Model railway enthusiasts will have been chuffed to bits with a visit to a recent exhibition in Gunwalloe.

The Helston & Falmouth Model Railway Club held an open day in the Village Hall, a short distance from its own club house, to show off members' work to the public, to raise funds and perhaps entice in new members.

The club, established in 1951, moved from Falmouth to Gunwalloe five years ago, and usually holds its annual exhibition in April at the Old Cattle Market in Helston, with local modellers and those from outside the south west.

Member Steve Howe said: "We decided to hold an open day this summer as a means of presenting our work to the visiting public and an opportunity to raise funds and awareness in the local community of the club's activities."

"We have four layouts presently being worked on, two of which appeared at the open day: Trenance in 00 scale is a typical Great Western branch line terminus and Gweek North Quay in 0 scale narrow gauge which depicts part of the mythical Helford Valley Railway.

"We also showed our shunting puzzle layout where visitors were invited to try their hand at unravelling some complex shunting moves controlled by a system of randomly picked cards."

The club nights on Wednesdays and Fridays draw members from around Helston, Falmouth and The Lizard, with interests in building layouts and rolling stock, to making miniature buildings and scenery, and in electronics and train operation.

Anyone wishing for more information can visit www.hfmrc.co.uk or email chairman@hmfrc.co.uk