A dream is realised!
Ten years after plans were first drawn up to create a model railway museum on the site of the former railway works site in Ashford, the dream has been realised, albeit in a different location!
With the original idea (to be known as Ashford International Model Railway Education Centre, or AIMREC) becoming a victim of rising costs and then the COVID pandemic, in late 2021 the resourceful group of model railway enthusiasts established a base in a business park in the village of Bethersden, just outside Ashford. Unable to display their larger model railways originally destined for AIMREC, which remained in store, they instead collected, refurbished and built a collection of model railways with wide appeal from the pre-school toddler with a wooden railway to the retired enthusiast with his boyhood collection in the loft! Helped by the addition of winning layouts from the Channel 5 series “The Great Model Railway Challenge” which aired in 2019 and were built by an Ashford-based family team (known as the Railmen of Kent), the collection has grown in popularity each year with over 2000 visitors in 2025, a 52% increase on 2024. The addition of a small shop, selling mostly donated second hand model railway items and books and a tea-room selling home made sausage rolls and cakes has contributed to the popularity of the venue, helping it become a regular meeting point for friends and families who enjoy the popular hobby or want to find out more about it, some starting out on a first long-dreamed of layout, others being established modellers who take their own layouts to the many exhibitions across the country (there are approximately 20 a year across Kent alone, organised by Clubs and Societies). Learn about the rich history of Ashford International Model Railway Education Centre. From its founding to present day, our museum has been dedicated to preserving and showcasing the cultural history of our community.
In late 2024, the opportunity arose to take the lease on a hay barn on the same site in Bethersden. Although an empty shell, its size would allow the installation of a mezzanine floor to add three times the floor area of the current building. Using funds provided by the Museum Trustees and a UK Government grant provided by Ashford Borough Council towards the cost of a lift, and a combination of local contractors and volunteer labour, the building was converted during 2025 and welcomed its first visitors on Saturday 15thNovember 2025. Amongst an impressive collection of models and displays, visitors are able to enjoy train journeys in miniature that take in slate quarrying in North Wales in the 1900s, narrow gauge railways on the Western Front in WW1, the glory days of the LNER in the 1920s, rural lines in Brittany in the 1950s and the Somerset and Dorset Railway in the 1960s. From a local perspective, there is an exhibition telling the story of Ashford’s Railway Legacy complete with large-scale Eurostar model.
Alongside the new building, AIMREC’s young volunteers have built and operate a second 5 inch gauge miniature railway giving rides to visitors, supplementing an existing track that was completed in 2023. The group of boys first connected with AIMREC in early 2022 when funding from Kent County Council for the Reconnect programme was used to give opportunities to young people who missed out on activities during COVID. Now teenagers, the group have remained engaged with the project and help out each week on a range of activities from welcoming visitors, car parking and undertaking fire alarm testing! Four of the group have used their experience as a volunteer towards achieving their Duke of Edinburgh Award.Explore our collection of exhibits, which feature a diverse range of artifacts and artwork from various time periods and cultures. Our exhibits are carefully curated to provide an educational and enriching experience for visitors of all ages.
AIMREC is a 100% volunteer run charity (the registered charity name is Ashford Model Railway Museum). There are around 35 active volunteers contributing over 7,000 hours per year, attending Thursday to Saturday each week. Thursdays are often spent collecting, sorting and pricing donated items and collections. Fridays are typically maintenance days, when layouts and models are cleaned and serviced. The shop is open as well providing helpful and friendly advice alongside modelling essentials and the aforementioned second-hand items. Saturdays are operating days when visitors are welcomed and entertained; since opening the AIMREC Collection visitor numbers have increased by 47% and are now on average over 60 on each Saturday.
Since opening in Bethersden in 2021 AIMREC has provided a welcoming and safe environment for volunteers and visitors who are on the autistic spectrum. Our exhibition in Ashford in 2024 recognised the link through “Tracks Across the Spectrum”, an area dedicated to model railways built and operated by exhibitors with autism or model railways incorporating features for people with autism. This included early opening times on Sunday Morning for those who might want to enjoy the models without sensory overload.
AIMREC’s buildings in Bethersden are located at Mill Farm Business Units, Fridd Lane, Bethersden, TN26 3DB. Access to AIMREC from the M20 is via junction 9 and follow the signs for Tenterden on the A28. We are located a short distance from the A28. What 3 Words: FOLLOW.UNIONS.MENSWEAR.Join us for upcoming events, including lectures, workshops, and special exhibits. Our events are designed to engage and educate visitors, and are a great way to connect with the local community.