Back on track

Limestone Coast Model Railway Group exhibtiion returns to Geltwood Festival

Arthur O’Connell has spent most of his life around trains. He used to work for the railways and even spent two years in the early 1980s doing just that at Kalangadoo. But it was through his father-in-law that what used to be a career became a passionate hobby as he turned his hand to model railways.

“I went to an even with him and came back with an N gauge and that’s where it all started,” Arthur said. It has seen Arthur and his wife Helen put together an impressive personal collection and seen Arthur hold positions of power in State model railway bodies and at one time he was the brainchild behind a huge Adelaide Model Railway Exhibition held annually in Adelaide.

It became his pet project in 2009, and he convened the event for six years, when it was earmarked to be the last time the exhibition took place but Arthur and his passionate committee ensured it didn’t just survive, it thrived, and by 2011, attendance had doubled. That exhibition was a June Long Weekend event and used to attract up to 60 exhibitors.

And it is because of all that experience that Arthur was the obvious go-to guy when the Lions Club was looking to value add to its Geltwood Festival Market Day back in 2019. Arthur happily put a small exhibition together and such was the interest that the Limestone Coast Model Railway Group was born, with a sign up sheet at the exhibition garnering 14 signatures.

The issue for that group initially was not being able to find a home base and so they were meeting at each other’s homes but a newly forged relationship with the Millicent Men’s Shed now sees the group setting up a home base. “They have extended their big shed and we are now able to use their old storage shed and that is perfectly suited to what we need,” Arthur said. It has even seen the group attract two new members from within the Millicent Men’s Shed family.

Across the group’s membership, there are a variety of gauges, classes, skill sets and age range with the youngest member being in their early 20s right up to a 75 year old enthusiast. American, Australian and European models are featured within the group’s membership across OO, HO and N gauge.

:To be involved in model railway you needs to be a carpenter, a painter, understand electrics and have an idea of planning,” Arthur said. “You can’t do it on your own.”

They meet the last Sunday of each month and after the disruption of 2020 when they didn’t meet at all, they reignited the group last year and will again be putting on an exhibition as part of this weekend’s Geltwood Festival – this time at the behest of the Wattle Range Council.

The exhibition will be housed at the Millicent RSL Hall on North Terrace and be open from 10am to 4pm on Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 3pm. Entry is a gold coin donation.

“We are always happy to put on exhibitions and promote the hobby of model railways,” Arthur, who has exhibited in Stawell, Warrnambool, Melbourne, Adelaide and Ballarat, said.

There will be five working model railways on display at the 2022 exhibition with two exhibitors from Adelaide, one from Victoria and two locals. “We could have another 20 but the RSL Hall is a small space,” Arthur said. “We are hoping if there is as much interest as there was last time that we can work our way up to a bigger space and set up quite a few more.”

An insight into the success of the inaugural 2019 exhibition is the proceeds from the gold coin entry fee saw $800 handed over the local Lions Club.

Arthur and Helen moved to Millicent five years ago when they were looking for a tree change. Helen’s family had strong ties to Wandilo and Arthur had enjoyed that stint at Kalangadoo but the South East was not their initial choice but Helen stumbled on the house of her retirement dreams and the rest, as they say, is history.

Aside from the five working model railways, there will also be a static steam locomotive display, also the work of Arthur, featuring OO and N gauge engines from England, Scotland, Japan and the United States.

The two day exhibition is proudly supported by the Wattle Range Council and Millicent’s Men’s Shed.