Tale of a goods shed

The goods shed at Horsham is one of a few long sheds in Victoria. The only unmodified long shed is at Port Fairy. No rail line there, as it was closed in 1977.

These were a Victorian Railways standard 20 ft wide design, timber framed and clad in corrugated iron, constructed throughout Victoria during the period of rapid expansion of the railway system, between 1876 and 1907.

At Horsham, the shed is also not original, as it was burnt down in 1890. As the Melbourne Telegraph newspaper report of July 16 stated. "The railway goods-sheds at Horsham were destroyed by fire last night. A quantity of gunpowder stored there exploded, and none of the contents were saved."

 The new shed has been modified over time with an addition at the western end to allow drive in fork lift access, while an office was built in the eastern end.

When building models from a guesstimate drawing, one is always going to have problems. The width of the model was taken from a card model, when translated to paper, some how became wider. So when I read that these shed were 20' wide I checked and found that the model was 25' wide. This actually related to an extra line of stumps underneath. Their distance apart came from a goods platform drawing.

Main structure of shed completed

I then had to decide if to leave it or to modify back to 20' wide.

 Starting with the addition section, I removed this from the main building and made the cuts to reduce its width. Next was to start on the main structure.

Walls removed and floor ready to be cut down. I will have to build a new eastern wall, as I think the windows were wrong any way.

Horsham station 2

Further history to the station. The station was extensively repaired in 1939.

The plan call for the construction of  new additions under the existing buildings and  the sinking of 125 new piles driven 29 feet onto the soil under the existing foundation, with all the walls being set on new re-enforced rail foundations. This was because the unstable nature of the earth had allowed the building to sink.

The whole layout was changed to isolated the main block from the goods shed and other building.

The booking, parcels and station master's  offices all under went extensive alterations, and  the men's waiting room was shifted to the middle of the building, plus new general waiting room and new women's waiting room; while the refreshment room was refitted to an improved standard.

The existing main entrance was closed and moved to the new booking office entrance built so it was no longer required to enter via the platform. The cantilever veranda was estended to go around the sides of the building. This brought the station in line with the railway's standard construction. It was estimated that about 16 Horsham workers were  kept occupied for six months on the job. Approximately £1800 was spent in labour costs alone. 

The plans, followed on from the new truck yards. The work was completed in 1940 including painting of the building.

Horsham Station

Horsham has a brick station, currently used for adult education building. Recently refurbished, with a section of platform been upgraded for passengers waiting for the Overland.
The model was built from measurements taken a couple of years ago. One main point in measuring a building is to check one has all the required data before leaving, as there is nothing worse than preparing a drawing later to find you have forgotten an important measurement. Like the height of the walls. Four and a half hours each way is not on just for a stretch of the tape measure.
Lucky, I found a drawing of Talbot, through a search engine and guessed that most station buildings would be much the same height. This was later confirmed on  a recent pass through while heading to Melbourne by car, instead of flying.

 The real thing.

 This is a cropped photo of the station. The others I have of the building are on old fashioned film.

The model.

Model structure nearly complete. I have left off the toilet structure that was once on the right, as it has since been demolished. The curved top section of the roof yet to be added. I have test painted the verandah.

The model test fitted on the layout. Just as well no toilet block, as it has to sit right up against a garage support post. (Unfortunately this means the building will not line up with the end of the goods shed, and I can not move that either because of the track work required).  The doors are yet to be fitted. I have a scaled photo of the doors that I will probably use. Painting still in progress.

Overland departs Dimboola

December 2008. I have mentioned before in a couple of posts of the break in rain, during a trip to Dimboola in December 2008. This video shows just how wet it was, filmed from the pedestrian overpass, under an umbrella.

Lillimur Victoria

Between Serviceton and Kaniva, is the small town of Lillimur. If there was ever a station building at Lillimur it has long since gone. Now just a grain siding with automatic signalling, the siding services concrete vertical, metal bin and large shed silos.
Lillimur was settled in 1877, when thew railway was built through to Serviceton: and a court house was built just on the edge of the town in 1887. It closed in 1892. In 1913, the post office moved in, in preference to building a new post building. Next to the Western Highway, this building just still stands, not only needing restoration, but to be modeled.

Lillimur ex court house/post office.

Out the front, not illustrated, is a horse hitching rail: just visible to the right, and an old lamp post.
This photo was taken in December 2008. A dry moment on a very wet day.

A not 9am cross

Train waiting can be frustrating. After waiting for nearly an hour to see the Overland cross at Mount Barker Junction, I was giving up to go home, then the unexpected happened. A really late QRNational pulls into the Junction, to allow the Overland enter the loop, nearly a half hour late itself.
Usually this train would be down in the city heading to Dry Creek North yard at this time, and the cross would be with a Pacific National intermodal.

The Overland pulls to a halt before entering Mt Barker Junction loop. Up front is NR1.

 

Leading was CLF7 with 6007 and Interail 42206 (which was producing the most smoke), as they raced down towards Balhannah.

Curved turnouts

They say when laying model railway track, to stay away from double slips, (mainly because they are difficult to wire up), but this also applies to curved turnouts. We look for ways to have maximum length in our yards, and to put in a curved point can save almost a foot (30cm) in space.
Curved points may have a place, but not in spacing saving, as we try yo obtain geometry that usually pushes them out of gauge.

This is relay number 2. When originally laid, all worked fine, then my Auscision A class, with its finer tolerances started to derail. Relay number one, to change some of the turnout positions and straights in between. All worked fine, then it started again, same locos, always on the curved turnout. Frustration and it led to ripping it up again; only to have the PECO code 83 number 7 curve point fall to pieces.
A new number 6 straight, left hand was purchased and the yard result being a bit shorter. Yet to connect up the all the track, power and test.

SCT Trains - 2

The Railmotormodels, PBGY, hit the shops during October. Eight numbers, two different versions. The broken stripe being the first batch, 82 wagons introduced in 2005 and built by QR Redbank workshops. Wagons there after have a full length black stripe, though there is a slight variation, with some having some white around the door locking mechanism.

PBGY 148. note the black stripe is almost inline with Auscision Containers on a VQDW flat.

SCT Trains

With the release of Railmotor Models PBGY Multifreighter vans, here are some SCT photos through the Adelaide Hills.

The SCT service from Melbourne usually passes through Mount Barker Junction too early to see in daylight, but sometimes it is running late.

Passing through Belair loop, again running late on a wet August morning. The Overland can be seen sitting awaiting the main line to clear.

These two vans photographed on the departing Perth bound service.

Reach Stackers

The terminal at Horsham currently operated by Wimmera Container Line uses several different types of reach stacker for loading and unloading of containers. Several of these are Fantuzzi and Ferrari models.

Fantuzzi Model RS60

The only HO scale model available is from Kibri No:11751 , of the fork lift type, or Kibri No:11752, which is similar to the above, but with the cab further forward, but does not have the container handling frame. For 1/160 and 1/50 scale there are a few diecast models available, but not in 1/87.

This reach stacker is seen loading a Powerline VQCX flat (one of the Indian produced models, with Steam Era bogies, modified for Kadee No 5s and the container brackets removed, as in Freight Australia livery they have twist locks). PS, this Kibri model does not fit to Auscision containers. Do do so the brackets that hold the containers would need to be modified.

Forklift type. Sorry heavily cropped.