Brisbane Model Railway Exhibition

This weekend was spent at the Brisbane Model Railway Exhibition, at the RNA showgrounds in Brisbane.  What a great weekend.  On Saturday Geoff helped me on the Structure Building Stand.  While today Jim Hutchinson was my partner.  Geoff was making trees and was mesmerising the public with what he was producing.  They are truly masterpieces.  You’ve got to see his layout close up with these trees on it.  It is a work of art.  Today Jim Hutchinson was showing off his architectural masterpieces.  Again the public was once again astounded by the quality of the modelling work being presented.

I started the weekend making some water stand pipes for my layout.  I was asked by Phil Overton from the layout next to me to make a clothesline for him, which I did happily.  While I was making two (it is never any good only making one model at a time), quite a few people from nearby stands came along and suggested that they would also enjoy a clothesline or two and that then turned into 9 more that miniature models being requested.  Yesterday I finished the day by making an O scale model.  I was all washed out by the end of Saturday.

Today PK, advised he wanted some N scale models for the N scale exhibition layout which was on the other side of me at the show.  Hmmm!  I was non committal, as I needed to ensure that I could get the clothesline to rotate and I also wanted to ensure I had the correct sized styrene available.  Well, I did not tell him, but I started making two N scale model clotheslines.  That turned into three, but the third was an absolute PITA.  everything seemed to go wrong with it.  Eventually it was completed and it too worked.

So I called PK over and advised him that he had to install it. A suitable house on the front of the N scale layout was selected and the clothes line installed.  Job done!  It just needs to be painted.

I did go onto to complete another N scale and HO scale clothesline before I stopped working on that line of business.  But not before another member of the public came along and wanted to take another one off my hands.

I then turned my attention to completing the 4 water stand pipes that I started the day before.  Before I left for the Exhibition this morning, I went down to the shed to pick up a few plastic sprews I had laying around, with nice round ends.  These were used to help complete the water pipes.  The nice 90 degree ends were cut off and glued to my pipe work, as they were the exact size I needed, and formed a nice curve which I could not get the styrene rod or tube to form.  The resultant water stand pipes ended up looking quite good.  At least I was impressed.  But the number completed multiplied to 6.  So six would allow me to install some in Glenapp Loop, Rappville Loop, and Fairy Hill Loop.  I think I would also need some for Kyogle, Border Loop and some more in Cassino, especially the loco area.  That is even before I consider the Murwillumbah branch.  Just when I thought I was also finished building water stand pipes.  Later this arvo I added the water inlet value and pipe work to the water stand pipes.  I think this was the piece de resistance.  

So today I made my way around the exhibition and made a purchase of 12mm track, some styrene and a couple of Uneek kits.  I also took home a bucket full of Matt's ballast.  I also picked by a 3 pack of 12mm tautliners courtesy of my sometimes morning bus driver John who was rationalising.  I spent plenty!  The track will allow me to complete Clapham Yard (narrow gauge section), and install the last narrow gauge siding in Acacia Ridge Yard.  It looks like that the last thing I need to do is pick up about a half dozen more 12mm points to be used to facilitate run-arounds in some long sidings in Acacia Ridge Yard and Fisherman Islands Yard.  That should complete the total track work on the layout.  It is likely that this still could be up to 12 months away from occurring - but could also occur in November at the upcoming Modelling the Railways of Queensland Convention at which I am presenting a session at.  So if it is November, that will be 13 years of track laying.  The new 12mm wagons, have caused me to just doubled my 12mm fleet of rollingstock.  If I continue to add to the 12mm side, in about 3 or 4 years time, I might be in a position to hold, a dedicated 12mm operating session, as part of my timetable.

Speaking of conventions, this Thursday sees two car loads of people from Brisbane heading off on a big road trip to Loftus for this coming weekend's Modelling the Railways of NSW convention.  I happen to be also presenting a session at this convention as well, along with Dave Lowe the other driver.  I just hope at least one person shows up to my session.  I also hope that if it is only one person attending - I hope it is not PK!  I couldn't put up with him being that person!  Hehe - couldn't resist.

It also appears that Marcus has arranged some great visits to a few model railway layouts on the Friday and Sunday for the guys from north of the border - from Brisbane and the flyboys from Toowoomba.  What a great guy.  I hope I can still put a blog post together next Sunday!