Part 2: Expos, Exhibitions 'n' things, 2012

Well many weeks have passed since the expo and I have had a chance to think some more.
Do I have any answers?

On the camera front, I have some thoughts: I intend to make use of my old style film SLR for fast shutter speed type work. I also intend to make more use of the tricky settings on my digital compact camera. Sharpening my skills with both cameras will hopefully improve the results, keep me busy and possibly prepare me for a digital SLR, one day.

On the getting things out of model exhibitions, that is a harder question to answer. I suspect that this is because I do not have time in my life to consider joining a club. Most of the layouts at the expo are run by clubs who are running recruitment drives; quietly and politely for certain but nonetheless. Clubs have more space than most of us have so you can build that layout with the large radius curves, long straights and so on. Clubs are able to bring together people with various skills to complete bigger projects quicker rather than one person having to either have, acquire or outsource those skills over time. In a modelling world of hastening gratification (as shown by the current trend of 'built up' structures and so on), this means clubs are the bomb for those who want to model trains in a big way.

A few days from now we will be in Maitland with 3 operating full size steam locomotives and 2 tiger moths. Much family fun to be had, many photos to be taken, much stories to tell I hope. Stay tuned!

Expos, Exhibitions 'n' things, 2012

So the Rogers were able to make it to the Canberra Model Rail Expo again this year. Stalls, exhibits, displays, modellers, families, photographers, the works. And what were the outcomes?

Well my daughter has two more Thomas wagons. What makes the Hornby versions so much cheaper than the Bachmann ones? Is it that the Bachmann ones have metal wheels? (doesn't look like it in those photos...) I sure hope not given the price difference in Australia. Anyway. We now also have an Australian National bi-level auto carrier quite like this and at a great price, really we should have bought two...

We also got some good photos and because some things only work that way, we got some video too. My daughter has her own camera and took what would have been better shots on a better camera. Something I was beginning to feel with my point and click.

So I was a little disappointed on two fronts:

1. I would like a better camera but cannot afford one at this time and


2. I didn't get a lot out of this expo.

Please understand that it was not so much about the exhibits which were good, the stalls were good too: the 2nd hand stall was well stocked for example and there was a good variety of stalls, models and prototypes (so many countries!) at this expo if you had the bank balance ;-) Possibly it comes to expectation and involvement. I am still not a member of a model club (involvement) and yet that is probably the next step in advancing certain aspects of my modelling (expectation). And yet the main thing that keeps me from becoming a member of a club also contributed to the malaise of this year's Expo: time to model versus all the other priorities of life. And speaking of time, it's nearly midnight and I had better do another part to this later