AMONG the spectacular layouts at the 15th Lydney model railway show was one that looked a little more humble.

But for designer Rob Sedman of Ross it what was responsible for driving it all that was of more interest.

He said: “The layout is not particularly sophisticated but we built it so my son can develop his programming skills using the Raspberry Pi budget computer and the Python programming language.

“At the moment it controls the points and the speed of the train.

“We are currently developing the program so it becomes aware of the where the train is and the ultimate aim is have a fully autonomous layout.”

The two-day annual show is organised by the Forest of Dean Model Railway Club and is held at the Dean Academy across several rooms.

There were some 20 layouts of differing sizes showing scenes of British, American, French and Canadian railways.