Dave Smith has been tinkering with miniature trains and making mechanical projects with the Logan Model Engineering Society for 36 years.
“I’ve been playing trains since Mother’s Day 1985,” he said.
He does not miss a beat when it comes to remembering how the day unfolded. Being Mother’s Day, his wife expected him to go out with the family. Instead, he played with fire and snuck out with a mate to tinker with the miniature trains.
“I got into trouble,” he said. “On the Sunday, I went to play trains with the friend, and the wife’s never forgotten.”
He is one of about 10 model engineers who have a love affair with all things mechanical and make up the Model Engineering Society today.
The society has been going strong for 36 years, running miniature train rides for the community to enjoy. But despite what it may look like, the model trains are only a small part of it.
“People think it is all trains – it’s not,” Mr Smith said.
“It’s clocks, boats, aircraft, jet engines, steam trucks; it’s a huge thing.”
The trains are great for them because they act as a funding stream to subsidise the many other activities their model engineering society does, and they are always keen to show the ropes to new people – young and old.
“What we do is we build trains, we play tracks, and we collect donations to support the club, and it’s about teaching people the old technologies – how steam works, how to machine, using lathes, milling machines, or welders,” he said.
“We can teach people whatever they would like to do.”
Between January and March this year, 40 teens aged 15-19 from between Logan and Beaudesert started a carpentry trade, according to the National Centre for Vocational Education Research.
Mr Smith said they are the sorts of people they want to help at the Logan Model Engineering Society, to get them ready for whatever trade they take on.
“We’ve actually had several people become tradesman out of our projects,” he said.
“That’s how we can put back into the community, things like that.”
The group runs miniature train rides for the public every second and fourth Tuesday of the month at 16 Netball Drive, Woodridge.
Anyone can get involved and learn all kinds of mechanical skills, including how to run and maintain the trains.
