Queensland Model Railway Show 2015

[katoftw]

I missed last years show.  But I had an excuse.  I was riding SLs and DMUs on the Hisatsu Line.

 

This is a nice show held in the old rail workshops.  It won't rival the JRMA show in Tokyo held on the same weekend. And it will be full of 60s/70s midwest locos and layouts.  I'll probably see over 100 F3As by the end of day one. haha

 

http://www.theworkshops.qm.qld.gov.au/Events+and+Exhibitions/Events/2015/10/Queensland+model+railway+show+2015#.VhItl-yqqko

 

It would be a safe bet to see Mr Westfalen lurking around there also.

 

Edited October 6, 2015 by katoftw

[beakaboy]

Shame I missed it. Went through the Railway workshops towards the end of August on our holiday. I was a little disappointed with the S scale Queensland railway exhibition layout. The scenery was well done , but locos pulling 3-4 wagons (really!) obviously a distinct lack of maintenance. I know it can be hard to get volunteers to do this work , or having  the skills. Not sure if a club is involved with the layout. The workshops were incredible and got the guided tour through maintenance/ restoration area. (25 staff and 25 volunteers work at the  museum)

[westfalen]

You can see me lurking in the video at 1:45, I'm the one standing on the left. I will certainly be there this year, I'm holding off leaving for my holidays in the UK until the day after the show.

 

The museum layout is a bit of a disapointment is some respects, it is run and maintained? by museum staff.  My club had our club rooms at the workshops when the museum was starting up and we were invited to several meetings to give input for the layout, but all of our ideas were ignored in favour of those who supposedly knew better, for example we suggested using easy to obtain mechanisms like Athearn for the locos but they went with custom made mechs that mostly ended up piles of spare parts to keep one or two good ones running after a few months.  Although we were willing to help with the construction a contract was given to a 'professional modeller' to build the layout.  The club ran the layout on opening day and most of the time was spent trouble shooting and trying to keep a minimum of tracks running.  The short circuit 'protection' was a 10! amp circuit breaker with results like, combined with incorrect wiring of the track, the point blades of turnouts actually melting in place, at one stage we smelled smoke and found a wire passing through a block of styrofoam scenery so hot that its insulation had melted away leaving bare blackened wire so while the politicians were making their opening speeches we were busy cutting wires to stop the layout going up in flames.  One of our members who worked at the workshops under QR joined the museum and took over the running and maintenance of the layout after he retired from QR and the layout was improving under his stewardship but two or three years ago one of the know it all but knows nothing museum managers thought he could do better and took over from him with the results you see today.

 

The whole museum is also bit of a disapointment in some respects because no exhibits have changed since it opened 12 years ago (they still haven't changed labels on exhibits that were pointed to them as incorrect in 2002) but most importantly apart from PB15 444 not one of the steam locos from the old museum at Redbank is on public display but gathering dust and pidgeon droppings out the back.  There is no incentive to make a return visit once you've seen it, their only big attendance days are during school holidays when they have Thomas themed events and the one weekend a year when Ipswich residents and railway employees are given free admission.

Edited October 6, 2015 by westfalen

[beakaboy]

You can see me lurking in the video at 1:45, I'm the one standing on the left. I will certainly be there this year, I'm holding off leaving for my holidays in the UK until the day after the show

 

Obviously wondering why there have been no derailments ! They usually occur when you are talking to a visitor. HaHa!

 

quote-(one of the know it all but knows nothing museum managers)

 

Never ceases to amaze me how these people get into running museums ,etc and are incompetent yet paid very good salary. Te Papa Museum in Wellington has had all sorts of strife with this scenario and getting in debt because of bad decisions made by management. At least they rotate displays regularly and plenty of animated or inter-active exhibits