About the Owner
The Story of the Electronics and Crew Behind the “Train House”
by Kermit Paul, MMR, and Craig Woodhead (Owner of Hobbyrama)
In memory of Marsden “Mick” Williams (1916–2013) — The “Master” Model Train Collector
Enjoy this short feature on the train house project.
Now it can be told
Mick’s passion for trains began early in Thirroul, a northern suburb of Wollongong just south of Sydney, Australia. The nearby mainline yard, at the start of the climb out of the Illawarra coal region, made a deep impression: steam trains hauling coal to Sydney power stations and coking coal down to Port Kembla and for export were a daily sight.
He became a lifelong collector in multiple scales and prototypes, with a preference for European models, supported by business success following World War II. In the late 1970s he decided to build a secluded Train House above Wollongong to house and run his large O-gauge collection. Intended for private enjoyment, all who worked on it kept the project confidential — until now.
The Train Collection
The collection spanned N, HO, O and Gauge 1 (1/32), including custom brass from Tenshodo, Samhongsa, and other noted makers across American, European, Japanese and Australian prototypes. Some 1/32 models were Aster live-steam locomotives specially converted to electric operation.
Many custom European purchases were made with Count Giansanti Coluzzi of Fulgarex, often sharing production runs that otherwise would not have been made. (See Linn Westcott’s article on the Count, Model Railroader, Nov. 1976.)
The Train Building
An architect-designed, two-level brick building (approx. 3,500 sq ft) housed the layout on the upper level plus a large entertainment area and catering kitchen. The lower level included guest rooms, a workshop, storage, and a wine collection.
John Millington, Mick’s building project manager, provided early photos and supervised a crew of up to five tradespeople building benchwork, laying track, and producing scenery.
Layout Design
Concurrent with construction, the late Brooks Bowman (Southern California) designed and supervised the layout. During this phase, Brooks commissioned Kermit to design and supply the train control system described below.
Following Mick’s direction, the layout emphasised train running (“spectator” style) rather than switching operations. John Armstrong visited and remarked, “Even for me, this is a bit over the top.” Hidden lower-level staging yards stored complete trains; multi-track reverse-in yards were later added as the collection grew.
Initial Construction
Track
Turntables
The Story of the Electronics and Crew Behind the “Train House”
by Kermit Paul, MMR, and Craig Woodhead (Owner of Hobbyrama)
“Now It Can Be Told”
Mick’s passion for trains began early in Thirroul, a northern suburb of Wollongong just south of Sydney, Australia. The nearby mainline yard, at the start of the climb out of the Illawarra coal region, made a deep impression: steam trains hauling coal to Sydney power stations and coking coal down to Port Kembla and for export were a daily sight.
He became a lifelong collector in multiple scales and prototypes, with a preference for European models, supported by business success following World War II. In the late 1970s he decided to build a secluded Train House above Wollongong to house and run his large O-gauge collection. Intended for private enjoyment, all who worked on it kept the project confidential — until now.
The Train Collection
The collection spanned N, HO, O and Gauge 1 (1/32), including custom brass from Tenshodo, Samhongsa, and other noted makers across American, European, Japanese and Australian prototypes. Some 1/32 models were Aster live-steam locomotives specially converted to electric operation.
Many custom European purchases were made with Count Giansanti Coluzzi of Fulgarex, often sharing production runs that otherwise would not have been made. (See Linn Westcott’s article on the Count, Model Railroader, Nov. 1976.)
The Train Building
An architect-designed, two-level brick building (approx. 3,500 sq ft) housed the layout on the upper level plus a large entertainment area and catering kitchen. The lower level included guest rooms, a workshop, storage, and a wine collection.
John Millington, Mick’s building project manager, provided early photos and supervised a crew of up to five tradespeople building benchwork, laying track, and producing scenery.
Layout Design
Concurrent with construction, the late Brooks Bowman (Southern California) designed and supervised the layout. During this phase, Brooks commissioned Kermit to design and supply the train control system described below.
Following Mick’s direction, the layout emphasised train running (“spectator” style) rather than switching operations. John Armstrong visited and remarked, “Even for me, this is a bit over the top.” Hidden lower-level staging yards stored complete trains; multi-track reverse-in yards were later added as the collection grew.
Initial Construction
Framework used Tasmanian redwood; the deck was 20 mm formwork plywood with 12 mm Caneite (Australian equivalent of Homasote) for roadbed. Laminated redwood roof trusses eliminated interior columns. Some areas required walking on pads laid across robustly built benchwork; lighting came from adjustable overhead spotlights.
Track
Most track was prefabricated in Japan with cherry-wood ties and code 125 nickel-silver rail. Later complex work — curved crossings, inside/outside curved double-slips, and three-way turnouts — was hand-built by Craig Woodhead, who adjusted mainline blocks to achieve even lengths for smoother automatic running. Switch machines were Fulgarex (PFM in the US).
Turntables
Two 48-track computer-controlled turntables featured pits machined from aluminium.
Control System
Mick wanted many trains running with a small crew, so we installed Progressive Cab Control. DCC wasn’t available initially, and later wasn’t pursued due to the number of decoders required and the satisfactory performance of the existing system.
Progressive Cab Control (described by Linn Westcott in the 1950s) automatically routes cab power ahead to blocks occupied by each train. Locomotives were conventional DC. In the early 1970s, Kermit designed a modular system that could scale to many cabs and blocks.
Craig Woodhead’s eda Electronics produced Auto-Cab kits sold by Walthers. Without widely available personal computers, system logic used relays and diodes; programming matched to the track plan via jumper wires. (Later systems, e.g., Bruce Chubb’s, used a PC to perform logic.)
The Auto-Cab system was assembled and programmed in the US, then shipped to Australia. It supported 20 cabs and 120 blocks with manual or automatic engineer modes. European and American sections each had 10-cab panels on an elevated central platform, with route control for visible upper yards and hidden lower yards. Local yard controls managed the O-gauge branch and Dual-Gauge On3 terminals, integrated with the main layout.
Operators could set routes and run any mix of manual or auto trains. Three-colour cab signals represented trackside signals; in Auto-Engineer mode, cab voltage ramped down on yellow/red with adjustable braking for realistic slowdowns, then released on green. This was crucial since trackside signals weren’t installed and many locations weren’t visible from the central panels.
Ten-amp transistor throttles with inertia capacitors provided smooth braking response. Block detection used the “Op Detector” operational-amplifier circuit designed by Kermit.
The result: up to twenty long trains starting and stopping smoothly with only one or two operators — a sight Mick loved, echoing the trains of his youth at Thirroul. In later years the relay racks were replaced with a touchscreen digital system, while retaining the original switch panels and 10-amp inertia throttles.
Scenery
Scenery was well executed but not the main attraction due to high track density. A tall stone viaduct provided a spectacular scene. Few figures or vehicles were placed, given the shared European and American operations which made era-specific scenes difficult.
Disposition of Trains & Layout
The Workshops Rail Museum in Ipswich, QLD, is the beneficiary of Mick Williams’ will; he gifted the collection to the people of Australia. The layout is being dismantled following the sale of the property. Sections of custom trackwork and the control panels have been preserved while the museum plans future displays.