Sad News - our President & Chairman, Keith Nock, has passed away - 1936-2016

Sadly the Uckfield Model Railway Club’s Chairman and President and one of only two remaining founder members, Keith Nock, has died.

The Club was originally formed in Keith's living room in the 1970s and he is the only person to have maintained membership throughout.

Better known to many in the town as “Mr Hobby Box” thanks to his ownership of The Hobby Box model shop in Framfield Road, Uckfield which he initially formed and ran with his first wife whilst also holding down full time employment elsewhere.

He eventually left the day job and made the running of the model shop a full time activity, growing the business into a place where modellers would travel from far and wide to visit.

After many successful years he retired from the business in 2005 and put his considerable energy into the model railway club, guiding it through some challenging times, rarely missing a meeting in the years that followed and attending his final meeting less than 2 weeks before his death.

Keith was for many the face of the Club thanks to his presence on the door of Club's model railway exhibition each year armed with a clip-board to ensure everything ran smoothly as well as his regular radio interviews, press coverage and attendance at many events in the town such as the Uckfield Festival.

Keith believed strongly in sharing knowledge and helped run the Uckfield Community Technology College's model railway club for many years as well as being the go-to man for many with model locomotives that for whatever reason would not function correctly.

Sadly Keith lost his battle against cancer on the 7th September 2016. Keith leaves wife Irmi and son Martin to whom we send the condolences of our members and all his model railway friends.