Andrew Campbell RIP - from the Chairman

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Earlier today David Nicholson relayed the very sad news of Andrew Campbell's death yesterday (Wednesday 16 September 2026). Andrew had been suffering from MND for the last 3 years, whereby the body goes into sharp decline while the mind and brain function normally. It is a terrible illness for which there is currently no cure. My brother-in-law Tim died of it many years ago when in his case it lasted only 18 months.

Andrew was a keen member of the Mendip Model Railway Club and a good S7 modeller. I remember seeing and admiring his model railway layout in the clubhouse at Wells. For many years Andrew was a key member of the Mark Show organisation working closely with David Nicholson and Alan Benson. He was incredibly helpful to me when in 2015 I brought my unfinished through running 19 metre double track end-to-end layout to the Mark Show. DC operation relied on isolating switches covering each 6 feet section to stop and park locomotives, not the easiest of operation for a single operator. Andrew kindly stood the far end of the layout as a signalman/train catcher warning me as the locomotives reached the end of the line!

Every year he was involved in collecting and taking back the roundie-roundie. At the end of the shows I remember him so well heaving the dismantled layout sections into the van to take it back to its residential home.

His wife Annie for many years organised the catering at the Mark Show working together with Jan Benson and my wife Ros preparing and delivering to us super lunches.

Andrew was a professional solicitor working regularly in London on important cases. He very kindly helped Ken Capper and me writing the ScaleSeven Group Constitution. He was not long retired when he was diagnosed with MND.

Andrew had a great love of classical music especially opera, and Wagner in particular. By chance we once met up in Central London at a musical party event organised by a mutual friend Andrew Neill then the chairman of the Elgar Society. We planned to meet up in each other's houses to listen to music on advanced hi-fi systems, but this was delayed by COVID and eventually overtaken by Andrew’s MND illness.

I last saw Andrew and the Mendip Model Railway Club at the beginning his illness. He was very brave and accepting of his terrible situation and as amazingly cheerful. Andrew was lovely warm, kind and busy person. He will be sorely missed by all his friends and many S7 modellers.