Railriders & MIOG

Whilst we've been busy squirrelling away getting ready for our Exhibition which is just over a month away! We are now proud to announce that we'll be teaming up with the newly re-formed 'Rail-Riders'  We've attached a press release from the guys at Rail Riders as to what it has to offer, and what to look forward to! They'll be at hand to answer any questions that you might have! Also keep your eyes peeled for our exclusive Rail-Riders Polos with the MIOG branding on at our show worn by our members! We'd like to take the chance to wish Simon Buxton of Buffer-beam all the best with his new venture!

'Rail Riders is returning

After 29 years away Rail Riders will be returning in February 2020
The owners of Bufferbeam (supplier to preserved railways and locomotive groups) have set up a new company Rail Riders Ltd to bring back the former British Rail children’s club which ran from 1981 to 1991. Bufferbeam has been selling merchandise with the former club logo on for over a year and the feedback about the club generated the idea to bring it back.

Bufferbeams parent company applied for and obtained Trade Mark protection on all Rail Riders logos to insure that the club could retain the original name and the distinctive logo due to the fond memories held by former members.
The new Club will be available to all age groups this time, compared to the original club that was available to 5 to 15 year old children. Rail Riders has already got the cooperation of various Preserved Railways wanting to offer discounts to club members and also various model railway shops and a railway book publisher.
The aim is to make Rail Riders a general Railway club available to everyone and to promote the hobby, in doing so help preserved railways increase ridership and hopefully generate some volunteers for them as well. We hope to get as many railways wanting to be part of the club as well as other railway themed businesses too.
Rail Riders will be bringing back the Rail Riders Express magazine for members of which there will be 4 a year, these will have lots of features and competitions, with the emphasis on making the hobby fun. There will also be a passbook that members will get stamped at various locations participating to encourage ridership or visits at participating outlets and railways.
It is also planned once membership gets to a healthy level that event days will be planned and eventually even railtours.


The original club had at its peak 80,000 member and is fondly remembered, Simon Buxton one of the people bringing the club back was a member of the club in the late 1980’s. While setting up the club, Rail Riders has fond one of the original membership secretaries, Angela and has agreed to give an interview to feature in an addition of the club magazine.
At the moment Rail Riders is having their website built which will feature a members section which will feature events, news, photos, competitions and merchandise. There is a Facebook page open to everyone that is live www.facebook.com/railridersclub and a twitter www.twitter.com/ridersrail


A quote from Simon Buxton “As a lad I can fondly remember going to Rail Riders World at York and watching all the trains on the layout. Getting the famous wall chart with the spaces for the stickers we got from various places that issued them and waiting for the magazine to come through the post. I decided to add the logo to my range of railway images last year and could not believe how many remembered it and the seed was planted to bring the club back, the response since going public with our plans has been fantastic and I see this as a way to bring people together and promote the hobby. We plan to go live with membership in February 2020 and hope old members and people that were too young or not even born would like to join”.'