by Author Corgi (aka Ron Welsh)

The Great Southern Steam Up (GSSU) is held at Emerald hall in Victoria the first weekend in October of each year.

This year celebrated the fourth GSSU.

The GSSU was initiated by Gordon Watson of the Argyle Locomotive Works. Gordon is well known for live steam models that he has built over the years and there are many happy customers of his efforts.

 

Registered attendees came from intra-state and inter-state. Interste was represented by Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia. There were also attendees from regional Victoria.

 

Rails In The Garden (RITG) club from NSW brought there portable layout to provide extra tracks. There layout is duel 32mm/45mm gauge.

 

The local layout consisted of two 45mm runs and one 32mm run.

 

There was also a small portable layout comprising both gauges.

 

The GSSU covers three days being Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I attended the first two days.

Brian Wilson also at a lasy minute flew down from QLD at the last minute. He and his wife were to holiday but she had a small accident giving him the excuse to attend.

My 8A smokebox first. Accy Mogul in background.

 

A David Fletcher loco.

 

An Argyle Phila delphia.

 

An Early Darj. I forget the story on who was the manufacturer. Somebody might enlighten me.

 

Later Darj. by Roundhouse.

 

A new Mamod. Mike Bickford had it to review and he gets to keep it.

 

A new Accucraft Forney. Longer boiler and larger cylinders than the Ruby's we know.

 

He is anothe r new Forney which has been modified into a 2-4-0 tender locomotive to look like Little Yarra which worked on the Powelltown 3' gauge timber railway. I will try to insert a black and white of the actual Little Yarra.

 Little Yarra 1915. (Now comparing them the cab is too high on the model)

Lady Ann with a tender.

 

There were plenty of big Americans.

 

Mogul. This loco ran extremely well.

 

Accucraft Shay. There were a few of these there. They all operate them with the cab roof off as they had that silly sliding arrangement instead of hinges.

 

Gary's scratchbuilt. He never painted it. His reason being that if he pulled it apart and put it back together it might not go so well. It runs on 32mm.

 

Moonrakers latest purchase. Gordon Watsons hands making sure it runs ok before handing it over.

 

Accucraft Garratt with my NG rolling stock in the background. The majority of my rolling stock scratchbuilt using 3mm mdf with scribed planking.

 

There was a few Asters present. Must say those meths burners go extremely well

 

Some more Asters on the steaming bay.

 

We had some coal fired also. When they were running there was a layer of smog in the hall.

 

There was a Lyn there for sale. I didn't like the way the r/c was installed. It did sell, I never asked for a price.

 

Grants train was there. So was Grant, but that is Gary in the pic.

 

A Talisan was there.

 

This tram is built on a Regner. The pale wood is Huon pine and the other red pine.

 

Here is a regner pulling a Mamod and a stationary boiler.

 

Thats all folks.