About us

The Famous Trains model railway was the vision of three retired senior railway engineers who want to give back to the community in Derby something of the fun they had working for the real railway. Having a large model railway open to the public in a building in a very popular park has, to our knowledge, never been done before. So this is a ground-breaking project.

Famous Trains model railway is a charity registered with the Charity Commission. The model railway will provide education, training and entertainment to a large community in Derby and the surrounding area. The charity has six trustees who carry the overall financial responsibility:

Colin Boocock is Chairman and Honorary Secretary of Famous Trains model railway. He is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer and worked for the railways for over 50 years, 41 years full time. In the late 1980s Colin was Traction & Rolling Stock Engineer of British Rail’s largest region, the London Midland Region. In the mid-1990s he headed the Railtrack team that produced Railway Group Standards to ensure safe operation on the privatised railway network. Colin also writes books and articles for the railway press.

Peter Stanton is the Honorary Treasurer of Famous Trains model railway. Peter is a Chartered Engineer, a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering & Technology, a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and a Fellow of the Permanent Way Institution. His experience as a project manager in major railway projects will underpin the development of the Famous Trains model railway. Peter is joint author (with Colin Boocock) of a book about Eastleigh Locomotive Works, and is Chairman of the London & North Western Railway Society.

Peter Swift is the third trustee of Famous Trains model railway. Another retired British Rail Traction and Rolling Stock Engineer, he still puts in occasional “hands on” work on the Ffestiniog Railway’s carriages, and has been a railway modeller since the 1950s. He is Secretary to the South Western Circle and Archivist to the Historical Model Railway Society, whose study centre is near Derby. He has written a number of books on Southern Railway steam locomotives.

Kerry Schofield is also a retired Chartered Engineer after nearly 35 years in various engineering functions of BR and its successor companies. A larger portion of time was in BR Research where he devised the auto-sanding systems now mandated on all multiple units. He has various modelling and carpentry skills as well as a road-going kit car he built. His last model railway was a Horby Dublo 3-rail but he is building his own layout in a post-retirement refurbished loft.

Tony Clarke received his first train set at the age of 18 months and has been interested in trains, model and full size since then. He has modelled in 4mm fine-scale for many years. Following retirement from teaching in Harrow, where he had a church school of 400 pupils, Tony achieved his ambition to own a loft large enough for a decent model railway. Though a Great Western man initially, his move to Derbyshire has kindled a wider interest in things "Midland". He loves to model buildings and scenery and also enjoys drawing locomotives and architecture.

Martin Redshaw still has his first Hornby Dublo train set from 1960 and is now semi retired and taking the opportunity to enjoy a second childhood ‘playing trains’. He spent a happy working life being paid to enjoy his favourite hobby - electronics. With a passion for innovation and invention, he holds great respect for all those engineers who blazed a trail to bring us the excitement and benefits of the canals, railways, cars, aircraft, radio, television and, finally for now - electronics and computers.

All six trustees have well-founded experience in constructing and operating model railways in the 00-scale chosen for the Famous Trains model railway. They are supported by a network of experienced and competent volunteers.

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