Miniature steam trains chugging along Hunter Street will feature in a new exhibition showcasing one of Australia's best model railways for one weekend only.
Newcastle Museum is turning back the clock from July 7-9 to the days of paddle steamers and horse drawn carriages as part of Newcastle 1899.
The exhibition was created by noted modeller Ross Balderson and fellow enthusiasts. It depicts the Newcastle Railway precinct in miniature form at the turn of the century.
The working model is complemented by a bustling harbour filled with historically accurate ships including tugboats Champion and Commodore and the paddle steamship SS Namoi.
Mr Balderson has worked on it for more than a decade after being inspired by an image in a railway book taken by renowned Newcastle-based photographer Ralph Snowball.
"I have produced numerous model railway layouts throughout my life recreating NSW locations and capturing moments in time of our past history," Mr Balderson said.
"I chose to model Newcastle after first being inspired by one single photograph published in a railway book, which showed a scene looking across Newcastle's railway station platforms and rail yard to a row of moored sailing ships loading goods at Queens Wharf."
Newcastle Museum director Julie Baird said the exhibition was "a superb reflection of the complex and varied skills that contribute to model-making".
"Ross and his supporters have spent the past 10 years painstakingly recreating the Newcastle Railway Station precinct, drawing from historical photographs, measuring existing buildings, and hand-painting backdrops to develop a breathtaking record of Newcastle in the age of sail and steam," Ms Baird said.
"We are proud to be able to display the model for the first time in Newcastle."
Progress of the build has been documented through the Lost Newcastle and the Rediscovered Newcastle Facebook groups.
"Ross and his supporters are so incredibly passionate about this project and it's been fascinating to see this model come together over the years," Lost Newcastle founder and Newcastle councillor Carol Duncan said.
Newcastle 1899 will be displayed alongside Hexham-ish, a model railway built by Steve Curry based on the J & A Brown railway that operated for over 130 years between Hexham and Minmi.
Steve has been responsible for scratch-building highly detailed models of the J & A Brown locomotive fleet, including a representation of The Buck, which is on permanent display at Newcastle Museum.
Entry to the museum is free, and both layouts will operate with trains running throughout the day.
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