Model Railway in the Towers Chapel (1956-1992)

[Dave]

I think the planetarium was in the octagon?

I might be wrong

 

[Squiggs]

The Octagon was a proper wreck until it was restored for Hex.

I'm not going to claim the Planetrium was exactly spacious, but one of the markings you can see on the floor is the projector's footprint, which is surprisingly small, as well as the markings where the audience'sbenches were... there's an amazing amount you can learn from the house conservatory.

The planetarium is also the reason up until a few years ago half of the conservatory was open to the elements and the other half had a flat roof, this was constructed in order to house the attraction.

 

[DiogoJ42]

Well I never. That's a full week's worth of daily info nuggets, that is.

 

[Spark]

Most interesting guys

 

[Natalie]

I did have my A1 sized blueprints of the Towers until I gave them to Wilsy the other day to study for his new responsibility of doing the ruins check in the morning, if you speak to him nicely I'm sure we could get them to you Squiggs?

 

[Shockadelica]

According to the Sunflower Books Alton Towers Guide, the Planetarium dome was 20-foot diameter. I remember going in it, but it was about as memorable as erm, whatnot.

According to the same guide, here are some facts about the Model Railway...

Two men took two and a half years to build it, working an average 16 hours a day.
The landscape contained two tons of plaster.
Over 100 gallons of water circulated through its rivers and lakes.
72,000 track spikes held 1500 feet of track in place.
Over 10 miles of wiring was used in the electrical circuits.
200 relays controlled the movement of the rolling stock.
There were over 3000 trees, 400 lights, 70 colour signals.
35 locomotives pulled 200-plus items of rolling stock (manufacturers: Wrenn, Liliput, Fleischmann).

 

[djtruefitt]

Bumping an old thread, but I think it needs to be bumped! I could spend a whole day with you Squiggs just looking around the towers

What year did the railway close?

 

[Natalie]

I could spend a whole day with you Squiggs just looking around the towers

Me too, it's a shame they got rid of classic things like a huge model railway just to leave it empty. Would love to see something put back in the chapel.

 

[Mark Sloan]

It was a shame that they got rid of this railway. It was a superb model, with day and night modes. It was one of my favurite attractions. I can only assume it became too expensive to maintain.

 

[Spark]

It was a shame that they got rid of this railway. It was a superb model, with day and night modes. It was one of my favurite attractions. I can only assume it became too expensive to maintain.

Or they couldnt upcharge or put a fence up for it

 

[Rick]

I can't remember where I got these, at a postcard fair maybe.

My memories of the Model Railway are a bit scant, despite my interest in the subject, I think we only really gravitated in there when it was raining. Model Railway vs Thunder Looper, or Black Hole, there was no competition!

More stuff here

 

[AstroDan]

I loved this so, so much as a kid.

It's amazing how Alton Towers has narrowed its offering so incredibly over the years.

 

[DiogoJ42]

I pressive for it's day, no question. This just goes to shows how much the quality of scenic modelling has improved over the last few decades.