MENTOR PROGRAM UPDATE 10 September 2025
Contemplation: Bob, Phil and Andrew contemplating the afternoon work list on Tuesday 9.9.25.
The distant module has both track and wiring largely finished.
Students involved in the program have been busy both on and off the two scenic modules for the yet unnamed new layout. With Phil’s guidance, Ash has worked on tracklaying and wiring. The BUS wires are installed on the first module, and he has become proficient in soldering droppers to the track and connecting to the BUS.
Alex, Ollie, Indi and Will have worked on tracklaying and building the 3-D scenery in front of the backboard. Phoebe painted the backboards and has been installing couplers and bogies on newly painted open wagons. Will placed number decals on those same wagons, lightly weathered them with powders and then sprayed everything with a coat of “Dulcoat” matt lacquer. Early in the wagon process, Dexter had sprayed them with an attractive blue paint using the school’s excellent spray booth.
The second module needs several track bridges to carry the tracks over the stream that leads to a lake on the first module. Dexter has been dry brushing several plastic bridges that will permit trains to pass over the stream.
Test-fitting scenery to fit one of the track bridges.
MENTOR PROGRAM UPDATE 30 June 2025
School Term 2 has finished for the Mentor Program and mentors and students will have a welcome 4-week break.
The new layout, yet to be named, has progressed to the stage where the two scenic modules for the front of the layout have been framed and essential routering of the stream and lake are complete. The banks of the stream have been softened by sanding and the team will gradually move along towards sealing the stream and lake bed and preparing for “water” compound to be poured (hopefully without leaks!)
As can be seen in the initial plan for the layout, the students who had planning input included their “druthers” (as in we would druther have this or we would druther have that) in the grand scheme of what the model railway world will look like.
Changes in the plan followed laying the timber out on the floor of a storeroom and thinking through how it might look and deciding what woodworking could be needed to achieve that.
NEXT TERM we will steam ahead with flooding the river and laying track. We also continue to attract new students to the program, with Sam and Ash (our second Ash) joing us in recent weeks.
MENTOR PROGRAM UPDATE 20 NOVEMBER 2024
The plan is to have the students complete the current layout (Techtopia) by the last session of 2024, and to start planning and construction of a new layout in 2025.
To this end, completion of scenery on the two front scenic modules has been an on-going project during this fourth term of 2024. The final buildings are being constructed and the township environs have been landscaped.
Alex (closest to camera) and Ollie putting the finishing touches on the behind scenes track modules.
Lucy and Phoebe were our main landscapers and horticulturalists. A “mini forest” was planted using hand made trees that were produced in earlier sessions, and the grass and shrubs have been established to produce that “belonging” atmosphere. Paving, roadways, car park areas and road markings have all been installed.
Once the Caboose Hobbies ground throws for operating points in the staging area (also known as the “fiddle yard”) were installed, the final task for that structure was painting. Alex and Ollie painted the 3 rear sections, which freshened the structures and gave them a more professional appearance. 
Club President, Bob, finessing the ground cover at the end of a day’s Mentor session.
AUGUST 2024 UPDATE (TERM 3) ON THE PROGRAM
As this is written, we have completed two weeks of term three of the mentor program at UCHSK. This term we are concentrating on building the scenery (landforms, structures, roads) whilst at the same time the students are learning to operate trains with competence.
The control system being used on the layout has changed over from the donated Digikeijs system to the previously used NCE system. To permit this to work, students helped install new wiring and fitting of UTP plug-in stations for controllers. Alex did the main part of this work as well as fitting the plastic holders or holsters to hold the hand-held controllers when not in use.
The elevated highway section is nearing completion, with testing continuing to ensure reliable operation. The roadway uses the “Magnorail” system and is one of the features on the layout using technology to produce a realistic operating highway system. We plan to feature some photographs of the “Magnorail” system in a future report.
Work continues modifying some HO scale buildings that have been donated to the Club. Cleaning, painting and modifications occupy a group of students on Tuesday afternoons. The result should be a believable townscape with operating lighting effects.
A DCC-equipped locomotive and four long full-dome passenger cars have been donated to the program by Lucy S. It was her grandfather’s train and had not been used for some time. Each of the dome cars is named after an Alaskan river. The following photos show the train operating for demonstration purposes on the Club’s “Baldwin Park II” layout. Lucy, the set runs well and looks great!
FEBRUARY 2024 UPDATE ON THE PROGRAM
- A new year, some new students in the program. We welcomed eight of our previous crew of students back this year and we are pleased to welcome our new participants. We hope that they will all have a productive year and that their people skills and teamwork will continue to develop through the program.
- With EXPO 2024 only a month away, we are hurrying in a planned manner to have as much of the physical environment of “Techtopia” (the mentor Program layout) complete to ensure that we have an operational layout to exhibit during EXPO 24.
- Work on the electrics progresses so that we have an operating layout, although the electrification of the turnouts, and the synchronization of the street and stadium lighting with the day/night sequence will have to wait until after Expo.
- The “fiddleyard” at the rear of the layout, where students marshal trains and send them to and from the two scenic modules was checked out thoroughly at last week’s session. All points except one are working properly, but a replacement left-hand point is needed at the right-hand end of the yard (as viewed from the front), Ten (10) short joiner sections will be cut to size and installed across module joints, and wiring up of existing electrical droppers and then soldering hem to the BUS wires will occur. The two students working on this program were with us last year and so have already acquired skills in soldering the wires.
- We aim to have the physical aspects of the layout ready for training sessions in operations before EXPO commences. Completion of the two scenic modules and further electronic projects will have to wait until after EXPO.
- We look forward to our student group being able to operate trains on the layout and to explain to viewing members of the public what they are doing in the Mentor Program and how the Program is assisting them in developing a multitude of useful life skills.
MENTOR PROGRAM UPDATE FOR JUNE 2023
With one week left of Term 2 of the school year, progress for the group is quite tangible. Students are working in small teams, each with a Mentor, and most with specific tasks.
One team with Fred and Toby has straightened track, adjusted points, and wired track to the Bus.
Another team has worked with Volker on completing the Magnorail highway which is positioned high above the rail tracks and lower buildings.
Arlo and Harry have worked with Ron to rebuild a “camouflage” building to hide the motors driving the Magnorail tracks and have added signage, graffiti on building sides (waterslide decals)Next is preparation of the surface forthe narrow workers’ rail platform.
Both Olivers and Alex have been working with Graeme using AnyRail to plot the rail tracks in the two Techtopia modules to assist in designing the DCC control system for those modules and have been learning to use a useful piece of software at the same time.
Bob’s team of Isabel and Archie has demonstrated their “green credentials” through construction of tree armatures from wire and caulk and then completing them with appropriate foliage. They should look good around the Techtopia townscape.
We are moving towards the goal of replacing Iron Rock Pass (3 modules) with a functioning Techtopia (2 modules) probably by the beginning of next school term, joining the new layout to the fiddleyard tracks.
It should then be possible to undertake testing of track power and the point and signaling systems, followed by the part that the students are looking forward to – learning to run trains on the tracks!
The Aims of the Mentor Program
When the program was initiated in 2011 the aims behind it were to:
- Provide students in the program with the opportunity to relate well to older people with real-life experience.
- Build student self-confidence and self-reliance.
- Develop student teamwork and team achievement in a structured program.
- Develop skills in the use of tools and techniques that they may not otherwise experience, using model railways as a means of achieving this.
- Introduce students to applications of computing and electronic technologies and to build both experience and confidence in their use.
- Encourage, in those students interested, an involvement in model railways as a life-long hobby and recreation.
- Provide an opportunity for the team to showcase and publicise their achievements at one or more Model Railway exhibitions or Expos during the time of their involvement in the program.
This page was last updated on 15 Sept, 2025