robertc

A sunny afternoon deserves a running of the Glen Innes Mail. cheers Bob

Yes, very nicely made indeed Chris. Probably a favourite with indoor layouts where the extra details can be appreciated. Sadly, proper G1 unlikely to gain much of a foothold here any time soon. cheers Bob

First thing I need to do is get Pete's name right 'Sansom'. :>) Should check what I type! Went to a local club bring and buy sale yesterday but surprise, surprise nothing in O for sale or wanted :>) HO, N and G were the usual parts of the alphabet on offer. cheers Bob

So basically a case of suck it and see then Chris. The Hunter/ central Coast garden groups haven't agreed on a standard. I have my gauges from years gone by somewhere ( I hope). I made them to G1MRA standards so probably not much use with this mob. Had I not abandoned my G1 NSWGR layout I intended to concrete the steam up track if/when I got a live steamer. I note the Tenmille track still seems to be more popular than the Peco for some reason in blighty. I'll have to ask why. However I'm not intending to make a layout this time around, just have a couple of things I can bring to a running session somewhere. I might make it to Newcastle this year, if Peter Samson is about he might be able to clue me up on what the NSWGR modellers he is associated with are doing. cheers Bob

Hi Chris, do the builders of these G1 layouts have any standards they work to? I've seen a lot of problems mentioned about non compatibility between various G scale wheels and pointwork. It would be good to know before I make something :>) cheers Bob

The little critter looks to be coming along fine Marty. cheers Bob

...…..and the good news is, might be more of the same tonight Chris. :>) It was warn enough between 2 and 3pm to run the layout, then it was back inside! cheers bob

Even though it had only reached 7C when I took the photo, with no wind it was quite pleasant for a winters morning. Well, it was warmer than inside my house :>) cheers Bob

Like a mother in law's breath outside again today. Just a quick trip up the branch and back indoors. cheers Bob

The sun may have been out Ade, but looks can be deceptive :>) However dull days can be so depressing. Mate came around later and we would normally have gone flying. The heated sun room and a cuppa won the day. :>) cheers Bob

At only 8C before the wind chill factor, today's running session did not last long. At least it was 16 degrees warmer than overnight ! :>) cheers Bob

Those 2D buildings look to be blending well Howard. Well done! cheers bob

That is nice weathering on the class 25 Phil regards Bob

Looks to be running very smoothly Chris. cheers Bob

The 5 wagons I picked up off the s/h stall at Adelaide are now ready for service. A couple more Lima coaches and I will have all the British stock I need. cheers Bob

Not much happening here at the moment. Just working on some British wagons I purchased s/h at Adelaide. Here are a couple of scenes on the indoor section of Ralph's layout in Perth. cheers Bob

Here are couple more shots from Nev's over in Perth. His layout has many little mini scenes. cheers Bob

You got it right Martin. Gauge one is circa 1:32 and he is modelling 3'6" gauge. The Kiwis use 9mm which makes the scale gauge combination a little closer than 3/8" or 10mm normally used for G1 but it is just hair splitting. It is only in recent years that the availability of 12mm track, wheels and mechs have made it possible for those whose standard gauge was 3'6" to easily make use of HO scale and all the detail bits available. Many in SA used HOn3 because they could get track from Shinohara and wheels from the USA before 12mm stuff came on the market. Sn42 was once the norm in other states but now only holds sway in WA. Many of the QR modellers have gone to HOn42 and Tassie is split between OO and HO with few choosing S scale nowadays. So when Ralph started there were really only two choices, use HO or O gauge track and wheels and adjust the scale to suit. To go with other gauges and make use of a common scale would have meant designing and building your own track to your own standards and making your own wheelsets. I have a couple of 3'6" projects I would like to do and while originally intended as an adjunct to my former S gauge NSWGR layout I suspect if they do get built they will be in 1n42. I have no desire to make one of my loops dual gauge. cheers Bob

Here are a couple more snaps from my visit to the EPD. It is quite obvious that Ralph chose to work to a high standard from day one. The models are equal to any made in the world. Being a fan of G0 and G1 Ralph's models hold an extra appeal to me. I travelled about 5000km by car for my trip to visit friends and relatives. Adelaide, Alice Springs and Townsville before heading back home to NSW. I think I have had enough of 10-11 hour drives for a while. I think my decision to purchase a satnav before the trip was one of my smarter decisions however. cheers Bob

Good to see the progress Felix. O Gauge SCALE modelling is almost non existent here too, UK modelling excepted. Like the US, narrow gauge has a few more adherents. The Toronto club seem to be going gangbusters with their new layout in Canada. That is one North American bright light. cheers Bob Comerford Oz

When it comes to 1n42 modelling Ralph Holden has lead the way for many years. Ralphs work shows what can be achieved with tin cans, tie wire and a 6'x4' sheet of brass (or two). While similar scale/gauge ideas are now common in NZ with their 9mm scale modelling, Ralph is only one of three I am aware of modelling 3'6" gauge railways in Australia in gauge one narrow gauge. Ralph models what was outside his door in the 1960's, the prototype no longer runs. cheers Bob

I have not come across anyone using On42 in SA or WA Martin. Peter K tried it in Qld and had very little interest. Larger than HO modelling is usually G1 or 1/2" scale (if modelling 3'6") in Australia. I can count the Australian prototype 2-rail 32mm gauge O scale layouts around the country on my fingers. cheers Bob

Seen at NRM Adelaide. All G1 except for the container. not bad for matchsticks ! cheers Bob

No finescale O gauge layouts at Adelaide but a couple of gems to be seen on a modelling table. 3D printed SAR locos with a pommie steamer in the background (builder also models British in 7mm). Mechs are from NWSL. These SAR models in 1/4", although I thought I heard one onlooker state he built his in 7mm which is unusual? cheers Bob

Glad to hear you all had a good time in Sydney. Over in Adelaide for their one this year. Hope to make the racecourse one next year. cheers Bob