Wakefield RMS

There is an article in the community section of the latest issue of British Railway Modelling Magazine about the presentation to us of the Civic Society's Blue Plaque to the locomotive builder, Thomas Peckett. If you are wondering why a club in West Yorkshire ends up with a plaque to someone who built their engines in Bristol, read on...

At their recent open evening, Wakefield Railway Modeller’s Society were presented with a blue plaque by the Wakefield Civic Society. It commemorates the locomotive manufacturer, Thomas Peckett, and includes a depiction of one of his locomotives that worked at the nearby colliery of St John’s, Normanton. Accepting it on behalf of the club from the Civic Society’s President, Kevin Trickett, were WMRS chairman and president Chris Burnage and John Fairline along with Chris Mead who had assisted in some of the background research.
Although known for building his iconic industrial locomotives in Bristol, Thomas Peckett was in fact born in Wakefield. Moreover, he spent some years as a child living in a house situated on the same road on which the WRMS clubrooms are located. Since sadly, his home no longer exists, the Civic Society thought it only fitting that the honour of displaying the plaque went to the Wakefield club.
To learn more about the Society, please go to their website: https://www.wakefieldrms.org/

At their recent open evening, Wakefield Railway Modeller’s Society was presented with a blue plaque by the Wakefield Civic Society. It commemorates the locomotive manufacturer, Thomas Peckett, and includes a depiction of one of his locomotives that worked at the nearby colliery of St John’s, Normanton.

Accepting it on behalf of the club from the Civic Society’s President, Kevin Trickett, were WMRS chairman and president Chris Burnage and John Farline along with Chris Mead who had assisted in some of the background research.

Although known for building his iconic industrial locomotives in Bristol, Thomas Peckett was in fact born in Wakefield. Moreover, he spent some years as a child living in a house situated on the same road as the WRMS clubrooms. Since sadly, his home no longer exists, the Civic Society thought it only fitting that the honour of displaying the plaque went to the Wakefield club.

To learn more about the Wakefield Railway Modeller's Society, please go to their website: https://www.wakefieldrms.org/..and for the Wakefield Civic Society: https://wakefieldcivicsociety.org.uk/

A special presentation to Roger Nicholls to celebrate 40 years of exhibiting. Come and see his latest creation at our show tomorrow.
https://www.wakefieldrms.org/exhibition/

A very hectic time for Stanley Ferry draws to a close this weekend with its final appearance of the year at the Wakefield MRS Model Railway Exhibition this weekend, 11-12 October at the Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield.

https://www.wakefieldrms.org/exhibition/

The period began on September 10th when – courtesy of local charity LonGBoaT – Stanley Ferry went on display in the Gallery Booth on the island platform of Kirkgate Station. Whilst there, it participated in the September ‘Artwalk’ on the 24th.

Then on October 2nd, it moved to the WX Wakefield Exchange for the Civic Society’s event unveiling their blue plaque to locomotive manufacturer, Thomas Peckett. Although known for building his iconic locomotives in Bristol, he was born in Wakefield, and did live for a short time in a house on the same road on which the WMRS clubrooms are located.

Over 100 people attended the event, and there were a number of displays and talks about the life and times of the Peckett family, Wakefield’s Railway heritage, including the history of its 100(ish) arch railway viaduct, and of course, the Tom Puddings at Stanley Ferry.

The Wakefield Civic Society are kindly allowing their blue plaque to be displayed alongside Stanley Ferry at the railway exhibition this weekend. So, if you would like the chance to see it before it is fixed in place somewhere along Garden Street, please come along to the Queen Elizabeth Grammar School Sports Hall this 11th-12th October. Click on the link below for more details and a list of other exhibitors and traders.
https://www.wakefieldrms.org/exhibition/
After that it is back to work on the model for whatever awaits it next year and beyond (we already have 2 tentative inquiries for 2027)!