2013 NZ Garden Railway Convention

[JRinTawa]

Over the weekend of 26th & 27th January 2013 the Auckland G Scale Society Inc hosted the annual NZ Garden Railway Convention. In typical Kiwi fashion our Conventions are a pretty informal affairs and as much about just being there and enjoying catching up with old, and new mates. And Auckland 2013 was not different. A throughly enjoyable event and well worth the effort attending.
While the following photos record the event through my eyes, they are also posted as a way to record my thanks to the organisers. And may some other attendees will post their photos too.
The Convention started with three clinics on Saturday morning, making molds and resins casting, bonsai pruning techniques and suitable timbers for model making (presented by Paul Woods of Woods Works ( http://www.woodsworks.co.nz/ < Link To www.woodsworks.co.nz ) On Sunday Paul also gave a clinic on using Rapid Prototyping for making masters of model parts.

The first pictures are some of my favourites before a more detailed coverage of each railway: -

Hugh Keal's "Little Woodside Railway" (1)

Derek Cooper's Railway (1) Derek's Roundhouse Russell

Michael Hilliar's Railway (1) Visiting Bachmann K27

 

[JRinTawa]

Before and after layout tours the Auckland G Scale Society had their display railway set up for "testing".

Battery powered Class 66 on the display railway.

Bruce Cropper is attending to his Stainz as Michael Hilliar's 7/8th scale Hunslet rest in the loop and a Hartland Mack passes by on the outer line.

Michael Hilliar's scratch built 7/8th's Hunslet

 

[JRinTawa]

Okay, lets go on a Saturday's layout tour!
Ken MacDiarmid's Railway - 1 Heavy duty LGB power!

Ken MacDiarmid's Railway - 2

Ken MacDiarmid's Railway - 3

Ken MacDiarmid's Railway - 4

 

[JRinTawa]

Ken MacDiarmid's Railway - 5 The line to the left, under the light heads into the basement.

Ken MacDiarmid Railway - 6 Open heart surgery as a Spreewald is part way through being "chipped"

Ken MacDiarmid Railway - 7 Track circuit panel. Ken's railway is DCC power and Ken can operate it using an iPad app!

Ken MacDiarmid Railway - 8 Looking out from the basement, note the hand built pointwork and air operated point actuators (controlled from the iPad).

 

[JRinTawa]

Hugh Keal's Little Woodside Railway - 2

Hugh Keal's Little Woodside Railway - 3 Hugh uses Lenz DCC track power.

Hugh Keal's Little Woodside Railway - 4

Hugh Keal's Little Woodside Railway - 5 Some of the assemble Conventioners.

 

[JRinTawa]

Hugh Keal's Little Woodside Railway - 6 People in the foreground are hand made by Hugh.

Hugh Keal's Little Woodside Railway - 7

Hugh Keal's Little Woodside Railway - 8 Temporary bridge

Hugh Keal's Little Woodside Railway - 9 "Take time to smell the flowers"; and watch the trains!

 

[JRinTawa]

Hugh Keal's Little Woodside Railway - 10 And enjoy the trains we did

Hugh Keal's Little Woodside Railway - 11

Hugh Keal's Little Woodside Railway - 12

 

[annieshalt]

hi john, and thanks for posting. some lovely and scenic railways there, but for me your's takes some beating.

 

[JRinTawa]

With my growing interest in live steam at the next layout (and afternoon tea) I was like a kid in a candy store. So I didn't get to photograph "everything", I was to busy, umm, playing

Derek Cooper's Railway - 2
Steam up time! Derek is the cool dude resting against the garage, hand in pockets very generously letting others drive his beautiful live steamers.

Derek Cooper's Railway - 3 Derek's Accucraft Lyn (which I latter got to drive )

Derek Cooper's Railway - 4 Derek's Regner Willie with added scratch built roof.

 

[JRinTawa]

hi john, and thanks for posting. some lovely and scenic railways there, but for me your's takes some beating.

Thanks (blush), only 88 photos to post, still some good ones to come!

Derek Cooper's Railway - 5
John Reinecke Roundhouse Fowler suitable altered to South African outline hauling his SA narrow gauge stock

Derek Cooper's Railway - 6
John Reinecke's SA Fowler and SA narrow gauge train.

Derek Cooper's Railway - 7
Close up off John Reinecke's SA Fowler, he's done a great job on customising the kitset loco. Later in the afternoon, back at the venue, John gave a talk on assembling the Roundhouse Fowler kitset and the changes he made.

Derek Cooper's Railway - 8
John Reinecke's SA Fowler and SA narrow gauge train on the long climb to to top terminus station

 

[JRinTawa]

Derek Cooper's Railway - 9
Action in the main yard and steam up area

Derek Cooper's Railway - 10
Close up of Derek's Accucraft Lyn cab. Lovely loco, runs beautiful. I got to drive her too

Derek Cooper's Railway - 11
Derek's RH Russell

Derek Cooper's Railway - 12
Derek's RH Russell and train of Accucraft L&B/SR stock

 

[JRinTawa]

Derek Cooper's Railway - 13
Conventioneers enjoying the sun and steam.

Derek Cooper's Railway - 14
More Accucraft L&B/SR stock

Derek Cooper's Railway - 15
And beautiful carriage stock.

Derek Cooper's Railway - 16
Derek's RH Russell.

 

[JRinTawa]

Sunday morning and we start at Murray Lee's "Donmurken Railway" - 1

Murray Lee's "Donmurken Railway" - 2
The railway fills a private patio off the lounge, must be a perfect place after dinner - no need for a TV!

Murray Lee's "Donmurken Railway" - 3
Sarahville Station. Names on the railway all have family connections.

Murray Lee's "Donmurken Railway" - 4
The railway is a husband and wife affair, specially when the good Mrs Lee's train is running!

 

[JRinTawa]

Murray Lee's "Donmurken Railway" - 5
Buildings are all scratch built.

Murray Lee's "Donmurken Railway" - 6

Murray Lee's "Donmurken Railway" - 7

Murray Lee's "Donmurken Railway" - 8
Like any self respecting NZ town there is a war memorial in respect for The Fallen

 

[JRinTawa]

Murray Lee's "Donmurken Railway" - 9

Murray Lee's "Donmurken Railway" - 10
Murray's railway is very new, planting just settling in and some building still under construction.

Murray Lee's "Donmurken Railway" - 11

 

[JRinTawa]

Murray Lee's "Donmurken Railway" - 12

Murray Lee's "Donmurken Railway" - 13

Murray Lee's "Donmurken Railway" - 14
How's this for a table railway; VW Combie railcars!

 

[JRinTawa]

Henrik Dorbeck's (GSC member Trainman) Railway - 1 (Shame I didn't realise I had some dust spots on the lense :timeout: )

Henrik Dorbeck's Railway - 2
Henrick railway uses Lenz DCC control via cordless phones (don't ring Henrik when he's running trains )

Henrik Dorbeck's Railway - 3
Henrik runs a mix of German metre guage stock and L&B (usual not at the same time).

Henrik Dorbeck's Railway - 4
Track is all elevated, on the older sections it has be absorbed into the shrubbery.

 

[JRinTawa]

Henrik Dorbeck's Railway - 5

Henrik Dorbeck's Railway - 6

Henrik Dorbeck's Railway - 7

Henrik Dorbeck's Railway - 8

 

[JRinTawa]

Henrik Dorbeck's Railway - 9
The railway passes through a storage shed. Much of the rolling stock on this train has been built for Henrik by Wayne Haste (GSC new member "Porsche").

Henrik Dorbeck's Railway - 10

Henrik Dorbeck's Railway - 11

Henrik Dorbeck's Railway - 12
The L&B/SR loco and stock is from Accucraft.

Henrik Dorbeck's Railway - 13
A nice touch on the new sections of the railway is there is an edge on the "baseboard" allowing the track to have loose ballast laid.

 

[JRinTawa]

Halfway though Sunday layout tour...two layouts to go (if your still here!)
Michael Hilliar's Railway - 2
Henrik Dorbeck's Bachmann K27 visiting the railway seen passing the mine bins

Michael Hilliar's Railway - 3
Michael demonstrating the removal section on his impressive trestle bridge (almost a viaduct!).

Michael Hilliar's Railway - 4 Micheal reports "the K27 just gets around my railway with mm to spare on the truss bridge and tunnel portals"

Michael Hilliar's Railway - 5