The National Festival of Railway Modelling

At The National Festival of Railway Modelling you can see more than 65 layouts picked by the British Railway Modelling (BRM) editorial team, meet over 120 manufacturers, retailers, clubs and societies, and follow a full programme of talks and demonstrations. The National Festival of Railway Modelling is a two-day model railway show in Hall 5 at NEC Birmingham on Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 November 2026. Its official pages sit on the World of Railways site among the BRM shows. The venue lists it as a Warners show, and Rapido Trains UK is the sponsor. The NEC describes it as the UK’s biggest model railway exhibition.

Dates, opening times and early entry tickets

With an advance ticket you get in 30 minutes early, from 9:30am. Doors open from 10am to 5pm on Saturday and 10am to 4pm on Sunday. You can buy tickets online through Eventbrite, linked from the NEC event page.

• Adult: £25 in advance, £30 on the day
• Adult weekend ticket: £45
• Child (5 to 16): £8
• Family: £58

If you hold an advance ticket, you can also pre-book NEC parking for £10, provided you book before 23:59 on 20 November 2026.

Layouts and traders

You can see layouts covering a wide spread of scales, gauges and eras. The featured layouts named for 2026 are Five Mile House in OO, Hope Under Dinmore in EM, Newvaddon Parkway in N and Offerston Quay in O gauge.

You can buy new releases, kits, specialist tools, scenery, accessories, books and models from the trade stands, and the organiser points to offers available only at the show. Clubs and societies take space alongside the commercial stands. If you also follow scale modelling, you can look at Scale ModelWorld at Telford on 7 November 2026, and other events in the craft and hobbies sector.

Talks on the World of Railways Stage

You can catch talks on the World of Railways Stage through both days. The published Saturday schedule is below. Sunday repeats the sessions from 10:45 to 14:30, then closes with a live recording of the Model Rail Replacement Podcast at 15:15.

Time	Saturday session
10:45	Live YouTubers panel, presented by Phil Parker (line-up to be confirmed)
11:30	Weathering demonstration with MiG acrylic products
12:15	Tony Wright on his layout, Little Bytham
13:00	That Model Railway Guy on building a model railway
13:45	Tips for TT:120 layouts
14:30	Andy and Louise Christie on their garden railway, as seen on BBC Gardeners’ World
15:15	Do model shops still matter? Panel with Ian Fowler (Gaugemaster), Trevor (Cheltenham Model Centre) and Tony (Tony’s Trains)
16:00	Chris Mead’s beginner’s introduction to 3D CAD

Family attractions

Your family can play the Marble Express, a train-themed game, and take a free ride-on train, with attractions for visitors of all ages. Finalists from the Make a Scene competition go on display, and you can vote on the Saturday. A Rail Simulator area run with Dovetail Games lets you try driving a locomotive.

Other hobby shows at the NEC

You can combine your trip with other NEC shows. Classic Antique Fairs opens at the NEC on 20 November 2026, the day before the festival. Earlier in the month, The Creative Craft Show starts on 5 November, and the Toy Collectors Fair follows on 27 December 2026. UK Games Expo is at the NEC from 4 June 2027. More events in the city are on our Birmingham shows page.

Getting there

You can arrive by train or plane, as Birmingham International station is a five-minute covered walk from the halls, and Birmingham Airport connects to the station by the air-rail link. Free shuttle buses run between all NEC car parks and the halls on show days, usually from an hour before opening until an hour after closing. The venue warns that its postcode leads to the site, not to the event car park, so follow the event signs once you arrive. The NEC’s travel page also notes that the northern side of M42 Junction 6, Bickenhill Bridge, is closed, so allow extra time. Cloakrooms beside the halls charge £2 per coat and £3 per bag.

Source: world-of-railways.co.uk, world-of-railways.co.uk/whats-on, thenec.co.uk, thenec.co.uk/visitors