Canberra Model Railway Expo - postscript

The Canberra Model Railway Expo is over for another year. The 2015 expo was a very enjoyable exhibition. The event was well organised with good parking (special thanks to the volunteers on duty all weekend), a great variety of model railroads scattered throughout the school, and just enough commercial vendors to keep me within budget (hey, my wife may read this!). Special thanks to Ian from Micro Models Hobbyland at Hornsby and Gary from Model Railroad Craftsman at Blacktown for ferrying some goodies to Canberra for me. In addition, catching up friends and fellow railway modellers was also part of the terrific weekend experience.

There were 25 layouts on display according to my count. I saw them all and this time I spent much of my time looking at the detail in the scenic displays. This included the natural vegetation, the industries and other buildings, as well as different cameo scenes. The hobby of railway modelling is indeed a very creative pursuit.

Now, before we get into the photos from a sample of layouts, let me confess that the camera I used today is a very old point-and-shoot because I have "misplaced" the other 2014 camera. I am still searching the house for that camera and hopefully I will find it before next year's Canberra model railway Expo!

And now some detail shots that I quite like from a selection of layouts:

Layout: Electric Car Sheds (NSW, HO scale)

Layout: Springfield Junction (USA, HO scale)

Layout: 12th Street Yard (USA, HO scale)

Layout: Brunswick Park (NSW, HO scale)

Layout: Tanoden (Japan, N scale)

Layout: Moose Jaw Southern (Canada, N scale)

Layout: 638 Mile (NSW, HO scale)

Layout: Western Front 1917 (France, HO scale) - displayed along with an accompanying video of the real WWI trains and railroad construction as part of the NMRA information stand.

In summary, the Canberra Model Railway Expo was a great weekend. Thank you to the club members of the Canberra Model Railway Club Inc. (CMRCI) and to all the volunteers who helped make the event such a success.

Sydney Model Railway Exhibition 2011 Report

Another Sydney Model Railway Exhibition is over. The three day event will be on again next year - the 50th!

There was a good selection of layouts and plenty of commercial stands at the exhibition.  I did feel that there were less layouts than usual but this certainly increased the aisle spacing and made it easier to walk around than in previous years. And like previous years, the Saturday morning crawl to get into the exhibition was slow. Note to exhibition organisers: is it possible to have four ticket booths operating instead of two at the busy periods of the exhbition please?

While many of the layouts at the exhibition had been on the exhibition circuit quite a few times before (no, Brisbane Waters from the Epping Club missed out this year and was replaced by the more recent Brunswick Park layout). But there were  a couple of new arrivals. The layouts that most caught my eye included the following:

The NSW O scale (7mm) layout Arakoola was very well presented. It follows the familiar NSW branch line format popular in HO scale but this time double the scale size. There certainly is the impression of weight and power when you see these O scale trains in operation, at realistic speeds, on a nicely scenicked layout. The layout is 17 metres in length and operated by digital command contril (DCC).

A G scale layout, Shady Hollow, featured a logging and forestry scene. It was amazing how much detail could be accomplished in such a relatively small layout size for a G scale exhibit.

Barcoola from the Bayside Model Railway Club represents the junction of the Trans Australian Railway and the Central Australian Railway and featured Australian National locomotives and trains. The layout is long which allows for some very lengthy trains. The layout is operated by DCC.

On a much smaller layout was the compact but well detailed Broxburn Sidings. This OO scale (4mm) layout is a small shunting layout with a freelanced Australian theme (Quinton River). Interestingly, the locos and rollingstock use Alex Jackson couplers, popular among British model railway folk. Having come all the way from Queensland, Broxburn Sidings was a nice addition to the Sydney exhibition.

A new layout to the Sydney Exhibition was Mungo Scott's, based on the iconic flour mill on the Metropolitan Goods Line in Sydney. This layout was built over a fifteen month period by members of the Arncliffe Model Railway Society (formerly Sydney Model Railway Society).

Wallerawang from the Guildford Model Railway Group is a good solid exhibition layout. The station building and footbridge are standouts, but the rest of the layout is well modelled and presented as well. For more information, try http://www.gmrg.org.au/

Oddwalls is another NSW-based HO scale layout, having started the exhibition circuit earlier this year. I enjoyed looking at the layout when I first saw it, and I still enjoy the detail in the layout now. The layout also presents very well and is a good size for both setting up and for viewing.

The good-hearted chaps from the Illawarra Model Railway Association were there with their US-based layout Kelly River. Kelly River features an operating Bascule Bridge and gauntlet track. You can find more information about this layout at www.imra.org.au/kelly.html

Still one of my favourite exhibition layouts, and still going strong, was the HO scale layout, Dungog. Dungog is an actual town located about 80km north of Newcastle and is famous as the birthplace of NSW and Australian cricketer, Doug Walters. I must say I find myself looking on the layout for a chap or a kid with a cricket bat somewhere but have yet to see it. The layout uses photographs from the Dungog district which are very effective. At the left hand end of the layout (when viewed from the front) is Martin's Creek and the quarry, while at the opposite end is the butter factory. Dungog is very nicely composed layout with some great scenery, buildings, and bridges.

Another layout on show that I liked, but unfortunately the photos were not of sufficient quality to produce here, was the HO scale Tasmanian Railways Avoca. Having a layout based on Tasmanian Railways (the Fingal Valley) was something different to see and something to be encouraged for the future.

And for the kids, there was the popular Lego layout, Brickston Valley.

The exhibition was certainly well attended on the Saturday. I enjoyed my time there looking at layouts, checking out some of the commercial outlets, and chatting to various modellers throughout the day. I trust the exhibition organisers were happy with the three day show.

Malkara Exhibition 2011

I managed an hour each yesterday and today for a quick look around the Malkara Exhibition here in Canberra. The exhibition, organised by the ACT Model Railway Society,  is a major fundraiser for the Malkara School. The show includes a range of scale hobbies including model railways, model cars, plastic modelling, remote control boats, and dolls houses. I was naturally there to help a good cause and check out the the model railways.

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!