Category Archives: Club Activities

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

RailFest 2009

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Railfest poster

This year’s annual RailFest at the museum is only a few weeks away. We’ll be doing our usual thing on the day (same as a normal Sunday) only with more G‑Scale trains running outside — plus the opportunity to have an escorted viewing of our N‑Scale layout ‘behind the barricade’ for a gold coin donation. RailFest is always a great day, so come along and be part of the fun!

Members: As discussed at the meeting last week, we are having a formal busy-bee on the morning of Saturday 3rd October (i.e. 8 days before RailFest) to get the place neat and tidy. BBQ lunch will be provided by the club and the afternoon has been set aside for a chance for us all to get together and run some trains. Please come down to the club and be involved!

WAMRC Christmas BBQ

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As discussed and decided at the November general meeting, the annual WAMRC Christmas BBQ will be proceeding this year as it has for the past several.

Saturday 20th December 2008, 5pm onwards. BYO meat & drinks — the club will supply the BBQ (and gas), bread, salads and condiments. And of course bring some money so you can buy an ice-cream for afterwards!

Image: Harry & George hard at work on the BBQ, Christmas 2004

RailFest this weekend

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It was full steam ahead last night down at the club trying to get ready for RailFest this Sunday. With the N‑Scalers only just back from the Albany Hobby Expo, and the Arid Australia boys still making their way back from Sydney, we are not as prepared as we normally are.

All members are requested to come along on Sunday for as long as they can — not just the one or two hours you have put your name down for on the public layout roster. It appears likely we could be short of people!

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The picture above is from the N‑Scale layout whilst on display at Albany. It shows the brilliant effect that can be achieved by using “Glass Coat” 2‑part epoxy resin for simulating water. The picture is of a cow drinking from the river (complete with reflection) viewed under the bridge on the new terminus station module constructed specially for this exhibition. On the rails above, a German beer train is being shunted by a steam engine.

I’ll post some more pictures from the exhibition soon.

Calling for Nominations for Committee

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It’s that time of year again — less than four weeks until the AGM. So that means we need nominations for committee positions. Download the Committee Nomination Form 2008, complete it and get it back to the Secretary by Wednesday 25th June 2008.

The membership list on the members page has been updated with our recent new members, so be sure to grab a copy and update your records. The club now has over 40 members — first time for a while!

Also in news, the Albany Model Railway Association are holding the Albany Hobby Expo again this year over the middle weekend of the October school holidays. The N‑Scale boys at the club are keen to exhibit and are planning to take down Weepy Junction — with a new station module and hidden fiddle yard. The image above is of a test track plan — using a plastic lid as a turntable substitute!

Image: Weepy Junction new station module — embyonic form

At the Club… BHP bubbles

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BHP Iron Ore new \

Spotted at the club was this model of BHP Iron Ore’s new “bubble” livery. I remember when the new BHP Billiton company logo was unveiled, a TV comedian commented that it looked like a “Teletubby had too much Fanta and threw up”. I think this new livery captures the essence of that very nicely!

DZ125IN N-Scale decoder

Garry W. brought in a DZ125IN DCC decoder from Digitrax. This is a 1 Amp basic decoder which he was able to buy (in bulk) from the US for A$25 (including freight) to his door. It is ridiculously small and is shown here next to a 5 cent piece for comparison.

Peter O. working on scenery Rowan B. wandering around the clubrooms carrying a big stick.

Also spotted were Peter O. doing some more scenery work on the first finger (green shirt, green jacket, green paint, hmmm — I see a trend here), and for some inexplicable reason Rowan B. was wandering around the club rooms carrying a big stick. Notice the resilience of youth — it was a cold evening (everyone was wearing jeans and jackets), yet here Rowan is wearing shorts and a T‑shirt.

Unfortunately that was all I saw as I then got stuck in a committee meeting for an hour and three quarters (yes — I timed it) ahead of the general meeting next week. By the time that had finished everyone had gone home!

At the Club — a noisy evening!

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Geoff L\'s new sound equipped loco

Geoff L. was proudly showing off his new sound equipped DCC HO steamer at the club.

BHP Iron Ore double header

Rowan B. was amusing himself by driving this BHP Iron Ore double header around the layout — both locos DCC sound equipped and roaring away.

Garry W\'s N-Scale Amtrak loco - with sound

Garry W. was playing with his N‑Scale Amtrak DCC diesel loco — also (you guessed it) sound equipped!

With the number of sound equipped locos we are regularly getting down at the club on Wednesday evenings now, you can hardly hear yourself think! 🙂

Public layout consists G Scale consists

Also spotted, Paul H. has taken photographs of all the public layout and G‑Scale recommended consists (click on the thumbnails above for bigger versions). These are in a folder on the rear of the public layout and will be a valuable reference for those on duty.