It took 23 years to build the main trunk railway line.

And it took an eternity for the first steam train to travel the 680km line from Wellington to Auckland on August 7, 1908 – about 22 hours.

However the guys at the Tauranga Model Railway Club can dismantle, transport by trailer, and reassemble the entire Katikati railway yards and surrounds to working order in a couple of hours.

Which is exactly what they’ll do for the club’s next annual exhibition at the Tauranga Boys’ College gymnasium on Saturday, January 20, and Sunday, January 21.

“It’s an absolute representation of the now-defunct Katikati railway yards and surrounds,” says a proud club president Mike Oldfield.

A little rail history brought back to life.

And it’s huge – 6.6m by 4m.

It’ll be broken down into eight modules and it will take two trips to get it down Cameron Rd for the show at the Boys’ College gym.

“Katikati is half that particular layout,” explains club member Trevor Gardner.

“The other half is a British rail scene.”

And like the Main Trunk Railway Line, the layout has been years in the making.

“It was started it well before I arrived at the club four years ago,” says Mike.

And it remains a work in progress.

It’s painstaking, fussy, evolving artisanship this railway modelling.

Last year 2000 people visited the exhibition.

And 3000 in 2024 sounds good to the club.

It’s a marvel of railway engineering to this day – Michael Oldfield and Trevor Gardiner about to ascend the Raurimu Spiral. It will be at the show. Photo: John Borren.

“Kids are tied to their mobile phones these days,” says Mike.

“But if they got involved in a little project they might be surprised where it leads.”  

To that end the club will have a few stands where kids can be hands-on and have a go.

But essentially the club wants people to come along and enjoy themselves.

Mike has his own layout at home – 2.4m by 1.22m.

“The size of a sheet of plywood and as much as my wife will allow.

I got involved with railway modelling when my son showed an interest.”

That was 40 years ago.

The railways were in Trevor’s genes.

“My father was a train manager for NZR.

"And while he was never interested in model, my interest was a natural flow on from his work.”

Also at the exhibition will be a representation of the Raurimu Spiral – the North Island Main Trunk Line’s most impressive engineering feat.

It consists of two tunnels which allows the track to overlap and wind to overcome a 122m ascent in just 2km.

The spiral, like the cub’s model, is impressive problem-solving.

Tauranga Model Railway Club’s annual exhibition is at Tauranga Boys’ College gymnasium 10am-4.30pm on Saturday, January 20 and Sunday, January 21.

Parking and entrance is off Devonport Rd opposite 14th Ave.