Model railway club members are still painstakingly rebuilding their displays months after they were trashed 'in seconds' by vodka-fuelled teenagers who got off with fines after apologising

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Members of a model railway club whose £30,000 exhibition was destroyed by drunk teenagers today told of their 'heartbreak' as they began the rebuilding process.

Enthusiasts from the Market Deeping Model Railway Club in Lincolnshire thanked well-wishers for donating more than £100,000 to help restore the collection.

And they appeared on TV this morning as they carefully inserted telegraph poles into a layout which they are restoring following the rampage in Stamford in May.

Market Deeping Model Railway Club chairman Peter Davies told BBC Breakfast that one of the buildings in the layout in front of him was 'comprehensively trashed' in the drunken rampage

It comes after three yobs, all now 16, were yesterday told to pay just £500 each in compensation at Lincoln Youth Court - and the bill will be met by their parents.

They shared a bottle of vodka as they destroyed decades of painstaking work by members of the society, smashing up locomotives and tracks due to go on display.

Club chairman Peter Davies told BBC Breakfast today: 'The progress is very slow, it's very detailed. We've got a building here that was comprehensively trashed that people have been working on to rebuild. 

'We've got some of the pieces that were the result of all of it. It wasn't very pleasant at all. In fact, it was heartbreaking.

'The result though, what's happened from everything that's happened since is that we're getting involved with youth projects, we're getting involved with a local charity that works with youngsters with cerebral palsy, we're doing all sorts of things that weren't in any way possible before.

'And that's magical, that's truly superb. And that's entirely down to the wonderful, generous donations from people across the world – not just of money, but of stock, of locomotives, of carriages, wagons – all sorts of things. 

'So we're able to do things, as well as restore, we're able to rebuild and move forward.'

Images of the carnage sparked national outrage, with wellwishers – including singer Rod Stewart, who gave them £10,000 – donating cash to help restore the collection.

Club member Mick Quinn was filmed inserting a telegraph pole into the layout this morning

Mr Davies added: 'The trouble is that it does take an enormous amount of time. The detailing on something like this is really quite incredible, and that takes more time than anybody could imagine to do. 

'And it can be comprehensively trashed very, very quickly - in seconds. And that's heartbreaking, because people have devoted their life to building these things. 

'Mick (Quinn) is currently working on one telegraph pole at the moment, and it'll just take time just to insert one telegraph pole.

'And there are dozens on this layout, let alone all the people, all the scenes, the trees, the scenic, the river – all sorts of things take an inordinate amount of time.

Mr Davies said the construction of the model layout 'does take an enormous amount of time'

'And we do it because we get pleasure out of it, but also to give others pleasure when they see these layouts in exhibition.' 

At Lincoln Youth Court yesterday, the trio admitted criminal damage and were ordered to undertake a 12-month referral order.

They were also told to each pay £500 compensation to the model railway club plus £85 prosecution costs and a £20 victim surcharge.

Magistrates were told the financial penalties will be met by their parents as none of the teenagers has any income.

Model railway equipment was damaged at Welland Academy in Stamford, Lincolnshire, in May

A fourth 16-year-old admitted criminal damage and will be sentenced next month. He was not accompanied at court by a parent or guardian.

The court was told the four teenagers broke into Stamford Welland Academy sports hall in the historic Lincolnshire town in May. 

They claimed they were locked out and wanted to play football after drinking vodka to celebrate the end of lessons before their GCSEs.

Magistrates heard they caused £30,000 of damage by smashing up hand-built locomotives and tracks.

Images of the carnage sparked national outrage, with wellwishers donating cash to help

One exhibit had taken 36 years to complete and the wanton destruction left their creators in tears. Another of the wrecked displays was made by a nine-year-old boy.

Prosecutor Shelley Wilson said the teenagers kicked the hall fire doors open in the early hours of the morning. They then trashed the displays set out for MDRC's annual exhibition which was due to open a few hours later. 

Exhibitors who arrived at 7.30am to put the finishing touches to their displays were reduced to tears at seeing years of hard work destroyed.

The annual event – which had been expected to attract 400 visitors – was cancelled for the first time in more than 30 years. 

The exhibition at the sports hall in May was cancelled for the first time in more than 30 years

John Kneesworth, of the St Neots Model Railway Club which had a display at the event, said one of the group's displays took ten years to build and his own collection of locomotives and wagons was smashed.

'It is absolutely impossible to quantify the damage,' he added. 'I spent 20 to 25 years building up my collection. It was all made by me and unique. 

'I'm truly shocked at what happened. This was years of work and effort. I cannot understand why anyone would do this. It is devastating.'

William Sowerby, of the Market Deeping club, said: 'Not one display was still standing. Everything was destroyed. Smashed and thrown across the room.

Bill Sowerby and Alan Hancock from the Market Deeping Model Railway Club in 2018

'I could not believe what I had seen. One of the displays took 36 years to build.'

The teenagers, who all apologised for their actions in court, said they had planned to sleep in the sports hall after playing football, after finding themselves locked out of the house they had been due to stay at.

Linford Fuller, representing one of the four, said: 'The parties were in drink. Had they been sober, different choices would have been made.'

Magistrate John Lock said the compensation was a gesture and told the defendants 'the hurt can never be compensated for'. 

He added: 'In more than 20 years on the bench I cannot recall a case of such mindless, wanton destruction. It beggars belief.'