the Light river Bridge at Hamley Bridge SA

Hi All

Here is some detail shots of the light River Bridge at Hamley Bridge.

the model is in progress

Barcoola up and coming projects

Another year is almost over, and here is where my head is at:

Murray River Bridge has been far and wide this year, including Adelaide and Sydney exhibition, next year it looks like it might be going to Perth, this will be a first for us.

However with Cheakamus Canyon needing to be at an exhibition in Victoria a week later, so, it seems I will need to build a new fiddle yard for MRB.

Barcoola:

Barcoola MKIII is now a strong reality, as it is expected to go to a least one exhibition next year.

I would like to construct a proper light box for all the scenery boards, and replace some of the oldest boards, maybe, replace the yard with one that better replicates Tarcoola.

Install point motors in the fiddle yard, with a new control panel to make the layout more operator friendly.

Barcoola MKIII will require lots of more locomotives and rolling stock to be added to the fleet, I’ll settle with an era of 1990 for this too. GMs, ALs, lots of CLs (in various stages of fade) DLs and a few ELs.

Other projects, in the pipeline are:

The spirit of the Peterborough line.

A selection of locations on the Peterborough line, in the early 1980s, this layout is expected to be a true Broad gauge layout.
the track plan is fairly squared away, and more light box design boards.

Caltowie, 1987.

An interesting time on the standard gauge, I would expect to be able to reuse the fiddle yard from MRB.  I have been fiddling with plans for awhile but I think I am close to a final design.

Greenough River Bridge 1994.

It scales out to just on 6ft, I am looking at a single board operating diorama for this, the location is just too tempting.

It may sound weird but a V/line Pass layout (in winter) is very tempting, short trains, and SSR grain trains, on a layout no bigger than two boards again an operating diorama.

Esperance.

I have struggled for a good location for a WA HO scale layout, and we are not out of the woods yet, but I have come to the conclusion that another mainline layout would break my rolling stock bank.

I have looked at both of the branches from Kalgoorlie and there are some great operating rules in there for the L class, I am surprised where they were not allowed to go!

For the Esperance line, in addition to the ore trains, there are three regular good trains,

The yard itself has fuel sidings (a short branch) end and side loading facilities, and a Goods Shed.

Just north of the yard is a salt loading facility.

The yard itself is a staging point between trains arriving from the north and shunt moves down to the port.

Consists are split as required, to be dumped as manageable rakes.

There are other workings too, Containers and Nickle in buckets (kibbles) staged in the yard then taken down to the port when and as required.

When in season, a short rake of WWs grain hoppers were also used between the Port and bunkers up the line.

All movements between the Port and the yard needed permission from the local ‘Co-Ordinator”

Thus this location has some real operating potential.

Other advantages are train lengths can be fairly short.

15 wagon grain trains.

10 to 15 wagon general freight trains.

Maybe 40 wagon ore trains, are all short compared to mainline trains.

So the yard can be modeled shorter.

Now here is the kicker,

You can model ore dumping operations without the need to model a dumper.

You can model Grain operations without the need to model a grain bin or dumper.

You can model loaded or empty nickel operations, without the need to model the unloading operations.
Esperence is an operating "fiddle yard" for want of a better term.

In ultra modern its still interesting, however the yard has drastically changed.

It still going to cost me a stack of WOs,but it is what it is.

There is some good historical aerial footage at Landgate, a WA Government provided service, check it out, its great for older footage of a location with surprisingly good definition.

https://www0.landgate.wa.gov.au/maps-and-imagery/interactive-maps/map-viewer

SDS Models new re tooled NR class NR30 and NR52 comparison

Hi All

As luck would have it, when MRB went to the Sydney Exhibition in 2019, SDS Models let us operate two of their new production models.
Here is a video comparison between the SDS Models current production and the last Austrains production.

Here is a video of them operating on MRB.

here is SDS models links FYI.

For NR30 and NR52
http://www.sdsmodels.com.au/nr3052a.htm

For the rest of the NRs check out this link:

http://www.sdsmodels.com.au/sdsnr.htm


Enjoy.... Scott

Murray River Bridge, Post the Sydney Exhibition its time for a blog de brief.

Post the Sydney Exhibition its time for a blog de brief.

The new trailer and the 4X4 worked really well, even if the trailer was a bit of a squeeze on Sydney roads.

We had a reduced ops team, and my thanks goes to Doug and Peter for helping me out.

MRB suffers from extension issues,  with the width extension of the layout, the light assemblies and the backdrops are separate items.  To put these up and take them down, thus increase the set up and take down times.

I have made a prototype back drop and light assembly replacement, I can use the current boards, this would change the layout from having eight small scenery boards to four large ones.

This will make the layout a lot easier to put up and take down.

The down side of this is the increase of weight.

I will have to evaluate this advantage of this vs, the number of expected exhibitions remaining for the layout.

MRBs fiddle yard.

The Sydney exhibition again confirmed that the DCC Concepts Cobalt SS point motors and controls, over the time of operation during an exhibition seem to move or loose their settings, which means that they need to be reset and readjusted in the middle of an exhibition.

The root cause could be a number of factors:

Mechanical resistance, or accumulation of heat, which may cause reduction of resistance and thus move the setting.

An exhibition layout requires a very high amount of reliability, so I am going to look at the old faithful, Tortoise point motors, I have used them in the past and they are bullet proof.

Curved track joins:

MRBs fiddle yard suffers from “Bunnings advice” I should have known better, that my local store, has less experience than others, and their recommendation of foam glue, caused the boards to bow from expansion, they said would not happen.

So my lesson is learnt here too, use what you know works, so it is back to the old Liquid nails for me.

However this still means that I have to manage the issue, I don’t think there is a need to resolve it right now, just use it as a learning.

In future, I’ll design the fiddle yard boards with 90deg joins, I have already to a plan, that should mean I can replace the current five board fiddle yard, with an average of 18ft standing room for each road, with a six board yard, with an average of 26ft standing room for each road.

A new fiddle yard can be used for Checkamus Canyon and my next “big” layout.

So whats next.

John is itching to build a layout based on his favourite part of the world, Gippsland.

John is not currently in a position to build or transport such a layout, but I can.  So this will be interesting.

I'll probably do the display boards and the fiddle yard and set it up at his joint to allow him to do his thing!

Next SA layout, 

The northern BG lines are calling, and I would like to make a small layout that I can operate at home.

So probably one branchine and one mainline.

Long term I think it would be really groovy to have a true BG, SG and NG layouts to an exhibition.

I have purchased some station buildings from Models n More at the Sydney exhibition, I had no idea they made SAR station kits, so I was pleasantly surprised.

I’ll have to get over my silo phobia, and make them as close as I can to scale. 

I find that an exhibition layout needs at least one “wow” item, MRB is one big “Wow” item.

I would like to make a homage to the Peterborough line with some small scenes, and one “wow” scene.  This is all still in the "think" mode at the moment, but there will be no "generic" locations.....

Western Australian layout.

I have built the three boards for Southern Cross WA.

After pacing it out, there is just not enough room on these boards to do the location justice (width wise) I don’t like getting rid of perfectly good boards.

However, Once again my insomnia came to the rescue.  After a lot of thinking, and working various scenarios, I think I found a way of replicating the balloon loop at Koolynobbing East, without the need to manually load the empty train.  I can also include the old ballast siding and a salt lake.

If I am smart I can use the replacement MRB fiddle yard for Koolyanobbing East.

This is a big undertaking and stacks and stacks of rolling stock. Ugg!

Enjoy Scott

Sydney AMRA model railway exhibition 2019

Hi All

Murray River Bridge was exhibited at the Sydney AMRA model Railway Exhibition.

The exhibition location was moved to the Sydney Exhibition centre in Homebush.

Like any new location there is unforseen issues which don't raise their head until the last moment.

We were luck enough to get the chance to operate the production version of SDS Models new re tooled NR class locomotive NR30 and NR52.  The detail on these models is outstanding.

Here is a link to NR30 and NR52
http://www.sdsmodels.com.au/nr3052a.htm

Here is a link to the rest of the range, There are some ripper liveries in there, including the proposed.

http://www.sdsmodels.com.au/sdsnr.htm

SDS Models NR30 and NR52 crossing Murray River Bridge.

Murray River Bridge with the overland stretched out across the river.

Mount Gambier Goods #745 crossing Murray River Bridge.

The SDS Models stand.

the 81 class almost there.....

 800 class pre production model.

 new skinny body VR T class models, including the T2 version with the flat top radiators....

 The SAR OB run....

Looks like they will be doing the new Great Southern version.

Goulburn NSW, it looks they have back dated this model a bit, no more Countrylink signage on the station,

 The Blue Mountains, I had not seen this layout before.

Binalong, pronounced byn-a-long

Bullenbung Creek, I have a good chat with Allen about construction techniques etc.

Arkaroola O Scale to the max.

Passing time, by a young bloke doing it tough by himself, great concept, exceptional lighting effects.

The back of Bullenbung Creek showing the plywood construction.

I love the desolation of this Rio Grande layout, he could have over done it,  but without any other track apart from the mainline, really makes this pop....

Auscision was not to be outdone, with an N scale NR class.....

IDR models production line including the VR W class.

 The sort of mythical Tangara is getting close.

 600 class, oh yeah nice, AC version with four windows might be a good thing to do in a later run.

Other things of note,

Layouts of note.

Fingal Tasmania is always a favorite.  Outstanding work in 1:76, I managed to spend some time with Simon, and see how he did what he did, a very smart cookie!

East Mateland NSW, it been sooooo long since I first saw it, they got some new lighting for it, and the young guys of AMRA were operating it, they just need to work on your weathering here and there guys!

On Track Models had their re-run 82 class its a beautifully detailed model, 

https://ontrackmodels.com.au/models/82-2

A new run of their curtain sided “Drive” and “OMO” containers, along with Toll, Vegemite, and Peanut Butter, they are very nicely done.  They fill a gap in the market, great job right there. https://ontrackmodels.com.au/download/orderform/40cs

I must have seen Models and More a stack of times, only to realise at this exhibition they make a very nice SA station kit, modeled off Farrell Flat.

That is all for the moment.

Enjoy Scott

Cheakamus Canyon at the Caulfield Model Railway exhbition 2019

Hi All

On request, here are some images of Cheakamus Canyon being exhibited at AMRA's Caulfield Model Railway Exhibition 2019

Cheakaums Canyon, the build:

When you promise mates that you will build a layout of BCR only if the C40-8M come it in plastic, Well thanks to Rapido they produced the C40-8M, which meant I needed to create a layout.The scenery in British Columbia is astonishing, and the layout needed to have the maximum height.After much discussion between Dave Roger and myself, we selected locations that we would like to model.
There were many great locations, Seton Lake etc.
However a number of these locations which we were looking to model were situated in the Cheakamus Canyon.
The clincher was Cunningham’s cut bridge.
Dave has already built this bridge.  My job was to try and fit this into a layout that could be transported to an exhibition with Murray River Bridge’s staging – fiddle yard, to a 7’6” long 4’4” wide and 4’4” high trailer.
A foot print for the scenery sections was established.
Dave wanted the area to have very dramatic scenery, and thus we managed to stretch out to 4’ maximum height for each board.
It was realized that modelling one location with the river going down the canyon would be the best use of the available layout space.  Checkamus Canyon has just about all we wanted to model, and the scenery was “spectacular”
Dave completed the second big curved bridge, and Dave and Roger brought both bridges over to my place just before Christmas.
We plotted how we would install the bridges into the board “space”.
I built all three boards with a base, the track subroad bed, and incorporated a pelmet.
Dave has a space issue at his house, so only one board could be delivered at a time.
Dave worked on the rock work, and when complete, they were sent to Roger’s house for colourisation, and completion of the scenery.
When all three boards were complete, I recovered the boards.
Installed the lights under the pelmet, (LED battens lights).
Laid the track and installed the wiring, built board #4, this board will have the fourth bridge, the slip and the short tunnel.
Once completed, all three boards were delivered back to Roger”s where, Dave, Roger, Ross and myself completed the final details

Thanks go to Dave, Roger and Ross working together to get this all to completion in eight months.
Great job guys, you should be proud of a job well done.

We also won an award, best private layout!

Enjoy!

Scott