Sorry to hear your weekend plans got sidelined somehow.  That's unfortunate that the big clubs from Edmonton and Calgary didn't make the show.  Really too bad you couldn't get some MRH flyers out too as there are still too many modelers that have not heard of MRH in this area, IMO.

I hope what happened at the Saskatoon show is not a sign of things to come at the Thunder Creek show in March.  Last year the guys from Calgary were there but not sure about the Edmonton club...I think they might have been there.

Hmm, a switching layout for kids to operate...that's not a bad idea.  What would be the best way to go about that I wonder.

I don't think your pictures are all that bad.  It looks like you have better lighting to work with than I am used to at the show in the Jaw.

Thanks for the report!

Always great to see what our modeling brothers are doing up north.

That last layout intrigues me - the benchwork looks like laser cut plywood of some kind, and the girders remind me of something i saw way back at an N scale convention in Orlando (1994 I think) where N-Trak's Jim Fitzgerald held a great clinic on box beams for layout construction.  He had built one out of corrugated cardboard and spent most of the clinic standing on the thing as he did his prsentation.

Any chane you got the builder's contact info?  Might make an intriguing MRH article.

"  Hmm, a switching layout for kids to operate...that's not a bad idea.  What would be the best way to go about that I wonder.  "

Here's an town and yard controller idea that Wayne Roderick posted on his Teton Short Line website.

http://www.tslrr.com/cabsmpl1.htm

Methinks I'll have to do something similar.

Don,

Thanks for the link.  That looks very interesting and I do think the simple controller would be fine for kids at a show to move some trains around.

The more advanced controller seems like a great system too.  I need to spend some time with the schematic and see if I think I could proto the circuit or not.

Thanks again.

I know where to track the guy down.  I wanted to talk to him more about it and about MRH, but he was engrossed with someone else and my son was getting eager to move on and when I came back that way, he must have gone for lunch.  I might try to follow up with him and his group in the next while, as they do clinics at the museum on Sunday afternoons in February and March which might be interesting.

OK, continuing on with more photos.  This next group of photos is from the club that made the permanent museum train layout.  This is their G scale BiG Railway and has some great detail and animation.  Unfortunately, the lighting was crap and that, coupled with my crappy photography wasn't a great combination.  This first one is a look down one side of the layout with the steamer heading towards the camera.

This next shot is of the other side of the layout, same loco and train.  The bridge on the left goes up to a mine.  In the distance is an animated sawmill.  I thought the blade used to spin and they had some sawmill sounds, but it wasn't like that when we saw it.

Next up is the "western town" scene for lack of a better term.  You can see the elevated mine track in the background.  This is near the mine (just to the left of this photo).  In the leftmost building, there is a blacksmith you can just see inside.  He is animated to strike his anvil every few seconds and there is a glowing red light like that of hot steel.  You can also see the lighting and details in the other buildings.  Oh, to have the space for G scale and the fun that you could have with details.

This is a close up of the blacksmith, but its not a very good shot, so you may or may not be able to make it out. 

This next shot is almost not worth putting in, but it shows what some of the "layouts" can be in their most basic form.  My son actually was not impressed with it.  He's more in to the realism, which suits me fine!

Now I had to throw this in for our wonderful sponsor, Rapido trains.  This is a picture (almost) of their new Steam Genny in action on the sponsoring clubs HO layout.  They weren't running the steam, likely due to cost, but I had to at least try to take a picture of it.

Finally, for this round, I'll add in another shot from the sponsoring club.  This is a town scene on their HO modular layout, complete with KFC. 

Well, I've got ten more pictures, so I'll do 5 and 5 in following posts over the next couple days.

that certainly would make things simple, but my plan is to use a UT4 throttle.  Its simple enough to teach most anyone in a couple minutes and it will be something I'll already have. 

that certainly would make things simple, but my plan is to use a UT4 throttle.  Its simple enough to teach most anyone in a couple minutes and it will be something I'll already have. 

Dave

I guess you could set CV's so maximum speed would not send the Loco into orbit if a speed happy youngster is at the controls and you get distracted for a moment. [wink]

That's the beauty of DCC.  Maximum speed will be minimal.

Here are a few more pics.  My kids really love this next layout.  I think a couple of teenagers built this and its been at the last two shows at least.  Sure, its Lego, but who doesn't love Lego?  This first picture is of the "power station" they built, as well as the grain elevator, just with their own design and gathering bricks.  And, yes, its all Lego (except the Sask Power stickers).

This next one is made up of several of the higher end Lego city kits.  These are really nice kits (yes, my kids and I are into Lego as well.)

This next shot is of a BNSF loco and more of the city scene.

This next layout was one that was also here last year.  Its an N scale sort of modular layout that has some nice detail, but then that shiny, very blue water.  Its essentially three loops that go back and forth across three sections.  I'm not sure, but it always seems like it isn't running when we walk past it.

I've got one more set of photos I'll add in the next couple days and then I'm done.