Sharky

The location you saw the XR & G was Gheringhap Loop. The Junction for the Broad gauge line to Ballarat & the Standard Gauge line to Arrart line across the Pyrenees Plains. There's a BRMA Member who lives in one of the former Departmental Residence Houses. Here's a picture from our meeting in January this year at his place. Trip looks fantastic though! Haven't been to Apollo Bay in 15 years!

Time to bring this topic up from the depths of RMWeb! A few of us in Melbourne, Australia, decided in November 2023, that we would start up our own 'FreemOO9' group. We've all had an interest in starting a 'FreeMo' group for HO but nothing ever got off the ground as there were too many people arguing over what standards to follow. It also being a bigger scale means that you need more room to build and store your module/s. But with OO9 it does take anyway near as much room (would you believe). We also have gone and followed the standards (and end pieces) posted at the top of this thread so that made arguments about standards a non starter. So after much talk, planning & building of modules, 7 of us got together at one the Member's house and set up a dry run. The only issue being most of us didn't have legs sorted for our modules. So we brought as many locos boxes as we could as set up our modules on top of them, on the floor. (Sam's Trains eat your heart out!) With only a few minor adjustments needed with re-soldering rails, adjusting the modules to line the rails up and making sure we plugged in the Jumper cables the correct way... The first running session was very successful! Here are a few pictures from our first running session. We've got two weeks till we first exhibit at the Diamond Creek Model Railway Exhibition over the Easter Weekend. Most of us won't be able to 'enhance' the scereny side of our modules before then, but that's part of the draw card to get other interested and involved. To show you don't need a finished module to exhibit! If you're in Melbourne over Easter drop by the exhibition and say G'day!

My "Inspired by" wagon pack arrived in Australia this afternoon. Very happy with them. The quality of the prints on the models is incredibly high quality & they are very free rolling. Titfield - Mallingford Mixed? I just have one nit pick. In the package was some flyers which is understandable to promote new & existing models. But I think I got a one of every single one. 20 in total. Most printed on fairly thick paper/card. My nit pick is that all together they weigh quite a bit (almost as much as the wagon pack) and I hope it wasn't included in the postage cost (which was £35) & they were just included to make they most of the international postage costs. Other than that I'm very happy with the wagons and I'm looking forward to customising them with some loads and weathering... 🫢

The mock platforms certainly help give the illusion of a station! Looking forward to seeing the final once in place. (In good time)

Just on this point, if it wasn't token block, what was the 'method of working' over the single line between Crianlarich & Rannoch?

I received my Titfield Pack in Australia a few weeks ago. Very happy with it especially the sound files! My only criticisms are you can't add the Rev & Bishop to the footplate of 'Thunderbolt' if you wish to store it in the box. (Atleast not without modifying the plastic clamshell.) And the water filling sound should have ended with the quarrel between Dan & Rev on their first day of operations. Overall a fantastic model! Can't wait to receive my Tramway Coach

Agreed. The running lines should be protected from potential runaway wagons or driver's over shooting signals. It will certainly add to the realism of the location. Trains need to be protected from other trains. Signals don't stop trains, the brakes do. And when they don't, then they should be diverted away from potential collisions.

After many years of putting off buying a 37 (mainly because they're outside my chosen era) I bit the bullet and got myself a Bachmann 37012, to start venturing into 80s Scotrail. I am in love with this loco to say the least. The cold start feature still makes me smile like a child when I use it. The sound is very 37 and while the Accurascale speakers give more bass the Bachmann ones do a damn good job too! My biggest gripe so far is the inability to have the snowplows fitted as well as a coupler such as with the Accurascale ones. Does anyone know if there's a way to have a kadee and and snowplows fitted? Or whether someone produces something 3D printed? Outside of that I just need to fit the front details and give it some weathering to make it more fitting for the Scottish Region.

Exciting times ahead! Just an operational query, What happens to all the Locos off the seaside specials once they shunt the coaches out at Pentowan? Is there going to be an MPD at Pentowan?

Very nice! Just missing a block shelf, a duster & an armchair with the box cat curled up on it by the fire.

That means more buses! It's the rules.

How'd them buses pass each other on such a narrow bridge??? 🤔

Agreed. It wouldn't be difficult to fit a contact switch into the lift out section that turns on once the section is sunken home. Or connect it to a brass pin that can be used to not only align the lift out section with the rest of the layout but also provide the connection for the dead sections either side Having a break in the rails a good metre (or Yard in old money) from the cliff, would prevent anything over shooting off into the abis. Needs to be 'Fail Safe', just like the real railways!

The old box is looking a little worse for wear these days, but it will be celebrating it's 100th Birthday later this year. Not many places can hold testament to that and still be in daily operational use. It's probably also a blessing that it hasn't been repainted. As in true railway tradition, when a building gets a coat of paint it's due to be knocked down in 6 months.

I personally find this a little difficult to read. I'm used to having 'Pull Charts' list every lever needed for that whole route, and in what order to pull them. Ie, Points, Lock Bars & then signals (distant being the last pulled off). For example, here's a picture of the former Pull chart & Diagram for Frankston Box. As you can see the pull chart gives you the levers for the whole through route. Though if you were bringing a suburban train into platform 2 you wouldn't need 34 and 36 as the train terminates at Frankston. The one thing charts don't tell you is what levers are usually left out of the frame. In the case of Frankston Lock bars 14, 17, 39 & 58 are in reverse for most of the day and only go Normal when they are required for shunts into those respective sidings. Although I imagine this won't be too much of an issue with Porthmellyn Road, especially once the holiday traffic to the coast picks up.

I like the look of the new lights. As others have mentioned the lights definitely give off a cold winters day, which is only enhanced by the cloudly skies used to hide the walls. They also give a more even spread of light which brings out more detail, especially items further away from the camera.

Such a lovely part of the world. Definitely need to get back there myself. Was last there 13 years ago!

A bit of delayed response, thanks to the issues we are all aware of. I had a fantastic time acting as signalman at Porthmellyn Road a few weeks ago at the recent operating session. Took me a few trains to get familiar with intricacies of the interlocking (just like the real thing!) and not having a 'pull chart' to cheat off meant actually having to read the diagram and lever labels! I had great satisfaction watching all the working semaphore and disc signal 'come off', just need the S&T boys to get out there and adjust some of the cables. Here's a close up picture of the 'NWR' van I built and weathered sitting in St Enodoc yard. A video of the one of the goods last trains we ran for the session. And a picture of the signal box I worked. (You can see me there filling out something in the TR book) I would've taking more videos and pictures but I was too busy making sure things were running smoothly through the station with the Fat Controller 'Sir Topham Hatt' sitting behind me. Hoping I can make it up there again for another session. Perhaps once Pentowan is operational so we can see what a busy turn with holiday traffic to the seaside will be like.

Ye of little faith! (I also had an early start this morning so an early night last night)

What do you mean? Surely you can see the benefits of running trains on carpet and underwater!

I love this angle! Gives the perspective of how large the locos really were.

Looks fantastic! I've always wanted model a snow themed layout. But would also mean weathering the rolling with snow as well and they'll look quite odd if they run on any other layout...

Would've been nice if England actually showed up to play for the Test Series... That being said Last night was interesting to watch with how quickly the wickets fell on both sides.

It was first penned by the legendary Bush Poet 'Banjo Paterson' and was lost to time. Passed on only through verbal tellings of the 'Tale of the Bunnings Carpark' by the local people of the Western Suburbs.