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Offline Tom Jessop  
#1 Posted : 12 August 2015 05:27:36(UTC)
Tom Jessop

Australia   
Joined: 14/12/2002(UTC)
Posts: 800
Location: Newcastle NSW Australia


Back in the dim & distant 70's there was a exhibition layout on the Gold Coast on the first floor above a Wollies Supermarket in what is possibly the Oasis center . A question has appeared on RailPage forums regarding this layout & if any person has any knowledge of it at present . Maybe some of the banana bender guys may know some details ?

Cheers Tom in Oz.
Offline Shamu  
#2 Posted : 12 August 2015 07:46:55(UTC)
Shamu

Australia   
Joined: 12/07/2011(UTC)
Posts: 1,068
Location: In a building site in Yeppoon
I think they were the mob that ended up moving down to Mermaid Beach just down from the cinema if I recall correctly. Owned a unit there late 70' till the mid 80's.

Small shop at the front and several layouts all rather on the large size from memory. I know I came across a receipt from there recently.

The last time I can say for sure they were still there was in 1989, after that I can not say as I haven't set foot on the gold coast since then.
Sad when its cheaper to buy a new 29640 starter set from Germany than a CS2 on its own in Oz, welcome to the joys of Marklin down under .
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Offline DV  
#3 Posted : 12 August 2015 09:22:52(UTC)
DV

Australia   
Joined: 29/11/2009(UTC)
Posts: 954
Location: Mount Barker, South Australia
Would that be the layout that Klaus Maier (I think that's how you spell his surname) built back in the 60's and used to take it around Australia, showing it at Royal Shows and other such events?

I do remember seeing this particular layout at the Adelaide Royal Show back in the mid 60's and it had pride of place on the stage of the old Centennial Hall (The Beatles, The Stones, The Who all performed on that stage). It was a stunning layout, absolutely huge. Had the trolley cars whizzing around, had a drive-in movie theater where Klaus used to show his vacation slides on the screen, wedding scenes, funeral scenes, castles in the mountains, car accidents, basically what we all now do and take for granted on layouts. I think it was numerous connected basic ovals with large stations and a mountain setting, with a small yard at one end. It was all automatic, as he used to go out to have a couple of fags and let the layout run itself.

In the ensuing years he was slowly moved around by the Royal Show mob until he ended up in a cabin among the farming machinery.

He originally had a company AMRI, situated in Mermaid Beach, and when I had a hobby shop back in the 70's I used to trade with him. He stopped touring and I thought he set the exhibition layout at his warehouse and increased it to contain scenery representing other parts of the world, and had it on public show, I believe.

I think the company is still going (I guess he has passed away and his family is now running it possibly) and is situated in Labrador and still producing model railroad items and importing.

Well that's my two cents worthBigGrin
Dusan V
'I find your lack of faith (in Märklin) disturbing'
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Offline Tom Jessop  
#4 Posted : 12 August 2015 13:57:37(UTC)
Tom Jessop

Australia   
Joined: 14/12/2002(UTC)
Posts: 800
Location: Newcastle NSW Australia


Amazing what comes together when a few questions are asked . I asked PJM about a layout that used to be south of Hobart Tasmania & he was able to also give a few facts about it .


The NSWGR used to have a couple of travelling exhibition layouts in various scales , 2 of them at least were with Marklin track & & used Marklin chassis & motors with a NSWGR body hand made in the workshops . The larger of these layouts went to a Caravan park /museum at Cowra after the railways had a sell off & down sized their public appearances , they also had a "O " scale layout which also ran with Marklin motors from what I have been told . There also was a club group who were associated with the railways who used to meet in the city to have running nights , they are now down at Mortdale .

Over Dusans way near Adelaide there was a German based group at Hahndorf which had a small layout on show in a shop .

Any other large Marklin layouts that were about in Oz that any one can think of ?


Cheers Tom in Oz
Offline kimballthurlow  
#5 Posted : 13 August 2015 00:49:26(UTC)
kimballthurlow

Australia   
Joined: 18/03/2007(UTC)
Posts: 6,653
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Originally Posted by: DV Go to Quoted Post
Would that be the layout that Klaus Maier (I think that's how you spell his surname) built back in the 60's and used to take it around Australia, showing it at Royal Shows and other such events?
......


Around 1958-60, I visited a layout in Toowoomba, setup by a travelling "showman".
He used an empty shop in Margaret Street opposite the Post Office, and was there for 4 days.
It cost 1/- (one shilling) to get in.
I asked him where he was from, and he said he was based in Atherton, north Queensland (inland from Cairns).

It was a Marklin layout, and was from memory as you described with multiple tracked oval, with trains leaving stations automatically.
There were about 6 platforms in the main station.
My impression is that it would have been 8 metres x 4.

I remember feeling less than impressed at the 'toylike' atmosphere of the layout, and the very sharp radius curves in use.
Having said that, the layout ran faultlessly.

I wonder if that was the same showman. I never did get to know many of the commercial model train fraternity here.

On another note, I do not know of any large Marklin layouts currently used for exhibition anywhere in Queensland, or for that matter, in Australia.
At the "May" model train show in Brisbane, a digital C track Marklin two level layout with operating crane, has been consistently shown in the last 5 years by a medical practitioner and his friends.
It attracts more than its share of onlookers.

regards
Kimball
HO Scale - Märklin (ep II-III and VI, C Track, digital) - 2 rail HO (Queensland Australia, UK, USA) - 3 rail OO (English Hornby Dublo) - old clockwork O gauge - Live Steam 90mm (3.1/2 inch) gauge.
Offline countrylink  
#6 Posted : 13 August 2015 01:00:34(UTC)
countrylink

Australia   
Joined: 07/09/2007(UTC)
Posts: 133
Location: toowoomba
Dusan I think that shop is now called Christmas Every Day (not 100% sure though)

Tom there use to be 2 layouts in Queensland years ago,with one at Wolfdene near
Beenleigh and one in the Flaxton barn on the Blackall ranges just inland from the Sunshine coast.
Offline DV  
#7 Posted : 13 August 2015 02:05:26(UTC)
DV

Australia   
Joined: 29/11/2009(UTC)
Posts: 954
Location: Mount Barker, South Australia
Originally Posted by: Tom Jessop Go to Quoted Post

Amazing what comes together when a few questions are asked . I asked PJM about a layout that used to be south of Hobart Tasmania & he was able to also give a few facts about it .

Over Dusan's way near Adelaide there was a German based group at Hahndorf which had a small layout on show in a shop .


Tom,

same bloke did both layouts.

I remember visiting Tassy (early 90's??) and travelling down to Margate (south of Hobart, also if I remember correctly, known as the Huon Valley where a lot of AL's resided then......AL'S?? - Alternative LifestylersLOL LOL ) where we saw this steam loco with three (or four) passenger carriages by the side of the road close to the town. We stopped and had a look, climbed on the loco to have a gawk and then noticed one carriage with a sign in EngDeutsch about a layout, went in and was totally gob smacked to see a (to me anyway) superb layout the length of the carriage with enough room on one side to view it. And it was MärklinLove Love . Had a bit of a chat but unfortunately I can't remember exactly what we talked about, the only thing that sticks in my mind is that I advised him that his signs were in English AND German mixed together.

Then in the mid 90's he also built a layout for shop in Hahndorf, on the corner of Mt Barker Rd and Echunga Rd, and my mate used to look after it in the sense of servicing the trains and fixing any problems on the layout. In the end it was closed down as it was costing to much in spare parts and upkeep.

Sorry can't remember his name, but he did build other layouts (Märklin) for other customers, including a 6m x 3m layout for Wolf Blass with Zimo electronics. My mate bought the whole layout , including all rolling stock for about $10k, when Wolf got bored with it. My mate used to live in Glen Osmond, which is the very hilly part of Adelaide looking down on the city, and had huge problems getting it finally set up in his dining room, to the consternation of his wifeCrying. He then moved to Canberra and did not take the layout with him but sold it to someone in Queensland, can't remember who.

Ahh memoriesRollEyes RollEyes
Dusan V
'I find your lack of faith (in Märklin) disturbing'
Offline Tom Jessop  
#8 Posted : 13 August 2015 02:26:53(UTC)
Tom Jessop

Australia   
Joined: 14/12/2002(UTC)
Posts: 800
Location: Newcastle NSW Australia


Hi Dusan , thanks for the info. The Hahndorf layout was in situ before 1988 , our son attended the scout jamboree in january 88 & I paid a visit to the layout . The bloke who was running ittold me that it had been in use for a couple of years in the shop .

Now for Florida USA

We paid a visit to a large layout under construction in the Cape Coral area about December 1998 . It was in a large shop area downtown , is this still in operation as I have not seen any mention of it on here ?

Cheers Tom in Oz . We fly out tomorrow for Europe for 3 months touring.
Offline PJMärklin  
#9 Posted : 13 August 2015 12:39:31(UTC)
PJMärklin

Australia   
Joined: 04/12/2013(UTC)
Posts: 2,206
Location: Hobart, Australia
Originally Posted by: DV Go to Quoted Post
Originally Posted by: Tom Jessop Go to Quoted Post

Amazing what comes together when a few questions are asked . I asked PJM about a layout that used to be south of Hobart Tasmania & he was able to also give a few facts about it .

Over Dusan's way near Adelaide there was a German based group at Hahndorf which had a small layout on show in a shop .


Tom,

same bloke did both layouts.

I remember visiting Tassy (early 90's??) and travelling down to Margate (south of Hobart, also if I remember correctly, known as the Huon Valley where a lot of AL's resided then......AL'S?? - Alternative LifestylersLOL LOL ) where we saw this steam loco with three (or four) passenger carriages by the side of the road close to the town. We stopped and had a look, climbed on the loco to have a gawk and then noticed one carriage with a sign in EngDeutsch about a layout, went in and was totally gob smacked to see a (to me anyway) superb layout the length of the carriage with enough room on one side to view it. And it was MärklinLove Love . Had a bit of a chat but unfortunately I can't remember exactly what we talked about, the only thing that sticks in my mind is that I advised him that his signs were in English AND German mixed together.

Then in the mid 90's he also built a layout for shop in Hahndorf, on the corner of Mt Barker Rd and Echunga Rd, and my mate used to look after it in the sense of servicing the trains and fixing any problems on the layout. In the end it was closed down as it was costing to much in spare parts and upkeep.

Sorry can't remember his name, but he did build other layouts (Märklin) for other customers, including a 6m x 3m layout for Wolf Blass with Zimo electronics. My mate bought the whole layout , including all rolling stock for about $10k, when Wolf got bored with it. My mate used to live in Glen Osmond, which is the very hilly part of Adelaide looking down on the city, and had huge problems getting it finally set up in his dining room, to the consternation of his wifeCrying. He then moved to Canberra and did not take the layout with him but sold it to someone in Queensland, can't remember who.

Ahh memoriesRollEyes RollEyes


Hello Dusan,

The touristic layout you recall south of Hobart in the railway carriage was built and run by Eric Sablowski. Eric was also a Märklin and Faller retailer for Tasmania. The layout ran automatically and had a taped audio description running. He charged a modest admission fee.

I first visited his layout around 1982 or 3 with my wife and our very young sons ; he was the principle person who propelled me into Märklin.............as they say, the rest is history.
I visited Germany the next year and Eric (to his credit) suggested I buy a starter set whilst there as the most economical way of getting started - I still have all the contents. I also purchased in München a Märklin DB 103 with the modern electronic reverse unit installed!!

After a while the tourist attraction at the Margate train (there were other attractions in the various railway carriages) closed down and Eric moved his considerable layout to another venue further south, just out of Huonville but this too has been closed for quite a while.

As you say, Eric built a number of layouts for folk around Australia, including, I believe, the Hahndorf layout.

I have some lovely old vintage Märklin classics that I bought from Eric and I owe a lot to him for inspiring me in the hobby and Märklin.

Regards,

PJ

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Offline Dave Banks  
#10 Posted : 13 August 2015 13:12:25(UTC)
Dave Banks

Australia   
Joined: 08/03/2006(UTC)
Posts: 1,025
Location: Gold Coast, Australia.
Christmas Everyday has moved to Johnston st Southport & does not have any Marklin. Just two rail items. There is a large model Railway club in Kendor St Labrador & occupies the whole top section of the complex & has many layouts. One is always welcome there but don't say the "M" word. Miami Trains was another shop in Miami Gold Coast in a small upstairs shop but long gone. Lastly there was a shop in the Dolphin arcade in Surfers Paradise that sold all sorts of trains & item for layouts. Had a wacky dude called Max that could weather buildings like none other in minutes. He had a unique talent. Other that that there is not much happening on the Goldie.





D.A.Banks
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Offline kiwiAlan  
#11 Posted : 13 August 2015 18:50:29(UTC)
kiwiAlan

United Kingdom   
Joined: 23/07/2014(UTC)
Posts: 8,082
Location: ENGLAND, Didcot
Nobody has mentioned the layout in the museum attached to the station at the bottom of the Kurunda railway.

It is a model of the Kurunda railway made with Z track, and I presume had N scale rolling stock bodies on Marklin chassis. It wasn't running when we were there last year, and there was no sign of the rolling stock.

It was a nice looking model, although showing its age. It seemed to be a reasonable (probably quite foreshortened) model of the line to Kurunda.

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Offline xxup  
#12 Posted : 13 August 2015 23:05:12(UTC)
xxup

Australia   
Joined: 15/03/2003(UTC)
Posts: 9,457
Location: Australia
Queensland Rail in Rockhampton also used to have a training layout based on Marklin.. But I understand that training was outsourced after the layout died.. All done by computers nowdays..
Adrian
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Australia flag by abFlags.com
Offline DV  
#13 Posted : 14 August 2015 01:26:56(UTC)
DV

Australia   
Joined: 29/11/2009(UTC)
Posts: 954
Location: Mount Barker, South Australia
Originally Posted by: PJMärklin Go to Quoted Post

I first visited his layout around 1982 or 3 with my wife and our very young sons ; he was the principle person who propelled me into Märklin.............as they say, the rest is history.


PJ, now that you mentioned the years 82/83 (and also talking to the missus), I was incorrect when I said early 90's.Blushing

My wife reminded me that we visited Tassie in '81 (with the kids, and that's why we stopped to look at the loco, so the kids could climb on it) and that we didn't pay to look at it as Eric was completing it and explained how he had built it. Trust the wife to rememberBlushing BigGrin
Dusan V
'I find your lack of faith (in Märklin) disturbing'
Offline Tom Jessop  
#14 Posted : 14 August 2015 01:46:33(UTC)
Tom Jessop

Australia   
Joined: 14/12/2002(UTC)
Posts: 800
Location: Newcastle NSW Australia


When I was a Telecom tech in 1980 , 12 of us were sent to Hobart for training on Hitachi crossbar PABX's for 4 weeks , [ would have thought it would have been cheaper bringing the instructor to Sydney ] . On the weekends the missus & myself hired cars to tour round the island , I think it was the on the second weekend that we ventured south & found the layout at Margate . Goes to show that there have been some decent layouts in Oz over the years .


Cheers Tom in Oz
Offline PJMärklin  
#15 Posted : 14 August 2015 07:19:56(UTC)
PJMärklin

Australia   
Joined: 04/12/2013(UTC)
Posts: 2,206
Location: Hobart, Australia
Originally Posted by: DV Go to Quoted Post
Trust the wife to rememberBlushing BigGrin




Hello again Dusan,

as they say :

UserPostedImage

Regards,

PJ
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