Pete Waterman’s Making Tracks
The world’s largest portable model railway
Four main lines. Real signalling. Live departure boards. On tour around the UK — come and drive it.
🏆 Guinness World Records · 694.9 m · largest portable model railway| LOADING… |
What’s coming up
All events →Our next stops — each with live trains at the nearest real station. Operators: sign in to book your slot.
Watch the shows
All 8 shows + the film archive →Straight from our exhibition screens, rendering live in your browser. Best full screen — sound is on.
From the platform ends
Snapped at our shows, by you — add yours
About Making Tracks
A record-breaking railway on tour
The record. Making Tracks holds the official Guinness World Record for the largest portable model railway — measured at 694.9 metres in April 2024, and grown since to around 736 metres of track under 82 catenary masts. It’s an OO-gauge recreation of one of Britain’s busiest railway junctions, built by Pete Waterman OBE and his Railnuts crew — and a touring section of it visits exhibitions around the UK, so you can come and drive it.
The technology. Underneath runs System2 by MegaPoints Controllers: every train detected every four feet, real UK colour-light signalling worked entirely by the trains, working departure boards announcing services as they run, and one two-wire network carrying every button, point and signal — not a computer in sight. The shows tell the whole story, live in your browser.
The people. Making Tracks is a Community Interest Company run on volunteers — drivers, signallers, builders and friendly faces, as seen in Channel 4’s Little Trains & Big Names with Pete Waterman. There’s even a real 5,000 hp locomotive in the family: Freightliner’s 90041 “Pete Waterman OBE”, named at Crewe in 2024, tracked live on this site. Fancy being part of it? We’d love to hear from you.
I’d like to help
Help us run the railway
Every exhibition needs drivers, signallers, builders and friendly faces. No experience needed — we’ll teach you the controls, and you’ll be part of the record-holding crew.