Dimboola

Dimboola
Dimboola station. This great photo was taken by my son Craig

Thursday 16 June 2022

Adelaide show 2022

 Three days helping Bob Stevens with Kings Park, making those gauge 1 locos shunt back and forth. Had a good time, except for the ass hole person that attended with covid, passed it on,and made us sick.

 


 

Moving on. Right next door was the SDS models stand, with samples of their up coming SAR, VR, QR and TGR models.


The 900 class locomotives maybe here by the end of the year. The 700 class passenger cars, not until next year (delayed). Also in with their order forms was a sheet of proposed SAR models. So not to have have modellers shock, the 500 and 600 class passenger cars, maybe 2023/24. The long Tom brake car, 2024 and the DWP vans 2025. Also included on the probable list, is a LX/ALGX van.

 

School bus on Don's Alamosa and Western railway.



Tarlee station and sidings. The for wheel sheep van was available to purchase. (3D printed)
Light River bridge on Peterborough.
Maree, Commonwealth Railways, from the Whyalla group.






Sunday 24 October 2021

Layout update.

 In a previous post I mentioned how it was gone before been finished. Well, now I has gone. Just one small section remains in place. The last frame work one which the station boards sat, was removed over the weekend, the timber to be recycled into the new layout. I have quite a bit of timber, just as well, as the price to start new is not nice!

What a mess, trying to save as much track as possible, and storing all sort of items, to be gone through and relocated.

All is going into a new shed, built next to the garage, just a bit smaller, but plans are in progress. 

 

 

Also, I have changed my baseboard construction method, using open frame. The old layout was L girder, which required a lot of timber. The open frame allows for the ability to have changing track bed heights.

More to come.



Monday 14 June 2021

Adelaide 2021

 No exhibition last year and only a small on in 2021. Give credit to the organizers, that they managed to piece together and event made up of South Australia layouts and retailers (almost). Sneaked in from NSW was a representative from SDS models, sharing a position with Elite Model services, who, themselves had some nice 3D printed 8000class SAR break vans, of the early versions to the old Lima model that we are use to.

SDS had on display there up and coming 900 class English Electric diesel, along with charts showing colour variations that will be available.



Next to Elite was a new layout, Tarlee. A mid north grain silo and brick station, common for the area, with about five towns having stations built to the same design. Especially of interest, was the use of more scale height trees!



Nearby was Bob Stevens Saint Bernard sur Mer, having had some vegetation growth with new trees and bushes.


Other great layouts included, Don Moyses Crystal Brook. SARMA's Strathburn, Adelaide Modellers Group Terowie North (in full). Planes of Fame, Harry Potter made an appearance, the old model collectors were out, with their fine collections, and a couple lego layouts, one not to out done by SDS.



Thursday 27 May 2021

SDS 900 class

Sometime ago, I think I mentioned that SDS models were progressing on a programme of models for the South Australian modeller, using old Austrains moulds and new. I had heard a while ago that a 900 class English Electric diesel was, as you would say, on the go, and now engineering samples have arrived. A picture was 'posted' in the Australian Model Railway Magazine, and the following photo was added to the SDS facebook page recently. (Lets ignore the one in the middle).



Thursday 1 October 2020

Gone before being finished

 Some things have to come to an end. Plans are afoot to extend the garage by almost three meters, as my son need extra space, so he can works on the cars without been in the rain or sunshine. Therefore, the station area has to go. This will be dismantled and the buildings put into storage, and as much reclaiming of track as possible.

Not is all lost, the river scene will remain and a single track will run around the new rear wall of the expanded garage, into a smaller shed to be built along one of the side walls. Here I will build a new grain silo station area.

The other grain silo area will possibly remain, but would have to loop into the new shed at the side, as a branch. This would also have to be lifted, as the main line behind would also go. Though my wife's new cat controller may not be happy.




Saturday 2 May 2020

Lets talk gum trees

It has been a while, in time of having more time a home, it was time to add more trees to the layout. (has been neglected for a while) One of my hates is a well crafted layout with gums trees the sized too small. A tree 100m tall in our HO scale world, only measures out under 30ft.
The most common eucalyptus tree in south eastern Australia, is the the Manna gum, or Eucalyptus viminalis. These typically grow to a mature height . so of 50m  (160ft), sometimes up to 90m (300ft). Scaling this out, we are looking at trees in our HO scale world of 160 x 3.5 which equals 560mm.

A few years ago, when I visited the Warley exhibition in the UK, a lady asked a tree maker for a particular type of tree she wanted. Can not remember what it was, but the guy asked whether she wanted in scale or not. She said yes, and when he said it was going to be over 300mm in height she decided not. That is say, while we might reduce the scale of our trees, there is no point of making an old mature gum that is only around 30ft in real height.
Lets increase the size of of our trees. It is not hard to produce trees to 200 or 250mm in height. lets take a look at some photos of Stawell in Victoria. https://www.victorianrailways.net/photogallery/westsou/stawell/stawell.html. There are some magnificent examples. Would we models these with tree scale out at 30ft in height?

When making tall trees, the twisted wire method is the best. I use 0.7mm wire, available at hardware stores, or can use florist wire, which is plastic coated, but more expensive. Cut lengths at over 200mm and keep cutting till you think you might have enough. The initial twists are the hardest, then comes easier.
This one is actually going to be a Peppercorn tree, but shows the tree made from florist wire. I usually find that even with a tree shape in mind, the twisting often makes it own shape. Get out and look a trees.
The next stage is to use modelling clay. This method came from a Youtube video from the UK and the modeller used Milliput. Milliput is quite expensive and is a two pack mix, so I decided on air dry modelling clay. You use the clay to beef up the truck and major limbs. When dry it is time to paint. Start off with a primer. (I used a spray primer grey from Repco).
The foliage is Heki Flor. Just pull off clumps and glue to the left areas. Looking at the above tree, I just end the twists in a curl, where to attach the foliage.
Added a mature gum to my paddock scene.

Saturday 24 August 2019

Caulfield Report 2019

Yes, it that time of the year age. Another Caulfield Report. Overall the show was of high quality, many in attendance, with crowds around various popular layouts, one of the the Lego display. One item of note this year, the quality of the food was right down with prices right up.


Having traveled on Puffy Billy the day before, shall start at Black Stump On30 Victorian Narrow gauge. One of two VR narrow gauge, the other Paradise Valley, but I enjoyed Black Stump, did not just have trains running in loops.


Mildura in HO scale.



Beaufort (1979-1988). Beaufort township is situated between Ballarat and Ararat. Was disused after standardisation,  but returned when reopened by V/Line with the reopening of the line to Ararat.

 Fingal OOn14 Tasmanian layout, all scratch built with hand laid track to 3'6" in OO scale.

Ettamogah Rail Hub.

 Part of 'Springfield', a US layout, with steel mill at one end (shown) and a mill at the other.


Cheakamus Canyaon. Scott Fitzgerald and team, new layout, or part of it. This is just stage one, so will grow in time to come. Really has to be seen to get the impression of the canyon scene.

Trade news. No exciting releases, in fact things are going to quiet for a while to come, with the Australian dollar low against the US dollar.
Steam Era Models released his updated VHGF grain hoppers (ran out of mouldings last year, so decided to update the kit), with added parts, so can fit the detail kit if one wishes to do so, available separately. This detail kit could be used on older models, if not built.
Auscision is scaling back, projects to finish, and new models will be only available as a couple of versions at a time, as each variation required for a slightly different type cost between US$20 to 30 thousand. 
Unnounced models to come will be CLP/CLF only in these versions, no CL due to cost involved of a completely separate model. The S class is in the pipeline, as uses many components from the B class, so really is just a new body mould.
Overland cars have progressed to the drawing stage. BGKF grain hoppers are a definite, coming in the next run of the NHFF coal wagons. Also, a new run of N class and N cars, in popular liveries with new numbers and the new PTC livery, as the N class locos are all be passed through Bendigo for work and repainting.
IP cars
Auscision NR class tooling

Looks like a SAR 600

Ontrack Models is going through partnership change: and due to the dollar, no new models planned.
As an example, the current 82 class run cost as much as the whole original project. The 80 class is on hold: the drawings made by the factory when the project was alive, were rejected as "rubbish" did not look like an 80 class so project was put on hold. Ontrack is waiting for further containers: should have been here weeks ago. More new liveries in the future. Also, expect new runs of all their current wagon models.


SDS. The NR's are coming late this year, with all the tooling corrections. Following on will be the 81 class due before Chinese New Year. After this, the B and G class, retooled to correct all the errors from the previous models.
Following on after the B/G will be the T class 2,3,4 also retooled to correct all the errors, a complete facelift to number boards and light positions; and the body been reduced in width by 2mm to the correct dimensions. (The Austrains model was tooled to fit their motor). 
Also on display was the SAR 800 class shunter locomotive.

Phil Badger and Ixion Models had tooling for the up coming Victorian J class steam loco. Due just after the factory shut down for Chinese New Year. Only 1500 models been produce, half coal and half oil burners. If sell well, another run will be done. After the J, another steamer, either NSW VR or SAR??

So look out for projects that have been announced coming to completion, with a much reduced new model lineup, but plenty a new runs of older models.