It’s the most important weekend in the large-scale calendar. The one that – whether you’re a seasoned O-fan or a curious wannabe – you don’t want to miss.

Guildex is the Gauge O Guild’s premier rave-up to celebrate big model trains. It’s also a place where many people discover that ‘big’ doesn’t have to mean ‘huge’ or ‘expensive’. They walk in as wannabes and walk out clutching an armful of seven-mil goodness, having morphed into O-Gaugers somewhere in between. It’s also not a proper rave, so there’s no need to worry if you’re into quieter pursuits… 

We’ll be heading to Stafford with a good chunk of our warehouse in tow. We’ll have heaving tables of pre-owned bargains plus all our home-grown products softly calling to you from across the hall. We’ll also have us. Which may sound slightly cocky – but the thing is, we have a passion for O Gauge that we love to share. So if you’re looking for any pointers, you can pick our brains. Then we’ll sell you a bunch of O Gauge models to get you started.

And why not start in style? We always run show-exclusive offers, and this weekend, if you buy any of our chart-topping Black 5s at Guildex, you can pick a Darstaed O Gauge Mk1, Suburban or Thompson coach to go with it – for free! 

If you’re not yet sure about O, then make sure you take in the great selection of layouts on display. There’ll be something for all tastes and more than a few ideas of how to fit large-scale modelling into a shoe-box. Well, OK, maybe a broom cupboard – but you get the picture…

Guildex is hot to trot on both Saturday and Sunday from 9.30am. It’s at the Stafford County Showground, which has lots of free parking and a shuttle bus running to Stafford railway station, should you want to make it a ‘train day’. 

Most importantly, if you walk straight ahead about a dozen paces once you’re through the door, you’ll have entered the realm of Ellis Clark Trains On Tour. Which is where all the best journeys begin.