I arrived at St Andrews College just before 9am and headed into the layout/trade stand area to do a bit more photography, before the next session of clinics (session 5). I chose “Image manipulation” by Gavin Muir. Gavin has been involved with Stan Agar on the Skillwise NZR HO layout on Lyttelton and showed how to manipulate a series of photos (perspective, stitch, merge etc) so they can be printed and used for buildings. Talking later to Ron Willems (one of NZs best amateur photographers) he said that the buildings looked the best he has seen for background buildings, and would only need a bit of relief to make the good foreground buildings. Gavin did not go into detail about what was the best paper to use, but Stan advised me that they appeared to get the best results from standard photocopy paper.
At the morning tea break we had planned to photograph the “1982 six”, but Don Ellis had not arrived. A bit of background here: at the 1982 convention in Palmerston North, seven of us youngish guys (oldest would have been about 35) took a drive to the local model engineers as they operated on Sundays, but this was Easter Sunday and they were not operating, so we formed our own train and did a circuit of the track. Part way around I photographed the six others in this order: Ray Parmenter, Phillip Cooke, Wayne Morris, Don Ellis, John Robinson and Wayne Haste. Eighteen years later (or to be exact 6587 days) at the 2000 Christchurch convention was the first time all seven of us had been present at the same convention so we did another photograph, and now this year (28 years or 10219 days) we were all at the same convention again, so we had planned another photo. We finally did it during the lunch break after Don had arrived. All three photos were taken on Easter Sunday (1982, 2000, 2010).
At the morning tea break we had planned to photograph the “1982 six”, but Don Ellis had not arrived. A bit of background here: at the 1982 convention in Palmerston North, seven of us youngish guys (oldest would have been about 35) took a drive to the local model engineers as they operated on Sundays, but this was Easter Sunday and they were not operating, so we formed our own train and did a circuit of the track. Part way around I photographed the six others in this order: Ray Parmenter, Phillip Cooke, Wayne Morris, Don Ellis, John Robinson and Wayne Haste. Eighteen years later (or to be exact 6587 days) at the 2000 Christchurch convention was the first time all seven of us had been present at the same convention so we did another photograph, and now this year (28 years or 10219 days) we were all at the same convention again, so we had planned another photo. We finally did it during the lunch break after Don had arrived. All three photos were taken on Easter Sunday (1982, 2000, 2010).
1982 & 2010 pics
For clinic session 6 I went to Iain Rice’s last one, this time on getting good looking scale trackwork, especially turnouts/switches.
Lunch followed and then the second lot of layout tours. These were better organised and we had written directions this time, although some groups (tour 3) had today’s instructions printed on the reverse side of yesterday’s unused sheets (not printed/collated in time). I hope the previous info was crossed out or the punters told to ignore them! Our group this time was Wayne Morris, Ray Parmenter, Don Ellis and Stewart Clement (son of Don Clement!) from Lower Hutt.
Anyway our instructions this time only had one minor error, but we found the first layout at Spencer Sherlock’s by taking the 4th left instead of the instructed 2nd left.. Actually two layouts here, both British, the N scale “Wrexton” and his OO permanent layout.
Then just around the corner to another two layouts. Keith Spykerman’s Sn3½ Whitecliffs branch in a spare room (very nice scenery) and a British OO layout in the garage. I asked Keith, (a Dutchman) why he had modelled the British scene as he was from Holland. The response; “Dutch equipment is just too expensive”. Some nice scratch built buildings on both layouts. While Keith waits for the "correct" motive power to arrive at Whitecliffs (L class steam loco) he is using a De (borrowed from the North Island).
Then back south over the Waimak to Brooklands to Brian Allison’s UP garden layout. Phil Pohio was operating this, but there were two operating N scale display layouts in the very large garage. Interesting that we saw the same basic UP passenger train in HO scale at Chris Gunn’s and here in N scale, and a pretty good version (different locomotives) in G scale outside. Two GP38-2 had a double speaker system and this was a great sound. We did ask what the neighbours though as it was reasonably loud!
Last layout was in Parklands at Phil Cossar’s SP/WP layout. Phil is the son of the late Millar Coassar) who passed away in 1983. Millar was a member of the Christchurch Scratchbuilders. Phil advised that he liked SP, but decided to include WP after seeing pics of Altamont Pass with the tracks of both railroads. He also had a bit of Rio Grande and CB&Q equioment but said there was no connection. I then advised that the eastern end of the WP connected directly with the D&RGW, and that CB&Q and other BN units got onto WP trains via the Inside Gateway. He had never heard of this.
A simple overview of all the layouts seen over the both days:
Apart from the tinplate and Hornby Dublo collectors layouts, two or three were model railways and the rest were glorified train sets, but the owners were happy and in the hobby.
The ones I would class as model railroads were Keith Spykerman’s Whitecliffs branch, a simple short U shaped layout and the layout that Chris Gunn is building, although this would drop lower on the list due to modelling three different countries on the same layout.
I never got to see any of the other layouts on the other three tours, although I heard some good reports about an American layout being built in Aidenfield!
We returned to the convention centre and wandered away in our own directions. I hung around with a last look around the layouts/trade stands and had a good discussion with Ron Willems, both on photography and model railways. I then spent 30 minutes talking to Allan Guy and Roger Bacon about a variety of things, while we waited for 6pm and the venue closed and we headed off to the Showgate Lounge at Riccarton for the Banquet, and this was a pretty good event.
I sat at a table with Brendon Lean, Richard Poff (both GCMRC members), another four locals including Grant Hart and a couple from Papakura. Nelson Kennedy was the MC (of sorts) with short speeches by Doug Harrison, Russel Postelwaight and Ian Galbraith and the presentation of trophies. The food was excellent and the conversation great. Phillip Cooke introduced me to his lady friend (Pip) and I mentioned to Phillip that I thought I had first met him at a military modelling/wargamers meet at a hall in Adderley Park, most likely in early 1973. He said he did indeed go to a few meetings there. At one point I went to the car and grabbed the main Photo Album and a few recollected some of the earlier conventions.
I left when there were less than 20 attendees left and said goodbye to Kel, Russel, and others. I arrived home at midnight and my convention was over. Monday would be involved in assisting Alastair do some work (painting and repairs) to the house he and partner have just bought, so I would miss the Association AGM and closing speech.
Overall convention rating: 7/10. The problems: poor organisation on Layout Tours Day 1, food delays on Friday (not present on Saturday or Sunday), but having to return home each night and not to a motel to chew the fat is a definite downer.
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