There were about a dozen model railways on show, not including the popular train ride for the kids outside.
As I only had a short time at the show because of report writing commitments at home, here is a sample of the layouts at the exhibition.
Yendys (Sydney spelt backwards) is the HO scale club layout of the ACT Model Railway Society. The layout is a double-track mainline with a suburban station and electric suburban carriage sidings. A feature of this layout is the catenary, something that really adds realism to the scene. The following three photos highlight some of the scenes from this layout. I especially like the third photo showing a suburban train about to pull away from the station among the hustle and bustle of the day.
Another layout from Canberra modellers was Willigobung (HO scale). This layout is a generic NSW country through station on a busy two track mainline (obviously the Main South). A good selection of trains is always on show to keep the punters happy.
The amiable lads from the Illawarra returned to Canberra with their exhibition layout, Waterfall (HO scale).
South Bend and Hilltop Railway is an N scale US-prototype layout. A feature of this layout was the long trains snaking through a variety of scenic elements. The yard at the front of the layout is also a good spot to watch the trains pass through.
The Epping Model Railway Club (the "yellow shirts") made the trip to Canberra with their exhibition layout, Brunswick Park (HO scale). This layout features a Sydney suburban scene with a focus on the industries around the North Strathfield/Concord area.
The magnificent Sydney Central Station (N scale) was back on the exhibition circuit after several months on public display at the NSWRTM office on Central Station concourse in Sydney. It is always a pleasure to admire the fabulous detail and modelling skill of this remarkable layout.
Other layouts on show were Clifton Falls, Crestwood, Mullett Creek, South Creek, and the Canberra Monaro N scale group's AusTrak modules.
Several model railway shops were also in attendance. They included Casula Hobbies and Model Railroad Craftsman (both selling the latest issue of Australian Journal of Railway Modelling I was pleased to see), Pallas Hobbies, and Runway 13. Also in attendance were Ron Cunningham of Eureka Models and John Eassie from Austrains. Austrains seemed to be pretty busy whenever I popped my head in there and I am sure the local Canberra and South Coast modellers kept the cash register ringing! I did my bit in buying another NR for myself on Saturday at the discounted price of $200. One of my mates bought three NR's and another two bought one each - who said that NR's wouldn't still be popular?
I hope the weekend was a big success for the organisers and the school. It was the 39th Malkara exhibition and that is quite an achievement. Well done!
Those are some nice photos. That N scale station is remarkable.
ReplyDeleteWhat is happening to the road in the first picture? Is it under water?
Thanks Brad for your review of the exhibition. Whilst I have been involved with this exhibition since the mid 1980s, as a member of the ACT Model Railway Society, since the early 2000s I have worked primarily on making our club layout as good as possible. Bernie in his earlier comment, did correctly pick up the flooded road scene in your 1st photo. The scene was envisaged prior to the construction of the benchwork (in 2004), as a way to deepen the valley, without adding overly to the benchwork thickness. In 2004, Australia's east coast was in drought, but the flash flooding now occuring, has given this installer much recent material to make the scene fairly authentic. It was interesting to me, that there were twice as many requests from the general public on how to make the water, as those on the catenary construction. :)
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