Legendary music producer confirmed for rail festival

Legendary music producer – and renowned railway modeller – Pete Waterman is set to wow visitors at a major rail celebration hosted by Alstom.

The Derby train-maker is partnering with Key Model World to deliver the Model Railway Village, as part of The Greatest Gathering railway extravaganza taking place at its Litchurch Lane works next month.

Central to the Model Railway Village will be the Making Tracks 3 layout from Pete Waterman.

His 64 ft-long OO-gauge recreation of Milton Keynes Central railway station will be one of many high-quality miniature layouts on show, illustrating the past and present in model form.

Other highlights include Mick Bryan’s Deadmans Lane, Eric French’s London Underground layout – Harefield Road – Key Model World’s own Twelve Trees Junction and Mark Pearson’s Welby Lane RTC, based on the Old Dalby and Mickleover test tracks.

Alstom’s three-day sold-out charity festival will be the world’s largest-ever gathering of historic and modern rolling stock.

It forms part of the wider festivities for Railway 200, a year-long celebration marking the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway on 27 September 1825 – and a journey that gave birth to the modern railway.

Andy Butters, managing director of Derby Litchurch Lane Works at Alstom, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome Pete Waterman and his Making Tracks 3 layout to Derby for The Greatest Gathering.

“The Model Railway Village is a celebration of craftsmanship, creativity and community – values that resonate deeply with our team at Litchurch Lane.

“By ensuring the modelling community is at the heart of our event, we are paying fitting tribute to the heritage of British rail and providing a wonderful way to inspire the next generation of railway engineers and enthusiasts.”

In addition to layouts, the Model Railway Village in association with Key Model World will feature up to 20 trade stands offering product insights from leading brands.

Pete said: “ We’re delighted to be bringing Making Tracks 3 to The Greatest Gathering.

“Everyone is talking about the event and it’s fantastic that the railway modelling world will be part of the celebrations.

At the event, Key Model World will be debuting a brand-new model railway layout based on a section of Derby Litchurch Lane Works.

The Greatest Gathering takes place from 1 to 3 August.

It will feature more than 100 rolling stock exhibits from the past, present and future of the railways, with the site itself opening to the public for the first time in almost 50 years.

A full list of exhibits can be found here http://www.alstom.com/greatest-gathering.