new design train model

Wow! What a weekend! What a party! We had an estimated 2400 visitors to this year's Manitoba Mega Train Show held at the CanLan Ice Sports Centre! That is up from the record crowds of 2,000 we had last year. We had hot, sunny weather on Saturday, and cold, rainy weather on Sunday, but that didn't stop everyone from coming!

We had 64 vendors, two G gauge layouts, two HO layouts, two O gauge layouts, two N gauge layouts, the ever popular Lego layout, a balloon sculptor, a face painter, and the Mega Train itself, giving unlimited rides to everyone!

A big thanks to everyone who came! Next year's show promises to be even bigger and better than this one! The Winnipeg Model Railroad Club wishes to thanks all of the members who volunteered for set-up, take down, admissions and everything else that needed to be done!

The Manitoba Mega Train Show is getting all sorts of great publicity this year! Last week Maurice Dorge was featured on a Manitoba Moments segment on CTV Morning Live. The clip showcased his compact garden railway, and why no dogs are allowed at Mega Train! You can see the segment by clicking  http://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/ctv-morning-live/manitoba-moments.

Each copy of the Monday edition of the Winnipeg Free Press, has a post-it note on the cover about the Manitoba Mega Train Show. With a press run of 75,000 that's bound to get the word out!

Be sure to get up early on Friday Morning because there will be a segment about Mega Train on City TV's Breakfast Television!

Last year Mega Train had over 2,000 visitors, and this year we're expecting even more! The Winnipeg Model Railroad Club is partnered with Mega Train. It is a major source of revenue for the club, and a good portion of our take for this event goes to our charity of choice, St. Amant.

Volunteers are still needed for Mega Train! If you have some time to spare, help is always needed for set-up, take-down, and admissions. Set-up won't start until Friday noon this year, and take-down will start at 5:00 PM on Sunday. The more folks we have helping out, the faster it'll go! You can volunteer by clicking here.

The Manitoba Mega Train Show is being held at the CanLan Ice Sports Complex (formerly known as the Highlander) at 1871 Ellice Avenue. Hours are from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM on both Saturday, September 27 and Sunday, September 28. General Admission is $5.00. Children ages 3-12 get in for $3.00. Kids two and under get in for free! A family pass is available for $15 for the day.

The 17,000 square feet of fun includes the No. 1 Northern's Free-Mo modular layout, which is the largest modular layout in the province and is a full 95 feet long this year! There will also be the spectacular Lego train display, the ever popular Lionel layout with all of the giraffe cars, a face painter, a balloon artist, 60 vendor tables and the Mega-Train itself! Admission gives you free unlimited rides on the 7.5" scale Mega Train!

   This is the Big Kahuna. The biggest train show in the province. 2,000 people came to last year's show, and even more are expected this year! Yes, it's Manitoba Mega Train Show time again, and the Winnipeg Model Railroad Club will be out there in full force. We are partnered with this event. It's our major source of revenue, and the source for funding our charity of choice,  St. Amant.

   This is a big show, and volunteers are needed for set up on Friday, take down on Sunday, manning the admissions tables and the WMRC table as well. Set up starts at 12:00 noon on Friday, when the 7.5" scale Mega Train will be set up.  It's the biggest sectional track layout you'll ever have a chance to set up, and it's a lot of fun to put together!  Volunteers are also needed to set up the tables for the displayers and the vendors. Please note that vendors and displayers will not be allowed to set up until 2:30 on Friday, after the Mega Train is set up.

   Volunteers are needed for the admissions tables and the WMRC table. Volunteers are especially needed on Sunday evening for the take-down of the display and the vendors tables and of the Mega train. Take down starts at 5:00, and the more volunteers we have, the faster it will go!

   The event takes place at the CanLan SportsPlex at 1871 Ellice Avenue. The hours are from 9:00 to 5:00 on both Saturday, September 27 and Sunday, September 28. If you can spare the time, please click here.

It's another great weekend for Winnipeg rail fans and model railroaders as the Winnipeg Railway Museum kicks off another exciting weekend with their annual Railway Days celebration! The hours are from 10AM to 4PM on both Saturday, September 20 and Sunday, September 21.

The Winnipeg Model Railroad Club will be there in full force, operating the Gateway Western Railway, a spectacular HO model railroad that is housed in its own all weather, four seasons structure inside the museum. The WMRC has partnered with the museum to create this project, and it has to be seen to be believed!

Of course, there as many other marvelous things to see at the museum. The jewel in the crown has to be the famous Countess of Dufferin, the very first locomotive to run in Manitoba, which has been lovingly preserved by the dedicated volunteers of the museum.

The museum is located on the second level at the Via Rail station, located at 123 Main Street. If you enter through the main street entrance, just walk right through the atrium. There will be a sign leading you to the platform upstairs where the museum is located. If you are entering through the back entrance near The Forks,  keep walking through the corridor until you've almost reached the atrium. You can't miss the sign leading to the museum!

It's going to be a big weekend at The Forks, as the Canadian Museum for Human Rights is having their grand opening. Please be advised that parking spaces might be hard to find in the area.

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights has been subject to a lot of controversy. The Manitoba Metis Federation has protested that Ray St. Germain wasn't allowed to sing at their opening ceremonies. But we'd let Ray St. Germain sing at the Winnipeg Railway Museum, or any event held by the Winnipeg Model Railroad Club as many times as he wants to.

As long as he sings a couple of songs about trains, of course!

The WMRC has started taking orders for their 60th anniversary T-shirt. The shirt is powder blue with the 60th anniversary logo, designed by WMRC blog editor Paul Ullrich, printed in the middle. Orders have been taken at the last WMRC meeting, and will continue to be taken at our next meeting on October 10. Please note that the price will be determined on how many T-shirts will be in the order. We don't require anyone to give us any money yet. All we need to know is how many people are interested in purchasing one of these T-shirts, and what size should be ordered.