For the Love of a Railway’ is a registered charity created by volunteers as a much needed new attraction for Axminster’s town centre. Some of us are model railway lovers but others contribute skills in crafts, engineering, electronics, woodworking, design and promotion. We even have a former fireman who shovelled coal into Lyme Billy! Most of us are retired and it’s not all men! We love what we are doing and recognise the value of this project to our mental health and sense of well being. We hope it can give that to others.

While our ‘Depot’ visitor centre is our focus, we also take our portable models out into the community for local events. We are additionally working on outreach projects including a curriculum-based education pack for schools, and gathering the memories of those who lived through the Lyme Billy era for their social history value.