Incredible (secret) collection

Slawman

Slawman

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I have been a keen G gauge hobbyists for around 17 years now and am blown away to recently discover details of an amazing Australian collection. I had never heard about this collection and thought it was worth a posting for any who may be interested:


http://www.collections.qm.qld.gov.au/search.do?highlight=66&view=label&page=1&db=object

I understand the Queensland museum is still cataloging the collection and adds to the list regularly.
 
I feel I want to write something but there aren't enough superlatives to do the collection justice.

On the other hand it's like an art collection hidden away.

SW
 
I am very pleased it has passed to a museum.

I hope they get the layout restored so we can see the collection running every now and then.

What I found amazing was the scope of the collection and the fact that this was effectively a secret. I would be happy with any one of those brass locos in my collection and here there are literally hundreds......

Just a point of note on an issue which is near to my recent endeavours, I am curious to see that optical sensors have been used for the detection systems. More reliable? I imagine a head on between two 15k (maybe one off) brass models is something that must be avoided at all costs......
 
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40 minutes for a circuit,now that`s a railroad,glad it`s gone to a great new home.
 
Unfortunately, if you have a large amount of anything of value, you have to be quite circumspect in advertising its' presence..

Some ways a little sad, but hopefully he got a great deal of pleasure from his collection..
A bit of a niche item, so I just hope it survives in some form..
 
I agree about niche. I can fully appreciate that this might be impressive or desirable to many.

It leaves me cold when you have 10 of an item. To me an art collection is many different items, not 20 of the same painting.

I also have this thing about using what I have, and clearly this is really not for running but looking.

To each his own.

Greg
 
I must confess, I am always puzzled when someone is not as excited by model trains as I am.

As you can imagine and as experience has taught me, I am puzzled quite often!
 
It's actually been known about for a while - I think I first heard of it in 2015 or so. That's despite the fact that in the mid 2000s when I lived on the South Coast I was on more than just nodding acquaintance with a couple of the people who I later learned had been involved in building it. They were asked to keep it private and they did.

While I don't really approve of collecting equipment which is not run, to each his own I guess - and there's always the question, in the small market which is Australian O or 1 scale in particular, how much he contributed to the availability of some products for others.

What I'm not sure of is what exactly went where, and whether or in what fashion the layouts still exist. Neither the University of Wollongong nor he Queensland Rail Workshops Museum websites give much information.
 
spoz said:
What I'm not sure of is what exactly went where, and whether or in what fashion the layouts still exist. Neither the University of Wollongong nor he Queensland Rail Workshops Museum websites give much information.
Click to expand...

The link in my original post will take you to the Qld. museum site. They are cataloging each piece and what they have to this point is listed in detail.

The curator thinks it will take him 40 years at his current pace to catalog everything o_O

I wonder what bits went to the uni and what they will do with them?

It is interesting that there was no donation to the NSW heritage museum at Thirlmere. This was where Mr Mick apparently developed his passion for trains (and incidentally where I developed mine).
 
Slawman said:
I am very pleased it has passed to a museum.

I hope they get the layout restored so we can see the collection running every now and then.

What I found amazing was the scope of the collection and the fact that this was effectively a secret. I would be happy with any one of those brass locos in my collection and here there are literally hundreds......

Just a point of note on an issue which is near to my recent endeavours, I am curious to see that optical sensors have been used for the detection systems. More reliable? I imagine a head on between two 15k (maybe one off) brass models is something that must be avoided at all costs......
Click to expand...

I spoke to a guide at the museum at Christmas time and he told me that it is going take about 5-10 years just to catalogue all the components and that is with 3 people working on it and they will never be able to display all of it.

Thread diversion
If you get a chance to visit the museum it is well worth the time and entry fee.
If took the tour of the various shed then that was gold especially riding the traverser that was originally used to move carriages between the various shops (carriage,wheel etc).
Queensland Rail (a partner in the museum) still employ blacksmiths and apprentices at the site. They make and repair QR fettler's picks and hammers using a coal fired forge and a stem drop hammer that dates from the 1800s.
SWMBOs father worked at the workshops till the mid 1950s when he retired due to illness, she can still remember parts of it and one thing that sticks in her mind is the rush of pushbike riders at knock off time.
Their collection of locos is fantastic especially the Beyer Garrett.
I have pictures if anybody is interested.

Now back your regularly scheduled thread.
 
GAP said:
SWMBOs father worked at the workshops till the mid 1950s when he retired due to illness, she can still remember parts of it and one thing that sticks in her mind is the rush of pushbike riders at knock off time.
Their collection of locos is fantastic especially the Beyer Garrett.
I have pictures if anybody is interested.
Click to expand...

Always interested in pics!
 
That collection would make quite an ebay listing :-)
The layout is something else, so well laid and landscaped, and the pointwork is exquisite.
 
Nice. Do you know if it is operational?

I am curious about the Garratt model in the video and the commentary that suggested that Australian models in the collection were from Reynaulds?

If they made a G scale Garratt I would buy one straight up!
 
Slawman said:
Nice. Do you know if it is operational?

I am curious about the Garratt model in the video and the commentary that suggested that Australian models in the collection were from Reynaulds?

If they made a G scale Garratt I would buy one straight up!
Click to expand...

Don't think it is operational, the only one I know of that is operational is the one at Canberra.
 
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