SunsetLimited

Enjoy the Journey
Hello,

I'm Mitch, and I'm from Brisbane on Australia's East Coast. I've been modelling N Scale since 2008, and I am now 23 with a reasonable collection of locomotives and rolling stock. Ideally I would have loved to model Queensland Railways, but a severe lack of available products in N Scale led me to choose a different prototype, and I now model US operations, primarily BNSF and Amtrak.

I'm currently working on layout number seven, and I have just completed the benchwork. Trains have been a fascination of mine for as long as I can remember, and I love the creativity and hands on aspects of model railways.

I joined the forum because I have a lot of knowledge and experience to share, but also a lot to learn, and I look forward to the discussions ahead.

Thanks, nice to meet you all.

Mitch
 
Welcome to the forum Mitch. We have a number of Aussies here, Rodney McGiveron and Tootnkumin come to mind immediately. Another ex-Aussie named Tony (Wombat457) is also a member of our community, now living in New York. We love pictures (although I don't post as many as some want) and love sharing advice and experiences.
Have a good day.
Willie
 
Hi, Mitch, I have loved trains all my life too!
I do not currently have a layout and mostly just armchair model and needle everyone on here.
We have a collection of fantastic modeling talent and awesome knowledge about most anything.
Welcome aboard the forum!
 
Welcome to the forum. Welcome.gif Another member from down under is nice to have. I am also a train nut like just about everyone else on the forum.

Nice to have you aboard.
 
Thank you for the kind welcome!! I look forward to getting to know you guys better.

Also, if you like photos, I just posted a couple in the "Post your model RR tips" thread of an experiment I did on a previous layout.

Mitch
 
Welcome Mitch, specially to another QUEENSLANDER!! You'll find this forum the best there is. I haven't a layout of my own but am a member of the AMRA club at Zillmere and the RMCQ at Brendale on the north side. When I first joined the AMRA club they had 12mm track on quite a bit of the main layout in order to run HO QR models, but at the time there were only kits available, so it eventually got pulled up due to lack of interest. Now of course there is a good range and supply of RTR HOn3.5 QR engines and rolling stock, thanks ironically to the GFC and our high dollar exchange rate then which made it possible for those manufacturers to get established. N scale, not so lucky.

As you can see, my focus is mainly HO scale MRL/BNSF, largely due to the many older EMD locos that MRL operates still, balanced by the modern SD70ACe's, that are replacing the ageing SD45's (some still retained).

Where are you in Brizzy?
 
Welcome to the Forums, Mitch. This is a great place with a lot of friendly and talented people. Some are just getting a start, some are well along with fantastic layouts and some, like me, who are in the acquisition phase and getting ready for a future empire. Be sure to stop in Running Bear's Coffee Shop and say hi and shoot the breeze.
 
Tootnkumin: I'm actually just at Redcliffe. I've thought about becoming a member of the RMCQ after talking to Ray down at Austral about clubs, but I'm a bit shy about it, truth be told!!

Burlington Bob: Thanks for your friendly welcome - so typical of Midwestern people. I've had a bit of a look through Running Bear's and it's a pretty fun thread!!
 
Tootnkumin: I'm actually just at Redcliffe. I've thought about becoming a member of the RMCQ after talking to Ray down at Austral about clubs, but I'm a bit shy about it, truth be told!!

Burlington Bob: Thanks for your friendly welcome - so typical of Midwestern people. I've had a bit of a look through Running Bear's and it's a pretty fun thread!!

Don't be shy about going to or joining one or both of the clubs in the neighbourhood. RMCQ is the larger of the 2 with a new HO layout (dedicated DCC) and a new N scale about to be started (will also be DCC), so that would be your best bet. AMRA only has a very small N layout, still being put together and DC. They have running days most Saturdays and on Wednesdays as well and guests are always welcome. They use NCE DCC exclusively, but that doesn't mean you can't run alternatively equipped locos. The HO layout is also setup for Wifi, phone control. Their current N scale layout is a decent size, so if you have DCC locos, take a train with you, sure you'll get a run on it.

Seeing you've had a look in at Running Bears Coffee Shop, I'll give you a heads up on the origin of it's name. It's named in memory of Jeffrey Wimberley, who being part Cherokee, had as his Native American name, Running Bear. He was also known as Dr Frankendiesel, for his ability to cobble together locos of many brands and parts. He was a well known and highly respected member on this and other forums. A very knowledgeable and frequent contributor. Sadly missed.
 
Hello,

I'm Mitch, and I'm from Brisbane on Australia's East Coast. I've been modelling N Scale since 2008, and I am now 23 with a reasonable collection of locomotives and rolling stock. Ideally I would have loved to model Queensland Railways, but a severe lack of available products in N Scale led me to choose a different prototype, and I now model US operations, primarily BNSF and Amtrak.

Hello and welcome to the forum. Interesting to find yet another Aussie on the forum, we've become pretty popular there.

Coincidentally, it looks like I live in the region you model. Well, a small chunk of it anyway, since BNSF and Amtrak covers an awful lot of the US. I live in the Pacific Northwest, near Seattle and close to one of their busiest mainlines.

DSC_8407.jpg
 
Bob, for anyone anywhere in the world who models USA trains, your forum is a "very best" for friendly and freely given information. Glad you offer it to us.
 
I'll add a plus one to that! I belong to a couple of other model railroad sites and while they may be good in all other aspects, they ALL fall short in the friendly part. To me, that is a large part of the hobby. I want to feel at least somewhat comfortable with the people I'm relating to. While, I've never met any of the folks here, I feel that I would be right at home visiting with them. That's part of what makes this such a great hobby! Thanks for giving us the opportunity to visit each other across the miles!
 
Welcome!

The NSWGR has one of my all time favorite locos, the AD60 Beyer Garratt.

I was very pleased when Eureka Models began selling a very fine (IMO) HO scale model of this loco.

I hope you enjoy your time here.
 
G'day Mitch..You've done a very clever thing by joining the Forum and I do mean THE FORUM..Don't even bother with anywhere else. If you don't have a ball and get any question answered then the world has stopped spinning or we've been hit by an asteroid..I'm in Tassie by the way..Cheers Rod..
 
Thanks guys, you're all so kind!!

Bob: I had the good fortune of visiting the Pacific Northwest in November, 2014. Unfortunately I model Missouri currently, but the Pacific Northwest will always capture my imagination. I've dreamed of living there in all honesty!!

fcwilt: The AD60s were impressive, but much too big for where I come from. We had our own versions on the Narrow Gauge. Google "QR Beyer Garratt" if this catches your attention!!

Thanks again for your kind welcomes. I look forward to speaking to you all. :)

Mitch
 
G'day again Mitch...I forgot to mention something in my G'day to you...Us Taswegians and Queenslanders have a link when it comes to rail..TasRail run quite a few of the former QR locos and we retained the QR colours too and added the TasRail logo..Also have the new U.S. PL22 based locos too..our links with QR go back quite a few decades now. Here's a quick video of three of them in Hobart with the Tasman Bridge in the background https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbBu2WmnRg4 .Cheers Rod
 
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Maybe we should build a 3'6" gauge bridge between the mainland and Tassie Rod. Only problem is it would have is the tracks would have to go through NSW and Victoria. Every time Qld beat NSW in State of Origin, those blues would sabotage the track.

Did those locos ever get repainted to a different livery? I saw one model on the club's 12mm track that wasn't in either the maroon/gold or the earlier blue/gray QR schemes.
 



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