Southland Society of Model Engineers president Greg Fordyce said the club was "stoked" to be able to offer the show to the Southland community for four decades.
At $15 for a family, the club had always aimed at keeping the cost to the event "family-friendly".
It had been a privilege to share their hobbies with a lot of children, their families and a lot of fellow modellers over the past 40 years.
The club, founded in 1937, had been based at Surrey Park since 1955.
The format had grown from a one-venue display in the former Surrey Park School hall to now encompassing two large halls neighbouring the outdoor miniature train ride track and radiocontrolled boat pond.
"The children love to go for rides on the outside trains and seeing the boats on the pond."
As usual, the hall would be overflowing with displays and trade stalls that should capture the interests of former, existing and potentially new club members, he said.
It had always been a club that encompassed camaraderie and community service alongside sharing members’ hobbies with others. It was an interest that captured the attention of everyone from the purist "rivet-counters" to those who thrived on creative licence. Others like to focus on historical accuracy, scenery and imagination. The club opened to private group bookings during the summer months. "It’s our way of giving back." He hoped the annual event would help to attract more junior club members and interest in the hobby.
Setting up for the annual event was becoming more of a challenge forcing members to rely on the strength and energy of the younger members, he said.
"It’s the largest show of its kind in the South Island . . . so we’re proud of that."
While Christchurch had a larger indoor show, its outdoor club ran a separate event. Invercargill’s event offered indoor and outdoor trains alongside radio-controlled boats and cars, he said.
"Labour Weekend will always be the Great Little Train Show. We’re just unsure on how big it will be in the coming years."
Raine & Horne salesperson Peter Driver said the company was thrilled to sponsor an electric Hornby Valley Drifter trainset giveaway for the third year in the row as part of the show.
The set included a 00-gauge 040 locomotive engine, one truck carriage, one passenger carriage, an oval track, a Hornby MidiMat and standard controller.
The Great Little Train show was one of Invercargill’s things, he said.
"It’s great for kid to have a go."
The club was a group of "garden-shed tinkerers" who were "some really cool characters".
