new design train model

   The crew of WinNtrak, seen here at the Manitoba Mega Train Show, will be displaying their N gauge modular railway at Kildonan Place Shopping Centre this weekend. Photo by Suzanne Lemon.

     Christmas is over, and the cold winds of January are upon us, but there's still plenty of good model railroading to see in Winnipeg! Our good friends at WinNtrak have set up their magnificent N gauge modular railway at Kildonan Place Shopping Centre this weekend! The hours are from 9:30 to 6:00 on Saturday, January 10 and from 11:00 to 6:00 on Sunday, January 11.

    Kildonan Place is located at 1555 Regent Avenue West in Transcona.  It's worth the trip!

WinNtrak, seen here at last year's Manitoba Mega Train Show, will be displaying at the Forks next weekend.

Next weekend's model railroad events has gotten better with our good friends at WinNtrak, who will be displaying at the Forks Market on September 12, 13 and 14. Please note that their website was down last week, but it's up and running again. They'll be displaying from 9:00AM to 9:00PM on all three days. You can reach their website by clicking here: http://winntrak.com/

You can round out your model railroading weekend by visiting the Assiniboine Valley Railway, who will be having their monthly open house next weekend. The hours are from 11AM to 5PM on Saturday, and from 1AM to 5PM on Sunday. Rides are two bucks per person, but kids under three can ride for free! Find them here at http://assiniboinevalleyrailway.org/blog/ and remember that this is their new website. Don't go to their old one, which is still up. They're easy to find, at 3001 Roblin Boulevard, just west of Assiniboine Park. Look for the signs!

It's pretty easy to get from The Forks to the AVR. You can even do it by bike, going straight down Wellington Crescent for most of the way!

Our good friends at WinNtrak will be displaying their spectacular modular layout at Kildonan Place Shopping Centre. 1555 Regent Avenue West in scenic Transcona on Saturday, January 11 and Sunday, January 12. They'll be there from 9:30AM to 6:00 PM on Saturday and from 11:00AM to 6:00PM on Sunday. If you're a fan of N scale and have only seen their layout at the Winnipeg Model Railroad Club's annual open houses, the Great Canadian Train Show or at the Manitoba Mega Train Show, here's your chance to see them again, and perhaps do some shopping as well. it's a win-win situation!

   If there's any such thing as a Winnipeg tradition, then Gooch's Bicycle and Hobby Shop certainly fits the bill! They've been in business since 1927 and has had four generations of the Gooch family running the store.

   Veteran model railroaders have seen their shop move from Portage Avenue to Sherbrook Street and back to Portage Avenue again. Their present location is at 1046 Portage Avenue, by Garfield Street.

   They're now located in what used to be a video store - now there's a business trend that's come and gone! But the demand for bicycles and hobbies supplies goes on and on!

    This weekend they're holding their 13th annual open house. There will be plenty to see, including a few stalwarts from the Winnipeg Model Railroad Club holding demonstrations. Our friends from WinNtrak will also be there, as well as representatives from the Manitoba Rocketry Group, the International Plastic Modeller's Society. There will also be a Meccano display, a model shipbuilders display, an ho sectional layout, and an HO Thomas the Tank Engine layout for the kiddies.

    Whew! That's quite a show! And it's free!

    Hours are from 10:00 to 5:00 on Saturday, and from 12:00 to 4:00 on Sunday. Call 204-956-6571 for more details or email gooch@mymts.net.

 

What a party! 1,700 people showed up at the CanLan Ice Sports Centre to see the show! And what a show it was! There were layouts of virtually every popular scale, from N to G and the 7 1/2" gauge Mega Train that went around the whole show! There was also face painting, balloon animals, and lots of vendors offering lots of deep discounted bargains!

It was very gratifying to see so many young families and children attending the show, and loving every minute of it. It was not uncommon for many families to spend several hours at the show (mostly at their kid's insistence). Everywhere you looked, you saw a happy kid with a painted face holding a Railfan Canada trading card!

There were modular layouts from WinNtrak and the NMRA #1 Northern Division's Free-Mo Group.
Commercial vendors included Warehouse Hobbies, Toad Hall Toys, Spare Time Hobbies, Vector Garden Trains, and representatives from Canadian Railway Modeller and Railfan Canada Magazines.

The Winnipeg Model Railroad Club would like to thank all of its many volunteers for helping out during set up, take down, working at the admissions desk and displaying at the Manitoba Mega Train Show.