About

OUR STORY

Caloundra and District Model Railway Assoc Inc (CDMRA, trading as SCMRC, Sunshine Coast Model Railway Club) is an incorporated body managed by a committee comprising President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer along with voluntary management positions specialising in Facilities, Public Shows and Newsletter. SCMRC is a registered charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profit Commission (ACNC) and a member of the Australian Men’s Shed Association (AMSA).

SCMRC is the only model railway club on the Sunshine Coast. 

Sharing of skills and knowledge is central to the Club.  

The club promotes good health based on many factors including feeling good about yourself, being

productive and valuable within our community, connecting with friends and maintaining an active body and an active mind.

Over a period of more than 32 years, the club utilised members’ homes and the Kawana Library annex to hold meetings. However, the club has secured a Council lease for a parcel of land located at 73 Ulm Street Caloundra and grant monies to build clubrooms.  Our clubrooms were built in 2021. A verandah extension and disabled access toilet was added in 2025. The clubrooms will give our members a safe and busy environment with old fashioned mateship with a meeting space to have a chat and a cuppa and to work on their model layouts.  Currently, we have two HO scale layouts (catering DC and DCC control systems) and an N scale layout with both DC and DCC circuits.  A HOn3.5 12mm gauge layout is under construction to handle both QR HO scale and TT scale rolling stock.  This is being wired as a DCC layout, but it will be capable of running a single locomotive from a separate DC supply.

The clubrooms have supported increased membership by bringing together persons of the Sunshine Coast and surrounding regions who have an interest in any aspect of model railways. Model railroading is fun and educational within a friendly, helpful and safe environment for all comers. It encourages the development of individual and group skills in order to present entertainment and educational aspects of model railroading through community-based activities.  The club strives for inclusiveness of all members regardless of whether they have a layout of their own or not. Current membership is comprised of members from 23 to 80+ years of age. Club membership is open to all people with an interest in the hobby of model railways.  

The Sunshine Coast has a population of approx 380,000 and is the 3rd most popular place to live in Queensland. It is forecast that the Sunshine Coast will have the 2nd highest growth rate of major Queensland sub-state regions between 2011 and 2036. Older workers, pre-retirees, empty nesters, retirees and seniors represent 40.4% of the Sunshine Coast population, compared to greater Brisbane's representation of 30.6%. An ever-increasing percentage of the aging population are downsizing their homes, which reduces available space to run model railways. Our clubroom provides these down sizers with a venue where they can run their trains on the club's layouts and interact with other railway enthusiasts at the same time.

Model railroading is one of the world's most popular hobbies and is enjoyed by people of all ages in many countries. A model railway isn't just a train set, but an attempt to re-create a real-life location in miniature. Model railroading nurtures a wide range of skills such as problem-solving, beginning with researching different railways and rolling stock. A great deal of skill goes into the planning and constructing a layout. Woodworking skills are required to lay track and then electrical skills to successfully install all the wiring.

The Club conducts biannual model train display and sale days as its major fund raisers. These events are strongly supported by local residents, both young and old, and by model railroading enthusiasts from across south east Queensland. The Club has an operating HO scale model railway layout. Attendance numbers range between 350 and 500 patrons for each event.

Club members enjoy activities such as running sessions, hobby related shopping trips, visiting other clubs and model railway exhibitions together. The club has a layout recovery program where members help each other get their home layouts developed as quickly as possible for the benefit of all. Most of the members have scale model layouts of various gauges depicting interests from across the world. Club members also have a particular interest in the historical aspects of the local railways operated around the Sunshine Coast.