Angry? We’re steaming . . .
Model railway enthusiasts in tears after vandals’ rampage
IT took countless hours of painstaking work and dedication by a group of model railway fans to create.
And it took a gang of heartless yobs just a few minutes to destroy in a frenzy of vandalism.
Railway modellers were left in tears when they found every exhibit for their club’s annual show had been wrecked.
The damage will top ‘tens of thousands of pounds’ but the work that went into the models can never be replaced, said club officials. One man had spent 25 years piecing together a particular exhibit.
However, there was support for the club from all over the world, with an online appeal – set up after the vandalism to raise £500 – hitting £27,000 last night.
Police were called to the school hall in Stamford, Lincolnshire, by a local resident during the early hours of Saturday. Four youths were arrested.
The show by the Market Deeping Model Railway Club was expected to attract up to 600 people from across the country. It has now been cancelled. The exhibits had
been put up on tables inside the Stamford Welland Academy and left overnight.
By the morning it was a ‘bomb site.’ Club chairman Peter Davies, 70, a retired teacher, said: ‘It’s heartbreaking.
‘There were grown men in tears because of what had been done, and I admit I was one of them. Can you imagine your life’s work wrecked? One guy spent 25 years on his work and it’s wrecked, it’s just horrendous.’
‘We will never have the time to build these sorts of layouts again, that’s where the anger comes from. Some of the models were irreplaceable.
‘There were many different models of
locomotives across the hall that were smashed, trodden and kicked about.’
Mr Davies said tables were overturned and many exhibits featuring dozens of tiny hand-made components were ruined. ‘I have no idea why someone would do this,’ he added. ‘The time, skill and love that went into making those models, you can’t compensate that.’
Officers from Lincolnshire Police with a dog handler were able to track down four youths hiding in the school. A spokesman said: ‘We arrested them for burglary and criminal damage.’ The four have been released on conditional bail.