[ If you notice that any of the links below happen to be broken, or you know of a link to a website which should be added to these pages, please let me know so I can correct the respective URL's ]

To quickly locate the section you're after, use the index below:

• - Prototype Operations and info about revenue-earning commercial railway activities:
  • - Australian + New Zealand prototype,
  • - North American and International prototype.
• - Railway History, Heritage and Preservation:
  • - Australian + New Zealand railway Heritage and Preservations groups,
  • - Australian + New Zealand railway historical & research sites.
• - Rail Modelling in small scales:
  • - sites covering the Australian + New Zealand scene,
    • - rail modelling publications and publishers,
    • - retailers and manufacturers of rail modelling products,
    • - conventions and exhibitions focused on rail modelling, plus modelling associations, etc..
    • - miscellaneous references, including links to individual modellers's websites.
  • - sites covering the North American, European and International scene.
    • - rail modelling publications and publishers,
    • - retailers and manufacturers of rail modelling products,
    • - conventions and exhibitions focused on rail modelling, plus modelling associations, etc..
    • - miscellaneous references, including links to individual modeller's websites.
• - Railway Modeling Engineering clubs and organisations.
• - Pages belonging to my Rail Enthusiast and/or Rail Modeller comrades, etc.
• - Other Miscellaneous sites, such as railfan clubs, rail-related tourist information, etc.

- The Australian Public Access Network Association Inc., provides community-based, not-for-profit, Internet and related services (website hosting, etc.) to networking and IT experimenters, like-minded individuals, and non-profit organisations.

APANA regions are operating in almost all state capital cities and some other regional areas to offer services which are locally-focused and low in cost. Each region is operated by a dedicated group of volunteers (this keeps costs down).

Being community-based, APANA is different to commercial Internet providers because the regions offers extra features to members alongside straight up (low cost) Internet connectivity, such as social events, low-cost training workshops, etc.

My local network is part of the APANA Sydney region, and I am a member of the APANA Sydney Regional Committee. If you have any questions specifically about APANA Sydney, please feel free to contact me.

Prototype Operations

aka The Big Stuff!

Australia and New Zealand

The State Rail Authority of NSW, based in Sydney, is the operator of suburban, interurban and country rail passenger services in NSW via it's two trading groups - CityRail and CountryLink. Since State Rail has been my employer since February 2nd, 1987, I should do my bit to promote their continually evolving web site! 8-)

The new corporate website for Pacific National is where you can find the latest information about what's happening with the merged FreightCorp and National Rail companies.

FreightCorp, formerly known as FreightRail, were until early 2002 a corporate trading entity of the NSW government that operates intrastate rail freight services within NSW. The company, along with National Rail, is now owned by Patrick Corporation (owned by Chris Corrigan).

The National Rail Corporation are a national rail freight company set up in 1993 as part of the then-in-power federal Labor government's reform agenda for Australian rail transport. Since early 2002, the company, along with FreightCorp, has been owned by Patrick Corporation (itself owned by Chris Corrigan).

National Rail is Australia's largest rail-based carrier of interstate freight, and NR's primary task is to provide an efficient, reliable, competitive and profitable nationwide transport system.

The West Australian Government Railways Commission, based in Perth, operates all government-owned passenger and freight railway services and infrastructure in Western Australia.

You should also check out the West Australian Independent Rail Access Regulator website to find out more about how WA's public railway infrastructure is being managed.

Great Southern Railway Ltd is the operator of Australia's premier rail passenger trains including the Indian Pacific and the Ghan.

Check out Queensland Rail on the Internet to discover all there is to know about rail transport in Queensland.

The West Coast Railway Co. operates the Melbourne - Geelong - Warnambool rail passenger service which was sold off by the then V/Line in the early 1990's.

Rollingstock consists primarily of ex-V/Line B and S-class diesel-electric locomotives and ex-V/line passenger cars, along with a small collection of ex-VR steam locomotives.

The Great South Pacific Express is a luxury passenger train service operating between Cairns in Queensland and Sydney in New South Wales. It is operated as a joint venture between Queensland Rail and Orient Express Trains.

Tranzrail, aka Tranzrail Holdings Ltd, are the operators of the rail network in New Zealand. The company is owned by the US-based Wisconsin Central Railroad, and has been operating the New Zealand rail system since 1996.

For people interested in New Zealand railway signalling and safeworking, check out the Hutt Valley Signalling site covering lots of interesting info that most people outside of the NZ rail industry and rail enthusiast scene have not seen before.

The Australasian Railway Association Inc. was incorporated under the Victorian Associations Incorporation Act in November, 1994. It was intended that the new body would bring together all sections of a very powerful industry, to assist its future development.

The ARA also produces Network Rail Magazine bi-monthly in assocation with publishing house Jackson Wells. Network Rail is the leading professional railway industry publication in Australia and it's neighbouring countries such as New Zealand, etc.

Written and published by Stuart Ellis with help from many other prominent Australian prototype railway enthusiasts, Motive Power is an Australian magazine dealing with the latest locomotive news from the Australian rail scene and from around the world.

North America and International

The BNSF Railroad incorporates the former Chicago, Burlington and Quincy (CB&Q), Northern Pacific (NP), Great Northern (GN) and Spokane, Portland and Seattle (SP&S) railroads, along with Santa Fe (AT&SF).

Union Pacific Railroad is an operating subsidiary of Union Pacific Corporation. It is one of the largest railroads in North America, operating in the western two-thirds of the United States. The system serves over 20 states, linking every major West Coast and Gulf Coast port. It also serves four major gateways to the east: Chicago, St. Louis, Memphis and New Orleans. UP is the primary rail connection between the U.S. and Mexico. It also interchanges traffic with the Canadian rail system.

For comprehensive information about the railway industry in all countries of the world, check out Railway Technology.

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Railway History, Heritage and Preservation

Australian Railway Heritage and Preservation Groups

The New South Wales Rail Transport Museum, based at Thirlmere, near Picton (the next major town south from Campbelltown), houses a very large collection of railway heritage comprising rollingstock (both static and operating exhibits), signalling and communictions equipment, and other heritage items.

The RTM also has sub-groups based in the Illawarra region of NSW (City of Wollongong and surrounding areas), and also in the lower Blue Mountains immediately west of Sydney since they took over the former locomotive depot adjacent to the railway stations at Valley Heights.

The Zig Zag Railway is the premier preserved tourist railway in New South Wales, Australia, located near Lithgow in the Blue Mountains, 130 km west of Sydney.

In a world which reveres the new it demonstrates what was the best and latest in an era only slightly removed from our own.

3801 Limited is a non-profit company based in Sydney. All profits go towards the continuing restoration, operation and maintenance of their fleet of locomotives (including steam locomotives 3801 and 3830) and rollingstock.

The Australian - Railway Historical Society is the oldest and most respected railway historical organisation in Australia. It has divisions in most states and territories, and some of these divisions have web sites which you can explore:

• - ARHS New South Wales Division (include the ARHS Bookshop and the ARHS Archives)
  
• - ARHS ACT Division (includes Canberra Railway Museum, Michelago Tourist Railway, and Yass Railway Museum)
  
• - ARHS Queensland Division
  
• - ARHS South Australian Division
  
• - ARHS Tasmanian Division
  
• - ARHS Victorian Division
  
• - ARHS Western Australian Division

SteamRanger is a volunteer-operated steam tourist railway based at historic Mount barker railway station near Adelaide in the state of South Australia. Steamranger is the operating arm of the ARHS (SA Division).

The Association of Railway Enthusiasts was formed in 1961 to cater for those who are interested in railways and tramways. Based in Victoria, the group has members from all state/territories of Australia, as well as several other countries around the world.

The Association operates a retail shop called The Railfan Shop, which is located in the Melbourne CBD.

Steamrail Victoria is a non-profit volunteer group which is dedicated to the restoration and operation of historic locomotives and rollingstock. Steamrail is based in Victoria, Australia.

The Hotham Valley Tourist Railway is a railway heritage and preservation group based in Western Australia. They operate a range of steam and diesel trains throughout the year with mostly ex-WAGR (now WestRail) locomotives and rollingstock.

The Pichi Richi Railway Preservation Society was formed in 1973, and operates preserved trains from Quorn, which is located inside the spectacular Flinders Ranges in South Australia.

In addition to operating trains on most weekends, the Society also maintains a world-class collection of railway and other memorabilia.

Australian Railway Historical and Research Sites

The Australian - Railway Historical Society is the oldest and most respected railway historical organisation in Australia. It has divisions in most states and territories, and some of these divisions have web sites which you can explore:

• - ARHS New South Wales Division (include the ARHS Bookshop and the ARHS Archives)

• - ARHS ACT Division (includes Canberra Railway Museum, Michelago Tourist Railway, and Yass Railway Museum)

• - ARHS Victorian Division

• - ARHS Queensland Division

One of the historical collections on Peter's site cover the use of bunkers, tunnels and other fortifications during WW2, and in particular, the use of some of Sydney's railway tunnels for housing critical command headquarters for the allied armed forces during this time.

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Railway Modelling

aka The Small Stuff!

Australia and New Zealand

Publications and Publishers

The Australian Journal of Railway Modelling, formerly known as 'Branchline Modeller', is a bi-annual publication for modellers of Australian railways. It is produced by a group of active modellers who want to share information about practical aspects of the hobby.

Manufacturers and Retailers

Lloyd's Model Railways are based in the national capital city of Canberra. Operated by Lloyd Sawyer, LMR specialises in HO scale kits based on NSW railway prototypes.

Some keys features of Lloyd's product lineup are their extensive range of high-quality Footplate (made by DJH in the UK) locomotive kits, along with Lloyd's own range of locomotive and rollingstock kits and accessories.

Notable for his series of articles on building wheat silos in AMRM, Kieran Ryan produces specialised NSWR detailing parts using the results of prototype research for his layout which is based on Peak Hill in central-west NSW. Keiran also maintains and manages the Australian Railway Detail Photos website that is an excellent reference in itself!

Broad Gauge Bodies is South Australia's premier manufacturer of quality rolling stock kits of predominantly South Australian and Victorian prototypes.

B.G.B has an extensive range of high quality decals to enhance your models. A catalogue of their complete range of decals is available.

Austrains is one of Australia's leading manufacturers of HO scale Australian-prototype model railway equipment. The company is a joint venture between John Eassie (of Trax / Trainorama fame) and Tom Fisher (who's better known as the proprieter of Fisher Discounts in Fyshwick, ACT, and Tom's Discount Hobby Warehouse in West Ryde, NSW).

Austrains products are high-quality models produced mostly in RTR format, and in order to provide their customers with the highest quality at the lowest possible prices, they only sell direct via mail or online ordering, or from the Fisher Discounts and Tom's Discount Hobby Warehouse stores.

Not everyone is a fan of HO scale modelling, so if you fit in that category, and you're into N scale instead, check out N-Trains for a wide range of N scale Australian prototype railway models.

N-Trains is run by Ian Alce who is actually an optical dispenser by trade (which means the pattern-making is top-class), and the company is based here in Sydney, NSW.

N-Trains kits are manufactured in a variety of materials, ranging from injection-moulded plastic and cast polyurethane resin through to combinations of mostly etched brass with other materials for various parts. All of these materials should be familiar to the established modeller.

Port Macquarie based IR Models is owned and operated by Ian Millard, and specialises in producing hand-built authentic HO scale models of NSWGR signals.

The signals are constructed from a number of different materials, including etched brass, whitemetal and styrene. Built to exacting detail and made to operate, each signal comes painted and mounted on a brass baseplate ready for fixing to the layout, also allowing for an operating mechanism to be attached.

Custom signal-building services are also offered.

Model Railroad Craftsman, operated by Gary Spencer-Salt, offers a range of specialised products for craftsman modellers.

MRC carries an extensive range of electrical products and Digital Command Control equipment from Wangrow, North Coast Engineering, and Soundtraxx, just to name a few.

- Sydney's most well-known model railway retailer has to be Casula Hobbies, operated by Joe Callipari and located in the suburb of Liverpool.

Always a genuine down-to-earth modellers mecca, Casula Hobbies has established a reputation for quality service, along with stocking one of the largest ranges of decals, detailing parts and other specialised modelling items one needs in every aspect of everyday railway modelling.

Casula Hobbies is a specialist Australian-prototype retailed, and this shows through in the expanse of products which are not just focused on NSW railway modelling.

- Based in Parramatta, Sydney, Berg's Hobbies, run by the effervescent Peter Berg, is one of Sydney's longest-established hobby retailers, and a high-respected producer of Australian-prototype model railway kits, and also the infamous range of Berg's Brass Models.

Ian Lindsay Models, operated by Ian Storrie and based in Sydney, NSW, manufactures Australian railway items for various scales, like the goods shed at left, including O scale animals and details. Available from this site or mail order only. Not a glamorous odyssey but clean and clear.

Ian's range covers mostly NSW and QLD prototypes, but if there's something unusual which has potential but isn't currently produced by someone else, Ian will probably develop a high-quality model for it given time...

Conventions, Exhibitions and Modelling Associations

A.M.R.A. promotes contact and friendship between members by its state branch and sub-branch activities which include an annual public exhibition in each state, model building contests, clinics, photographic competitions, and also through the medium of a bi-monthly publication, 'Journal', to which members are encouraged to submit articles, letters, hints and tips, photographs, etc. as well as being offered the facility of inserting private 'for sale' and 'wanted' advertisments free of charge.

The Branchline Modellers Forum is an annual one-day event (normally held during March) that provides an opportunity to exchange modelling ideas and techniques, and presents some prototype information particularly relating to modelling the branchline railways of New South Wales.

The Forum is structured to provide a range of different activities, with those attending free to choose how they spend their time. In addition to formal lectures and ongoing demonstrations, there are plenty of opportunities to look at the model display and to talk to other modellers.

Around the end of March each year is when the annual Springwood Model Railway Exhibition is held in the town of Springwood (naturally enough!) which is located a short drive west of the outer-Sydney suburb of Penrith into the Blue Mountains region of NSW.

Along with the Broadmeadow exhibition which is normally held in August, the Springwood exhibition is one of the premier model railway exhibitions in NSW, and is held in conjunction with the St Thomas Aquinas School's Autumn Fair to assist with fund-raising for the school.

Miscellaneous References

Peter Knife has a fascination with the history of the Port Lincoln Division for the former South Australian Railways. Peter is also a keen modeller and has built a fine layout based on railway infrastructure and activities in the township of Minnipa as it was in the 1960 to 1969 period.

Lighting of models has always been a hot issue with railway modellers. In order to make models look more prototypical, various methods can be employed, but Sean X has come up with a novel way of implementing constant-brightness lighting which probably isn't something that would come to mind readily...

Source of detail photographs specific to the Australian railway scene are not always easily obtainable unless you can get to the place and record data and images before something is lost forever. Keiran Ryan's Australian Railway Detail Photos site goes a long way to helping deal with that by offering collections of images covering many facets of the Australian railway scene for use by railway modellers (and anyone else interested in the subject).

North America, Europe and Other Regions

Publications and Publishers

Manufacturers and Retailers

The Walthers web site. Wm. K. Walthers, Inc. are one of the world's best-known and oldest model railway/railroad product distributors. They also produce their own lines.

For the very best in model railway trackage, trackage components and related products, check out Railway Engineering.

Dallee Electronics manufacture a wide range of electrical products for rail modellers, including sound systems, throttles, signalling and automation equipment, strobes, lighting, etc.

Many of these products are designed to work (where applicable) with NMRA-complient Digital Command Control equipment, as well as stand-alone.

If you're looking for any hard-to-find or specialist tools, check out MicroMark, since they are one of the best sources for hard to find tools and supplies for hobby, professional and educational model building.

NorthWest Short Line (aka NWSL) provides fine quality high value specialty products for precision work such as model building, model making, miniatures and crafts, architectural model making, hobby work, miniature mechanisms, and power drives.

Based in Seattle Washington, U.S.A., NWSL has been meeting the needs of small scale modelers with quality products and service for over 40 years.

If you are looking for high-quality HO-scale models of earthmoving and construction equipment, then take a look at what Classic Construction Models has to offer. They produce a range of models in various scales, but a feature of their range is a continuing series of licensed Caterpillar models in HO and O scales, amongst others.

If you are searching for primarily North American prototype brass model locomotives or rollingstock in any scale, check out The Caboose, in Wolcott, CT.

The Caboose carries the widest range of brass models I have ever come across, and they have full catalog search facilities, as well as methods to place reserve orders for items if they should come into stock.

Conventions, Exhibitions and Modelling Associations

The various sections of the NMRA's site will tell you more about the NMRA: the benefits of membership for those interested in the model railroading hobby, how the NMRA is organised, where and when our upcoming conventions will be held, and how you can use the NMRA to further your enjoyment of model railroading.

One aspect of the railway modelling hobby which is always growing in prominence is true-to-the-prototype scale modelling.

Track and wheel standards have always been a major area of compromise to suit the commercial realities of producing model railway products, however the Proto:87 Special Interest Group aims to redress these compromises by promoting track and wheel standards for HO scale models which are as true to scale as possible, while maintaining operability.

The UK-based Model Electronic Railway Group works to promote interest in the application of electronics (including computers) to all aspects of railway modelling.

The Group actively seeks to participate at UK Model Railway Exhibitions where they are able to provide a working demonstration stand manned by their members who are able to discuss and demonstrate to visitors various aspects of the group's sphere of interest.

While not being strictly related to rail modelling, the 1:87 Vehicle and Equipment Club is a North American club focused specifically on 1:87 scale models of transport, constructions and other equipment and vehicles.

Miscellaneous References

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Railway Model Engineering

If you'd like to read about railway model engineering from an Australian perspective then you should visit the site of Australian Model Engineering Magazine - the magazine for all model engineering enthusiasts.

Hornsby Model Engineers Co-operative Limited is a Model Engineering club based around Hornsby, in the northern suburbs of Sydney, Australia.

Features of the club's operations include:

• - The Galston Valley Railway, catering for railway model engineers,

• - The Boating Group, cater for marine model engineers, and

• - The Traction Engine and Road Vehicle Group.

The club's track is located in Ruse Park at Bankstown in New South Wales.

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Pages that Belong to

Rail Enthusiast and/or Rail Modeller Comrades

Check out these hip, happening, funky sites set up by fellow prototype rail and/or rail modelling enthusiasts:

• - The TrainMan, aka David Johnson, has a very extensive site well worth expending many hours of exploratory tones to visit. David is currently a train driver with CityRail like myself.

• - A friend of David's (who also happens to work at Waterfall depot as a train guard for CityRail) is Andrew Harris.

• - Paul Turtle had been bitten by the bug for about the same length of time as me (aka, too long!). Paul works in IT for the NSW Roads and Traffic Authority.

• - The very lovely Neety , aka Anita Lukaszyk, who's passion for trains is remarkably extensive and as crazy as mine!

Miscellaneous Sites

The purpose of the gallery is to present a selection of high quality images, of a railway perspective, recorded by a dedicated and highly committed group of Australian photographers. The emphasis is on motive power, however related subjects that capture the essence of steel wheel on steel rail will also appear from time to time.

The NSW School Railway Clubs Association publish a regular magazine called 'Railway News'. The NSW SCRA is a co-ordinating organisation for secondary school students residing in NSW, Australia, who have an interest in railways as a worthwhile hobby. It often serves as a stepping stone for interest prior to joining one of more of the specialist adult railway societies and/or museum groups.

If you are planning a visit to the Blue Mountains region which is immediately west of Sydney, NSW, consider travelling by rail instead of driving your car. Rail transport is the economical, environmentally friendly way to visit the Blue Mountains with regular services operated by CityRail.

- Be sure to also check the Possum Power Tank Great Australian Railway FAQ which is maintained by me. I'm going to be adding pieces of information related to rail modelling as well as items for prototype enthusiasts...

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