00:00So, this is it.
00:26It's rather a big beast.
00:27What we try and do is, I do all the scenery myself, that's what my speciality is.
00:35I've been making scenery since the 60s, so I reckon I've built about as many trees as
00:42you've got in Wales, I think.
00:44They basically start off as twisted wire, I cover them with plaster, and cover them with
00:53a plant called Sifo, and then I paint them.
00:58And I try and get the kids to build them, because they're really therapeutic.
01:03It's twisting, and it's getting the kids to look at a real tree and understand what a real
01:10tree does.
01:11So, obviously we know, of course, that the trees grow to the light.
01:17But for a youngster, they don't quite understand that process.
01:21So, by looking at making a tree, you're saying, well it's not quite like that, let's have
01:28a look at the real thing.
01:29You know, if you look, all the leaves are on the top, because that's where the sun is,
01:33that's where the field is.
01:34So, the whole point of that is, it's not about us, it's about youngsters and other people
01:40playing with it.
01:41So, if they damage it, it's not a problem, we can repair it.
01:44Over the last five years, we've done over a quarter of a million visitors to it.
01:50We've probably done about 20,000 people actually driving the trees.
01:55So, coming to North Wales was a, when somebody said, did you want to go to Aberystwyth, there
02:05was no choice for me.
02:06I mean, I grew up here.
02:07You know, this was, from 1948, North Wales was every summer, somewhere in North Wales,
02:14because I'm a Midlander, we always came here.
02:16So, when we ran the first part of British Rail with the steam, this was part of our steam
02:22route.
02:23So, I was always here in the shed at Aberystwyth.
02:27This is where we looked after the engine.
02:28So, to come back, I mean, it's an amazing place.
02:32It is amazing.
02:33And just think about this, I'm 79 years old.
02:37I've probably been to Aberystwyth at least 25 times working.
02:43I've never been on the railway here, on the Vale arrival.
02:47Never, ever had a trip.
02:49So, that's going to be rectified this time as well.
02:51I'm Chris, I'm the project coordinator for Making Tracks.
03:02And Making Tracks, this time, is 200 feet long and 14 feet wide.
03:09This is the world record for the world's largest portable model railway.
03:14There's over 2,300 feet of track in it.
03:17We've got over 40 trains, about 500 wagons and coaches.
03:23And we are going to be here at the Vale of Rydal from the 25th of October to the 2nd of November.
03:29And you are going to be able to drive the trains when you are here.
03:33We've got also other little things going on.
03:36We're going to theme the railway with Halloween items to find and some animals to find.
03:41And we'll have some other little layouts, Welsh narrow gauge layouts, in this beautiful building for people to come and see.
03:49My name is Tim Dunn and I'm a member of the Model Railway Club in Kings Cross in London.
03:57And I've come up here to see Making Tracks with various little trains.
04:02This is Annie! Who doesn't love Annie from Thomas the Tank Engine?
04:06And I'm up here to help support the railway and promote it and work with them.
04:10But I'm here because I find it fascinating to see how this incredible big model railway is bringing together so many people.
04:17Who don't even just love model railways, but love craftsmanship.
04:20And who love all those kind of skills that the model railway hobby brings together.
04:24Whether it's history, whether it's DIY, it's geography, it's electronics, it's 3D model making, it's coding, it's programming, it's all those things.
04:34And some people coming together in the next few days to come and see this and actually having a go of it themselves.
04:40That's the one thing to remember.
04:41You come and see this, you can have a go yourself and drive trains and just see what the rest of us enjoy about mucking around with very small trains.
04:53In fact, there's one coming along just now and that's what I'm going down here, isn't it?
04:58There's a Pendolino train on the west page, just like the one that I've got up here, up to Wolverhampton and way up there.
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