THE pungent smell of oil and a haze of smoke greeted visitors to the Michael Herbert Hall in Wilton on Saturday, where steam enthusiasts from across the country had gathered for a model engineering and hobbies exhibition.

Model traction engines, locomotives, aircraft, boats, a windmill, scale farmyards, dolls houses, and even a complete model fairground, were on display at the two-day event, organised by Porton postman, Pete Parrish.

He said: "We used to have a strong model engineering club in Salisbury and one or two people had said we ought to get it going again. So I got talked into organising this event - the first one for 16 years."

Mr Parrish, who was exhibiting three of his model traction engines, said: "From the response we get this weekend, we're going to see if we can regroup the model engineering society."

Experts from as far a field as Yorkshire had travelled to the meeting, but most exhibitors were local to Salisbury and surrounding area.

Five hundred pounds raised from the exhibition was donated to Salisbury Hospice Care Trust.