A TRAIN enthusiast died two days before he was invited to open the model railway that he created.

Colin Billingham painstakingly made the model in 1990 to show what Bury’s railway lines around the then Knowsley Street station looked like in 1947.

After a decade on display at Bury Art Gallery, the model was put into storage in 2000 as the gallery was renovated.

Then in early 2013, five fellow rail buffs took on the task of lovingly restored the model to its former glory.

The team searched high and low for Colin’s contact details and finally wrote to his family on January 27, asking if he would like to the reopening.

Bury Times:

Colin Billingham

Sadly, Colin passed away at Blackpool Hospital on January 25 aged 83 after a short illness – 11 days short of today’s reopening of the model.

Speaking to the Bury Times from his home in Australia, Colin’s son Gary said: “My wife and I travelled over from Australia to be by his bedside, and my brother and his partner came up from Devon as well.

“Imagine our feelings on January 30 when we received the invite to the opening.

“I had even mentioned it in my eulogy at his funeral service in Preston only the day before, as this was the only model layout he had completed out of many others he built throughout his lifetime.”

Colin’s widow Betty attended today’s event in his honour as Bury Mayor, Cllr Stella Smith, opened the display, which is called Stations of Bury.

She said: “I am honoured to have been invited and overwhelmed by what these volunteers have done.

"Colin would have loved to have seen the restored model, but I am thrilled that so many people will be able to see it."

Colin was born in Salford in 1932 and was the senior curator at Bury Art Gallery from the mid-1980s to 1991.

He had previously worked at the Western Australian Art Gallery from 1969 to 1977, when he moved to Great Eccleston, near Blackpool, to work at Preston Art Gallery until the mid 1980s.

Colin was a prolific painter and artist, and railways was one of his favourite subjects to paint.

The museum’s curator Sarah Kerrison said: “It a lovely story tinged with heartbreak for the family.

“We would have loved for Colin to be there for the opening and hope that many visitors will enjoy his work.”

The restoration team was Robin Cotton, David Mills, Stan Fitton, Geoff Partington and Jim Wallwork.

Visit eastlancsrailway.org.uk to find out when the model is open for viewing.