A CLUB in Basingstoke will be chugging onto our screens later this week when members appear on a TV programme.

Basingstoke and North Hampshire Model Railway Society has recently taken part in the TV programme The Great Model Railway Challenge on Channel 5.

Filmed back in May, the society will be featuring in an episode of the show that will be broadcast this Friday.

The challenge consists of creating a complete model railway in three days, with three teams of six people putting together a design that meets the judge’s specific criteria.

This was quite the challenge, according to the group’s chair David Richards who said: “A model railway the size that they asked the team to build would normally take along the lines of three to four months to complete- although it is quite often the case in model railway building that the lines never really finish.

“It’s quite rare to get anything done like that in less than 12 months.

“It was a very good challenge, and we always strive to improve on our abilities and this was a good opportunity to do so.

“It was really quite immense, with the teams doing 12-hour days for three days just to get it completed in time.”

The team ranged in experience too, with one of the six being a relative novice.

The group this year also featured in an issue of the Radio Times, building a specific set of Waterloo station model railways including a custom-built Radio Times delivery vehicle.

This was to celebrate the publication’s 95th anniversary.

David added: “It really came out quite well, and gave a welcome boost to the hobby, as there are lots of people who take part in the hobby but don’t, for whatever reason, join a club.”

The society meets up several times a week and holds open days every year. For more information or to join, go to basingstokemrs.org.

The group’s episode will be aired on Friday, 19 October at 8pm on Channel 5.