Category Archives: Club Activities

Railfest 2011

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RAIL HERITAGE WA

presents

Railfest 2011

at the
Railway Museum

Where? — 136 Railway Parade, Bassendean
When? — Sunday 16th October 2011, 10.00 am to 5.00 pm

  • Official book launch at 11 am – great new WA railway book. Special discount price until 5 pm. Most photos never seen before – get yours signed by author!
  • Modern locomotive courtesy QR National
  • Swap meet stalls, model trains for sale
  • Guided tours – in and behind the museum
  • Kids’ activities table, spider hunt!
  • Model railway club – with behind-the-scenes access
  • Vintage bus, old engines and machines working
  • Sausage sizzle, snack, drinks, etc
  • Morse code demonstrations – send your personal telegram
  • Pre-read books, magazines, timetables, etc

Plus all our normal historical displays, trains, and the model railway club

Tell your friends !

Bring your family – keep the kids happy !

The Railway Museum, 136 Railway Parade, Bassendean WA 6054

www.railheritagewa.org.au

Railfest 2011 Flyer (rev 3)

Life membership for George Sumner

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The AGM was held a couple of weeks ago and there is little to report — apart from the fact that George Sumner was unanimously voted to life membership of the club in recognition of his 27 years of uninterrupted dedication and service to the club.

Unfortunately George was unable to make it to the AGM as he wasn’t too well, so we had to wait a couple of weeks to surprise him. The photo above shows President Tony Gray (right) presenting George with a certificate. A life membership section staff is also being prepared and will be given to George once it is ready.

Image: George Sumner (left) holding his Life Membership certificate

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N Scale progress

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The N Scale boys had another good evening last Wednesday putting together one of the larger end pieces of the new layout and then attaching legs and bolting the modules together.

Still haven’t got around to doing the last minutes or sending out the notice of next general meeting — must get on to that!

March General Meeting postponed one week

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The Secretary (Ross) will be away with work on the 16th March, so rather than press-ganging someone else into taking the minutes, the committee intends to delay the next regular general meeting by a week to Wednesday 23rd March (still at 8pm in the clubrooms). Formal notice of the meeting will go out this coming Wednesday (2nd March) as normal.

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We received a nice note from our travelling President a few days ago. Sounds like his trip is going well:

Hi, Yes we are still alive! Mind you we just about got fried alive going across the Nullarbor; 43°C for about 5 days in a row. Philip island was nice and cool. In Portland, Victoria at the moment with some bad weather on its way tonight; 30 to 40mm rain forecast. At this stage we will be home on the 7th March, a week before my rostered day on. Say hi to the other members for me.

Thanks Mark & Beryl

Half their luck — after 14 nights of minimums greater than 20°C, I could do with a bit of ‘bad weather’ about now…

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Finally, the N‑Scale boys finally got cracking last Wednesday night and knocked up four wooden frames in a little over an hour (see picture above) — each one measuring 2.4 x 1 metre. And that was in spite of all the *ahem* ‘helpful advice and encouragement’ *cough* from the rest of the assembled peanut gallery club members. 🙂

Latest Updates

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We had a good turn out at the club on Wednesday night. Nobody came down the week before because of Australia Day so I think everyone was keen to come back. Even Peter Tullis turned up — back from his travels around the world over the past couple of months, although it might take him a few days to recover fully! Its good to see some activity down the club again following the traditionally slow Christmas period.

The N‑Scale crew finally finished dismantling the old ‘Redwintul Park West’ layout — and Weepee Junction — and stacked the old modules neatly in a corner so that construction of the new N‑Scale layout can commence in earnest; the HO boys appear to have finally got the wiring for the new DCC boosters sorted out so you don’t get intermittent shorts when driving from section to section on the HO layout; and the daylighters are in the process of cleaning out the outdoor pond following the discovery that the refilling mechanism had failed.

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The February 2011 AMRA Branchline is available here: AMRA Branchline Feb 2011

Image: Quarry/mine on the old N‑Scale layout as it looked at the last RailFest.

RailFest 2010

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RailFest is on again!

Sunday 31st October 2010, 10am ‑5pm, FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY. Tours of the Museum, activities for kids, sausage sizzle and much more.

This is a fun filled day for rail enthusiasts, the community and families. Explore grand steam and diesel locomotives, wander around the Exhibition Hall. Visit the Model Railway. Get a taste of the history of Railways in Western Australia collected and restored by passionate volunteers since 1959. Plenty of fun for the kids and so much more!

Image: NR103 — one of several guest locos at RailFest 2004

Rail Enthusiasts’ Day

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Rail Heritage WA is holding a “Rail Enthusiasts’ Day” at the Rail Transport Museum on Sunday 2nd May: 11am-5pm

Activities on the day will include:

  • Book launch — Bill Gray’s revised, fully detailed, guide to all our locomotives, carriages and exhibits – now in full colour. Special first-day price!
  • Selected stalls catering to enthusiasts
  • Behind the scenes tours — see restoration area and talk to restorers**
  • Tours through an XA diesel locomotive (bring own ear-muffs!)**
  • Special displays of Western Australian prototype models – multiple scales and gauges – with help and information desk
  • Behind-the-scenes tours of WA Model Railway Club system
  • Used book and magazines sale
  • The bookshop newly stocked
  • Sales on commission (rail artefacts, special books, etc.) – contact email hidden; JavaScript is required for details
  • Sausage sizzle, cool drinks, tea, coffee and snacks available

** For insurance and safety regulatory reasons, participants in these tours must wear hats and closed shoes and be over 12 years of age. We also recommend you dress appropriately for an area where objects may be rusty and/or oily.

The Railway Museum, 136 Railway Parade Bassendean WA 6054

http://www.railheritagewa.org.au/

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Also available is the April newsletter from Rail Heritage: Acrobat logoNewsletter 2010 04

Notice of November Meeting

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converted valentine tank

The November general meeting will be held in two weeks time: Wed. 18th November, 8pm in the clubrooms. Minutes from the September general meeting are now available on the members’ page.

Also, the club Christmas party will be held on Saturday 5th December. A running afternoon is planned (from about 2pm) followed by the usual BBQ from 5pm (BYO meat and drinks, everything else supplied). Friends and family are welcome too!

Image: Ex-WWII Valentine tank converted into a bulldozer in the 1950’s for use at the Ragged Hills Lead Mine (300km east of Port Hedland), preserved in the Don Rhodes Mining and Transport Museum, Port Hedland, May 2009