Real-time miniature railway comes to Chester Cathedral

Trains are running like clockwork over at Chester Cathedral, as it opens its doors for visitors to view a bespoke 75ft model railway within its iconic walls.

Demonstrating the West Coast Mainline, the ‘OO’ model railway runs in real-time, meaning visitors can view a train’s journey at precisely the same time as its real-life counterpart.

The creator of this railway had a very familiar face at the helm, with railway enthusiast, Pete Waterman OBE taking an active role in its design, mapping out the train’s course by setting up his camera on a West Coast Mainline train and recording the scenery from Rugby right through to Watford Tunnel.

Both the railway and the Cathedral share a close connection, Thomas Brassey. One of Chester Cathedral’s most iconic landmarks is the Thomas Brassey memorial, who was responsible for building much of the world’s railways.

The model railway will be on display from 16 July to 3 September 2021.

Hear more from Pete and his vision behind the railway in the video below: