AN unlucky team of model railway enthusiasts managed to win a top prize at a major exhibition - despite being plagued by illness and injury.

Three members of the Skipton & District Model Railway Society ended up wounded or in hospital in the week before their important appearance at the Manchester Model Railway Exhibition earlier this month.

One of the team, Geoff Holmes, was unexpectedly admitted to Airedale General Hospital for an operation while fellow member, David Shillito, was taken to hospital at Otley with a suspected heart problem the day before the event.

To make things worse, Alex Dewar, a third operator, fell on ice on the Saturday of the big weekend and injured a leg.

The society nevertheless managed to display its ambitious layout of the Nidd Valley Light Railway, which was built west from Pateley Bridge to service the building of Scar House and Angram reservoirs.

Geoff Peacock, of the Society, said: "With all the misfortune the layout was consequently under-manned, which could have affected the way it was operated and the result of the judging, but the remaining operators carried on regardless with great success.

"We won the prestigious Visitors' Cup at the exhibition, which is one of the largest and oldest established in the country.

"The trophy is solid silver and engraved with the names of all past winners back to the 30s, many of them eminent in the modelling field.

"We were especially pleased to receive the honour, considering that we only just managed to get there."

Although virtually finished, minor detailing of the layout is still an on-going project for the society, and should any reader be able to supply them with information about the Nidd Railway, Lofthouse village or the reservoirs, club members would be delighted to hear from them.

Meetings of the society are held at Ermysted's Grammar School, Gargrave Road, Skipton, on Monday nights. Alternatively, you can call (01756) 752064 for more details.

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