Cheshire summer holiday outings: Making Tracks 2 model railway exhibition at Chester Cathedral

Making Tracks 2 at Chester Cathedral is a wonderful reason to head to Chester city centre for memory-making with the kids.

The Making Track 2 exhibition runs until September 3 (Image: Emily Ghazarian)

You and your budding train enthusiasts can get up close and personal with this 64ft x 12ft model train exhibition in the majestic setting of Chester Cathedral’s South Transept. Firstly, a bit of background: Making Tracks original incarnation was during the summer of 2021 at a time when most events were being cancelled. It was so well received that Chester Cathedral has welcomed its return with a new layout and new interactive elements.

Created by Pete Waterman OBE (Yep! The record producer, songwriter, and DJ turned Pop Idol judge is also a huge railway enthusiast) along with the Railnuts modelling group, Making Tracks is sponsored by family-owned business Chester Model Centre, which also helped with sourcing materials, making trees and building scenery for the impressive display.

All aboard at Making Tracks 2 (Image: Emily Ghazarian)

We arrived at Chester Cathedral at about 2pm through the main entrance on St Werburgh Street. My husband, our five and seven-year-old daughters and I were greeted by a friendly pair of volunteers before making our way to the ticket booth. Entry was just £2.50 each – free for children aged six and under – and included full access to the Cathedral. After an obligatory stop at the toilets (standard day out with kids) we headed down the hallway of The Cloisters and into the main cathedral nave.

On the right tracks for a fun day out (Image: Emily Ghazarian)

The signage to The South Transept is a little subtle but exploring is all part of the fun and we quickly found our way by listening out for the sounds tiny OO gauge tracks. My daughters were instantly entranced by the display and ran towards it to look closer.
In all honesty, my kids are not particularly fascinated with trains but they love tiny things and found the scale of the whole display fascinating. They are pretty typical children who love to run around, have new experiences and whenever possible persuade me to buy them a toy and/or sweet treat.

Tiny points of interest all along the tracks (Image: Emily Ghazarian)

They spent an initial chunk of time watching the many different trains travel along the tracks. Then they picked up a little sheet with a list of tiny animals that had been hidden in the display for kids to spot. They found most of them with ease – they were at the right eyeline after all – but the pheasant proved rather tricky, which kept them occupied and we had to ask someone what a railway Dalek was (I’m not telling, you’ll have to ask yourself).

After circling the full display and seeing all the trains parked along the backside of the display, we started chatting to one of the volunteers who kindly asked if they wanted to control the trains. As you might have guessed, they did. Using small tablets with a simple sliding bar to control the speed the volunteers gave them simple instructions about when to go at full speed and when to slow down. My seven-year-old took to it like a fish to water while my five-year-old was slightly less in control but still managed to keep the train on the tracks.

While we were there I talked to several other visitors. There was an 11-year-old boy who had also been there the day before. His parents told me he had already spent hours controlling the trains and talking to the volunteers about the various models. The height of the display is great for kids and wheelchair users alike – I found it to be an incredibly accessible experience.

We can fix it (Image: Emily Ghazarian)

My daughters found the Chester Model Centre stall, which was packed with different brands of trains, as well as starter model kits for all ages. Paul, owner of Chester Model Centre, advised me on which were suitable for their ages and we walked away with AirFix Quick Build kits for them to start their model hobbying journey. The stall was really well stocked but if you want to see even more you can pop to the shop itself just a short walk away on Bridge Street Row and is spread across to floors so there is plenty to explore.

All in we spent about an hour and a half experiencing this event. We could easily have spent much more time enjoying the rest of the cathedral but as locals we are a bit spoiled and call in about once a month. We grabbed a quick milkshake from Funky Cow and happily drank them in the cathedral garden before heading home.

Although I am writing this with a family perspective, the event itself is not just for families. There were plenty of tourists who stumbled upon it on a visit to Chester Cathedral, as well as adults who made a specific journey to see this impressive display. The whole set-up is pretty casual and self-guided but supported by an incredibly knowledgeable group of volunteers. Just look for someone with a name badge and have a chat.

Making Tracks 2 in the grand setting of Chester Cathedral (Image: Emily Ghazarian)

My advice: make a day of it. Talk to the volunteers, stop by Chester’s Visitor Information Centre and explore this great city. Right now there are also more than 1200 metal gerberas at the Chester Cathedral garden as part of the Good Shepherd’s annual Dedicate a Flower campaign, and artwork from Cheshire artist Nicky Thompson celebrating the gorgeous towns, cities and countryside along the Mid Cheshire Railway line on display and available to buy.

When: To September 3, 2022, Mon-Sat, 10am-5pm
Follow @ChesterModelCentre on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for updates.
For information on planning your trip visit Chester Cathedral.

About the author:
Emily Ghazarian is originally from California and has been a resident of Chester for nearly 20 years where she has worked in marketing, fundraising and events. When she is not busy looking after her two daughters she is often spotted out enjoying Chester city centre’s foodie scene and green spaces – balancing indulgences with scenic walks along the River Dee.