Re: Easter Show

["Michael Walker" <walker@hotkey.net.au>]

In Victoria, VicRail then the MTA had quite an impressive model train set
(OO or HO I think) including one train on a short length of track that was
set up for kids to drive and was there a queue of kids to do that! In
addition, I also remember one year in the mid 80s, in an out of the way
corner of the Met display in the government pavilion, there was a tram set
which was fully drivable. Two Z class trams ran in a short loop (one
clockwise, one anticlockwise) on a display which included a cutting, some
track in it's reservation (presumably to simulate route 55 or similar) and
some street running. Even though I was a teenager at the time and not
supposed to enjoy such things, it kept me captivated for half an hour or
more. It also didn't have the queue of the railway display.

Alas, both gone now, haven't seen either at the show in years. Does anyone
know what happened to them both?

As an addition, I haven't been overly impressed with the PTC displays of the
last few shows I have gone to, they have usually been very small and you're
lucky to walk away with more than a few brochures. In an ideal world, it
would be a perfect opportunity to at least have timetables and maps
available ala Metshop as well as some displays showing comparison times
between driving and using public transport and some features of Melbourne
easily accessible by public transport eg Puffing Billy, MCG, Blackburn Lake
(Hillside have been advertising catching the train to Blackburn Lake on the
radio of late!), etc. It's pretty sad when Puffing Billy has a bigger
display than the public transport authority (not to mention the PTC displays
being next to Vicroads - given Vicroads displays are fairly ordinary too,
would be a perfect opportunity to upstage them!)