CHUFFED model train buffs were delighted with the turnout at their exhibition.

Imaginative and ambitious layouts on display at the Pennine Model Railway Society's 11th yearly show ensured it was a complete success.

From the Settle to Carlisle route through to mountain lines and a diorama of a 1950s US docklands station, the quality of the layouts led to healthy visitor numbers.

Organisers said the standard of the 11 layouts spread throughout six rooms at Huddersfield Technical College was exceptional.

Secretary-treasurer Richard Jackson estimated about 1,200 people visited over the weekend to look at the models, which had been brought from all over the UK.

Enthusiasts could pick up ideas at the demonstration stalls, chat to fellow enthusiasts and buy some real bargains on numerous trade stands.

"They are friendly people and it's a good day out," said Richard. "All the exhibitors are brilliant and there are some fantastic layouts."

Sizes of the layouts varied from the most common OO Gauge to the smaller N Gauge and the tiny Z Gauge.

Roger Nicholls, of Horbury, near Wakefield, displayed his lovingly-built model of a 1950s station in America.

"I was born in the 1940s, when model railways weren't much about," he said. "I got into it when I started working. I have been doing it seriously for 24 years now."

The exhibition acts as a fundraising event. The 20 members of the Pennine Model Railway Society are building their own 24ft by 10ft layout. They also hold a summer exhibition at Uppermill on the third weekend in June.