new design train model

   WMRC Vice President Dave Downie found another great NFB video! This one is titled Trans Canada Express, and it documents the important contributions Canada's railways made for the war effort during World War 2.

   The 1944 film also gives us a brief history of the making of the Canadian Pacific rail line through the Rockies (complete with a poem), some classic clips from Buster Keaton's "The General", and a rousing finale that takes us from coast to coast (complete with a song)!

   Best of all, this 19 minute video gives us some great views of railroading in the 1940's when steam was king, and some breathtaking views of Canada's scenery (albeit in black and white). To view Trans Canada Express, click here.

   Another film that WMRC Vice President Dave Downie found in the NFB archives was Railroad Town, a 29 minute documentary about life in Melville, Saskatchewan in 1956, when railroad was king.

   As most prairie rail fans know, Melville is still very much a railroad town. It's right on the CN mainline, and they even has their own railway museum to celebrate that heritage. But as busy as it is today, it's nothing compared to the activity of almost 60 years ago! Best of all, there's steam, steam and more steam!

    The documentary is narrated by the CBC's Fred Davis, host of  Front Page Challenge, who visited various railway workers and learned all about the operation of one of the most vital stations on the CN mainline which kept all of their trains running smoothly.

    To see this remarkable film, go to: https://www.nfb.ca/film/railroad_town

    

    Some time ago, WMRC Vice President Dave Downie supplied us with a wonderful list of films about railroading that are available for viewing on-line. Most of them haven't been posted on this site, as there were so many model railroading and rail fanning activities to report about. But now that the summer doldrums are upon us, it's a good time to reach into the archives and take a look at some of these remarkable films. And this summer seems to be the perfect time to watch them, as it's either been too cold, too hot, or too rainy to do anything outside!

    Our first film is titled "End of the Line". It's a film from the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) from 1959. This 30 minute documentary offers a historical and nostalgic look at the steam locomotive as it passes into history, replaced by diesels. Railroad employees and rail fans are asked about their feelings about the end of the steam era in this film. End of the Line is a rare historical document that captures the passing of a bygone era, when steam was used by railroads for very practical purposes, and not just for the occasional summer excursion. You can view this film by clicking here.

   

 
By Dave Downie

   One of the the things that I've been amazed at has been the pace of change in our hobby. Most of us got our start in the hobby many years ago when the pace of life and changes in technology were a lot slower. Looking back just over the last 2 decades, I'm amazed at how everything has changed. Some of these changes have been improvements while other changes, have not been for the best.

   Who could have imagined the affect that technology would have on our hobby? The Internet has changed the way we communicate, conduct research and purchase supplies. This has had a serious affect on hobby shops and publishing companies to name just two examples. Another significant change has been the dramatic increase in the average age of model railroaders as the hobby fails to attract new participants.

   Not everything that has taken place over the last 20 years has been negative. Far from it. Looking at the quality and variety of new products entering the marketplace, we could say that we are in the middle of the greatest period that the hobby has ever seen. Consider Digital Command Control (DCC), locomotives with sound, manufacturers like Rapido, Fast Tracks and others that supply products that we could only dream about 20 years ago.

The question that I ask is: What is Model Railroading's Future?

   Because of the aging demographics, we may reach a point where it may not be financially feasible for retailers and manufacturers to remain in business if the market for model railroad supplies shrinks rather than grows.

   The solution of course is to attract new people into the hobby. This is easier said than done. Research has shown that the hobby attracts fewer teenagers today and that many new model railroaders are now older than 30 who are now established with careers and families. Many of these people never had a train set as a kid and were raised in a generation with computers and video games. With the decrease in the number of hobby shops, the hobby's public exposure is decreasing, not increasing. This creates more challenges for the hobby.

So what can we do?

We need to ensure that the hobby gets exposure.

   The WMRC is leading the way to promote the hobby and, as club members, we all have a role to play. The executive is committed to create a friendly and respectful environment where all people with an interest in the hobby can enjoy themselves while participating in club activities.

   Our blog site has been up for less than 2 years and has had over 53,000 visits from people all over the world. This gives an insight to the club and the hobby that wasn't possible 20 years ago. We need to build on this exposure.

   The clinics that are held at our monthly meetings need to cover all aspects of our wonderful hobby. Each member probably has a technique that they use to build models or their layout. Consider putting on a clinic. Your efforts will be appreciated.

   We have a terrific location for our meetings in the basement of the Charleswood Legion. Invite a family member or friend to attend as a guest. We are not an elitist club, we are a friendly club.

   The Gateway Western layout within the Winnipeg Railway Museum has created a great opportunity for the club because it will not only showcase the hobby and club to the museum's visitors but it allows members the opportunity to participate in the construction of the layout. What better way to contribute to the club's legacy by building something at the Gateway. Every Tuesday night the �work crew� is at the Gateway. Come on out and participate. What better way to learn than by participating. You will also make new friends. I should also tell you that the Gateway is now open for members to operate. Bring out some equipment and run some trains. Come on out on a Tuesday and learn the protocol to getting access to the layout.

   WMRC club members participate in the Manitoba Mega Train Show, Doors Open Winnipeg, Railway Days at the Winnipeg Railway Museum and host our own WMRC Open House to promote the hobby. These are great opportunities to showcase our hobby. We ask all members to help out.

   It is up to all of us to help promote our great hobby. The WMRC is 60 years old and we have a rich history. Our current members will have a tremendous impact on the club's future and the hobby's future in Winnipeg.

What can you do to help out?

   WMRC Vice-President Dave Downie sent us this link about Miniatur Wunderland (German for miniature wonderland), heralded as the world's largest model railway. Located in Hamburg, Germany, it was built by twins Gerrit and Frederik Braun.

    By January 2011 the railway consisted of 39,370 feet of track in HO scale. It's divided into seven sections, including the Alps, Austria, Hamburg, America, Scandinavia, and Switzerland. The layout is still under construction, and new sections are constantly in development. Ten new sections have been planned, and their newest sections in the works include Italy and Monaco. They expect the railway to be complete in five years, but why would they ever stop?

    The exhibit includes a staggering 890 trains made up of over 11,000 cars, 300,000 lights, 215,000 trees, and 200,000 figurines. Not surprisingly, it has become one of Hamburg's biggest tourist attractions. Over 12 million people have visited the railway. Their scale model version the airport alone cost 3,500,000 Euros.

    To watch their latest video, click here.
    To download a PDF their press kit, click here.
    To visit their website, click here.

    Dave Downie was the recipient of the WMRC's 2015 Lantern Award, which was presented at the club's annual spring banquet. Dave contributed a series of historical articles about the WMRC for The Lantern.

     Instead of the Lantern editor deciding who would win the award, this year's award was chosen by popular vote by the membership. Ballots were distributed by Lantern Editor Robert Weaver at the April meeting. Members voted for their favorite author at that meeting, and the ballots were collected and compiled by Robert.

     Congratulations, Dave, for your fine work!

 

   Tuesday nights are Gateway nights, and the WMRC's layout over at the Winnipeg Railway Museum is coming along just great! We're getting into some might fine landscaping which is making the layout really come alive! Dave Downie, our Vice-President, sent along these images to us to show the remarkable progress they're making on the layout!

    The gang meets tonight at 7:00 PM at the Winnipeg Railway Museum, located on the second level of the Via Rail Station at 123 Main Street. It's really cold outside, but the Gateway is housed in it's own heated building within the museum!

     Former WMRC President Suzanne Lemon modeled this lovely lake for the Gateway Western.

    Buster did all of his own stunts! Don't try this at home, folks (or anywhere else, for that matter). 

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.

    Our intrepid correspondent Dave Downie (not to be confused with the infamous horse rustling Downeys) took some great photos of the visitors who viewed the Winnipeg Model Railroad Club's Gateway Western layout at the Winnipeg Railway Museum during the Doors Open Winnipeg celebration last weekend. The expressions on their faces tells it all!

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!