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The three pics in the second last post are too big forgot to resize them was surprised that they downloaded , should they be taken out of the thread, many thanks . Tony from down under

Forth pic I couldn't fit in, actually I am amazed that the pics fitted in forgot to resize them , no wonder they took a while to down load . The pic is of the 20 connector plugs that control the 20 blocks and three throttles getting there.. Tony from down under

Have a new track plan which is coming along nicely I didn't have time yesterday to set up all the station modules so did a mock-up with the tape measure to see if the corner approach fitted in well with the track plan, it with 6 inches to spare. That will give me room to connect the main track deking to the main line saving freight trains interring the station complex , they still can because I have a separate track for freight trans . The good news is I can have my vertical staging set up in under the patio to make un trains away from the rest of the layout, that come later. Where the tape measure is and the ruler is the 18foot mark pics one and two , pic three the start of the station module complex i8 inches in from sliding doors . Third pic is where the return curved decking will go and a connecting approach module to save on curved decking On a high Tony from down under.

Being a while, nearly a yeah sure fly's by too quickly , coming up to March 2021, have being busy, the bridge is finely finished even with track down , only needing bus wiring , I have yet again redesigned cut the layout down to 36 feet to make sure I have enough track, the bridge is 14 feet in length main span in one full piece, I leave the bridge in the garage , is quite heavy to lift up, glad the main construction is finished and actually works. No sagging in the middle as you can see , the only design that has worked, will have to be a separate road bridge at the side of the rail bridge, bridge is based on the Elizabeth river bridge Northern Territory Australia, I will have the boat ramp as scenery and a road in under the bridge to access stairs platform to the stairs in the tubing of the arch only see the door may be open and the hang gliders jumping off the top of the arch , some thing different . Tony from down under

Hi Chris , yeah we do brand new had a lock up garage and patio nearly as big as what we had in the old place, yep have a new track plan, not as big as what I had planned to build, big enough 44 feet by 30 feet 6 inches, could make the layout bigger later and now have a bigger shed too. At this stage I am basing the new track plan on the famous Tehachapi loop , that can change if the grade doesn't work out will change to the Williams loop on the same route in California. Big day will be starting work on the bridge cutting the bridge beams and have a o at using the saw to cut the large arches for the bridge , then make a start on modifying the modules to fit into the new garden shed which is a 3 by 3 metre square , much bigger then what I had. Have decided to work on a smaller layout so I can have the trains running sooner as all my train clubs have being shut down because of this virus, all the train shows I go to have postponed till next years events , we are just about in full lock down here in down under, only two can go out only shopping and to medical appointments, schools in my state are still open but for how long we don't know. Me and my wife are ok here so far. Everyone please stay health , Tony from down under

Construction is well under way on the new Camdale HO scale garden railway starting off with constructing the new rail road above arch bridge , bridge will be build in one full 14 foot span instead of three 7 foot pieces being hard to join and lift in place , First stage be 44 by 30 feet, second and third stage be adding 16 feet and a second third stage will have the second suburban station, planning to model a spiral based on the William loop on the Union Pacific Feather river route. The main station complex be still as is from the the old layout only difference is be only 5 modules instead of six and a new approach module and two corner modules starting work in the cooler months mid March. I am thinking of going DCC after June being talked into buy Digikijs half the price to NCE and Lenzs , is Wi-Fi and can use my mobile phone as a controller can't wait, do have two passenger trains with DCC TGV and ICE3 on board and a loco ,, start saving up for DCC decoders , not sound at this stage . First pic the real bridge that I be basing my bridge on , next pic the drawing with a side plan drawing on the main beam side be in three pieces and second piece be in two lengths, last three pics is of the mock-up of how the arch be constructed. I am waiting on my brother to bring his battery jig saw to cut the wider curved decking down to 1 and a half arches, be starting work on joining the two 7 foot decking together this week while it is slightly cooler to work in the garden shed. Tony from warm cloudy down under

Here is a couple of good you tube video clips of Williams Loop, not many pic, can anyone tell me how to load on a you tube video to a post.

Happy new year to everyone on the forum, have some news, we have moved to a new address and was able to take Camdale with us, bran new house but smaller only two bed rooms only two of us, smaller yard, quite a good size, layout is well under way drawn up the track plan main line to start off with, has a 3mx3m garden shed bigger to what I had in the old place, Now have plenty of room to work on a module , will have be in th elate afternoon , to dam hot here now, humidity killing it as well . The first two pics is of the area where the layout be going , all up with the second stage going up the side of the house 16 feet , stage one is 44 feet by 31 feet , the bridge will be redesigned. Next two pics the final track plan, forth pic a close up of second stage with two reverse loops to turn the Indian Pacific and Ghan passenger trains around, especially the Ghan train leaving Alice Springs has to be turned around to go the right way over the Elizabeth river bridge bridge and on its way to Darwin . I still will be having a spiral basing my spiral on the Williams Loop in California as in pic five, pics 6 and 7 inside y garden shed, have started lifting off the track and points of the old approach module which will be no more, pic 6 will see to the right of the right of the pic the next module to be modified , Will have to pic the cooler days, next week be cooler low 30's being too dam hot and humid, shed be pretty hot during the day. How I built the bridge at the old place too hard to set up, so the new bridge will be built into a 14foot length, joining up with two 7 ft half, side of the bridge will have 10 foot strips be a lot stronger , second last pic a drawing of the new bridge, arch be in one whole piece this time, haven't worked ou where I will store the bridge yet, last pic is what I be basing my bridge on. No construction till mid March when the days are cooler, I hope to do a mock-up of the bridge next week and spiral , always wanted to model the Williams loop facing the right way, even the bridge will look better with the ship sitting just under it. Yes can also fit in a Ro-Ro port excited, heat stopping me. Tony from hot down under.

I have scrapped the double deck bridge to just a rail bridge to start off with and later add a road bridge beside the rail bridge, the change has sure sped up the construction time of my layout build with now track down and the bridge set p levellec in where it be going to the track plan. I have anchored down the northern end of the bridge, all I need to do, next stage of the construction is the ramp to the back of the layout, quarter inch a foot drop on about 40 feet in length works out 7 inching height difference. The Elizabeth river bridge I have based my bridge on, the only difference is only tw piers instead of 16 and also bassing the river on the Kiel canal in Germany which got me hooked on the Ro Ro ship project . Pic 144136, I started the ramp grade on the bridge, giving that extra length needed and not so tight, there is a curve section coming off the bridge 12 foot radius curve about ten feet in length. Be starting on the ramp today and tomorrow will finish the ramp ready to paint and nail track down, linking up the back of the layout at long last. Tony from warm down under

Being some time since I was last active, being in hospital twice and nursing a bad cut on my leg, needed stitchers only half, had an argument with a tree branch, tree branch won, have o be careful I don't bump my leg and the cut start bleeding, took three weeks to stop bleeding. Last fortnight after recovering coming out of hospital I decided to redesign my layout going back to the old design, the two corner modules were changed o the new track plan, bridge is at the back of the layout and station moules at the front, the Tehachapi Loop, basing the spiral on that loop, layout be 56 feet in length now by about 21 feet wide. The first three pics of the carport corner module , big changes with cross over and point improvements to last design, next two pics of the corner spiral module changes. The smaller cross over giving access to auto car carrier wagon loading and unloading dock siding and a reverse loop and shunt siding for the Indian Pacific. Pics 6 and 7 big changes with swapping the bridge around and the curve track decking becoming the second curved station platforms, I am also planning a working lock for the ship to gain height to the upper chanel to the port based on the Immingham port to come later after layout is up and running Yesterday I made the two main piers for the bridge, wide enough to fit pavers for weight th piers down so the bridge will sit on the piers without having to screw the piers to the floor, my piers will have arches on the front of them mainly for show , based on the Story Bridge ion the Brisbane river. Have a lot to do changing the control panel panel that is on the last station module around as with most of the other wiring, a slight set back, aiming to have the trains running this year, I am itching to run my new train O got for my birthday a Mehano prestige ICE 3, 8 car set . It is starting to warm up, hope we are not in for a hot summer, next Monday 31 degrees and still August. Tony from cool down under ,

Being a month since I have being on, have being busy finished off my double deck bridge,, good news is I have joined the two halves together, going to leave the bridge in one full piece now, I needed to get the bridge lower deck done so I can paint and lay the track down, full length be 20 feet, mainly the road deck. First two pics different angles of the bridge,, pic 3 the rail deck, pic 4 the road deck and last pic what the bridge wipp look like when finished, the bridge will go where the the corner pergola post is 18 inches out and second pier be where the hose is on the edge of the pavers . My model ship when finished will sit in under the middle of the bridge till I build a second ship, the road deck wont go on till the track is down , might use 9 mm ply for the road deck to keep the weight down, while not in use I will build a second pier to go in under the middle of the bridge, incase the neighbourhood cat decides to jump up onto the bridge at night. Got one more hanger to screw in place , then IU be working on building the piers wide enough for a besser brick to fit into each pier so hopefully the bridge stand up on its own. Tony from cold down under

Hi all, can anyone help me how to tackle re-motoring a Hornby HST, in Australia XPT .I want to to do away with the pancake motor and replace the bogies to geared bogies with motor in the middle and drive shafts to the bogies,that way I can do away with the other loco being powered, the locos are very old, had trouble at the train show on the club layout. The pic is of the 1.1 scale XPT close to the HST hope someone can help in the project. Be great if someone can steer me in the direction. Many thanks Tony from down under

I have finely finished the long storage train box fitting 5 car DMU set in one full piece so I can actually drive it out onto the track , have made a special ramp that will sit on the track and the ramp has to be at a the right angle for it to lock onto the track. Like the new way the pics are loaded onto the post much bigger, awesome, the first pic is the box set up on the track with the ramp which is locked in place and lined up, had a bit of trouble , found out why the lead loco was derailing, I had to file the track like you would when building a point , works perfect. I haven't tested the train coming out will have to set up two sets of saw horses to join the two 7 ft bridge sections to be able to do that., over the weekend. Now I have to cut the packing that will keep the train on the track and lid weekend job, layout is still at a stand still as I said could be moving in the next few weeks, if the club doesn't take the layout, have a back up plan Camdalebe going to my mum's house she has plenty of room and more suited for a garden railway being a flat front and back yard, can't wait if this happens.. Tony from down under

Being a couple of months since I have being on, Camdale is on hold at the moment, we may moving soon down sizing to a unit , should get the keys this week to have a look at the unit,, where the unit is be a possibility Camdale be reborn, unit is at the end of the block of units and has two balconies and green space and hope the car port be beside it. I have joined a new train club and donated the layout to them, waiting on space at the bowls cub work shop and garage, if that doesn't happen next is store the modules at my Mum's place she has plenty of room and Camdale be reborn there. At to moment I have being working on my double deck arch bridge spanning 14 feet, arch is about 3 foot high and will have a second arch a foot down bracing the hangers stopping them from bowing and twisting out of shape, all the arches are cut now which are in one half full piece speeding o=up construction and saving on a sore back and legs bending down I have marked out two ends of the and end pieces for the road deck ,rest day today working on a storage box that will fit a 5 car DMU set =, plan is to be able to drive the full set out onto the main line, have to work on refining the box so it it true to the track and key has to be on an angle, pics to come . Tony from down under

Happy new year 2019, I didn't have a good start spending 2 weeks of 2019 in hospital coming home on Friday, it is also very hot here with no rain in site, plans are suffering, needing attention in the cooler months. I b able to finish off the spiral corner module in the afternoon sorting shifting the points and track and rewiring, in the mean time I pulled out an old project a DD35/B loco I rebuilt from a DD40 loco using 4 other shells m two were GP35 shells and two DD40 shells, I am tiding up the loco, rebuild the roof of the center of the loco and filling in the gaps ready to paint into UP colours. My other project at night is modelling an European RO, RO ship on the top deck there is 8 trailer lanes she is quite wide 305mm beam length 2.160 meters 14 inches high , she be one of the features of the layout sitting passing under the bridge. I am building her in 4 sections and will join them all up with two 18mm square dowel as part of the keel, being working on the bow section for some time now with a few set backs by having to rebuild 3 times before getting right, still not a 100 percent . she is a learning curve for the second build.. First two pics of the loco and last four of the ship , last two pics of the exhaust vents, last pic is how I made them, finish in a couple of nights there are also three smaller doors to mark and cut out, I am planning to wire in clear led lighting so when the stern ramps are down be able to see the detail of the side panels, the vents are all the way down to the stern. Finishing off starboard side will complete the main deck of the first section and then be able to lay the keel down of the second section, all up 4 sections making up the hull. Tony from down under