Wester Pickston has been basking in the sunshine over much of March and April, giving the members of the Scottish Model Engineering Trust the opportunity to get the site ready for our first open day of 2025 - Sunday 20th April!
The team have been hard at work:
- Preparing locos, old and new
- Building new guard trucks
- Replacing split sleepers
- Stripping old paint and replacing it
- Preparing additional signals
- Clearing storm-damaged trees
- Clearing leaves (there are plenty of them!)
And much more! We’ve also got some exciting new projects in development that you will be able to see are well underway, including a raised track for 5 and 3½ inch locomotives (we call this “the race track” due to its oval shape - it isn’t ready to run yet, but work on it is progressing well), and a new engine shed.
While we’ve enjoyed the recent sunshine, the rains this week have also been welcome to mitigate wildfire warnings. We keep a very close eye on this due to the operation of steam engines at WP. Thankfully, at the time of writing, the weather forecast for Sunday looks ideal for our open day!
On open days, trains run on our two routes through Pickston Forest. You’ll pass the sawmill, Ducks End Station, through a tunnel and over a bridge. We’ll be utilising a combination of steam, battery electric and petrol hydraulic engines, all pulling passengers, and you will get an authentic railway experience with train tickets being punched at Wester Pickston Station.
Tickets for train rides will be available on the day at the ticket office:
- £3 per single ride, or
- £10 for four tickets.
We accept all major credit/debit cards or cash.
In addition to this, the model shed, 63A, will be open where our Perth Model Railway Group will be showing trains ranging from N, through HO/OO, to O gauge.
The cafe in our clubhouse will be open, serving tea, coffee and cakes. There is also a grassy picnic area where you are welcome to bring your own food and watch the trains rolling in and out of the main station.
For details on how to get to Wester Pickston, see the “Find us” page. Once you arrive, please follow the directions of the members directing traffic and arranging parking.
To paraphrase a saying from the theatre; the trains are prepared, the track is laid - please enjoy our first open day of 2025!