Category Archives: AMRA

AMRA Model Rail

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Mt Newman loco 5451

AMRA has kindly sent us an invite to their annual ‘Model Rail’ open day. This year there will not be any modelling competitions as they have decided that aspect is to become a biennial event (i.e. held every two years).

On exhibit this year will be a couple of new layouts, plus others that are now operational that have been in construction for some time. There will also be a sausage sizzle, other displays and workshops.

Make a note in your diary for Sunday 8th November and get along to their clubrooms to join in the fun (24 Moojebing St. Bayswater, opposite the end of Paddington St.).

Image: Mt Newman loco 5451  in the Don Rhodes Mining and Transport Museum, Port Hedland, May 2009

AMRA October Branchline

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Spencer Street Signal Gantry

The October issue of AMRA’s Branchline newsletter is now available here: October Branchline

Image: Impressive (and rather ugly) signal gantry on the southern approach to Southern Cross Station (formerly Spencer Street Station) in Melbourne. This is on the Flinders Street viaduct near the intersection of Flinders and Spencer Street and the picture was taken from the entrance car park of the Grand Hotel — formerly the head offices of the Victorian Railways.

Hard Work — Soft Light

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3km bridge at Hotham Valley Railway following heavy rains at the end of May.

The Railway Museum will be exhibiting selected photographic prints by WA photographer Kevin Scott taken for the new book 48 months, 48 minutes — building the Perth to Mandurah railway. The exhibition will be on display Sunday afternoons from 29th June 2008 for a limited time only. This book, and others about the new line, is on sale at the museum. [Hard Work — Soft Light Photographic Exhibition Flyer]

The official opening of the photographic exhibition will be on Sunday 29th June at 3pm. Kevin Scott will be at the museum to open the exhibition and speak about this project — get your copy of the book signed by the photographer!

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AMRA have started sending the Branchline newsletter electronically to us, instead of by post, so I’ll upload them to this website from now on rather than printing them out: AMRA Branchline — June 2008. One advantage of getting it electronically is that all the pictures are in colour!

This edition contains the wrap up from the Model Railway Show as well as an interesting snippet about sound equipped DCC locos. The issue of excessive noise levels in the club rooms as a result of the constant throbbing of sound equipped diesel locos, or the chuffing of steamers, has come up on a couple of occasions in our club. AMRA have obviously had the same issue as their committee has decided that sound equipped locos may only be run (with the sound on) in their clubrooms for a 10 minute period following each hour (i.e. from ‘o’clock’ to ‘ten past’, one sixth of the time).

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Remember the devastating bushfires around Dwellingup at the beginning of 2007? Thousands of hectares of bush were burnt out, and the Hotham Valley Tourist Railway was severely affected as every one of their timber trestle bridges was destroyed — as well as many drainage culverts and thousands of wooden sleepers. Restoration and rebuilding of the railway is proceeding well, and I was delighted to discover progress is being documented and photographed on-line on the news pages on their web site.

A link to the Hotham Valley Tourist Railway has been added to the links page.

Image: The rebuilt 3km bridge on the Hotham Valley Tourist Railway after heavy rains at the beginning of June 2008 (from the HVTR web site).