The Australian Museum of Motion Pictures and Television (AMMPT) is organising a screening of the classic silent train film “The General” starring Buster Keaton at the Cygnet Theatre in Como on Monday 21st August. See the attached flyer for more information: DAVID BAILEY 2017 — THE GENERAL
We’ve finally gotten around to creating a Facebook group for members (and friends) of the club to socialise online. You can find the new group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wamrc/
One of the first posts on that page is the latest plans for the upper level of the public layout. Head there to check it out and let us know what you think!
PHOTO: A Bockholt model of a JA Maffei Munchen 96 class freight locomotive. (ABC News: Alyssa Betts)
A secret collection of model trains that needed its own house in southern New South Wales and came with a staff bound by confidentiality agreements is being documented at the Workshops Rail Museum, west of Brisbane. Read the full story on ABC News.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016–12-28/model-train-collection-worth-‘millions’-donated-to/8151582
Wishing all members and friends of the WAMRC a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year!
The new public layout roster volunteering form is now on the whiteboard at the club. Please make sure you drop in to the club before mid-January and put your name down for your preferred dates. I’ve also added a second sheet where you can specify specific dates (or ranges of dates) where you know you will not be available.
New member Pete Wright brought along his latest acquisition on Wednesday night to demonstrate to other members: an Accutrack II Speedometer from Sprog DCC. It’s quite a neat little self contained unit, battery powered and self supporting with a perspex ‘tunnel’ for the train to run through.
It supports multiple scales [US‑N (1:160), UK‑N (1:148), US-HO (1:87.1) and UK-OO (1:76.2)] and the speed display can be in miles-per-hour or kilometers-per-hour. The tunnel is quite wide and tall — big enough for double N‑gauge track, or a single HO line with double stack containers.
Speed sensing is done using infra-red sensors — an LED and diode at each end of the unit pick up the train as it traverses the tunnel by breaking the reflected beam off the white card on the far side of the tunnel. Some quick testing showed a little variation in repeated passes of a light loco through the tunnel at a constant speed — but this may have been due to variations in the speed of the loco itself.
Thanks Pete!
Be sure to watch Matt & Kim to the Rescue at 7pm on Channel 9 this coming Sunday night! The WAMRC and Railway Museum feature in this episode of the locally produced TV show where a family with 2 sons with special needs enjoy time away from their home while it gets a full makeover.
Special thanks to WAMRC members Roger Winfield and Don Finlayson for manning the model railway at short notice a few weeks ago when this episode was filmed.
The AGM was held last night and was well attended by the membership.
The President’s report highlighted just how much has been achieved by the club over the past year — and the Treasurer’s report highlighted just how much it has cost us! 🙂
The committee ballot was short-circuited by Tony Gray withdrawing his nomination during the meeting and all members of the new committee were elected unopposed. This is the first time in many, many years that Tony has not been on the committee in one form or another!
Finally, Paul Webb was awarded the honour of ‘Clubman of the Year’ in recognition of his efforts with the new public layout and getting the junior affiliate program up and running.
Visitors to the club will notice the N‑Scale layout is becoming taller than it is deep!
Garry has always had a vision for the layout of being very mountainous and now we are starting to see just how mountainous he means.
Garry building the N‑scale mountain — watched by Tony and Graham
The mountain is made of very light construction so it can be easily removed if required.
The mountain base.
With the mountain top in place.
In other recent club activities, Keith is busy laying a road on the Thomas layer of the new public layout.
Reserve the date: Sunday 9th October 2016
Sadly, long time WAMRC member Ian Rourke passed away just before Christmas last year after a long battle with illness. Fellow WAMRC member Norm Chapple presented a moving eulogy at his funeral, and with the permission of Ian’s family and Norm we have been allowed to reproduce it on Ian’s memorial page.