Australian Association of Live Steamers

The Australian Association of Live Steamers Ltd. (AALS) was created in 1975 as an association of Live Steam Locomotive and Miniature Railways in Australia. In 2005 it became an incorporated company.
The Association has two standing subcommittees. One deals with design and the safe operation of miniature boilers, (the Australian Miniature Boiler Safety Committee-AMBSC) and publishes boiler codes for copper and steel types of miniature boilers, as well as for sub miniature boilers.
The other deals with safety matters pertaining to the railway itself. This group (the Australian Live Steam Safety Committee-ALSSC) has published Codes of Practice that guide the operations of the many societies who operate miniature railways around Australia. Details are available on the AALS website at www.aals.asn.au.
Each year a member club hosts a convention during Easter at which live steamers and miniature railway enthusiasts converge to operate their equipment and in meetings deal with issues that effect the operation of the member societies. The essence of the hobby is model engineering.
The usual gauges one sees at conventions are 3.5" gauge, 5" gauge and 7.25" gauge.
The Association is probably the first truly national association of live steamers in the world. As a result of this united voice it has been able to communicate with the legislative agencies in the different states of Australia to ensure State Legislation and Regulations appropriately deal with the safety issues in the hobby. References to the Australian Association of Live Steamers appear in Australian Standard AS3533 (Amusement Devices), and the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations that are issued by the various Australian States and administered by their WorkCover agencies.

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu