Thousands will attend the Great Little Train Show this weekend

There will be trains, boats and RC buggies of all shapes and sizes at this weekend’s annual Southland Society of Model Engineers ‘Great Little Train Show.’

The club’s major fundraiser for the year at the Southland Badminton Hall attracts up to 5000 people, and the ride on trains are always a major drawcard.

Organiser Mathew Brown said you can guarantee that the majority of people coming through the doors will instantly ask “where are the outdoor trains?”

A range of diesels and steam engines made by the club’s members will take to the tracks over the weekend, offering families rides from 10am to 4pm.

“These are such large projects that take years for engineers to build and they love sharing that excitement with kids and their parents.”

There will also be boats on the big pond and inside the badminton hall a range of working model train layouts on display.

“This year we’ve got less small layouts but a few really big layouts as well.”

One of those includes an 11m x 10m train layout by a club member that has involved quite a bit of logistics to arrange into the space.

“It’s going to be quite impressive when it’s up,” he said.

Organisation of the annual show starts in January, with set up day for the weekend this Friday, when all of the indoor train sets literally roll off the back of a truck or trailer and into the hall.

Technology in recent years has completely changed the way model trains operate, with some now able to be connected to computers to control speed and sound with all the bells and whistles.

“There is quite a scope with what you can do now.   A lot of these people have a wealth of knowledge and are happy to share with people how they operate,” he said.

Mathew said over the summer months, the local kindergartens and early childhood centres are also invited to come along to the club and experience the ride on trains.

“We’re completely booked out from November.”