50th Annual Forestville Model Railway Exhibition - Sydney 2023

[@AlbyAnderson-qk1um]

Cheers will fantastic job mate you did our 50 proud 🤙🚂🚂🚂

[@WillJamesRailways]

Thank you very much!

[@leokimvideo]

Sandy Hollow reminded me of the fine detail the late great Geoff Nott achieved. A mind blowing wonderment that hovers more towards the fine arts Vs model railways. Nice to see the earlier format of Blue Mountains. That's one incredible large format layout.

[@josephjara3681]

Great work again mate!🤘😠

[@WillJamesRailways]

Thank you Joseph!

[@FromtheWindowSeat]

Almost as good as being there. Cheers! 🙌

[@WillJamesRailways]

Thank you so much mate!

[@medwaymodelrailway7129]

Another great video Will thanks for sharing.

[@WillJamesRailways]

Thank you!

[@medwaymodelrailway7129]

@@WillJamesRailways Your welcome.

[@redstorm2003]

Excellent work. Narrative is well done. Come to think of it, I rarely read the description provided so your narration is just like listening to story and get deeper understanding and involvement with the layouts. Thank you for taking us along.

[@WillJamesRailways]

Thank you Harry!

[@michaelimpey1407]

Will, Thank you, anotehr great exhibition report. It was great to meet you. I have been regularly attending the Forestville Exhibition since 1998, after moving from Tasmania to Forestville. This was, I think the best exhibition they have had for a long time. The Blue Mountains layout was, in my opinion, the best in show. It is going to be great when it is all finished. The venue is great, as it does have a lot of natural light, which makes viewing the layouts that much easier. Cheers, and stay safe, and keep the reports coming. Michael

[@WillJamesRailways]

Thank you again Michael! That’s excellent to hear! Was great to meet you as well!

[@robertmadison2752]

Such beautiful modelling . . .

[@WillJamesRailways]

Some really outstanding railways! Thanks for watching!

[@williamandrews2465]

Really enjoy these videos, I like the way the colour palate of the scenery 'reflects' the unique quality of light in Australia. I think these layouts must be the easiest to identify without even seeing a loco'. Thanks from a dull and rainy London UK.

[@WillJamesRailways]

Thank you very much!

[@colinjones2974]

Thanks Will, I love looking at other people's creativity. So much to learn and enjoy.

[@WillJamesRailways]

Great to hear you enjoyed the video Colin! Some really beautiful work has gone into these layouts!

[@1stArizonaSub]

Another excellent presentation and review. Thank you!

[@WillJamesRailways]

Thank you John!

[@billparas5114]

Loved it all, very descriptive,Will Loved Binalong & Jindalee the most. 🙏 Thanks for entertaining us, Will 🙏

[@WillJamesRailways]

Thanks Bill!

[@johngibson4641]

Awesone video ,, some really good layouts there.. Cheers from John.

[@WillJamesRailways]

Cheers John! Some really great modelling!

[@beertruk2429]

Thanks Will. Nice vid with great, interesting layouts and good info commentry about them. Cheers Matey.

[@WillJamesRailways]

Thank you!

[@andrewk182]

Hi Will, thanks for coming and videoing. A great summary of our 50th Anniversary Exhibition. I hope you enjoyed yourself and hope to see you at Rosehill and maybe next year again at Forestville.

[@WillJamesRailways]

Thanks Andrew! Hopefully I’ll be back! See you then!

[@KingsviewModelRailway]

A great review of this exhibition. Some great layouts there!

[@WillJamesRailways]

Thank you! Was an excellent model railway show to attend!

[@fappcreations]

Great video 🚂👍

[@WillJamesRailways]

Many thanks!

[@mels1811]

Brilliant train layouts

[@WillJamesRailways]

Thank you!

[@NicholassTrainChannel]

Nice exhibition report Will. A lot of great layouts there. Especially the first one shown. - Nicholas.

[@WillJamesRailways]

Thanks Nicholas! Yes the Blue Mountains layout is very nice!

[@garylaker4335]

Great vid Will 👍 So nice to watch an exhibition coverage with a narrative! Newnes is definitely worth a look, bring your camping gear, it’s well worth the effort. Go in spring or autumn as the weather can be extreme! 🥵🥶 The history of the area is incredible.

[@1234mallard]

Great video. I’ve been down to newnes and walked through the abandoned shale oil works. Very interesting. The tunnel that was on the line is now inhabited by glow worms. You drive in most of the way along the old alignment, then walk to the tunnel

[@WillJamesRailways]

Thanks! Sounds like a great adventure!

[@charlescraig2227]

The view of Bathurst Road, Katoomba, provided at 02:26, IS Bathurst Road, Katoomba; the most magnificent piece of modelling I have ever seen. How often do you presume you are looking at a common view, BEFORE realising it's a model ?? A TRUE inspiration of magnificent modelling. Best regards, Charles Craig

[@WillJamesRailways]

Thank you Charles! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@nicolaiitchenko7610]

Your exhibition videos get better every time. Thankyou Allowing us to see the details, scenery and some of the background workings as well as the rolling stock makes it bearable not to make it to these shows from up here in FNQ. (Bit of a drive)

[@michaelhall8586]

It’s interesting to see how modern technology is improving a classic hobby

[@WillJamesRailways]

Always something new happening!

[@avlisk]

As a life-long (over 60 years now) HO modeler, I get N envy seeing how far that scale has progressed in detail and reliability, and how much railroading one can get into a given space. If I were 60 years younger, I'd be full speed ahead with N scale.

[@huckcampbell5789]

The Wolgan Valley Railway to Newnes Junction was an amazing piece of railway history that is sad we dont have today. You can still walk most of it. The highlight is going through the Glow Worm tunnel in the dark. Then of course the ruins of the shale works are fascinating in themselves. The only road into Wolgan Valley is currently closed due to washouts from the rain last year. I think the access from Lithgow up through what is known as the drift is open to give access to the old tunnels on the line. There is a great publication - though well out of print now called the Wolgan Valley Railway. There is another one called Shays in the Valley. To think that they went to such extraordinary lengths to build this railway and its life was so brief. LOve your work as always Mr Will !

[@WillJamesRailways]

Thank you very much for that information, and Ill keep an eye out for those books if anyone is every selling them!

[@tomsear1]

Newnes is brilliant!

[@WillJamesRailways]

Something different! Was great to see

[@Gaz3801]

Good video Will. I do have to say that the dead end aisle ways and having MRRC and Forest Miniatures opposite each other wasn't well planned as both created a bottle neck. If the traders could have been up on the stage away from the exhibits, it may have been more user friendly. Overall, it wasn't a bad exhibition, as I attended on the Saturday. I'll catch up with you at Rosehill. Cheers, Gary.

[@WillJamesRailways]

Thanks Garry! You’re right there! The dead end wasn’t too comfortable! Glad you still enjoyed it! See you there!

[@oldfartonabmx2122]

Is that a HO scale Dodge Challenger in the Morewood layout??❤

[@WillJamesRailways]

Yeah they’re available from most model train stores! I know Trainworld in Melbourne has them!

[@oldfartonabmx2122]

@@WillJamesRailways it’ll probably be the only Dodge Challenger I can ever afford! 👍

[@bdb2441]

I am not able to get to exhibitions anymore so I look forward to your videos of exhibitions and your coverage of new products. Do you know whether Elite Model Services still exist? I ordered a guard's van kit from them in August last year and have not received it yet. They don't answer emails or return calls anymore.

[@WillJamesRailways]

Glad to hear you enjoyed it Bryan! I haven’t heard from them in a long time now! Unfortunately it seems to now be a common issue with them!

[@Tom-Lahaye]

The Australian layouts are generally of a high level as far as I can establish as not from down under and on a screen. Also a couple of good British themed layouts, the slip points are prototypical for the West Highland Line after it got radio beacon signalling. However the distillery is not that prototypical, maybe because building kits are used, and to do it right requires scratch building. Most distilleries did build production facilities near newly opened railway lines in the 19th century, so the buildings are often of old. Some new modern steel construction warehouses may be added, bot most smaller distilleries retained the whole of their production in the old buildings, these were mostly of stone, with pitched slate roofs and often one or more hoods typical for drying kilns where the barley was dried after malting. The distillery on the layout has an old boiler house but no other old buildings, and that's not typical for a small distillery, as only the very large industrial distilleries like Johnnie Walker and Haig would have the entire production moved to newer larger buildings of either brick and concrete or the metal warehouse type, often spread over several locations. But to know all this you must either have been to Scotland and be a Single Malt Whisky addict like me or have read the book "Iron rails and whisky trails" which is a must if you also like railways. So I can't really complain to much about this detail, as the average Aussie will not have been there, and the layout is nice.

[@EsotericArctos]

Going to all these exhibitions, what would be your favouriter era to model and how would you setup your ideal layout? Just curious :)

[@WillJamesRailways]

For me, it’s the late 80’s/early 90’s! I’d love to have a layout based on the Melbourne to Adelaide line or if I had to pick a location either Ballarat or Horsham! Thanks for asking Brendan!

[@ZalMoxis]

Some memories there when Australia had industry and made their own trains.... but now a mostly defunct regional railway system....

[@WillJamesRailways]

Unfortunately Zal!

[@ashleybishop9937]

Please get rid of that background noise, it sounds like a record being played backwards. It is a shocker and is somewhat annoying. Cheers.

[@WillJamesRailways]

Hey Ashley thanks for watching and the feedback. I won’t be getting rid of the music, although I can hopefully invest in something better soon. There is a lot of background noise from the exhibition and majority of viewers don’t want to hear that or the people talking to me behind the camera. Sorry again.