A new family lounge has opened at King’s Cross station, and it has a large model railway in the middle to delight visitors.
Commissioned by LNER, the model railway has been built by Hornby, and on my visit at the weekend had a model of the Flying Scotsman whizzing around along with an Azuma train.
It’s a very good scale model with a lot to look at apart from the railway itself, a remnant of an old castle in the middle surrounded by a moat, some railway bridges, a railway station and a few houses dotted around. I know it’s only a model, but still, it would have been nice if the model station had been supplied with a step-free footbridge.
More cleverly, there’s a staggered walkway around the edge of the model so that people of all ages and heights can get a good view.
The Family Lounge has been designed to give families a dedicated space to wait for trains – and apart from the model railway, has lots of extra seating, a series of booths, and a play area with a slide that comes out of a first-class carriage. A large mural has been painted by Sarah Gummer from Barden Bramble Designs showing the idyllic countryside that intercity trains pass through.
Usefully for parents, there’s a display screen with train departures on it inside the lounge.
You can find the Family Lounge on the main concourse between the Travel Centre and the Sir Nigel Gresley statue. It’s open to anyone though and you don’t need to travel with LNER to use it, and this big kid certainly enjoyed looking at the model railway.
Although the old-fashioned penny press has moved with inflation, and now requires £1.01 to work.
This article was published on ianVisits
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The post There’s a large model railway at King’s Cross station appeared first on ianVisits.
