Sidmouth station model goes on display at town's Toy Museum

The exhibit created by experienced modeller Richard Harper has been exhibited at many model railway shows over the past few years; however Richard decided that the time was right to find a permanent home for it and approached the Toy Museum.

Ian Gregory, the chairman of trustees, was delighted to accept the offer and the museum was reconfigured to accommodate the model. 

Richard's exhibit represents the former London & South Western railway terminus at Sidmouth as it appeared in the early 1960s. Although the model will now be a static display, it provides a fascinating snapshot of how the station would have looked while operating until it was closed in 1967.

Richard had chosen Sidmouth as the subject of his model after investigating many possible options. The fact that part of the station remained was a distinct advantage to him when constructing the model.

The Sidmouth Toy & Model Museum is very keen to hear from anyone who has memories of the station, whether as a regular commuter, railway worker or visitor. Anyone who can contribute a memory is asked to contact the museum via its website www.sidmouthtoymuseum.com

The museum continues to have a wide variety of toys and models covering the past 100 years and also has a working 00-gauge model railway which includes many toys and models from the 1950s and 1960s.  Having established the museum in 2020 the trustees have been overwhelmed with the support of locals and visitors alike with over 4,000 visits in 2022. Many toys continue to be donated to the museum, meaning that the displays can be changed regularly.

The museum will be open from Monday, April 3 until Friday, September 22; details of opening hours and admission costs can be found on the website.

The museum also welcomes volunteers and would  love to hear from anyone who has a spare morning or afternoon when they could help out.