The 49th Sydney Model Railway Exhibition will be held this coming October long weekend at the Whitlam Leisure Centre, Memorial Avenue, Liverpool. The exhibition is organised by the Australian Model Railway Association (AMRA). Information about the exhibition is available from the AMRA website.
The exhibition opening times are as follows:
Saturday 1st October 9am-5pm
Sunday 2nd October 9am-5pm
Monday 3rd October 9am-4pm
The exhibition will feature in excess of 80 stands including layouts, traders, and rail heritage organisations. Check out the exhibition floor plan to see who will be where at the exhibition over the weekend.
I will be coming up to the exhibition on Saturday. I hope to see some of you there.
Thursday, 29 September 2011
Tuesday, 27 September 2011
Modelling the Railways of South Australia Convention report
I am finally getting around to reporting on the Modelling the Railways of South Australia Convention held in Adelaide a couple of weeks ago.
The Convention was up to the usual high standard. This year I thought the presentations were all exceptionally interesting. The presentations covered the following:
The R and Rx class of locomotives of the SAR
Motor body transport by rail in South Australia
The Penfield Branch Line
Working Mile End Yard in the 1970s
Bringing your own sound to the layout
Shared VR & SAR wagon design
Rob Burford's "Pirie" layout, emotionally described by Rodney Barrington
For those who don't know, Rob Burford died in October last year. His layout as described by Rodney certainly was the highlight of an exceptionally interesting day out.
While the prototype featured strongly this year, I find this information very fascinating; especially to someone like me more familiar with the railways of New South Wales and Victoria. There is always plenty to think about during the presentations on prototype practice.
The Convention notes were again superbly produced. The notes form the backbone (and much of the skeleton) of my knowledge about the South Australian and Commonwealth Railways.
The Convention also hosted a number of commercial outlets, including End of the Line Hobbies, Orient Express, OzRail Model Trains and Powerline. And speaking of Powerline, I have two Powerline 830 class mustard pot SAR locos for sale at $120 each if anyone is intersted. They are both in original boxes with original couplers. Test run only.
The model display area again showcased some superb modelling.
The first photo is an HO scale model railway station based on Mt Lofty near Adelaide. The model was made by Nick and Peter Michalak using a combination of materials including card, balsa, and styrene.
The next photo shows an ALX car carrier built from a Strath Hobbies kit (HO scale) by Paul Collins.
The third photo shows a beautiful model of a cement hopper built by Matthew Collins from a Strath Hobbies kit (HO scale). I really liked the look of this particular model.
Finally, I again enjoyed catching up with friends and fellow modellers at the Convention. It was a great day, especially as part of a few days away to also enjoy the Barossa Valley and Clare Valley as well. Thoroughly recommended all round!
The Convention was up to the usual high standard. This year I thought the presentations were all exceptionally interesting. The presentations covered the following:
The R and Rx class of locomotives of the SAR
Motor body transport by rail in South Australia
The Penfield Branch Line
Working Mile End Yard in the 1970s
Bringing your own sound to the layout
Shared VR & SAR wagon design
Rob Burford's "Pirie" layout, emotionally described by Rodney Barrington
For those who don't know, Rob Burford died in October last year. His layout as described by Rodney certainly was the highlight of an exceptionally interesting day out.
While the prototype featured strongly this year, I find this information very fascinating; especially to someone like me more familiar with the railways of New South Wales and Victoria. There is always plenty to think about during the presentations on prototype practice.
The Convention notes were again superbly produced. The notes form the backbone (and much of the skeleton) of my knowledge about the South Australian and Commonwealth Railways.
The Convention also hosted a number of commercial outlets, including End of the Line Hobbies, Orient Express, OzRail Model Trains and Powerline. And speaking of Powerline, I have two Powerline 830 class mustard pot SAR locos for sale at $120 each if anyone is intersted. They are both in original boxes with original couplers. Test run only.
The model display area again showcased some superb modelling.
The first photo is an HO scale model railway station based on Mt Lofty near Adelaide. The model was made by Nick and Peter Michalak using a combination of materials including card, balsa, and styrene.
The next photo shows an ALX car carrier built from a Strath Hobbies kit (HO scale) by Paul Collins.
The third photo shows a beautiful model of a cement hopper built by Matthew Collins from a Strath Hobbies kit (HO scale). I really liked the look of this particular model.
Finally, I again enjoyed catching up with friends and fellow modellers at the Convention. It was a great day, especially as part of a few days away to also enjoy the Barossa Valley and Clare Valley as well. Thoroughly recommended all round!
Thursday, 8 September 2011
Modelling the Railways of South Australia Convention 2011
I am busily packing late this evening for my trip to Adelaide. I fly out tomorrow morning. I will be attending the Modelling the Railways of South Australia Convention on Saturday. The Convention is on again at the Flinders Medical Centre; as it has been for the last few years now.
The Convention always has a good selection of model and prototype topics. The Convention notes are superb and form the backbone of my modelling information on the South Australian Railways and Commonwealth Railways.
I also hope to find some time to visit the National Railway Museum at Port Adelaide on Sunday. I love the industry and history around Port Adelaide so I must remember to take my camera!
I look forward to catching up with friends and modellers from South Australia at the Convention on Saturday. See you there!
The Convention always has a good selection of model and prototype topics. The Convention notes are superb and form the backbone of my modelling information on the South Australian Railways and Commonwealth Railways.
I also hope to find some time to visit the National Railway Museum at Port Adelaide on Sunday. I love the industry and history around Port Adelaide so I must remember to take my camera!
I look forward to catching up with friends and modellers from South Australia at the Convention on Saturday. See you there!
Thursday, 25 August 2011
Model Railroader Sept 2011
There is a great N scale layout by Dan Lewis on his Milwaukee Road/North Montana line. The original layout had been a shelf layout. Dan was able to increase the size of the layout into a much bigger room (18' x 24') - about the size of a double garage in Australia. The article gave me cause to reflect that building a layout can start small before taking opportunities later on to expand the size of the model railroad territory. It's not bad advice as I scribble away with track plans for a master layout that hasn't actually progressed very far!
However, there were a couple of surprises.
The first was that executive editor of Model Railroader, Andy Sperandeo, was retiring after a career with Kalmbach Publishing spanning 32 years. Fortunately, Andy will still be writing the monthly "The Operators" column where he discusses prototype railway operation.
The second surprise was a short article from Pelle Soeborg from Denmark who has cut up his superb Daneville and Donner River HO scale layout. The layout was featured in a Kalmbach book, Mountain to desert: building the HO scale Daneville & Donner River, published in 2006. Pelle has been a regular contributor to Model Railroader over recent years and will be writing in the future about his new layout. I look forward to that. The short article in this latest issue of Model Railroader gives several tips on how to cut away and keep structures from a layout that is being dismantled. The article is supported by an interview with Pelle and some photos of his new layout on the registered users section of the Model Railroader website.
Lastly, while not a surprise since the news had been announced a couple of months ago, Model Railroader is releasing a DVD set of the first 75 years of Model Railroader magazine (1934-79). Whilst I do prefer reading the printed copy, my bookshelves are overflowing with Model Railroader magazines back to 1993 and they are simply taking up too much room!
Saturday, 20 August 2011
Caulfield Model Railway Exhibition 2011
Good morning.
This weekend sees the Caulfield Model Railway Exhibition on in Melbourne. Unfortunately, I cannot attend this year.
The exhibition promises to be a good one, especially with a number of commercial exhibitors showcasing some of their forthcoming models as well as a surprise or two!
Auscision have a new model for release at the exhibition - just waiting on a friend to get back to me with what the model actually is (VR U vans with advertisements on the sides). Auscision will also be selling SCT containers. SDS and On Track Models are expected to have samples of forthcoming models - oil tankers I believe in the case of SDS, and the new Victorian VSX / VLEX wagons from On Track. Casula Hobbies and Trainorama will also have a selection of models on display and for sale. AJRM should be on sale at the exhibition; with Branchline Models and Gwydir Valley restocking tomorrow when Stephen makes a delivery.
I will miss not being there but I hope that the exhibition is a good one for all concerned.
This weekend sees the Caulfield Model Railway Exhibition on in Melbourne. Unfortunately, I cannot attend this year.
The exhibition promises to be a good one, especially with a number of commercial exhibitors showcasing some of their forthcoming models as well as a surprise or two!
Auscision have a new model for release at the exhibition - just waiting on a friend to get back to me with what the model actually is (VR U vans with advertisements on the sides). Auscision will also be selling SCT containers. SDS and On Track Models are expected to have samples of forthcoming models - oil tankers I believe in the case of SDS, and the new Victorian VSX / VLEX wagons from On Track. Casula Hobbies and Trainorama will also have a selection of models on display and for sale. AJRM should be on sale at the exhibition; with Branchline Models and Gwydir Valley restocking tomorrow when Stephen makes a delivery.
I will miss not being there but I hope that the exhibition is a good one for all concerned.
Sunday, 7 August 2011
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!
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!
Sunday, 24 July 2011
MRNSW yesterday
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.
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.
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