Steve’s Summary
G’day Modellers!
Having just returned home from a fantastic week away at the NMRA Australian region convention held at Rosehill in Sydney, my head has been spinning with new ideas for both my own layout and the upcoming N scale Convention in Wangaratta. With quite a few N scale modellers present, there was a lot of interest in the Wangaratta event, and I found myself being asked a similar set of questions on several occasions. These may well be similar to ones you may be asking as you think about attending, so I thought it might be worthwhile listing the questions and my responses below.
1. I model US/British/Canadian railways? It’s titled an Australian N scale Convention. Will there be anything relevant to me to make it worthwhile attending?
A better title for the convention should probably be ‘N scale modelling in Australia’, as it’s true that The ‘Australian N scale Convention’ can be misconstrued as being for those modelling Australian prototypes, which is definitely not the case. Whilst some clinics will have a definite “Australian” feel, the majority of our clinics, layouts, and activities will appeal to everyone irrespective of the country and location they model. I can’t emphasise this enough.
Whether you model long US unit trains, an early 20th century pre-grouping British layout, a European or Japanese metropolis, or an iconic Australian landscape, this is a convention for you!
2. Why are you holding the convention in Wangaratta?
The convention committee shortlisted several metropolitan and regional locations and then considered factors such as cost, availability, facility quality and support provided, accessibility to transport and a variety of accommodation options etc. From this, Wangaratta quickly emerged as the front runner. The local support from the council, its events services and the quality of the venue were outstanding.
Only minutes off the Hume Highway, it offered a shorter trip for those travelling from Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane, rather than going all the way to Melbourne, yet was still an easy drive from Victoria’s capital. Additionally those travelling from South Australia and Western Australia could travel through the Riverland. Wangaratta also was easily accessible by rail and air.
Wangaratta is a large regional centre with a good range of accommodation options for all budgets, with the Quality Hotel Wangaratta Gateway offering an excellent venue for the Convention dinner. Being a major tourist centre, Wangaratta also offers a great variety of activities for visitors, thus creating the option of attendees and their families creating a holiday trip around the event.
A final consideration was that the region has had its share of challenges, including the impact of Covid on local businesses and the floods of early 2023. It was felt that holding the convention here was a good way of supporting the community, and that has been reciprocated in the level of support that has been offered to us.
3. Was there a reason to time the event outside school holidays and at that time of year?
The yearly calendar for many of us fills up pretty quickly, not just with model railway events, but with social and cultural festivals as well. For many families, one or members attending a modelling convention in school holidays can be seen as an undesirable competitor to family time. We reviewed the 2024 calendar and chose a date that avoided as many other events as possible. Weather in Wangaratta at that time of year is still moderate and hopefully will be kind to the convention!
4. What sort of clinics will there be?
In each time slot throughout the weekend, we are attempting to provide a novice, intermediate, and expert topic. Regardless of your experience in the hobby, there will be a range of sessions pitched at your level. In surveying a number of people, we will have clinics covering some of the growing areas in model railroading, including operations, signalling, modular construction, electronics etc, whilst not neglecting ever popular topics such as scenery construction and weathering. Come with an openness to learn and contribute, and you are sure to have a rewarding experience.
5. Are there going to be modelling competitions?
Absolutely! Specific modelling categories have been agreed to and the next newsletter will contain all the details, so get all your modelling gear ready! Overall, there will also be a People’s Choice award.
6. Will there be a partners program?
With assistance from Wangaratta tourist staff, 4 self-drive day tours are being prepared for partners and/or families to undertake. Each will have a different focus; e.g. wineries, history, rail trail riding, places of interest, and will include suggested lunch stops, etc. Also, one or two conducted mini bus tour options are being explored. Detailed information will be contained in forthcoming newsletters.
7. As layout visits are popular, will there be layout visits?
For a regional area and for an event only over a weekend, layout tours are proving problematical. Taking the lead from the Rosehill experience, we are planning to address this in two ways. At the convention proper there will be a number of exhibition layouts on display, including several new club layouts and a US switching layout specifically built for the convention.
For those travelling by road to the convention, we are attempting to arrange for a number of home layouts that can be visited along or near the major routes to and from Wangaratta on the Thursday/Friday and Monday. Further information about these visits will be available in the New Year so you can plan your travel accordingly.
Convention Chair
Steve Price
