The Bluewater Model Engineering Society was founded in 1985 by a group of professional and amateur machinists, as well as others skilled in many crafts, for the purpose of promoting and advancing our hobby.

Our club meetings are held in the Machine shop of Northern Collegiate in Sarnia, Ont. Canada on the second Monday of each month from September to May, unless the school is closed in which case it will be the following Monday, with meetings starting at 7:30 PM. Meetings are informal and are for the purpose of sharing information and help on model making matters as well as a “show and tell” session. The club has access to an elevated 3 1/2" & 4 3/4" track for trains. The school machine shop equipment is not accessible for our use. Everyone is welcome whether you are a current modeller or may be just interested in this hobby.

                

What we build

Our members build a large range of models, from trains and traction engines to farm equipment, boats, gas and steam engines, shop equipment and tools.

There is no limit to the types of models that can be built.  The types of tools used are generally a metal lathe and possibly a light milling machine, as well as woodworking and foundry equipment along with an assortment of hand tools and machine accessories. These vary from the very small and inexpensive to quite large in capacity with the type of models being built determining the type and size of the equipment used.


The investment to start


can be quite small. Additional tools and equipment added over time.








A Short History of  the Model Engineering Hobby

Model Engineering has been around since the late 1800’s with practitioners and clubs in almost every country of the world. Models built in

Drummond 4" round bed lathe

 Typical of the type of lathe used in the early days of the hobby. Many are still in use today.

the early days of the hobby tended to be simplistic and were made with a limited amount of tooling and commercial support. Today’s models have become more sophisticated and there are a large number of companies that sell specialized parts, castings and plans which are available over the Internet.