WAYNE’S WORLD OF TRAINS

How a Parcelforce driver and model railway enthusiast got his childhood dream on track.

Meet Wayne Jeeves. He’s the Parcelforce delivery driver who’s built a village in his backyard.

It all started with a Great Western train set – a gift from his grandfather when he was just a few hours old. This one small gesture grew into a big fascination with model railways. A little too big, in fact, for the Bedfordshire home he shares with his wife and their daughter.

“I’d spend hours setting up,” Wayne explains, “only to have to clear it all away again because there was nowhere in the house to lay it out permanently.”

All that changed six years ago when Wayne installed a garden shed. This one simple addition gave him the green light to start creating the set-up he’d always wanted.

“I sourced kits from modelling shops and eBay,” he recalls. “I built a market square, a fire station and a farm I modelled on one from my Parcelforce round.”

There’s a cricket ground, too – in homage to the sport Wayne used to play – and a brewery because, well, he likes a beer now and then.

A circular railway line connects the whole village, complete with Parcelforce depot and one of Wayne’s favourite projects –Travelling Post Offices – creating a dual operation just like the real one up the road in Hatfield.

With around £6,000 worth of gear to maintain, Wayne spends evenings and weekends cleaning track and tinkering with engines, occasionally with a little help from daughter Darci.

On Sundays, Wayne makes videos to share with colleagues on Workplace. The interest has taken him by surprise and brought his journey full circle.

“People seem to really like it,” he says. “The reaction from everyone I talk to is always positive. Some even tell me that seeing what I’ve built has inspired them to take up the hobby themselves.”

A first-class return if ever we heard one.

Wayne On Workplace

DID YOU KNOW?

Travelling Post Offices (TPOs) were specially adapted railway carriages introduced in the 1800s that carried mail workers sorting items for despatch to towns on the route. The final TPO ran on the night of 9 January 2004.