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.

HO or N — Hard to Choose

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The WAMRC models in both HO & N scale (and G too — but it is not relevant here), and we get a few visitors and prospective members asking what are the relative advantages. Some of us even have a foot in both camps — hard to choose which one to concentrate on.

It looks like this guy (David Smith) couldn’t decide either. He has ended up building a working N scale model of an HO layout. Yep — that’s right — around 1:12,000 scale or so he reckons! He has an excellent web site describing in detail how he did, plus a link to a YouTube video showing it actually running. Check out the White River and Northern Model Railroad Clinic page to find out more. 🙂

May Minutes now available

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The minutes for the May General Meeting are now available on the Members’ Area (send me an e‑mail if you have forgotten the user-name/password to get access). Don’t forget — the next General Meeting is on Wednesday 17th September (i.e. in two days).

Also now available is the updated Members’ Handbook (no password required).

Image: WAMRC member Cliff Dacey pilotting an AN loco at Forrestfield, January 2003 — Tony Parker

Notice of 2008 AGM

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Rusting rails at Donnelly River mill.

The 2008 Annual General Meeting will be held in two weeks at the clubrooms on Wednesday 16th July 2008, from 8pm. All members should have received formal notice of the meeting (or it is in the post). Minutes from the last AGM are available on the members page. (Send me an e‑mail if you have forgotten the user-name/password needed to access the members page.)

This year we have two nominees for the position of President, so there will be a secret ballot held at the meeting. If you are unable to attend the meeting in person, but would still like to vote, please let me know as soon as possible so I can send you a postal ballot form.

Also note that the public layout roster for August 08 — January 09 is now also available on the members page (thanks Peter!). The membership register has also been updated.

Image: Rusting rails at Donnelly River mill, July 2007

Railfest 2008 — Sunday October 12th

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ARG’s 3107 (ex-L258)

The date for RailFest 2008 has been announced — Sunday 12th October. Mark it in your diaries. The image above was taken at RailFest 2004 and shows ARG’s loco number 3107 (ex-L258) — one of a number of locos visiting the museum on that day for RailFest. More pictures from past RailFests can be found in the gallery.

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In sad news, our condolences are passed on to long time past member Ray Cooper on the death of his wife Margaret after an extended illness.

Image: ARG’s 3107 (ex-L258) with another Alco at RailFest 2004 (Brian Seaton)

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).