Hundreds of people queued in the rain on Saturday for the grand opening of Rails of Sheffield, a model train shop, to be one of the first in the new store.

At 10am, music industry legend and president of the Railway Benefit Fund, Peter Waterman OBE, cut the ribbon to officially launch the store at Sheffield Railway Station.

When asked about the store he said: “It’s fantastic! Good job it’s not near my station, I would never get on a train, I would be in here all the time.

“I think railways are a very strange thing, you either love them or hate them, and I think the hobby goes through fads, it is very strong at the moment.”

This is the second of Rail of Sheffield’s stores to open, with their first on Chesterfield Road having been serving customers for 55 years and holding the largest stock of model railway products in the UK.

Listen to Jools Holland, railway enthusiast and frequent shopper at Rails of Sheffield’s, opinions of the store below:

The store is the first of its kind to be located in a train station.

Director of the store, Tracy Barber, said there was talk of the new shop being on platform 5, but, after that plan fell through, the unit by the south entrance seemed like a better option as it is more accessible to people passing through.

She said: “The idea was to highlight this great hobby to people that come through the station.”

Customer, and railway preserver of the The 2874 Trust, David Holmes, said: “I think it’s great, I’m really pleased for them, I hope it is a success, it has to be.”

Richard Brighton, the retail manager, explained how important it is for people to have the ability to look at and touch the products in person before they spend their money, as well as having the opportunity to talk with experts for advice or to simply share their love for the hobby.

Watch the grand opening here: