Next week, from Tuesday, 19th to Saturday, 23rd August, The Brecon and Radnor Railway Club will display a new model railway layout of Llandrindod Wells in Powys, Mid Wales, at the Automobile Palace in the town.

The layout is eight metres long and is a working OO gauge model depicting Llandrindod Wells as it was in 1906.

John Moorhouse, chair of the Brecon and Radnor Railway Club, described the model as a living snapshot of Llandrindod Wells at a moment in history.

The event is hosted by the Heart of Wales Community Rail Partnership to coincide with both the Llandrindod Wells Victorian Festival and the national Railway 200 celebrations marking two centuries of railway heritage.

Llandrindod Wells is famed for its Victorian architecture and spa-town heritage, and the model depicts the town as it was in the early 20th century. The model stemmed from a generous donation to the Brecon and Radnor Railway Club. Enhancing its historical accuracy and detail, it has been painstakingly restored and expanded it to its current 8-metre length. The model shows elements typical of the time, such as bustling station platforms, period buildings, and authentic rolling stock in full working order.

There is no charge to view the exhibition, which is open from 10 am to 4 pm each day. Club members will be in attendance, ready to share insights, answer questions, and discuss the background to the research and craftsmanship that went into building the mode. Other attractions at the Automobile Palace include the National Cycling Museum.

 Llandrindod Wells is one of the stations where biodiversity has increased thanks to Transport for Wales’ Green Routes project, and where the company has installed defibrillators.

“It is wonderful to be able to provide a platform for the club, and it promises to be the centrepiece of many events in the future. It’s amazing to see how the town used to look, and it really gives you a taste of the impact the railway has had on towns along the Central Wales Line, or the Heart of Wales Line as it is now known.”

Owen Griffkin, the Community Rail Officer