Local high-tech hobby boon It’s all aboard

Andrew Mathieson
Geelong model railway enthusiasts think they have found a way to compete against iPods, Wiis and Gameboys to bring the huff and puff of steam engines into the computer age.
Technological changes in the trains have a new generation all aboard without donning overalls or sporting grey hair.
Corio Model Railway president Laurie McKinnon said the evolution with computers had revived a dying hobby.
“In some ways the kids are more interested in their iPods and that but we’re finding now that the model railway scene has changed dramatically,” he said.
“There are things called DCC (digital demand control) and the trains are all controlled by computer. You can now run six trains on the one track in different directions.”
Mr McKinnon said computer technology first started to play a part in model train sets two decades ago but had changed the hobby dramatically in the past four or five years.
Models had also evolved, with a jump in the number of Australian train replicas available.
“The kids absolutely love steam trains because they’ve never seen them, so they’re gobsmacked,” Mr McKinnon said.
“Some of the trains now have got the actual chuffing sound, the smoke – they have everything.”
Corio Model Railway Club will host its annual exhibition this weekend with more than a dozen railway layouts and a series of trade stands, static displays and demonstrations.
Mr McKinnon expected a “couple of thousand” visitors through Geelong West Town Hall, including visitors from as far away as Mildura.
“We get a lot of parents who bring their kids or grandkids down for a look,” he said.
“We’ve even had some notable Geelong footballers who are either interested in trains or say their sons are.”