I drove up to Sydney from Canberra early yesterday morning with a friend to attend the 28th Modelling the Railways of NSW Convention at Loftus.
I went to my five allocated topics:
DCC and sound
How does a steam locomotive work
Traversers
NSW concrete stations
Timetable operation for model railways
I won't give a description for each presentation because much of the information is available from the notes and in a forthcoming DVD of the presentations (the content, rather than video of the actual presentations). Information about the notes and DVD can be found from the MRNSW website when it is next updated. However, from a form available on the day, the notes should be available for $10 and the DVD for $15. I can say that the notes are a lot more informative than they used to be a few years ago.
My general summation of the day was positive. I listened to the presentations with interest and for the most part I was rewarded with useful and informative information. For me, I really came to the convention to hear about DCC, timetable operations, and the traversers. The othere two presentations were also of interest, and I heard from friends on the day that Ray Love and Craig Mackey's presentation on oil-burning locomotives was terrific.
I enjoyed Ray Pilgrim's talk on DCC and sound. I also enjoyed some superb photos and video from his payout, Bylong. Why the current version of the layout hasn't been featured in AMRM is a mystery to me - it's a superb layout and one that I follow regularly on Ray's Bylong website (which you can find in my blog roll). Ray has a preference for Soundtraxx Tsunami decoders and takes great care in trying to match the sound files with the appropriate NSW locomotives. Moreover, the sound is made even more appropriate by the care in which the CV files are set for train speed, acceleration through notch 1 to notch 8, and for braking and momentum control. These features are made easier by the use of a software system called Decoder Pro from JMRI.
The presentation on traversers was also very interesting; albeit Phil Collin's horizontal traverser was very similar to the one I made for my previous layout, Winmar. Phil's traverser was improved though with the use of additional drawer rollers in the intermediate sections of his 8-track fiddle yard. Phil also had fabricated a plexiglass cover to help protect the trains from dust, something I would recommend. The other half of the presentation was from Alan Garbutt on vertical traversers. Alan was inspired by an article in the October 1979 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman where a modeller had made a traverser that ran up and down a wall to store and deliver particular trains to the main line and the layout. Having seen this in operation at Alan's home a couple of years ago on a NMRA monthly meeting, I can vouch for its effectiveness. The bottom line for both the horizontal and vertical traverser is the space saving, and also the cost saving in not having to buy points and point motors for ladder tracks.
Finally, and it was the last presentation for me on the day, was the one about timetable operation from Gary Hughes and Jim Crew. Unfortunately, there was a technical problem that prevented the visual display of the presentation through the projector, but it was nevertheless informative with just the spoken notes. The talk was based on Gary's home layout, the Hartley Railway. Gary gave advice on setting appropriate objectives, layout requirements, personnel, and operating techniques. Similar advice, albeit from US prototype modellers, comes from the US model railroad press (e.g Allen McClelland, Andy Sperandeo, Tony Koester, and others), as well as from the DVD on model train operation from Paul Scoles.
In Australia, Kev Loughhead's Moping Branch has been a local inspiration for model railway operation (Moping Branch is featured in the July 2011 issue of AMRM) as well as Ray Pilgrim's Bylong.
Gary's presentation stressed the need to take the lead from the prototype to work through the elements of timetable operation on the model railway. In this regard, NSW Working Timetables are very useful. Jim Crew gave us information on the use of fast clocks as used on Gary's layout. One nice feature of the custom-built clocks was an option to "rewind" time when unexpected things happened that severely delay operations. If only the prototype railways had this option!
There were a number of commercial outlets at the convention, including Anton's, Bergs, Casula Hobbies, Eureka, Kerroby, Model Railroad Crafstman, Pallas, and SCR Publications. It was good to see some of the outlets selling the latest issue (No.11) of the Australian Journal of Railway Modelling (AJRM).
Ian Black showed how he converted Lima steel-sided passenger cars into authentic looking Southern Aurora cars. Having a table demonstration like Ian's was a nice feature that showcases skills and ideas throughout a day already packed with scheduled formal presentations.
The other feature of the day was the layout on show - Waterfall - from the good-natured chaps from the Illawarra. I really liked being able to get up close to this layout and really spend time looking at the terrific scenic details on this layout. It was also good to have time to chat, something that's not always possible in the hustle and bustle of exhibitions.
While the day for me started around 4.45am and didn't finish until I got home around 10pm, it was nevertheless a great day. There was plenty of informative presentations and some good opportunities to chat with other modellers in the breaks. All in all, it was a great day out.
Showing posts with label Moping Branch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Moping Branch. Show all posts
Sunday, 24 July 2011
Wednesday, 29 September 2010
Adelaide layouts and NRM photos 2010
As I indicated in my previous post, I have a few photos to show from my trip to Adelaide for the Modelling the Railways of South Australia Convention.
The first two sets of photos show the two home layouts I managed to visit after the Convention. Both of these layouts featured (along with The Moping Branch layout) in the book "Recollections" by Kevin Kavanagh released last year at the Convention. The book gives a good insight into a handful of layouts owned and operated by like-minded individuals who have been part of the ABLO (Adelaide Branch Line Operators) group during the past forty years or so. The two layouts featured below still use a card operating system based on the ABLO method. The ABLO card system was featured in an article in the January 1977 issue of the Australian Model Railway Magazine (AMRM).
The first three photos shows the layout of Kev Kavanagh (not The Moping Branch Kev) that I was privileged to visit on the day after the Convention. The layout is the Huntingdale & Grange Railway. This layout was featured in the December 1997 issue of AMRM.
The next four photos shows the layout of Hugh Williams. This layout was moved in total from its former home in Belair to its new owner and new location - quite a move given the size of the layout and the complexity of the track plan. The layout runs around itself in three loops and each level is visible behind each other. As I said in the previous post, I did not find the visible layers distracting at all while I was operating my train. A description of the layout and a line diagram of the track plan are in the book "Recollections".
Finally, I have included a couple of photos from the National Railway Museum at Port Adelaide. The photos show, in order, a portrait of the front end of the SAR 930 class diesel; a shot of the Commonwealth Railways Budd car (that one is for Bob Stack), and the third photo is of a trio of LCL containers sitting in an open wagon (that's for Bob Gallagher).
I have already pencilled in some time away next year for the Convention plus a couple of extra days for "sightseeing". Keep a lookout for the 2011 dates that will be advised on the Modelling the Railways of South Australia Convention website.
The first two sets of photos show the two home layouts I managed to visit after the Convention. Both of these layouts featured (along with The Moping Branch layout) in the book "Recollections" by Kevin Kavanagh released last year at the Convention. The book gives a good insight into a handful of layouts owned and operated by like-minded individuals who have been part of the ABLO (Adelaide Branch Line Operators) group during the past forty years or so. The two layouts featured below still use a card operating system based on the ABLO method. The ABLO card system was featured in an article in the January 1977 issue of the Australian Model Railway Magazine (AMRM).
The first three photos shows the layout of Kev Kavanagh (not The Moping Branch Kev) that I was privileged to visit on the day after the Convention. The layout is the Huntingdale & Grange Railway. This layout was featured in the December 1997 issue of AMRM.
The next four photos shows the layout of Hugh Williams. This layout was moved in total from its former home in Belair to its new owner and new location - quite a move given the size of the layout and the complexity of the track plan. The layout runs around itself in three loops and each level is visible behind each other. As I said in the previous post, I did not find the visible layers distracting at all while I was operating my train. A description of the layout and a line diagram of the track plan are in the book "Recollections".
Finally, I have included a couple of photos from the National Railway Museum at Port Adelaide. The photos show, in order, a portrait of the front end of the SAR 930 class diesel; a shot of the Commonwealth Railways Budd car (that one is for Bob Stack), and the third photo is of a trio of LCL containers sitting in an open wagon (that's for Bob Gallagher).
I have already pencilled in some time away next year for the Convention plus a couple of extra days for "sightseeing". Keep a lookout for the 2011 dates that will be advised on the Modelling the Railways of South Australia Convention website.
Wednesday, 22 September 2010
SAR Convention 2010 Report
Sorry for the delay in reporting back on the Modelling the Railways of South Australia Convention held a couple of weekends ago in Adelaide.
The 2010 Convention was really great this year. We had some first class presentations, including a wonderful photo presentation and explanation of the famous Moping Branch layout. The Moping Branch layout was featured in a couple of AMRM articles well over 20 years ago. A DVD of the layout was also on sale for $20 and I was one of the lucky ones to buy a copy before they sold out on the day!
The other featured presentations included:
The 2010 Convention was the 15th and I have been going every year since 1998, missing only one Convention in that time. Once again, the annual Convention notes were a high quality product. I now have four thick volumes of truly exceptional historical articles and photographs dealing with both the South Australian Railways (SAR) and Commonwealth Railways (CR).
On the Sunday, the day after the Convention, I went to the National Rail Museum (formerly known as the Port Dock Railway Museum) at Port Adelaide. The Museum had a sale of railway memorabilia and train magazines in the morning. I bought a Working Timetable from the early 1970s.
Mid-morning saw me off to Kev Kavanagh's home to see his beautiful Huntingdale model railway. The layout is a two level point-to-point layout based on the SAR. When I download the photos from my camera I will put a couple up on the blog.
The afternoon saw me back at the National Railway Museum. I had a good look around, taking a few photos along the way. Bob Gallagher (former Managing Editor of AMRM) had asked me to track down and photograph a wooden LCL container at the Museum. Thankfully, I found it OK inside an SAR bogie open wagon with a couple of of the traditional steel LCL containers for company.
I took a couple of days leave this trip and on Monday (13th September) I drove up to Crystal Brook hoping to see plenty of train action. At Crystal Brook, some shunting was taking place at the grain silos; unfortunately using tractor power rather than loco power. As it turned out, the weather turned overcast so I didn't stay too long. I did see a Perth-Melbourne intermodal speed through Crystal Brook with a couple of QR locos on the front - a 6000 class and a LDP. I ended up getting a photo of the train at Snowtown. I returned to Adelaide via Clare before the weather really let loose with strong winds and a torrential downpour of rain.
That night I had been invited to an operating session of the Belair layout at the home of Hugh Williams. This layout was a multi-ringed layout featuring SAR and Victorian Railways (VR) prototypes. There were about seven operators on the layout, albeit I had a personal coach with me to help me run my timetabled set of trains (thanks, Steve). Photos to come shortly....
The two home layouts I visited, as was the Moping Branch, were multi-level and multi-track but without the double-deck configuration I mostly see in US model railroad magazines. All three layouts used a card operating system based on the system developed by the ABLO group from the 1960's-1970s. The three layouts looped at least twice and the multi-levels remained visible, even though each level was independent of each other in terms of the fictional geography of the layout. In that sense, they were similar in style to Bob Stack's South Coast Rail.
I didn't find the visible multi-levels at all distracting as I concentrated on running my individual trains around the layouts. I am now seriously looking at this option for my home layout since it gives the extra running length without taking up too much space and/or relying on space-hugging helixes to elevate tracks to the higher level.
All in all, I had a great time in Adelaide. Thank you one and all.
The 2010 Convention was really great this year. We had some first class presentations, including a wonderful photo presentation and explanation of the famous Moping Branch layout. The Moping Branch layout was featured in a couple of AMRM articles well over 20 years ago. A DVD of the layout was also on sale for $20 and I was one of the lucky ones to buy a copy before they sold out on the day!
The other featured presentations included:
- the 720 class steam locomotive
- the Wilmington line
- the Indian Pacific cars
- SAR models I've built by the mercurial Frank Kelly
- stepdown platforms
- building resin structure kits
The 2010 Convention was the 15th and I have been going every year since 1998, missing only one Convention in that time. Once again, the annual Convention notes were a high quality product. I now have four thick volumes of truly exceptional historical articles and photographs dealing with both the South Australian Railways (SAR) and Commonwealth Railways (CR).
On the Sunday, the day after the Convention, I went to the National Rail Museum (formerly known as the Port Dock Railway Museum) at Port Adelaide. The Museum had a sale of railway memorabilia and train magazines in the morning. I bought a Working Timetable from the early 1970s.
Mid-morning saw me off to Kev Kavanagh's home to see his beautiful Huntingdale model railway. The layout is a two level point-to-point layout based on the SAR. When I download the photos from my camera I will put a couple up on the blog.
The afternoon saw me back at the National Railway Museum. I had a good look around, taking a few photos along the way. Bob Gallagher (former Managing Editor of AMRM) had asked me to track down and photograph a wooden LCL container at the Museum. Thankfully, I found it OK inside an SAR bogie open wagon with a couple of of the traditional steel LCL containers for company.
I took a couple of days leave this trip and on Monday (13th September) I drove up to Crystal Brook hoping to see plenty of train action. At Crystal Brook, some shunting was taking place at the grain silos; unfortunately using tractor power rather than loco power. As it turned out, the weather turned overcast so I didn't stay too long. I did see a Perth-Melbourne intermodal speed through Crystal Brook with a couple of QR locos on the front - a 6000 class and a LDP. I ended up getting a photo of the train at Snowtown. I returned to Adelaide via Clare before the weather really let loose with strong winds and a torrential downpour of rain.
That night I had been invited to an operating session of the Belair layout at the home of Hugh Williams. This layout was a multi-ringed layout featuring SAR and Victorian Railways (VR) prototypes. There were about seven operators on the layout, albeit I had a personal coach with me to help me run my timetabled set of trains (thanks, Steve). Photos to come shortly....
The two home layouts I visited, as was the Moping Branch, were multi-level and multi-track but without the double-deck configuration I mostly see in US model railroad magazines. All three layouts used a card operating system based on the system developed by the ABLO group from the 1960's-1970s. The three layouts looped at least twice and the multi-levels remained visible, even though each level was independent of each other in terms of the fictional geography of the layout. In that sense, they were similar in style to Bob Stack's South Coast Rail.
I didn't find the visible multi-levels at all distracting as I concentrated on running my individual trains around the layouts. I am now seriously looking at this option for my home layout since it gives the extra running length without taking up too much space and/or relying on space-hugging helixes to elevate tracks to the higher level.
All in all, I had a great time in Adelaide. Thank you one and all.
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