Club History

 The original club was known as The Llanelli Model & Experimental Engineering Society and is believed to have been in existance since the nineteen thirties or earlier. In the very early seventies the club as it was then, moved from its established base in Copperworks Road, to a new location in Llanerch Fields Area. However, due to a combination of events that included the sad loss of Jake Jones, the main man in the club at that time, the move did not prove to be successful in the long term.

In 1983 four ex club members, George and the late John Golightly, Richard Sourbutts, Roger Webb, met up in the Nags Head Public House in Llangennech. Together they decided to reform the club.

Not having a track of their own they travelled to other clubs, Cardiff, Swansea, and Bristol. Gradually the club started to exband. With this in mind Richard wrote to the Local Authority requesting a suitable location to site a miniature railway track. The authority replied that there was a location in Pembrey Country Park and, as it just so happens, sometimes, there was also a plan to build a miniature railway.

The Local Authority intended to build a 1600ft elevated,  three and a half and five inch, track, the deal included a steam engine & rolling stock and the club was invited to run it.

The members who went to view the work in progress were shown what would have been a dream come true for any model engineer ~ a miniature railway track  running through a picturesque landscape of pine trees, and not only, but also, there were plans for a station and a club house.

Since then the club has gone from strength to strength, due to the unique location of the track, we have been the only club in Wales to host International Model Locomotive Efficiency Competition, we did it in 1997 and again in 2007. We hold two rallies a year, Spring and Autumn Rally, as well as the Welsh IMLEC  competition. 

In 2005, our Autumn Rally was expanded to a road and rail event which is proving to be a popular date  on the traction engine calender, as the country park has the space to accomodate their side of the hobby, as well as challenging road run into the village of Pembrey. We also hosted The Southern Federation Rally some twenty years ago and hosted it again in 2009. It was a very well attended ralliy inspite of some blustery weather conditions.

We have laid the five inch and a seven & a quarter inch, ground level track,  the 2000 foot circuit is now complete as is the signal box. The track was tried by out by some invited guests at the Autumn Rally but we hope to be fully up and running for an official opening early 2010.

Our next project is to fit out a carriage shed and refurbish our club house, as well as carry out some landscaping work around the track.

We are also a public limited company to protect our members.

As with all clubs, it is a gathering of people from all backgrounds with a shared common interest. Visitors who first ventured, some twenty or more years ago, into the wilds of west Wales, have come back again and again and become country members and friends.