A model railway exhibit which was destroyed by vandals has gone on display after it was restored thanks to an outpouring of donations.

Members of the Market Deeping Model Railway Club said a 'life's work' had been ruined after youths trashed the £30,000 display at Stamford, Lincolnshire, on May 18.

A surge in crowdfunded donations, including £10,000 from singer and model railway enthusiast Sir Rod Stewart, allowed the club to raise more than £107,000 to go towards repairs.

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A model railway exhibit that was destroyed by vandals has been restored to its former glory after the club was swamped with donations. (Pictured: A restored train pulling carriages on the repaired railway line)

The £30,000 display has had its tracks and engines repaired, pictured, after youths trashed the extensive display in Stamford, Lincolnshire

Members of the Market Deeping Model Railway Club said a 'life's work' (pictured) had been destroyed after youths trashed the £30,000 display at Stamford, Lincolnshire, on May 18

Editor of Railway Modeller Steve Flint (left) presenting Sir Rod Stewart with a model wagon gift after his model railway that has been 26 years in the making has finally been unveiled. The musician donated £10,000 to a crowdfunding appeal to repair the exhibitions damaged earlier this year

Exhibits worth tens of thousands of pounds were destroyed after vandals broke into the school in Lincolnshire and smashed up models belonging to Market Deeping Model Railway Club

The sets are now restored and on display at the Warley National Model Railway Show at the Birmingham NEC.

Market Deeping Model Railway Club chairman Peter Davies told the PA news agency that he was 'delighted' at the restoration of the display.

He said: 'We had to rebuild from the platform up. As chairman of the club I am proud of all of the guys.'

Four youths were arrested on suspicion of burglary and criminal damage and have since been released on conditional bail. Above: A destroyed model lies on the floor of the school hall

Members of the Market Deeping Model Railway Club rebuilding their railway models. Pictured left to right: Peter Davies, Chairman, Colin Broom, Bill Sowerby and Mick Quinn

The trail of destruction left railway enthusiasts distraught. The club was blown away by a flood of donations on a Just Giving website

Mr Davies said that it took 25 club members 1,000 hours of work to restore the models by hand, with some of the originals having taken years to build.

Commenting on Sir Rod's 'amazing and truly humbling' donation, he added: 'This kind of thing doesn't happen, model railway exhibitions don't get trashed.

'To have that sort of donation has enabled us to get back on track.'

Model railway enthusiast Sir Rod Stewart, pictured with a huge set from his Beverley Hills home, donated £10,000 to Market Deeping Model Railway Club

This picture shows the scale of the damage, with flipped tables, chairs and destroyed equipment

Members of the Lincolnshire-based club were left devastated after the destruction led to the cancellation of the model railway event at Stamford Welland Academy

Pictured is Paul Andrews from P & D Marsh Model Railway club who had brought his own models to the exhibition only to see them destroyed

Mr Andrews had model railway sets as early as he can remember as a child, and began making them himself when his oldest child Louis, now 35, was interested in Thomas The Tank Engine

He said he was going to meet the singer and now honorary club member when they both appear as guests on the BBC's The One Show on Monday.

In August, Lincoln Youth Court heard that three 'mindless' youths shared a bottle of vodka as part of a pre-exam night out before deliberately destroying the exhibition, which was on display at the Stamford Welland Academy.

The 16-year-old schoolboys, along with a fourth defendant, went on a 4am 'rampage' by pushing tables over and throwing parts of displays against the wall.

The Warley National Exhibition is on Saturday and Sunday and showcases more than 90 model railway layouts from the UK and abroad.

Peter Davis (left) and Bill Sowerby from Market Deeping Model Railway Club lost years of work in the raid at Stamford Welland Academy in Stamford

Thousands of pounds worth of model railway exhibits have been destroyed in an act of 'total wanton destruction'

Thousands of pounds of model railway exhibits were destroyed in an act of 'destruction'

Mr Andrews said the destruction was 'mindless'. 'It's depressing. It's frustrating someone has destroyed a big chunk of my business,' he added