Southland Society of Model Engineers promotions co-ordinator Jon Irving said he believed attendance numbers were on par with past years with several thousand people taking up the opportunity to view the plethora of model trains.
More than 30 different displays and traders were on site during the weekend to share their passion and hobby with other model enthusiasts.
Whether the train was a working miniature or large enough to sit on for a ride, they all had one thing in common — minutely accurate detail. Inside Invercargill’s Badminton Hall, scale models circumnavigated custom-built tracks that travelled through tunnels, neatly manicured and landscaped townships, life-like rolling country scenes and even a model World War 2 airfield.
While outside, people of all ages queued in the sunshine for their chance to take a $2 ride around the pond on one of the Southland Society of Model Engineer’s two locomotives and seven riding cars.
The weekend also provided an opportunity for radio-controlled model boat enthusiasts to hoon their working models around the Surrey Park engineer’s pond.
The annual Great Little Train show, traditionally held at Labour Weekend, had been enjoyed by generations for the past 38 years, Mr Irvine said.
- By Toni McDonald
