A MODEL railway event was the signal for an influx of visitors to Keighley.

Crowds flocked to the Aire Valley Railway Modellers Club summer open day.

More than a dozen layouts were in operation at the clubrooms in Melbourne Mills, Dalton Lane.

“The open day was one of the best-attended we’ve had,” said Robert Mackley, for the club. We were busy right through the day, into late afternoon.

“There was a mixture of lots of families and rail enthusiasts too, who combine it with a visit to the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway which is only five minutes’ walk away. We had visitors from across a wide area, from the north-east to Lancashire.

“There is no admission fee, so it’s a good day out for people and doesn’t cost them a fortune.”

All the layouts belonged to host members, but colleagues from clubs in Shipley and Leigh attended to help out.

“We have a very good relationship with other clubs,” said Mr Mackley.

“They come over to assist at our events, and we attend theirs.

“It helps free-up home members, who are familiar with the clubrooms, to give assistance to visitors.”

The club – which stages two open days a year, the other is in the spring ­– was founded in 2015, and has seen a constant growth in membership.

It now has nearly 70 members and an active junior group, which itself has more than a dozen recruits – the youngest aged around ten.

“Model railways are something that have appeal right across the age groups,” said Mr Mackley.

“The idea of the open days is to raise awareness, and if we get new members as a result that’s a bonus.

“In recent weeks we’ve had about half a dozen new members and another joined at the open day, with others expressing interest too.

“We’re very pleased with how the club has developed.”

Meetings are held on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, between 7pm and 11pm, and from 1pm to 5pm on Saturdays.

Visitors are welcome.

For more details, visit avrmc.co.uk, e-mail avrmclub@gmail.com or search on Facebook @airevalleymodels.