Mini Model Railway Exhibition

A typical glorious winter day in Perth ensured a large crowd attended the 2022 Mini Model Railway Exhibition at the WA Railway Museum on 5/06/22. Photo credit: Jan West.

A great day on Sunday 5th June at the Mini Model Railway exhibition at the Railway Museum in Bassendean! Glorious winter Perth weather ensured a big crowd and a marvelous time was had by all!

Here some photos from day courtesy of Jan West and Paul Webb.

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Locos Running on New HO Layout

Test loco running around the storage track layer of the new HO layout. President John Kinson (l) and Vice-President Keith Millward visible in the background.

Another significant milestone in construction of the new HO layout was achieved this evening with the successful running of a test loco all the way around the storage track layer of the new HO layout!

Construction of this layout is being done quite differently to club layouts in the past. Until now, track and point motor wiring was very much an afterthought — inevitably leading to problems with access and obstructions making the job much harder. This layout is being designed and built progressively with all electrical wiring and point motors being installed at the same time the track is laid. Theory is this should lead to a much more reliable result in the end!

The bottom layer of each helix is actually a run-around loop allowing a train to transfer from the ‘Up’ storage tracks to the ‘Down’ storage tracks — and vice-versa.

Main HO Layout Storage Tracks Complete

Storage tracks on the lower layer completed 23/04/2022

A significant milestone in construction of the new HO layout was achieved last weekend when the storage tracks were completed on the lower layer. Electrical wiring, including point motors and test running are all being completed as the layout is being constructed to avoid having to rework things once the top layer is in place (which will obviously be much harder!)

To see more photos and review progress to date, take a look at the Main HO Scale Layout page.

Full Size Action at the Club

NR86 heading in to UGL for servicing. 23/04/2022

The WAMRC really could not be located in a better position! Not only are our clubrooms in the heart of the Railway Museum, but we are also right alongside a live railway siding leading to UGL Limited’s Bassendean locomotive workshops. It is not uncommon to witness locos entering or leaving the workshops while at the club as these photos courtesy of Garry West show.

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Visit by Richard Davies of Hattons Model Railways in the UK

President John Kinson with Richard Davies of Hattons Models.

Saturday 16/04/2022 saw a surprise visitor to the club, Richard Davies Managing Director of Hattons Model Railways in the UK dropped in to see the club. He was in Perth visiting relatives.

He was very interested in our decision to demolish the HO layout and rebuild, as well as its affects on membership applications. He was also very interested in the full size steam locos on display in the Railway Museum, photographing the makers plates of several (all manufactured in the UK).

2022 Mini Model Railway Exhibition

Sadly the annual WA Model Railway Exhibition at Claremont Showgrounds over the June long weekend has been cancelled for the third year running (due to uncertainty surrounding public health restrictions), so Rail Heritage WA in conjunction with the WAMRC are taking the opportunity to hold a ‘Mini Model Railway Expo’ on Sunday 5th June.

This event was a big success last year and is sure to be even better this year!

You can now book tickets through: https://www.trybooking.com/BYQDI