STEVE Smith's lifelong passion has been built on the back of a broken dream.

As a boy Steve, from Sutton St Nicholas, only ever wanted to do one thing - be a train driver.

However, colour blindness shattered his dream because of his inability to see signals properly.

Now he has got over the disappointment and devotes his spare time to making replica model engines.

Steve, aged 42, has used his family background in heavy engineering to make locomotives, carriages and track.

He is married to Carole and has two children, Tom, seven, and Laura, 15.

"Tom shares my enthusiasm for trains but Laura is not as keen as she was," Steve said. "At 15, she has other things on her mind."

Each project takes 600 hours to complete.

Up to now his models have been 1/16th actual size but the man who is a member of the Hereford Society of Model Engineers has ambitions to make something even bigger.

He will be bringing a sit-on-and-ride diesel shunting engine, together with carriages and tracks to the Sutton St Nicholas fete on Saturday.

The fete, which will include a range of other attractions, is at Woodbine Cottage, Ridgeway Road, at 2pm.