WITH locomotives at the ready, hordes of people visited the Viables Craft Centre, in The Harrow Way, for the annual miniature steam gala.

The event, organised by Basingstoke and District Model Engineering Society, returned over the course of the weekend with visitors young and old attending.

Last year’s event was postponed after the field at the Viables was flooded due to bad weather.

But this year it was business as usual as visitors experienced the smells and sounds of working steam engines, on a small scale.

Traction engines on show were in full steam travelling around the field, providing visitors with the opportunity for rides and to get the best possible views of them.

Throughout the years, the group has found that more families come to enjoy the weekend and that the event generates more interest in the history of steam engines.

As well as having more than 25 miniature traction engines on display, there were a number of stalls and shops open at Viables.

The gala was a donation entry event, with all the money going back into the model engineering society to organise future events.

To find out more about the Basingstoke and District Model Engineering Society, go to basingstoke-dmes.co.uk.