RAILWAY modellers rallied round when their club moved to a new base twice the size of their old premises.

Members of the Blyth & Tyne Model Railway Society pitched in to install toilets, a kitchen, plumbing and electrics, and helped paint the new headquarters above the Asda supermarket in Saville Street, North Shields.

Now, six months down the line, the club is to officially launch its new home with an open public weekend.

Club exhibition manager Chris Stafford, who lives in Morpeth, said: “We are looking forward to showing the public our fabulous new club house and the joys of model railways.”

The club house features around 30 model railway layouts, including scale reproductions of railway locations in Blyth, Amble Junction and Colywell Bay near Seaton Sluice.

The club, which has 85 members aged 14-85, previously met in the town’s Little Bedford Street.

It claims to be the biggest established model railway club in the North East.

North Tyneside Mayor Linda Arkley will open the new club house at noon tomorrow.

There will be free entry to see the layouts and demonstrations tomorrow and Sunday from 10am-4pm.