These practical courses cover all aspects of the railway modelling hobby. Expert tutors will help you to build a model of your choice and have it well on its way to completion by the time you go home.

Missenden Abbey provides excellent facilities, accommodation and food. You will have a wonderful time in this delightful venue, meeting other modellers and sharing ideas and expertise. For those who live locally it is possible to attend as a non-resident.

Some Missenden statistics:

• the number of modellers attending has grown fourfold since 2001
• students have come from all parts of Britain as well as Australia, USA, Hong Kong and Europe
• Missenden Abbey is a 12th century structure imaginatively converted into a dedicated adult learning/conference facility. It is now administered by Buckinghamshire New University.
• the most popular courses are those on loco construction and trackbuilding, closely followed by scenics
• 7mm and 4mm predominate but all scales and gauges have their adherents within groups
• models built at Missenden range from complete finescale layouts to a three-rail Metropolitan electric loco for a Hornby-Dublo system; in 2011 a live-steam loco made an appearance
• no fewer than seven Missenden tutors – Chris Langdon, Barry Norman, Iain Rice, Norman Solomon, Ian Rathbone, Tim Shackleton and Tony Wright – have made DVDs for Activity Media's 'Right Track' series
• Bob Alderman has built a real live 12in:ft steam locomotive (A1 Pacific Tornado)

The weekend courses start on Friday evening with dinner. Afterwards, there is a short introduction and your tutor will then discuss with you what you would like to achieve over the weekend. They will demonstrate various skills and techniques to help you. The weekend ends on Sunday afternoon.

Missenden is great fun but it’s also a place where you can learn a lot about your hobby and get some serious modelling done, especially at the week-long Summer Retreat which is now in its third year.

Further details about Missenden Abbey can be found by clicking here.
For some pictures of the Abbey and its surroundings, click here.

If you have any questions about the courses, you can send them by clicking here.  This is NOT for booking, just enquiries about the courses themselves.  For booking see the Dates and Prices page.

Chris Langdon reveiving a large donation for the Princes Trust.
Click on the picture for more information.

'Thanks once again for all you enthusiasm in organising Missenden - our hobby would be much poorer without it.'

'Thanks for another excellent weekend at Missenden.’

‘It doesn't matter how many model magazines or books you read, or how experienced you may be, you can always learn something unique and invaluable at Great Missenden.’

‘Barry enabled my back scenes to be much improved, and Ian's personal demonstrations and advice were particularly helpful.’

'Great weekend, I've come away full of ideas to develop CBus controls, thank you for your efforts making it a success.'

'Thank you for another superb weekend. What a fantastic opportunity, an uninterrupted two days to work on my modelling skills, someone skilled to point out how I could have avoided the mess I had got myself into and what I need to do next!
But most of all I value the interaction with all the other participants.
Each time I learn something new.
Looking forward to the next one.'

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