North Shore Model Railway Club
Realistic operation is more fun
 Activities This page gives an overview of the club's activities. More detailed information about some activities is given on other pages. The section of this overview are Introduction Monthly activities Annual activities Other activities Introduction﷯ The North Shore Model Railway club (NSMRC) was officially established in 1965. We are very fortunate to own our clubrooms. This has brought stability to the club over its 50 year life. The club has about 55 members with interests split between US, NZR, British and Continental prototypes models. We have no particular preference for scale or prototype and welcome all model railway enthusiasts. The interests of our members vary widely, from operating, scenery building, kit- and scratch- building, through to electronics and software. This mix of interests makes the club a very interesting place for model railway enthusiasts and a great source of help and information. The club has a layout room, a well-stocked workshop, an extensive library, and a lounge and kitchen. The club has two static layouts. The Waitemata and Chelsea Railway (W&C), the main club layout, is one of the largest static layouts in New Zealand. Although the layout is one unit, it has three distinct sections: US, NZR and British. This diversity affords members the opportunity to pursue their particular prototype and has ensured the vibrancy and success of the club. The W&C occupies all of the top floor of the clubrooms. The other static layout is the Warren Stacey layout. This models lines around Durango in the 1920s and 30s. The layout is a 7.5m long shelf layout and is set up in the workroom downstairs. The club also has a portable NZR layout and a modular layout. These layouts are used mainly at exhibitions and train shows. Club members meet once a week and at other pre-arranged times. We strive to make the club easily accessable to all members and a fun place to be. Monthly activities Scheduled running. See the Operations Page. Swtich lists. See the Operations Page. Unscheduled running. There are no timetables, switch lists or manifests. Trains run under track warrants or by visual checking. Members also take the opportunity to meet other members and do work around the club. There is usually one session of unscheduled running per month. Construction night. Members work on the layout. The current projects include the development of Indian Hill, an American Station, and setting up track detection and signalling. There is usually one construction night per month. Saturday modelling. Most months there is a session of modelling 1pm - 4pm on the first Saturday of the month. These sessions have an informal structure and like the sessions of unscheduled running described above, members also use the sessions to meet other members and to do work around the club. Annual activities New Year barbacue. Held early January. Working bee. Held early in the year. President's Day. The club is open all day for running trains. Held early to mid year. Competition night. Held in October. AGM and awards presentation. Held in November. Christmas dinner. Held early December Other activities Displaying our portable or module layouts at exhibitions and train shows. Typically once or twice a year. A club open day. An opportunity to let the public see what our hobby is about and what the club does. Held every two to four years. Clinics are held from time to time, typically four to six a year. They start at 8:00pm and run for an hour. Clinics cover many aspects of model railroading including weathering, tree construction, construction using card or whitemetal, conventions, and trip reports.