All about NSW
Well maybe thats an alternate title to the 'Modelling the Railways of New South Wales' gathering that I went to at Loftus today.
Trying to do my best for the environment I picked up an local attendee not long after the chooks had stopped crowing. A little bit further on and more carbon points saved I picked up another precious cargo, one of the presenters Mr Bob Taaffe (Mr Signals). He was to give three lectures so it seems there were a few interested in signalling. It was a case of delivering one Taaffe to another TAFE. A bit over an hour or so later we arrived at the Loftus TAFE. I was asked some time ago whether I could do some sort of scenery display and eventually agreed when I worked out I could take a lift out section of scenery of the layout, so that any time worked on it would end up for the good of the layout. Unfortunately the organiser who talked me into doing it was a no show. Did he get the call? to work??. But I was greeted by his work buddy and taken to my spot for the day.
Around 9.0am (my normal raise head time for a Saturday) we were given the rundown for the day and around 9.30am the first round of talks was underway.
I was in a room with some commercial stands such as Casula Hobbies, Bergs Hobbies, Uneek, Kerroby and the AMRM stand. It would have been a bit daggy if I only took the slice of scenery so I got a board and glued on a few samples of the scenery bits that all come eventually together. Chuck in a laptop with a scenery powerpoint presentation I had made some time ago, a few folders with SCR photos and off we went.
I did not go to any of the lectures but stood by the stand in case any one had any questions like 'How did you do that?' Scenery work is just one facet of the hobby. Some people are just not interested in it, possibly because they can't do it. Some are just content to collect trains and run them around plywood central. Each to their own.
To me scenery work is the aspect I enjoy doing. Not being a DCC man, wiring must be done but it has been. It made the day seem worthwhile when you get some modellers drop off and have more than a thirty second conversation. I spent some time talking to Allan and his son David and also Wayne.
I decided to go up to the canteen with Bob T for some sustinence. I had a cup of chino and some toasted blueberry bread with melted butter. (So yum went back for more later).
Well the day went quickly, I made a few purchases at Uneek and promised to put them into my box of rainy day items at home. So I can't tell you how the lectures went. And as we all notice at exhibitions the ratio of people with grey hair (and none) to those with any other hair colour and no wrinkles seems to be getting bigger.
I'd like to give a personal thanks to the guys who spent their valuable modelling time throughout the year to put on this event for our pleasure. I suppose its all part of life, there are always people who will volunteer and help others out and those who just go along with the flow and expect others to do it all. Around 1630 it was time to pack up and head for the road. An hour and a bit later after dropping of the two passengers I was safely in the driveway at home.
The bit of SCR is till in the back of the car waiting to be rejoined with the rest of the scenery down at Bodalla.
Thats a job for tomorrow.