Drunken youths smashed layouts which had taken years to build the night before the Market Deeping model club's exhibition in May.

Eastern Daily Press: A model of a town at the model railway exhibition. Picture: Chris BishopA model of a town at the model railway exhibition. Picture: Chris Bishop (Image: Archant)

But today members of the Lincolnshire-based group brought a layout which survived the attack to King's Lynn, for the town's annual model show.

Club secretary Bill Sowerby, 74, took pictures of the scene of destruction before showing them to "heartbroken" members. A crowd funding appeal set up online has since raised more than £100,000 - including a £10,000 donation from the singer Rod Stewart.

Eastern Daily Press: A cat looking over an exhibit at the model railway exhibition. Picture: Chris BishopA cat looking over an exhibit at the model railway exhibition. Picture: Chris Bishop (Image: Archant)

Mick Quinn, the club's exhibition manager said: "It was £107,000 last time I looked, £500 was all we asked for to cover some of our expenses that day but it just exploded, it mushroomed."

Around 20 layouts were on show at Lynnsport for the event, organised by the King's Lynn Model Railway Club.

Eastern Daily Press: The controls at Derek Reeve's from Sudbury, Suffolk cheese mine layout. Picture: Chris BishopThe controls at Derek Reeve's from Sudbury, Suffolk cheese mine layout. Picture: Chris Bishop (Image: Archant)

While some achieved life-like realism in miniature, one modeller took a more whimsical theme.

Retired carpenter Derek Reeve, 67, from Sudbury, Suffolk, created a cheese mine worked by more than 100 mice. Each rodent took two hours to build.

Eastern Daily Press: The controls at Derek Reeve's from Sudbury, Suffolk cheese mine layout. Picture: Chris BishopThe controls at Derek Reeve's from Sudbury, Suffolk cheese mine layout. Picture: Chris Bishop (Image: Archant)

Sitting at the controls, which worked trains, animated mice and a herd of cows, he said: "It was originally going to be a mine. Then I put this foam stuff in and when I cut it, it looked like cheese, so I thought: Right, cheese mine."

Stephen and Kass Cooper from Mablethorpe, Lincs, went to the other extreme with their intricately-modelled buildings, which include tiny furnishing.

Eastern Daily Press: A model of railway tracks at the model railway exhibition. Picture: Chris BishopA model of railway tracks at the model railway exhibition. Picture: Chris Bishop (Image: Archant)

"We waned to do the detailed interiors of the buildings," said Mr Cooper. "But people don't have their lights on during the day, so we decided four O'Clock on a November afternoon would do the trick."

Eastern Daily Press: A model of a boat at the model railway exhibition. Picture: Chris BishopA model of a boat at the model railway exhibition. Picture: Chris Bishop (Image: Archant)

Eastern Daily Press: Derek Reeve's from Sudbury, Suffolk cheese mine layout. Picture: Chris BishopDerek Reeve's from Sudbury, Suffolk cheese mine layout. Picture: Chris Bishop (Image: Archant)

Eastern Daily Press: Derek Reeve's from Sudbury, Suffolk cheese mine layout. Picture: Chris BishopDerek Reeve's from Sudbury, Suffolk cheese mine layout. Picture: Chris Bishop (Image: Archant)

Eastern Daily Press: A cat observing Derek Reeve's from Sudbury, Suffolk cheese mine layout. Picture: Chris BishopA cat observing Derek Reeve's from Sudbury, Suffolk cheese mine layout. Picture: Chris Bishop (Image: Archant)

Eastern Daily Press: Scenes from the model railway exhibition. Picture: Chris BishopScenes from the model railway exhibition. Picture: Chris Bishop (Image: Archant)

Eastern Daily Press: Scenes from the model railway exhibition. Picture: Chris BishopScenes from the model railway exhibition. Picture: Chris Bishop (Image: Archant)

Eastern Daily Press: Scenes from the King's Lynn Model Railway Club exhibition. Picture: Chris BishopScenes from the King's Lynn Model Railway Club exhibition. Picture: Chris Bishop (Image: Archant)

Eastern Daily Press: Scenes from the King's Lynn Model Railway Club exhibition. Picture: Chris BishopScenes from the King's Lynn Model Railway Club exhibition. Picture: Chris Bishop (Image: Archant)

Eastern Daily Press: Stephen Cooper's model of a November afternoon. Picture: Chris BishopStephen Cooper's model of a November afternoon. Picture: Chris Bishop (Image: Archant)

Eastern Daily Press: Scenes from the King's Lynn Model Railway Club exhibition. Picture: Chris BishopScenes from the King's Lynn Model Railway Club exhibition. Picture: Chris Bishop (Image: Archant)

Eastern Daily Press: A model of a seaside town at the model railway exhibition. Picture: Chris BishopA model of a seaside town at the model railway exhibition. Picture: Chris Bishop (Image: Archant)

Eastern Daily Press: Devastation caused by vandals to the Market Deeping Model Railway Club's exhibition in May, Picture: Chris BishopDevastation caused by vandals to the Market Deeping Model Railway Club's exhibition in May, Picture: Chris Bishop (Image: Archant)