All aboard the train home! Immaculate six-bedroom house complete with outdoor model railway is yours for £800,000 Train firm executive Charles Howeson is selling his 'perfect' family home It features a 400ft working model railway, perfect for rail enthusiasts Also includes separate flat, landscaped garden, lake and an outdoor hot tub It is surely the stuff of every little boy's dreams - a fully working 400ft outdoor model railway, right in the back garden. Now, in news that will excite rail enthusiasts everywhere, this six bedroom property in Plymouth, Devon, has been put up for sale for just over £800,000. After much deliberation, train firm executive Charles Howeson has decided to put his 'perfect' family home called Smallack Barn, on the market. All aboard: Train firm executive Charles Howeson is selling his 'perfect' Plymouth family home - complete with 400ft model railway - in the open market Chuffed: The impressive set is sure to bring out the little boy in all rail enthusiasts Choo choo: In news that will excited rail enthusiasts everywhere, this six bedroom property in Plymouth, Devon, has been put up for sale for £800,000 Carefully created: The self-made millionaire and business leader - chairman of the First Great Western Trains advisory board - is a keen rail enthusiast and loving built the railway He said it was time for him and his wife Emma to sell up as he battles a serious illness. The home of the self-made millionaire and business leader - chairman of the First Great Western Trains advisory board - includes a drawing family and dining room along with a separate flat and a landscaped garden featuring a lake an outdoor hot tub and the model train set. The house is laid out over six levels. The site used to be a cluster of outhouses and barns which the Howesons converted into a large-scale family home 13 years ago. Mr Howeson says they are moving on with a heavy heart. He said: 'It is tremendously sad to have to say goodbye as we actually built this home ourselves,' he said. Childhood dream: The site used to be a cluster of outhouses and barns which the Howesons converted into a large-scale family home 13 years ago, and soon installed the track Idyllic: Mr Howeson said it was time for him and his wife Emma to sell up as he battles a serious illness It was just a series of barns before. You can only really have one perfect house in your life and this was it. It has given the whole family huge enjoyment for well over a decade. The former Royal Navy officer explained that he has been seriously ill, although he says he is 'winning' his battle. Mr Howeson said his illness made him realise that now is the time for him and his wife to adopt a simpler life. It has been put on the market with an asking price of £880,000. Mr Howeson admitted that they are 'rattling about' in the huge home now their children have moved away. He and his wife have already purchased a smaller property on a former hospital site in the Stonehouse area of Plymouth for them to relocate to once the sale is complete. He said: 'We're downscaling to a house one-fifth of the size so it is quite a challenge selecting what we want to take with us. I certainly won't be able to take my model ship collection with me. It will be a different sort of life. We love living in Plymouth but we have always felt like we live in the country here - we look out onto a valley from our terrace but at the same time we're just a short way from the city centre.' Bespoke: The home includes a drawing family and dining room along with a separate flat and a landscaped garden featuring a lake, and an outdoor hot tub Spacious: Mr Howeson admitted that they are 'rattling about' in the huge home now their children have moved away In 1991, after 25 years in the Navy, Mr Howeson began to get involved with various business and community ventures, including healthcare, banking, water and the railway. He is currently the chairman of the First Great Western Trains advisory board and of the Plymouth Area Business Council, as well as the president of the charity he founded, The Plymouth Drake Foundation. But he admits that his illness has forced him to slow down. 'I have reduced my work a little,' said the father of three. Although I do not think you should just give everything up when you are ill. That's the wrong attitude to take.' The Howeson children have now all flown the nest with the youngest Tavoya, 20, studying in Oxford while Pippa, 30, and Robin, 29, are both making a living in London. 'They are saddened that we're moving but they are realistic and fully understand the reason we're selling,' said Mr Howeson. We know that we have been incredibly lucky to live here but now we require a simpler way of life.