MODEL railway fans are appealing for help to find a new base for their club after it was made homeless.

Shildon Model Railway Club started in 1982 and has members from across County Durham.

Over the years the group has left four venues - most recently the Lightfoot Institute, in Bishop Auckland, where it was a member with the Kingsway Club which recently folded.

The club currently has layouts stored in Durham County Council owned garages, in Newton Aycliffe, and at Locomotion: The National Railway Museum at Shildon, but needs to find a new base where members can work on displays.

Dave Walker, club secretary, said: “It’s been very frustrating over the years and we’ve never had a real home.

“What we really need is a place that we can call home, but we can’t afford it.

"It would be good for us to find someone who could rent us a space rather than a whole unit.

“People think that we have small train layouts and don’t seem to realise how big the displays that we create can be.”

Other venues the club has previously used include the Southerne Social Club, in Newton Aycliffe, and the Coach House and Timothy Hackworth Museum, both in Shildon.

The club will hold its 28th annual exhibition featuring 20 layouts and 24 traders at Locomotion: the National Railway Museum at Shildon on Saturday, October 12 and Sunday, October 13, from 10am to 4pm. Admission free.

The club hopes to secure a base within ten miles of Shildon. To help contact the club via its webpage at shildonmrc.com.