RMCQ Model Train Show

Well the RMCQ orabised Model Train Show or more correctly titled - The 2010 Pine Rivers Model Train & Hobby Exhibition, has completed for the year.  It will be another 12 months before it is held again.  The quality of the layouts was good, the numbers through the door were good, there was great food put on by the canteen and their very efficient staff and I think we all (members, exhibitors and the public) had a great time.

This year, as usual, I sat on the door with our Treasurer - who was collecting the money.  I was handing out exhibition programs and the free Model Railways of Australia Magazine.  It was rally great to see the reaction from the kids when we handed them their magazine.  Their faces really did light up.  It was almost as good, to see one particular groups of adults come through the door.  We had an elderly gentlemen probably in his 80's on a rolling walking frame and his son come through the door eager to catch a look at the trains being exhibited.  When we heard elderly gentleman say he was here with his son, we had to make a scene out of it by saying to the 50/60 year old son, that we were giving away the magazine to all the kids and he qualified for his free magazine.  He father almost fell off the walking frame in laughter.  Well I guess you had to be there and everyone around the entry table also laughed quite loudly as well.

On my modelling front, I spent this week completing another 9 coil steel cradles and on Friday afternoon when I came home, I hit 14 of them with paint.  I took along a collection of coil steel cradles with a coil  of steel installed, and a number of coil steel containers, in both HO and N scale, as well as a number of tin sheds of various sizes.  I sold 10 cradles to one bloke alone.  Quite a profitable weekend, which more than paid for a few of the purchases I made. 

As usual on the Saturday night after the exhibition doors shut we headed back to our Clubrooms, about 1.5km from the hall, and put on a sausage sizzle with salad and had a few drinks for the exhibitiors and members who wished to attend.  It is also a time to show off the Clubrooms to Exhibitors.  We had quite a few first time exhibitors, including Wuiske Models and their great range of QR prototypes (http://www.wuiskepromotions.com.au/) and Modeller's Warehouse (http://www.modellers-warehouse.com.au/).  We also had John Guest and his wife from Horizon Hobbies attend along with a number of other exhibitors including the guys from the Northern Rivers (NSW) who were camping in the Clubrooms for the two nights.  Last Wednesday we had the slab poured on our 15m x 12m Clubroom extension.  By the beginning of September the frame should go up on the 12m x 12m HO annex, with a 3m verandah out the back (sounds like a song).  I think everyone was suitably impressed with the progress we are making with the Clubrooms.

While working on the door, I was also able to meet Sparksey4869 from Toowoomba (see his blog in the list to the right) who introduced himself to me.  Sparksey4869 does some great modelling.  He made the 2 hour trip down the range to visit the show.  I didn't see any of the Tuesday Nighters apart from PK at the show, PK is different as he is part of our club.  Maybe the Tuesday Nighters thought that travelling to the other side of the city across the river would cause some sort of issue - like growing horns.  They shouldn't worry, as you can now go under the river via the Clem7 Tunnel.

This picture above of the Rosevale layout by the 'S' Scale Modellers of Qld shows a great little scene.  The building is a model of the old Bald Hills Memorial Hall located on Gympie Road.  This was where we held the first 7 of our exhibitions.  The hall had been modernised slightly from the scene but that was where we first started all those years ago.  I also liked this scene as one of my 'S' scale picnic tables was off to the right.

The above photo shows the local publican arriving with his weekly supply of the local nector - XXXX long necks in 8 pallets on the back of his truck.  The pallets of beer were another idea of our members (PK and myself) with PK using photoshop to form the pallet of beer.  Also out the back of the pub is my 'S' scale industrial bin.

 

Above is a house from the Rosevale layout.  Underneath the house is the old fashioned concrete washing tubs that many Queenslander houses had.  Also note the stumps with ant caps on them.  Just a great little scene.