Winnipeg Model Railroad Club's 2019 model contest winners announced

Neil Carleton won best in show and first prize in the steam locomotive category for his model of a conversion from a Pennsylvania to a CP engine.

Neil Carleton, John Bate, Gino Kost and Brenda Zastre were the big winners in the WMRC's 2019 model contest. Neil Carleton won best in show and first prize in the steam locomotive category for his model of a conversion from a Pennsylvania to a CP steam engine. Gino Kost won first prize in the structures category for his model of an ice house. 

Newcomer Brenda Zastre walked away with first prize in the display category for her model of a car garage in a yard. This model also won the WMRC's Tyro award. John Bate won first prize in the special event category for his model of a a decoder load. 

Gino Kost won first prize in the structures category for his model of an ice house.

Brenda Zastre won first prize in the display category and the Tyro award for her model of  a car garage in a yard. 

John Bate won first prize in the special event category for his model of a flat car with a decoder load.

Gateway Western Railway to be open to the public during Doors Open Winnipeg

The Gateway Western Railway will be open to the public during Doors Open Winnipeg. Photo by John Longhurst from his blog, the CP Rail Manitoba and Minnesota Subdivision.

The Gateway Western Railway is open to the public just twice a year, so don't miss out on this opportunity to view it during Doors Open Winnipeg this year! The Gateway is Winnipeg's largest HO gauge model railroad display. It is housed in its own structure inside the Winnipeg Railway Museum. Hours are from 10 to 5 on Saturday, May 25 and Sunday, May 26. Admission to the museum this weekend is free (donations are accepted). 

The museum is located on tracks 1 and 2 on the upper level of the Via Rail Station, which is located at 123 Main Street.

 For more information on Doors Open Winnipeg, go to http://www.doorsopenwinnipeg.ca/

For more information about the Winnipeg Railway Museum, go to:
http://www.wpgrailwaymuseum.com/

Gino Kost receives Winnipeg Model Railroad Club's President's shield award for 2019

Gino Kost (Left) is presented with the WMRC's President's shield award from President Bob Harrison at the club's annual banquet held on May 10, 2019.

Gino Kost is the recipient of the WMRC's President's Shield Award for 2019. The award is given every year by the president to a member for their outstanding volunteer contributions to the club.
And Gino is certainly deserving of the award! He is currently the superintendent of the Gateway Western Railway, which is the club's HO gauge layout that is housed in the Winnipeg Railway Museum. The Gateway Western is the largest model railroad display in Winnipeg. It will be open to the public on May 25 and 25 during Doors Open Winnipeg.

He is also our representative and volunteer coordinator for the Manitoba Mega Train Show, which is the largest train show between Toronto and Calgary. The Manitoba Mega Train Show will be held on September 28 and 29 at Red River Exhibition Place.

Gino's greatest contribution to the club was supervising the construction of the structure that houses the Gateway Western Railway. Gino modified the plans of a prefabricated garage, ordered the lumber and had it shipped to the museum, and managed a small group of dedicated volunteers in its construction. The "house that Gino built" is truly the jewel in the crown of the club, and the WMRC will forever be grateful for all of Gino's hard work. Congratulations, Gino!

Winnipeg Model Railroad Club mourns passing of George Myer

Long time former WMRC member George Myer passed away on Monday, May 6, 2019. He was 82 years old. George has been a subject of controversy for several months that made national headlines as he had to wait for four months for a biopsy which finally delivered a diagnosis of lung cancer.

George will be remembered by the model railroad community for his extraordinary modelling skills on his O gauge layout, the CPR Central Northern Subdivision. George’s layout was featured in the May 2011 issue of Canadian Railway Modeller and was a featured on the layout hop of the TLR’s 2010 Steam on the Prairies  convention.

A memorial service will be held Monday, May 13, 2019 at 1:00 p.m. at Neil Bardal Funeral Centre, 3030 Notre Dame Avenue in Winnipeg. Below are links featuring articles about George.

https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/winnipeg-man-who-waited-months-for-cancer-diagnosis-dies-1.4416762
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/george-myer-biopsy-cancer-1.4994485
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipeg-lung-cancer-biopsy-delay-1.4969844
https://winnipegsun.com/news/news-news/family-finally-gets-biopsy-for-elderly-father-hoping-its-not-too-late
https://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/canada-news-pmn/daughter-anxious-about-fathers-wait-for-critical-biopsy-in-winnipeg-hospital

 This image of George's O gauge layout, the CPR Central Northern Subdivision, was taken in 2010 during the TLR's Steam on the Prairies convention.

Winnipeg Model Railroad Club to hold their annual banuet on May 10

The WMRC is winding up another great season with our annual banquet! We'll also be holding our annual general meeting and presenting awards to the winners of our photo and model contests. It's being held on Friday, May 10, at the Canad Inns Polo Park in Alto's Restaurant, which is located at 1405 St. Matthews Avenue. The Hotel puts on a wonderful buffet with a large choice of foods. You can also order from a menu. 

Cocktails and dinner will start at 6:00PM, and the AGM will begin at 7:30PM. There will be a great many prizes  up for grabs again this year, not to mention the ever popular elimination draw for one HO Athearn Genesis CN GP38-2W complete with DCC and sound.  The second prize is an N scale  Atlas BNSF Dash 8-408W. Ticket sales are five bucks each, and they will be limited to 60. Buy an arms length of tickets for five bucks for a chance at winning one or more of over 40 prizes of HO and N scale rolling stock, buildings and scenery effects. Hope to see you all there!

It's worth the trip to Regina for the Rail Fest this weekend!

It's worth the trip to the Queen City this weekend! The 2019 annual Regina Rail Fest Model Railroad Show is being held on Saturday, May 4 and Sunday, May 5 at the Caledonia Curling Club, 2225 Sandra Schmirler Way. This a new location for the show, and it’s near the airport.

There's over 20,000 square feet of model railroad layouts, displays, exhibits, and vendors, including Lego! Hours are from Nine to Five on both days. Admission is $10.00 per person, youths 16 and under get in for $5.00, children age four and under get in for free!

For information, contact Ian McIntosh at (306) 351-2040 or Tyler Smith at (306) 351-2040  smithtyler@sasktel.net