River Kwai and Laos

[jhb171achil]

On ‎09‎/‎01‎/‎2019 at 14:59, whart57 said:

 

This is the only GEK action I see these days

 

Only finding this now.

 

May I ask some questions?

 

What scale is it - which track are you using?

 

I was thinking of doing a small Indonesian-based model, using 12mm track and re-gauged H0 scale stuff. There are some wagons available which aren't unlike some that ran in Java, though I think carriages would need to be scratch built. There is a Brazilian form that makes several Brazilian diesel locos which are similar to PJKA CC201s.

 

But any assistance you would have re. scales or the diesel loco shown above would be helpful.

[whart57]

My Thai layout is built to 3mm scale, or as I tell non-modellers, 1/100th scale. I have also chosen to use 9mm gauge to represent the metre gauge. I did think of going the sensible way and selecting HOm but that would have limited me to three coach trains - four at a pinch - in the space I have whereas 3mm scale meant I could have four, five at a pinch. Since everything would have to be scratch built I could have chosen any scale I liked but as my British outline modelling has always been 3mm scale that was a logical choice.

 

Track work is PECO code 60 FB rail (sold to represent SR 3rd rail electricals) on copper clad sleepers. These I obtained from the 3mm Society and needed chopping to a shorter length. Points are handbuilt. I would have used OO9 track if the point radii were not so sharp.

 

The diesel in the picture uses Hollywood Foundry motor bogies, no longer available I believe, and the body work is a mix of etched brass (my own artwork) and resin casts from my own masters. The pic below should give the idea

 

 

Indonesian railways are a mix of standard gauge and 1,067mm gauge aren't they? HOm seems sensible to me, it's almost spot on for the Cape gauge.

 

What is your era? For steam locos there is a book - in Dutch - of the locos built by Werkspoor of Amsterdam for Indonesian railways when it was still the Dutch East Indies.