker live, contribute directly to the discussion, meet the Committee and other members, and enjoy refreshment in a nearby pub afterwards.

LIVE MEETINGS are at The Gallery at

Alan Baxter, 77 Cowcross Street,

Farringdon LONDON EC1M 6EL.

 

 

[leslie10646]

DON'T FORGET TO TUNE IN .....

OR BETTER STILL TURN UP IN PERSON IF YOU'RE IN SE ENGLAND

TO NIGHT AT 6PM.

AN OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR ONE OF OUR OWN, GORDON HUNT  DESCRIBE THE LINE TO DONAGHADEE AND HIS AMAZING MODEL OF IT.

ATTENDING BY ZOOM

To obtain a Zoom link for the meeting, please register by clicking

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_0Is1DZSjQIqrpjAkogyj7Q

Should you turn up, come by the book sales table and say "Hi"

[Signal Post]

I've been really looking forward to this talk since it was announced and it's even on my evening off! I have seen this layout (twice) and it is one of my favourites, it's absolutely stunning. Only sorry that I can't be there in person but Zoom is the next best thing.

[Signal Post]

For anyone who didn't get to see this talk it was absolutely superb, the first half dealt with the history of the harbour and railway and the second part was about the construction of the layout.

The good news is that it will be displayed at the forthcoming South Dublin MRC show in October and then at the National Festival of Railway Modelling at the NEC in Birmingham in November. It's worth going to either (or both!) of these shows purely to see this layout.

[leslie10646]

Well done @Signal Post for tuning in!

For those who didn't - you missed one  of the best "Railway / Modelling railways" talks which I have ever heard. Gordon gave a brilliant, well-researched account of how the town and harbour grew, the coming of the railway and then the remarkable lengths which he went to to get things just right on what is an almost brick-for-brick model of the station, harbour and surrounds. Gordon's attention to detail has no equal, in my experience.

You won't be able to get near it at Blackrock, as people just stand and stare as they pick out the endless detail.

Thanks, Gordon, for coming and entertaining us. I'm sorry that you weren't rewarded by a bigger in person audience - unhappily a feature of society meetings everywhere after Covid. 

If you don't attend your local railway society meetings, then think about doing so, otherwise it won't be there.

The talks are a good listen and the craic afterwards is priceless.