Latest news with #modeltrains
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Yahoo
Stolen treasured model trains and boats recovered
Part of a large collection of model steam trains and boats stolen from the home of an engineering enthusiast in his 90s has been recovered. The collection, which also included two vintage motorbikes, was taken from an address in Abingdon on 4 May Thames, Valley Police said. The force said about 16 items had been reunited with the man but the motorbikes along with a green model locomotive in a wooden case were still missing. Police believe the Royal Enfield and vintage BSA motorbikes were advertised for sale online in the Oxfordshire area shortly after they were stolen. Anyone with information that may help find the final the stolen items is urged to contact police. A member of the victim's family said: "We would like to thank the public for their incredible response. "Thanks to their interest and generosity in coming forward, our dad is reunited with some of his treasured engines. It's really amazing to see them again. "We are extremely grateful to everyone and can't thank the people involved enough for helping with the investigation." They added: "Our father served in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and later worked at the Pressed Steel in Cowley, designing mechanical parts of cars." You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. Model trains and boats among items stolen from home Thames Valley Police
News.com.au
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
See the incredible discovery underneath newly bought home in Melbourne's northern suburbs
When Daniel Xu and his wife finalised the purchase of their new home in Melbourne's northern suburbs, he couldn't imagine the astonishing discovery hidden in the property's basement. Underneath the brick home, through a small hatch on the side, was a sprawling model train network dating back to the 1960s. The model, with an extensive number of railway lines and detailed miniature landscapes, was unearthed after Mr Xu entered the undercroft with plans to renovate. 'To do the renovation, I would have to go downstairs to have a look and do some inspections and when I got down I saw this massive incredible train model just sitting there,' he said. 'I was shocked and I immediately asked my wife to come down to have a look - she was shocked. 'It's unbelievable, so massive, so huge.' Mr Xu, who told SBS News there had been no mention of the elaborate setup during the open home inspections, got in touch with the previous owner to find out the history. He was told the model trains were built by the previous owner's father some 60 years ago when they were a child, and had not been used for a while. Coincidentally, Mr Xu is a train enthusiast himself. The hobbyist plans to upgrade the separate control desks - which operate each of the different zones of the train tracks - with something more modern and test what still works. 'I have to clean everything and do some continuity tests on the rails to make sure the power is good,' he said. 'After that, I would like to upgrade some controllers, because now the technology is (a lot more) advanced. 'My friends kids come and play, they don't want to leave, they spend the whole afternoon here although there is no power at all (connected to it).'
SBS Australia
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- SBS Australia
'I was shocked': Melbourne man's 'unbelievable' find after buying house
Key Points After finalising the purchase of a home in Melbourne's northern suburbs, a Melbourne man found something unexpected. There had been no mention of the expansive model train network beneath the home's floors. Coincidentally, new owner Daniel Xu is a keen train enthusiast and engineer. As any new homeowner will know, there are always unknown things to be found in a new place. From a kitchen cupboard that never seems to close properly, a curiously painted over area or the real performance of an air-conditioning unit, discoveries abound. But after Daniel Xu and his wife finalised the purchase of their house in Melbourne's northern suburbs, he found what can only be described as a train enthusiast's dream beneath their feet. Underneath his new home, Xu discovered a model train setup, designed around an extensive network of train lines and miniature landscapes. With plans for renovations, Xu needed to get beneath his house, much of which is raised, sitting above a carport. Entering the undercroft of his new home via a small door, Xu was shocked to find the area, which is just tall enough to stand in, entirely taken up by the elaborate setup. "To do the renovation, I would have to go downstairs to have a look and do some inspections and when I got down I saw this massive incredible train model just sitting there," he told SBS News. "I was shocked and I immediately asked my wife to come down to have a look — she was shocked." "It's unbelievable, so massive, so huge." He said nothing had been mentioned about model trains during the open home inspections. Coincidentally, Xu is a train enthusiast. He works as a rolling stock engineer for a company that manufactures new trains and designs and constructs new rail lines. The model train set was put together by the former owner of the house Daniel Xu recently purchased and could be about 60 years old. Source: SBS News His love of rail started when he was young, through a Japanese cartoon about a crime-fighting train. "It tells you how trains act like people to protect children," he said, describing the show. Xu has since been in touch with the previous owner, who told them their father built the train network in the 1960s when they were a child. The set had likely not been used for some years, with the area full of spiderwebs when Xu first went beneath the house and found the dusty set. It is not the project he had in mind when buying his house, but Daniel Xu has committed himself to restoring the old model train network he found beneath his home and hopes to upgrade some of the technology. Source: SBS News Xu, who said he already had a number or train toys and model trains, plans on getting the lines cleaned up, in order to test what still works and get the entire network back up and running. While the separate control desks for each of the different zones of the train tracks likely represented modern technology when first installed, Xu hopes to upgrade it with some newer technology to share his love of trains.
CTV News
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Tiny train models, vintage items on display at the Montreal Model Train Exhibition this weekend
Tiny train models and vintage items are on display at the Montreal Train Exhibition this weekend. Hundreds of vintage railway items, many of which visitors are allowed to operate, will be on display at the 36th edition of the Montreal Model Train Exposition this weekend. Since 1989, Ivan Dow has been organizing this model train expo, featuring many of his own collections. 'There's 240 tables of different things to look at and people selling things and modelers and all sorts of fun stuff going on,' he says. For example, families can try operating a vintage train set, says Dow. 'We have ones that they can drive the trains. We have ones on the floor. We have ones a little bit higher up in the air,' he says. Visitors can also marvel at Christian Desrosier's tiny recreation of the West Island train line extending into Hudson, complete with a diorama of Sandy Beach and Jack Layton Park. Hobbyist Georges Barre helped create this train-scape using photographs and satellite views to get the details right. 'The exciting thing with this hobbyist, you can use your imagination and bring your spirit to the layout,' he says. He also says visitors should be on the constant look-out for jokes tucked into the scenes, like tiny people on the roof of a brasserie. 'The staff are up there with the cases of beer, and the firemen are trying to get them down. They're not coming down,' jokes Barre. A handmade train set by CEGEP Gerald-Godin student Marc Provost has working signal lights. He explains how he became a model train enthusiast. 'When I was a kid, I lived right next to the railroad in the area. And then when I moved to Pointe-Claire, right next to the train line,' he says. And this expo has much more than trains. Look for miniature villages, tiny boats and full-size Meccano sets. 'Meccano is alive and well in Canada, mostly in Ontario, and there's several exhibitions in Ontario where mcanulty is shown, and that's where some pretty good model makers are. We have some good ones in Montreal too,' says collector Jim Bobyn. This year's show is a fundraiser for Sun Youth, the non-profit organization offering services from food assistance to emergency care. Proceeds from this weekend will go towards day camp and youth activities. 'It really goes to our kids, our youth programs. So all sports activities, we make sure the kids can have access to activities regardless of their family revenue,' Ann St-Arnaud of Sun Youth explains. Tickets cost $10 for children and $15 for adults. The model train expo is open June 7 and 8 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Edgar Rouleau Arena in Dorval.
