Wagga Wagga Perway sheds

 A brief photo record of the Perway sheds at Wagga.

Early in September 2024, a fire broke out, and severely damaged the remaining perway shed at Wagga.

Photo by Pete Neve, taken from the LVR 620/720 railcar Sunday 22nd September 2024.  Used with permission 

Cause of the fire is unknown, although it may have been an accident, as the perway shed was being illegally accessed by homeless persons.  I understand the Wagga Rail Heritage museum had some items stored in the burnt end, and Peter M reported to me  there was a loss  of a luggage trolley, 2 country link hand luggage barrows, a Villiers trike frame, a TIC trike frame, and around $5,000 worth of steel shelving.

The group of perway sheds are a group of models that I have to make, and I was holding back on the description, until I had a chance to make it.  However, the fire has changed things.

Where were the sheds located?

The sheds were located on the northern side of the main line, between the Best St/Edmonstone St road bridge and the western end of the Wagga station platform.  A small reverse siding attached to the siding that serviced the Wagga station platform south dock. 

The shed that burnt was identified as the "Motor Mech" in the above railway site diagram.  I have orientated the plan this way, to correspond to the aerial pictures later.

The group of shed comprised The Signal Engineers, a fuel storage shed (that included a bowser), the Motor Mechanics, and lastly a storage compound shed for LP gas storage.

An Wagga council intramaps view from 1971 shows the sheds, and a freight train on the platform track.  A CPH is stabled at the end of the reverse siding - presumably for the Tumbarumba branch.  As my time period for my model layout is nominally 1970, there is a lot of interest for me, despite the lousy resolution

An image from the ARHS archives, shows the 3 main sheds - the motor mechanic shed being the one that recently burnt.  The distant LP storage shed was removed sometime between 1990 and 1995.

Wagga council aerial image from 1990.  One of the railway street cottages has been demolished. and some changes have been made to the fuel storage/bowser shed.  But most of the infrastructure remains.

In 1995, I took a few pictures of the sheds.  This being the Motor Mechanic shed.  Note the siding has been removed, along with the entire LP storage shed.  These images scanned from my prints. 

Signal Engineer shed

Western side shows a lot of detail

I am hoping that I had earlier recorded additional images on slide, although I have yet to find them.

By 2012, Wagga Council aerial view had become a lot more detailed.  One can make out the skylights on the Motor Mechanic sheds.  A new shed had been built on the former siding (where the CPH was in the 1971 image)  All the railway cottages had been demolished - only the original Best Street gatekeeper cottage remains.  Another shed ('99') had been constructed on the site of one of the cottages.  Note the large white roof building in the top RHS of the picture.  This is the former District Engineer Office - now repurposed

Detail of the roofs of the motor mechanic shed, and the Signalling engineering shed in Wagga council's  2020 image.  The "garage" at the rear of the Motor Mechanic shed is hidden in the shadow of the tree (see the 1990 image).

A year or two ago, armed with a digital camera, I took a lot more pictures.  Changes from 1995 are generally that the sheds have been boarded up.  Whilst now over 50 years after my nominal layout period, the pictures are still potentially useful for the finer details. 

Conclusion

We can never take things for granted.  Record what you can today, because it may be gone tomorrow.  

Until next time, happy modeling.

Goulburn Model Expo - 2024

 A photo essay of the 2024 Goulburn exhibition 

On Sunday, Ben and Pete accompanied me for the almost 3 hr drive from Junee to Goulburn to attend the first Goulburn Model Expo, at the Veolia Arena

On the way home, we detoured via the old Hume Hwy, for a bit of train spotting.  The up XPT was running slightly late, and by the time it arrived, the setting sun was shading the line over the Cullerin Range. 

The exhibition was hosted by the Georges River Model Railway Club, and the venue was the one used for the 2022 N scale convention.    The hall is huge.  

The exhibition contained around 50 exhibitors, and trade stands

Layouts  - A small selection

Goulburn - by Guilford Model Railway Club

It seemed appropriate that the Goulburn Exhibition should feature "Goulburn".  This layout features an accurate model of the Goulburn station, and was running trains of many eras

Muttama - by Peter Beyer

Peter is a fellow blogger (Branching-Out NSW), and Muttama was a small station on the branchline south of Cootamundra, to Tumut.  Historically accurate, Peter told me that he met (at the exhibition) a former resident of the gatekeeper cottage.

Alp Grum - By Greg Coggins

I have been friends with Greg for far too many years when we both lived in the Canberra area.   "Alp Grum" is his latest Swiss layout, meter gauge, and scenically superb.

Binalong by Epping Model Railway Club

Binalong is a station south of Goulburn.  Epping MRC have modelled it fairly accurately, and were running trains of all eras.

Orbost by Paul Blake

Paul has chosen to model  (in the unusual 1:500 scale) the end of the Victorian Gippsland line to Orbost, with the trains crossing the 700 metre trestle being a highlight.  The micro scale trains really allows the landscape to dominate and mimics the google earth view of the prototype

Wansbeck Road by the SE QLD Group - 2mm Scale Association

A fictional location in County Durham, with a colliery village station, set in the post war period.  It was great to see some British N scale running on accurate scaled trackwork, with structures based on real prototype

A train turntable allows for staging and turning of trains in a limited space

Micro Layouts by Philip Lowery

If you don't have much space, or you want a project to try out an idea, a micro layout could be your answer.  Philip presented quite a few in various scales, and prototypes

Sandford by Phillip & Ross James

Another British N scale layout, depicting a fictious town on the former LNER main line.  The layout only took 6 months for the father and son team to make, using commercial models, and kits

Trouble Brewing Company by Steve Pettit MMR

A highly detailed display layout in the unusual scale of Gn15 - G scale 1:24, on HO gauge track, representing 15" gauge.  

Nordic Coast by Jeff Mayhill

A Marklin Z scale display layout, with what is a magnificant sea scape, with a clipper ship far too close to the rocks to add quite a bit of drama.  And the ship stole the scene, with its movement

Waterfall by the Illawarra Model Railway Association

Prior to the electrification of the south coast line, Waterfall was an important place for trains heading up the steep grade from the Illawarra. 

Bob's Display by Bob Hendy & Robert Hodges

A magnificant collection of NSW O scale locos was part of Bob's display.  The 57 and 38 class locos started as 3rd rail kits from Sydney's "The O Gauge House", from the 1950s/60s, but upgraded to 2 rail operation.

AMRA display

Still with the O gauge theme, 3rd rail models.  The Hell gate bridge model is a Lionel model. The prototype bridge over the East River in New York, was the inspiration for Sydney Harbour Bridge

Hexhamish by Stephen Curry

I first saw Hexamish at the Wangaratta N scale convention, and much of the bare plywood there has been now sceniced as the Hexham swamp.  Stephen's smooth running scatchbuilt N scale Hunter valley coalfields locos, with long lines of private owner hoppers was a pleasure to behold

Leask by David and Steve Leask

Freelance NSW N scale layout.  Of special interest was the excellent scratchbuilt Butter factory, based on the one at Albion Park Rail - near Wollongong

Down Town Spur by Gary Ruming

What I thought was the best "interactive with the public" layout at the exhibition, was one you could walk into.  USA themed switching layouts are close to my heart, as my design parameters for the ACT Model Railway Society 12th Street yard was back in 1997 will attest.  Gary's design, fitting on open shelves, could easily be bookcases in a spare room.  The attention to the run-down nature of the industrial sidings, and warehouses made for a gritty reality feel.

May look chaotic, but the metal shelves are quite fuinctional.  The extension of the staging yard seems to defy gravity

Visible staging yard - the backscene is detailed as the rear of a warehouse, that is served by other sidings on the other side of the shelf

The warehouse on the other side of the staging yard shelf takes 3 boxcars

Wan Chai Depot by Mark Peterson

On a fictional branch off the Happy Valley loop, Mark has captured the feel of the Hong Kong Tramway

Marks display took me back to 1985, when I did a bit of riding, and photographing the HK trams

My picture from Oct 1985

Glasson by Brian&Fran Thomas, Bret Warburton, John Harriott, and Andrea Cortese

"Glasson" was a new O scale layout, that made its debut at Kaleen Exhibition in March this year.  Constructed essentially as a way to display part of Brian's large O scale collection, including those models scratchbuilt by Fran's late uncle, Lloyd Glasson - who the layout is named after.  The backscenes were a recent addition, painted by John.  The fine running, and sequence operation made for constant movement of trains.  I understand that "Glasson" will shortly feature in AMRM

   

There were more layouts to view than the ones I have featured.  In addition to the layouts, there was an large display by the ACT Plastic Modellers, and a few clinics, showing modelling skills

Traders

A bonus for those of us without a hobby shop within a day's drive, having a selection of trade stands at the exhibition is excellent.  Here are just a few.

Auscisions display case contained their future models.  The 900 class railmotor DEB sets being particularly of interest to me, as these ran through Wagga as the Riverina Express 

In addition, there was Fortress Trains, Pallass Hobbies, Runway 13, The Model Railroad Craftsman, Eureka Models, R*W Hobby, Keiran Ryan Models, Rosco Models, Vision N scale, Matts Ballast, Casula Hobbies, Railway coins, Oberon Tarana Heritage Railway, Frate N, Buckambool Model Trains, Gopher Models & BadgerBits, IXION Models, WestEdge 3D, Wombat Models, plus coffee and sausage sizzle

Conclusion

Georges River Model Railway club have done a magnificent job with this exhibition.  The arranging of a heritage train from Sydney on Sunday with 120 eager attendees certainly made the hall quite busy at times.  I understand that the Goulburn Heritage roundhouse, just a short stroll away from the venue, was also well attended.  The booklet provided was comprehensive, and assisted me with compiling my notes. 

To all the layout exhibitors, traders, and sponsors, including local businesses in Goulburn, I thank you for a wonderful day.

On the way home.

My day hadn't finished at 4pm.  I was convinced (not that I need much convincing) to do some railfanning on the way home.  And what is becoming a tradition, we stopped for dinner at the Harden Chinese Restaurant for an excellent meal.

Until next time, build a model or two