The WMRC's open house will be held on Saturday, March 15 and Sunday, March16 at Westworth United Church, 1750 Grosvenor Avenue. Times are from 11:00AM to 4:00 PM on Saturday, and from 1:00PM to 5:00 PM on Sunday. Admission is by donation. A portion of the proceeds from the show will go to support St.Amant.
Showing posts with label NMRA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NMRA. Show all posts
Monday, 27 April 2015
The legacy of Stafford Swain
One of the most remarkable members of our club has been Stafford Swain (MMR), whose legendary layout has graced the pages of dozens of model railroading magazines. But WMRC Vice president Dave Downie has discovered something else that he did that has been mostly forgotten by the model railroad community, but which all Canadian model railroaders should be made aware of. We all owe a great debt to Stafford Swain for his selfless efforts to reduce the costs of model railroading in Canada.
More From The WMRC Archives � Stafford Swain
By Dave Downie
Once more I've had a chance to dive into the WMRC's archives and this time I wish to report on a significant contribution to the hobby of model railroading by a WMRC member. We all know that Stafford Swain is a Master Model Railroader (#98), past Chairman of the 1983 NMRA National convention and former President of the WMRC but here is something you may not know.
Stafford has had a huge impact on bringing down the cost of model railroading to all Canadians by working to eliminate the Federal Duty levied on imported model railroad supplies. Until Stafford won his argument with the Customs Canada, there was a 20% duty levied on all imported model railroad supplies. Think for a moment how much you have spent on the hobby over the last 30 years and then add 20% to the total. Imagine the thousands of model railroaders across Canada who, like yourself, have benefited from Stafford's work.
Reading from a May 1, 1978 brief that Stafford prepared for the Tariff Board of Canada found in our archives:
The current duty of 20% is really a tax on the spending of Canadian Hobbyists
His brief included a 3 page letter outlining the scope of the hobby, the number of participants and its manufacturers as well as an overview of the global market (1978). He also included 9 exhibits showing how the 20% duty affected the retail price charged by the local hobby shop. His argument was quite simple, import duties are used to protect domestic manufacturers but in 1978, there really was no Canadian model railroad manufacturer of any size that was in need of protection.
Obviously, there was a lot of discussion and more work performed behind closed doors but eventually Stafford prevailed and the 20% duty was dropped thereby saving all Canadian Model Railroaders a lot of money.
Thank you Stafford.
Saturday, 11 April 2015
The Winnipeg Model Railroad Club celebrates 60 years with a birthday bash
Suzanne Lemon, Morgan Turney, Frances South and James South all take turns posing with "Duffy" the WMRC's mascot from the 1983 NMRA Railway Jamboree Convention. Duffy has been residing in a fire engine at the Winnipeg Railway Museum, but he was able to make it out to the Charleswood Legion to help us celebrate our 60th anniversary. 
From left to right: Our three most senior members, Moe Smith, Norm leathers, and Roger Kendl have the honour of cutting the club's special 60th. anniversary cake while WMRC Vice President Dave Downie watches.
WMRC Junior member James South hams it up in front of the cake, while WMRC Treasurer Gary Stempnick enjoys one of the first slices. It was a Jeannie's cake, from Winnipeg's famous Jeannie's Bakery. It had that special Jeannie's cookie base, of course!
Wasn't that a party! Everyone had a great time celebrating the WMRC's 60's Anniversary at our last meeting. Besides the wonderful cake and the special guest appearance of our old mascot Duffy, we also were treated to a trip down memory lane with a presentation featuring vintage images from the club's rich history. It was great to see so many old faces again (which weren't so old when the photos were taken) and have the chance to relive some of the club's greatest moments of the past six decades! Here's to 60 more years of great model railroading and fellowship!
Thursday, 9 April 2015
Winnipeg Model Railroad Club celebrates 60 years at their April 10 meeting
Over the years the WMRC has had hundreds of members, men, women and children who share the love of the hobby of model railroading. WMRC members have gone on to become Master Model Railroaders, served on the NMRA and TLR Boards, and have hosted regional and national conventions. The WMRC's founding fathers would be proud.
On April 10, 2015, we will celebrate the WMRC's 60th Birthday with a birthday cake, a special guest and a group photo. We will be having a special presentation of digital images that were converted from vintage photographs and slides from the rich and wonderful history of the club.
The meeting starts at 7:30PM in the Tank Room, located in basement of the Charleswood Legion, 6003 Roblin Boulevard. Please enter on the west side of the building. Not a member? No problem! Visitors are always welcome!
Saturday, 14 March 2015
Winnipeg Model Railroad Club model contest tips
By Morgan Turney - WMRC Model Contest Chairperson
So, You Want To Enter A Model In The Model Contest - Here Are Some Tips To Help You Get That Trophy!
The Winnipeg Model Railroad Club hosts its annual model and photo contests each year at the club's Open House in the Spring. Why does the club have these events? It has been a tradition in the club since its beginnings and the club, over the years, has developed trophies to honour modelling achievement. It's an opportunity for Club members to highlight their modelling skills to others and learn to produce better models through an achievement program.
Many modellers enjoy showing and sharing with others the models they have built throughout the year and this is their opportunity to do so. In order to select which models in their respective categories are trophy winners, a points system is used which the club has adopted from the National Model Railroad Association (NMRA). The NMRA standards of achievement are high. However, there are some easy 'rules' to follow to earn the points necessary to earn a trophy.
Categories
I'll begin with the categories that are judged. These include steam locomotives (includes shays, climaxes, etc.), diesel and other locomotives (other being electrics, self-propelled, etc.), passenger cars, freight cars, non-revenue cars (cabooses, M of W, work cars, etc.), structures (buildings, water towers, coal tipples, etc. not mounted), displays (modules, scenes, etc. mounted) and a special event category (each year, the Special Event changes). Trophies are also awarded for the best model built from a kit (the kit can be from any of the above categories); the best model entry in any category for anyone who has never earned a first place trophy (Tyro Award); and the best model entry in any category from a Junior Member (under 16). There is also an award for the model that most represents railroading in general (Clark Summers Award). And just a note here: if your model is mounted on a
All model categories are basically judged in the same way. The idea is to accumulate as many points as you can in the five different sections that the judges consider when awarding points. The five sections are: construction, detail, conformity, finish and lettering and scratch-building.
Obviously, the more work you have put into your model, the more points will be awarded in each respective section. Keep in mind, too, that it's not just one judge that judges your model in all the sections. There are usually 3 or 4 judges, each one looking at only their assigned section. Judge number one will judge only the construction section; judge number 2 will judge the detail section; and judge number 3 will judge conformity, etc. Therefore, judge number one doesn't know what is written in the detail or conformity section. If you have done something to your model that fits into more than one section (let's say weathering), be sure to mention that in detail, finish and lettering and perhaps conformity. The more information you give to the judges (as written down) the more points that judge can award to that section. If there is nothing written down, there can be no points awarded!
Judging Tips
So, what are some 'tips' from the judges that can help you get those points? There are several. First of all, don't wait until you have finished a model before you take a look at the Judges' Score Sheet to see how it will be judged. Study each of the sections to see what the judges look at in each and keep them in mind as you do your model. Fill in the sheet as you go along. Secondly, to the judges, the most important category (other than construction), believe it or not, is the conformity section. After all, you are trying to duplicate the prototype so why not show the judges what you are duplicating? If you supply a photo of the prototype that you have based your model on, that will show the judges that your model conforms to that prototype. If the photo shows a rust streak down the side of a box car, and you added that detail to your model, more points can be awarded because it conforms to the photo. The same with a horn or bell that you moved to conform with the prototype. If you have a photo of the prototype with the bell moved to the underframe, and you modelled that feature, you will get more points (assuming that you wrote it down as being moved). And again, these items can be mentioned in more than on section.
Gaining Points
Each section is allotted a maximum number of points so, as you gain points in each section, you'll end up with more points in the end. If you don't write anything in a section, no points are awarded - the judges can't give points for nothing done. Therefore, try to do something to your model so that you are legitimately able to write in what you did in that section. As mentioned before, much of what you did will qualify to be entered in more than one section.
Let's look into each section in more detail. The construction section is fairly self-explanatory - there are boxes to check-off for the work you performed. This section actually mirrors the scratch-building section so the more you have scratch built on your model, the more points will be awarded. Be sure to write a detailed description of the work performed. Some modellers keep a written record as they make a model so that, when the time comes to fill out the judges' sheet, they already have the work they did written down.
In the detail section, the judges want to know what details you added to your model to make it look more prototypical. Were the details from a manufacturer or did you scratch-build them? If you replaced the front pilot on a locomotive with, lets say a Miniatures by Eric detail part, write it down. If you added a tack board on the side of a box car that wasn't on the original model, that too, is added detail. Also, if you added a decal that wasn't on the model before you started, that also counts. And don't forget your weathering details. If you haven't weathered your model because you want it to look factory-fresh, write it down. But remember, a building or a box car that's 30 or 40 years old doesn't look brand new - put some weathering on it.
In the conformity section, the judges look for how the model conforms with what the prototype looks like. Photos, drawings and plans are essential if you want points in this section. If you have used a magazine article to build your model, be sure to mention that in the written portion and have the magazine article spread-out with the model. If you weathered an engine to conform to a photo of the prototype you have, be sure to write it down. Remember - pictures are worth a thousand words.
In the finish and lettering section, be sure to fill in the boxes that apply to your model and write down how you painted the model (air brush or hand-painted, etc.), what decals you used, how you painted the building's roof, etc. If you made your own decals and applied them, tell the judges. Don't forget to tell the judges how you weathered the model (chalks, paint, eye shadow, etc.) and how it conforms to the prototype photo you provided (see how all the sections fit together?).
And finally, in the scratch built section, tell the judges what you have built from scratch and added to your model. If you bent grab irons and added them on, write that in this section as well as in the conformity, detail and construction sections. If you cut your own logs to simulate a log load, this qualifies as scratch building, too. Anything you added that was manufactured by your own hand is considered scratch built.
In summery, filling out the Judges' Score Sheet isn't that difficult if you follow some of these simple rules. The best part is that now you know what the judges are looking for! The contest judging is designed to help you become a better modeller.
In 2013, the WMRC introduced a medal system to signify achievement. Models are judged on a points-type system as above and the accumulated points determines whether the entry receives an Honourable Mention, Bronze Metal, Silver Metal or a Gold Metal. This basically eliminates the 'category' system of first, second, third and/or honourable mentions, replacing it with non-category achievement. The trophy for each of the categories (steam, diesel, passenger car, non-revenue, etc.) can still be presented but only with the achievement of a gold metal in the category.
All models entered in the contest are judged in the same way and from the scores accumulated. Personal awards (Kit Award, Tyro Award, Junior Award, Clark Summers Award, Special Event Award and Best in Show Award) are still be up for grabs, with or without a gold metal placement.
The point awards for medals are established as follows:
Honourable mention - less than 45 points
Bronze Metal - 45 to 65 points
Silver Metal - 66 to 86 points
Gold Metal - 87 to 125 points.
Each person entering a model is entitled to receive only one metal from each class (bronze, silver, gold) and if a second is achieved, they will receive a recognition bar to go with their metal in either bronze, silver or gold.
Friday, 6 March 2015
Win a night's stay at the Northern Rail Traincar Inn
This hotel has been described in the media as one of North America's most unique hotels, and for rail fans and model railroaders, it's definitely a must-stay place! And what would be better than staying there for free?
Get your registrations in early, so you can qualify for this wonderful draw! You can download a registration form by clicking here.
Monday, 23 February 2015
Only 40 spaces available for Resolute Forest Products tour at 2015 TLR convention in Thunder Bay
The convention is being held from may 22 to 24 this year in beautiful Thunder Bay. There will be a lot of Canadians, including our good friends from the No.1 Northern Division's Free-Mo Group, who are bringing their fantastic layout to the show!
For more information about the convention, go to the TLR website:
http://www.thousandlakesregion.org/#!
You can also e-mail the convention organizers by using this address:
northwoodrails@gmail.com
Monday, 17 November 2014
Winnipeg Model Railroad Club mourns death of long time member Wayne Spector
We were saddened to hear that long time WMRC member Wayne Spector passed away recently. Wayne had been a member of the group since 2007, when he joined with his life long friend Oscar Lakatos, whom he knew since they were in high school.
Wayne was also a member for the Prairie Dog Central Railway, the Winnipeg Railway Museum and the NMRA. He attended conventions held by the NMRA's Thousand Lakes Region in 2009, 2010, and 2012. Wayne rarely missed a WMRC meeting, and he always enjoyed going for Pizza with some of the members at Santa Lucia's on St. Mary's Road.
"I will always be grateful for the advice he gave me when I was the Convention Director for the 2010 Steam on the Prairies convention." Said WMRC Blog Editor Paul Ullrich. "I had absolutely no idea where to hold the banquet, and Wayne came up to me and suggested that the Prairie Dog Central could ride us to a place where we could hold our banquet called the Hitch'N'Post. It was a great idea to combine the train ride with the banquet, which is what we did, and everyone loved it."
Wayne was very devoted to his mother. After she died in April of 2013, Wayne's health began to rapidly deteriorate. He survived her by just over a year and a half. Wayne is survived by his sister Terri-Mae and her family.
Read More..
Wayne was also a member for the Prairie Dog Central Railway, the Winnipeg Railway Museum and the NMRA. He attended conventions held by the NMRA's Thousand Lakes Region in 2009, 2010, and 2012. Wayne rarely missed a WMRC meeting, and he always enjoyed going for Pizza with some of the members at Santa Lucia's on St. Mary's Road.
"I will always be grateful for the advice he gave me when I was the Convention Director for the 2010 Steam on the Prairies convention." Said WMRC Blog Editor Paul Ullrich. "I had absolutely no idea where to hold the banquet, and Wayne came up to me and suggested that the Prairie Dog Central could ride us to a place where we could hold our banquet called the Hitch'N'Post. It was a great idea to combine the train ride with the banquet, which is what we did, and everyone loved it."
Wayne was very devoted to his mother. After she died in April of 2013, Wayne's health began to rapidly deteriorate. He survived her by just over a year and a half. Wayne is survived by his sister Terri-Mae and her family.
Friday, 31 October 2014
The National Model Railroad Association's Winnipeg train show is on tomorrow!
The fun starts at 10:00 AM this Saturday at Whyte Ridge Baptist Church, 201 Scurfield Road! Admission by donation. Handicap accessible! Portions of the proceeds will be donated to St. Amant.
Thursday, 11 September 2014
A visit to the Palo Verde Southern Railroad featured at Winnipeg Model Railroad Club's September meeting
The program for Friday's meeting features a special treat! Dennis Rietze, a long time member who is also the Superintendent of the NMRA's No. 1 Northern Division, will be presenting a program about his visit to the Palo Verde Southern Railroad in Mesa, Arizona.
This layout has to be seen to believed! It's considered to be one of the largest G scale layouts in the world (if no the largest). It's famous for running 100+ car lengths, it's beautifully landscaped and the engines have full sound! There's nothing like hearing a sound system from the big speaker of a scale G gauge train!
There's lots of videos featuring this amazing layout on You Tube, but if you come to the meeting, you'll get to see in on a big screen instead of on your computer!
We won't be having a formal second program this month, so if any members wish to put something together to show to the club, here is your chance - Free For All Night! Simply put 15 or so train-related or model related photos on a CD/DVD or USB stick and bring them with you and we'll show them.
We'll also be having our monthly model display, with a draw for a gift certificate from a local hobby shop. Feel free to bring down whatever you've been working on, and you might win! It doesn't have to be completed - but you must include a short write-up describing the work you've done to date. If we get ten or more entries from ten different members, the gift certificate prize will be doubled to thirty dollars!
Of course, the canteen and the library will be open as well.
Don't forget that we have a new meeting place - The Charleswood Legion at 6003 Roblin Boulevard! We meet at 7:30PM in the Tank Room located in the basement of the hall. Please use the entrance on the west side of the building (which is wheelchair accessible). You can't miss the building - it's got a big tank in front of it!
Hope to see you all there! Be sure to bring your membership renewal forms! If you don't have one, we'll supply you with one!
Read More..
This layout has to be seen to believed! It's considered to be one of the largest G scale layouts in the world (if no the largest). It's famous for running 100+ car lengths, it's beautifully landscaped and the engines have full sound! There's nothing like hearing a sound system from the big speaker of a scale G gauge train!
There's lots of videos featuring this amazing layout on You Tube, but if you come to the meeting, you'll get to see in on a big screen instead of on your computer!
We won't be having a formal second program this month, so if any members wish to put something together to show to the club, here is your chance - Free For All Night! Simply put 15 or so train-related or model related photos on a CD/DVD or USB stick and bring them with you and we'll show them.
We'll also be having our monthly model display, with a draw for a gift certificate from a local hobby shop. Feel free to bring down whatever you've been working on, and you might win! It doesn't have to be completed - but you must include a short write-up describing the work you've done to date. If we get ten or more entries from ten different members, the gift certificate prize will be doubled to thirty dollars!
Of course, the canteen and the library will be open as well.
Don't forget that we have a new meeting place - The Charleswood Legion at 6003 Roblin Boulevard! We meet at 7:30PM in the Tank Room located in the basement of the hall. Please use the entrance on the west side of the building (which is wheelchair accessible). You can't miss the building - it's got a big tank in front of it!
Hope to see you all there! Be sure to bring your membership renewal forms! If you don't have one, we'll supply you with one!
Monday, 25 August 2014
No. 1 Northern Division readies for Manitoba Mega Train Show
Last year, their layout was the largest in the show. It was so large that during set-up organizer Maurice Dorge called No.1 Northern Superintendent Dennis Rietze just to double check that he got the measurements right (he did).
This set-up should be called the long, long layout! Being 95 feet long, it'll provide plenty of room for some long run-throughs! Much thanks to Ian Plett (the driving force behind the No. 1 Northern's Free-Mo group) for suppling this plan.
The Manitoba Mega Train Show will be held on September 27 and 28 at the CanLan Sports Centre, 1871 Ellice Avenue in Winnipeg. The hours for both days are from 9AM to 5PM. General admission is five dollars. Admission for children ages 3-12 is three dollars. Free admission for children two and under. Admission includes unlimited rides on the Mega-Train which encircles the entire show. Vendors, a huge Lego exhibit and plenty of model railroads on display. Free parking, handicapped accessible.
Wednesday, 30 July 2014
Watch Buster Keaton's "The General"
31 years ago, during the 1983 NMRA national convention in Winnipeg, WMRC Vice President Dave Downie ran the 16mm projector in a room on the third floor of the Winnipeg Convention Centre, where he screened Buster Keaton's The General and The Railrodder on a continuous basis. The print of The General wasn't of the best quality, and there was an annoying voiceover describing every single action, but back in those pre-YouTube days (and there weren't many video stores back then either) it was a rare opportunity to see this classic railroading film. Dave kept hundreds of people amused and he enjoyed watching the reactions of the audience, especially the children.
The General cost $750,000 to make, a huge sum for 1926. (Spoiler alert: a lot of the money went into the spectacular shot of the burning bridge collapsing under a locomotive) It wasn't well received by critics or the public at the time. It's now considered one of the greatest films ever made, and was ranked #18 by the American Film Institute as one of the 100 best movies of all time.
There are some great scenes for railfans and non-railfans alike. There are great gags, great stunts, and the humour still holds up 88 years after its initial release. Thanks to the miracle of technology, you can now watch The General in its entirety by clicking here.
Thursday, 19 June 2014
Stafford Swain and his layout: A personal recollection
Have you ever seen such a beautiful roundhouse?
By Paul Ullrich
WMRC Blog Editor
Stafford Swain was the main reason why I joined the Winnipeg Model Railroad Club.
When I started getting back into the hobby, I bought copies of Model Railroader and Railroad Model Craftsman to hone up my skills. In 1981, I purchased a copy of RMC that had a cover story about modelling a prairie town, authored by Stafford. I never heard of him before, but when I read it, I realized that this guy was not only living in Manitoba, but he was modelling it as well! I was astonished at the painstakingly accurate scenes of the Whiteshell that he created.
More articles by Stafford were published, and I collected them. Then I heard about the 1983 NMRA national convention that was being held in Winnipeg. I promptly registered, hoping to see Stafford's layout in person.
When I saw his layout, I was surprised on how small it was. It was a rather simple perimeter style layout in one room of his basement. But it was deceptively simple. The modelling detail was near photographic, and the transition from Canadian Shield to the prairies in such a small space was absolutely seamless, and very believable.
Above the layout were framed covers from a few of the model railroad magazines that published his stories. He couldn't have hung them all, as he had over 80 published!
I was actually quite nervous about meeting him. At the time, I worked in the newsroom of the Winnipeg Free Press. I've met two Prime Ministers. Bobby Hull and Gordie Howe were once in my office. That didn't phase me at all. But I was star struck about meeting Stafford!
But I needn't have worried, for Stafford is a humble and unassuming man who loves nothing more than to share the love of his hobby with others. Over 20 years after that convention, I told him that I went to the convention and joined the WMRC because I wanted to meet him. He let out a hearty laugh and said, "And you've been disappointed ever since!"
Actually, I wasn't. And I never will be.
Another beautifully detailed Whiteshell scene by Stafford Swain.
Friday, 16 May 2014
Dave Downie wins Winnipeg Model Railroad Club's Lantern award
Dave Downie receives the WMRC's Lantern award from editor Robert Weaver as President Larry Leavens keeps a watchful eye on the proceedings. WMRC Vice-President Dave Downie has won the WMRC's 2014 Lantern award for his contributions to the publication. The Lantern award is given annually by the editor to the most outstanding contributor to the publication. The Lantern, the official publication of the WMRC, has been published by the club since the inception of the organization in 1954.
Dave Downie has bee na member of the WMRC for most of his adult life. He has held many positions within the the club, including two separate terms as President and as the program director. He currently serves as the Vice-President of the club.
Dave has been a very prolific contributor to the Lantern this season. His most memorable contribution was a series of articles outlining the history behind the organization of the NMRA's 1983 national convention held in Winnipeg, Railway Jamboree '83. All four chapters of this series have been reprinted in the WMRC blog with the permission of the author. You can view these articles by clicking here, here, here and here.
Wednesday, 2 April 2014
NMRA No. 1 Northern Division Free-Mo group displays at WMRC open house
The NMRA's No. 1 Northern Division's Free-Mo modular group displayed once again at the WMRC's annual open house. The layout was a bit smaller than last year's, mostly because there were so many other displays, and only so much space to go around! Still, there was enough room to have some really long trains do some really long runs.
The two loops the group constructed were funded by a grant from the NMRA's Thousand lakes Region (TLR). The No. 1 Northern Division thanks the TLR for their generosity in helping complete this project.
Sunday, 30 March 2014
Ian Plett holds a tree modelling clinic at the WMRC open house
Tree modelling has always been one of the WMRC's most successful clinics. By using such easily obtainable and inexpensive items as twigs, hair spray and ground foam, anyone can make some very
convincing looking trees for their layout. Just look at the beauty Ian created in the foreground of this image!
Sunday, 9 March 2014
NMRA No. 1 Northern Division's Free-Mo Group to exhibit at WMRC's open house
The NMRA's No. 1 Northern Division will once again be displaying their free-mo group's layout at the WMRC's annual open house this year. Free-mo stands for free modular, which is a relatively new concept in model railroading.
According to Wikipedia, Free-mo's emphasis is on flexibility in track design and prototypical scenery and operations. Free-mo was developed with the idea that a set of standards focusing mainly on module end plates would enable faithful modeling of prototype track plans and operations in a modular environment. The length and track configuration of a Free-mo module or module set is up to the modeller. Free-mo modules may be long or short, straight or curved. Free-mo modules may even be composed of several sections, forming a module set.
The No. 1 Northern Division's layout was the largest display at last year's Manitoba Mega Train Show, and it's always a treat to see them run!
The NMRA will also have a display at the train meet. There will be application forms available for those who wish to join. The NMRA is an international model railroading association. Membership give access to regional and national conventions, several publications, and insurance for your model railroad equipment. For more information about the NMRA, click here.
Wednesday, 19 February 2014
Remembering the NMRA's 1983 Railway Jamboree - Part four
This is a page from the Railway Jamboree '83 handbook and timetable, featuring the layouts of Marcel Blair, Jock Oliphant, MMR, Betty Jackson and Bruce Smith, and Stafford Swain, MMR.
By Dave Downie
It has been 31 years since Railway Jamboree ended. It has been fun for me to look back but a big part of the convention is its legacy.
Winnipeg was a �small market� and not close to any other major population centre, yet the organizing committee had successfully marketed the city as a magnificent city with three percent of all MMRs at the time (Jock Oliphant MMR#15, Stafford Swain MMR#98 and Moe Smith MMR#100). They were smart enough to market the convention as one where you could see and do everything. This was not something that was feasible in other cities. We were also smart enough to market the train show to the general public as a once in a lifetime experience. We succeeded on all counts.
At the time, the convention was the most profitable in the history of the NMRA. These profits were largely retained by the TLR, which underwrote the original bid. The WMRC did get a small disbursement to acknowledge the support of its members. Since the Winnipeg convention, the NMRA has rewritten the terms of its contract with host committees to reduce windfall profits like we had in 1983.
Winnipeg's bid and organization structure became a template for other conventions. Nick Andrusaik's Handbook and Time Table was a huge success with everything well laid out and small enough that it fit in your pocket. This format is still used thirty years later.
Stafford Swain had assembled an organization that was committed to success and put petty differences aside. Throughout the convention, our guests continued to compliment their hosts acknowledging that we were �Friendly Manitoba�. New friendships sprouted within the committee and we saw a new influx of people into the WMRC with some of these still members today.
Time changes and people move on. Stafford Swain, Nick Andrusiak and Hilt Friesen turned their attention to creating the CN Lines SIG (now the Canadian National Railways Historical Association). Mid Western Rail morphed into the Winnipeg Railway Museum and the Vintage Locomotive Society finally got their own line to run on. Bill Taylor and Peter Abel had a dream that is continuing to unfold as the Assiniboine Valley Railway. The WMRC lost its meeting room and layout in Union Station and we have relocated several times. We presently meet at Westworth United Church.
Since 1983 the club's library has grown with the addition of hundreds of videos. Our annual model contest has morphed into a annual spring show. The club created The Great Canadian Train Show, an annual fall show and flea market, to further promote the hobby. The club no longer operates Great Canadian Train Show. As of 2013, we have partnered with the Manitoba Mega Train Show.
More recently, the club has has acquired a new location for a new version of the Gateway Western at the Winnipeg Railway Museum within 50 feet of Duffy, who has been patiently waiting for us for all this time.
But the saddest and most unfortunate thing to occur since 1983 has been the many friends who have passed away. They contributed to the convention's success just as they contributed to the WMRC. Unfortunately, there are far too many to mention here.
Oh......one last thing. That plant that grew from the seed planted in 1975-1976 is still growing almost 40 years later!
Thursday, 13 February 2014
Next meeting: Friday, February 14 at 7:30 P.M.
Happy Valentine's Day!
Our February meeting features a presentation by WMRC Vice President Dave Downie. Dave has been very busy digitizing hundreds of 35mm slides and prints that he's taken over the years. He's collected the best of the lot from the past 40 years and he'll be showcasing them at the meeting.Dave's name is certainly familiar with the followers of this blog, for he is the author of the very popular four part series about the 1983 NMRA national convention, "Railway Jamboree", which was held in Winnipeg. Part four will be posted later this week.
Dave has been rail fanning all of his life. Rumour has it that he started rail fanning even before he could walk! Tales have been told of how his mother used to wheel his baby carriage up the Arlington Street bridge. Dave, dressed in a T-shirt bearing the CP Rail crest and a grey and maroon baby bonnet with yellow trim, would stand on his tip toes in the baby carriage and lean over the railing, taking pictures of passing locomotives with his Kodak Brownie box camera!
We won't be seeing any of those pictures on Friday night, as he hasn't digitized them yet. But he will take us all the way back to the swinging 70's, so there will be plenty of vintage photos of first and second generation diesel motive power to be seen!
The meeting starts at 7:30 P.M. at Westworth United Church, 1750 Grosvenor Avenue. Not a member? No problem! Visitors are always welcome!
Sunday, 9 February 2014
Remembering the NMRA's 1983 Railway Jamboree - Part three
Who's that handsome young lad with all that hair? It's Stafford Swain, of course!
There wouldn't have been an NMRA national convention in Winnipeg if it weren't for Stafford!
By Dave Downie
On Sunday, July 17, 1983 the Railway Jamboree 83 committee took over the Winnipeg Convention Centre. My first memory was Wolfgang von Thuelen reporting that he had checked all the keys to ensure that all rooms could be secured. Countless boxes containing registrations, signage and company store merchandise were moved in and many volunteers, including some out of town delegates and other TLR members made short work to get everything ready. Everyone was excited when Shelley Walker reported that the final number of advance registrations was better than expected. All the promotional work had paid off! NMRA officials arrived and met with Stafford and his team to review the preparations. When we left to go home that evening we were all excited anticipating what the week ahead would bring.
The Registration desk opened at 9am Monday morning and the people just kept coming. Monday was a �soft� opening for the convention because there were no clinics. There was the company store, shuttles to Roger Wood's layout and the Red River Live Steamers along with the NMRA BOD meeting. Early registrants were encouraged to visit the hobby shops and to use the Railfan's Guide. At 8pm the convention officially kicked off with a wine and cheese party to welcome our guests.
On Tuesday the convention really heated up with clinics, layout tours, prototype tours, a switching contest, tour of Lower Fort Garry and a river cruise. Probably the busiest team was Moe Smith and his volunteers manning the transportation desk coordinating hundreds of people to ensure that they got on the right bus. Railway Jamboree 83 had adopted a �coloured ribbon system� for all tours which made things easier. This system was also used by other conventions. By Tuesday afternoon the feedback we were getting was universally positive. This made everyone happy.
Wednesday brought more of the same with the contest room opening for entries and the start of the train show setup. We still wondered how it would turn out, and we had our fingers crossed. The radio commercials and the distribution of the discount coupons had already started.
The train show was opened on Thursday at noon by Mayor Bill Norrie. We shot the last of our cable TV programs from the main exhibition hall, showcasing what we had to offer. During the afternoon, the show was open only to the registrants. At 6pm the doors opened to the public and the initial turnout was good. We wondered how the next three days would turn out given that we were heading into a weekend. Winnipeg was in the middle of a heat wave!
Friday saw the last of the scheduled prototype and layout tours, along with a full slate of clinics and the last opportunity to view the contest room. The train show opened to the public at noon and throughout the day we collectively held our breath. Shortly after 7pm, Wolfgang announced that we had broken even! This meant that with just over 2 days to go, every person coming through the doors was profit! All the hard work had paid off! There was a lot of smiles on everyone's face when we walked out at the end on the day for a well earned rest.
Saturday was a special day with out of town tours, the last of the clinics, the train show and the banquet / awards ceremony. One of the highlights of the awards ceremony was WMRC member Moe Smith receiving MMR #100, much to the delight of everyone in attendance. Another banquet highlight was seeing Bill Taylor, Hilt and many other TLR members selling raffle tickets. Many of our guests had never experienced a �TLR style raffle� and probably spent a lot more than they planned. At the banquet it was announced that someone had stolen a number of license plates from the cars of our guests. Again, the committee came through with the necessary paperwork to allow these people to get home with a minimum of red tape.
Sunday was the last day of Railway Jamboree and it was time to say goodbye to our guests. Aside from a few bus tours, the last event was the train show, and we were very happy to see another good turnout. By the end of the day, we came very close to 11,000 paid admissions which far surpassed our expectations. By 5pm it was time to shut the doors and begin the tear down.
The greatest eight days in the history of model railroading in Winnipeg was ending. The seed planted at the WMRC in 1975 had produced a healthy plant that had flowered very nicely!
In part four, Dave Downie will reflect back on the legacy of Railway Jamboree.
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