Morwell Expo - Latrobe Valley Model Railway Association, 7-8 June 2003

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Jack & Carol Parsisson and Mike Maloney showed the flag for the Club and Mike has
provided this report nicely illustrated with some of Jack’s photos.  Thank you both.
The exhibition this year was in the new Kernot Hall in Morwell (the old Kernot Hall site in
Yallourn is now within the Yallourn Open Cut!)  As you can gather from the photographs, a
large modern hall with a good size stage, ample storage rooms around the periphery, a large entrance foyer and side supper/meeting rooms, and modern and clean kitchen and toilet
facilities. All were put to good use by the Latrobe Valley Model Railway Club Inc.

Jack and Carol Parsisson and I provided models, with Jack's collection of LARGE models in “new condition” red/green Jackano parts(!) filling probably 12 metres of table.  Carol and I
did the rest in more modern yellow/blue (or in Carol's case, black/zinc Centenary and some
plastic).  As you can see, we were along the front of the stage with our backs to the hall, with
tables about 750mm wide, so only one model deep.  There were model railway and
commercial stands at the back of the stage, but plenty of room left for people to move.  And
we had plenty of people! - we were told that they sold about 750 family tickets on each of the
Saturday and Sunday, so that would have to equate to, say 3000 each day (although there
were lots of toddlers and young children).

Jack had plenty of steam protoype models - the Climax and Heisler locos , each about 1m
long, a traction engine ,a ploughing engine , a vertical boilered roller , a smaller stationary steam engine and a 3x cylinder marine engine .  Motor vehicles included a Rolls Royce (with a mirror under the chassis displaying the gearbox and differential) and a set of three 'Bernard Perier / CQ' trucks using the same chassis and cab, but each with a different body - a tipper, a flat tray and a tanker (Jack tells me he is also working on a cement mixer, extending the chassis for a third axle). All of the models above were in pristine red/green.  He'd also built a small and very neat ' Bernard Perier CQ army jeep and trailer, finished in khaki/green and held together with black plated nuts and bolts.

Carol had the more modern Centenary kit crane , a small motor bike , a go cart , and a
shovel/loader (?), plus a couple of the Plastic Meccano models .  I had the tower crane (same as last time, and still hand operated!), a working backhoe on a plinth, a small beam engine, another of the Bernard Perier CQ tip trucks but in blue/gold, a farm tractor built around a No1 clockwork motor, and a large semi-trailer car transporter (another Märklin model) - all these in blue/yellow/zinc.  Also a treadle sewing machine ( Märklin red/blue/green) and Jack Nelson's old steam excavator with the Mamod/Meccano steam engine.

Quite a bit of interest in and appreciation of our models, not only from the more mature
members of the public, but also from a number of young parents and their offspring looking
to advance from Lego or from their small Collection models - Dick Smith stores will probably
see a few new customers eventually and maybe Jack too!  On the possible member side, a
number said that they still had their outfits (in a box about THIS BIG), but usually put aside
for the children or grandchildren - where have I heard that before? - and a few took our Club
leaflet.  A good number took the Exhibition flyer.  There was quite some interest in the steam
engine, one chap telling me he had two, still unused, in a their boxes.

In the last hour of ther Exhibition, one of the local model railway club members mentioned
that he still had some Marklin construction parts that I might be interested in, if he can find
them.  I assured him I was - so you never know your luck!  (notes by Mike Maloney )

The MMC at Sandown

June 21 and 22, 2003




MMC members fronted up to the Leisure & Collectors Hobby Carnival, Sandown Racecourse, June 21 & 22 to contribute their usual magic of raising the tone of an otherwise “all the same” show – or so it seemed to me!  

Dave Denner, Peter During, Roger and Sandra Hall, Graham Jost, Kimball Monger and Jack Parsisson participated in an enjoyable though not overly busy weekend.   Dave brought along his current model collection plus a car built from the very new Design 2 set.  Peter has his octopus working well now and Roger and Sandra brought along the helicopter from the same Design 2 set, as well as several other small models.   Graham had his two braiders in action and a new ball roller, Kimball his Lartigue loco and small “high rider”, and Jack a beautiful Bernard Perier Jeep in Army green and black nuts and bolts – it looked stunning.   He also had a trio of neat trucks all built to the same scale and two of his reliable locos.   All in all a very pleasant weekend.

PS  Kimball has finally tired of “driving” his Lartigue.   He will now be taking the sensible way out and automating its travelling arrangements – about time too, I reckon!

Graham Jost (photos by Graham and Jack)