Carlingford, NSW, Australia

[hartleymartin]

The Manning Wardle and the KA Tramcar together. I believe this image may be from when these operated on the Camden line. Photo is some time between 1892 and 1900.

 

 

And, with some excitement, artwork to get the KA Tramcar body laser-cut in 1mm Birch Plywood. Yes, that is the 7th revision of the drawings.

 

 

 

[hartleymartin]

A few more revisions and a change of laser-cutters means I needed to change the fill to green and sheet size to 800x400mm. I managed to sneak all the components into a single 400x400mm size, so I can get two carriages out of a single sheet. Now to draw up the underframe components in 2.5mm plywood!

[hartleymartin]

 

A new version of the plan. I decided that I could get a better layout from four 1,000 x 600mm scenic baseboards. It is only 400mm longer than the previous design, but I think gives a more favourable overall span. Lengths are compressed slightly - around 80-90% of scale size. Modelling trains from the era 1902-1905, the orders were that the Manning Wardle locomotives were allowed 3x four-wheel goods vehicles plus the KA type tramcar carriage on the down journey and the up was allows 4x four-wheel goods vehicles. The length of the station platform road will more than accommodate the maximum train size for this era. Not shown on this diagram is the road bridge which will hide the exit to fiddle yard, but also that there were large embankments at that end. The dead-end of the line is comparatively sparse and I may have to concoct some scenis features for that part of the layout in order for it to work scenically.

 

Just to put it into perspective, a fully laden down train will be just 830mm long and a fully laden up train 970mm long.

 

Edited January 20, 2020 by hartleymartin

[Graeme Lewis]

Martin

 

This looks like a really interesting project - will it be an exhibition layout?

 

I grew up on Sydney's northern beaches but found it was too hard to model the NSWGR 4-5 decades ago, so I model the Midland Railway in 7mm scale.  Nowadays modelling NSWGR in 7mm seems a lot more achievable, but I imagine it is still hard work, so well done for having a go.  I often visit Glenn at Model O Kits - it is a terrific shop, and I have fallen pray to the charms of the Minerva Manning Wardle.  A lovely model that responds well to a bit of titivating.  I am in the process of building some private sidings on one of my layouts to justify its existence!

 

Do you intend to hand build the track?  Personally, I think this is well worth doing.  If you do so, it is worth thinking about 31.5mm gauge, as that will tighten up the flange ways and give smoother running. 

 

I was a little surprised at the 1m long baseboards - wouldn't ~1.3m be better - this eliminates one baseboard joint?  It may mean that a baseboard joint occurs through a turnout, but as long as it doesn't go through the crossing or switch blades then it will work just as well as a joint through plain track.  I attach a photo that shows a joint going through a single slip, diamond, turnout and various other tracks.  It works well, but looking at the photo shows that one rail needs a little bit of fettling.  One day I will do the point rodding!

 

 

Regards

 

Graeme

[MarcD]

Modelling NSW Rlys should be getting a little easier very shortly when the first kits for open wagons become available in April.  If there is sufficient demand I will look at working my way through the whole book of pre 1905 wagons. 

 

Marc

 

[hartleymartin]

On 21/02/2020 at 15:19, Graeme Lewis said:

Martin

 

This looks like a really interesting project - will it be an exhibition layout?

 

I grew up on Sydney's northern beaches but found it was too hard to model the NSWGR 4-5 decades ago, so I model the Midland Railway in 7mm scale.  Nowadays modelling NSWGR in 7mm seems a lot more achievable, but I imagine it is still hard work, so well done for having a go.  I often visit Glenn at Model O Kits - it is a terrific shop, and I have fallen pray to the charms of the Minerva Manning Wardle.  A lovely model that responds well to a bit of titivating.  I am in the process of building some private sidings on one of my layouts to justify its existence!

 

Do you intend to hand build the track?  Personally, I think this is well worth doing.  If you do so, it is worth thinking about 31.5mm gauge, as that will tighten up the flange ways and give smoother running. 

 

I was a little surprised at the 1m long baseboards - wouldn't ~1.3m be better - this eliminates one baseboard joint?  It may mean that a baseboard joint occurs through a turnout, but as long as it doesn't go through the crossing or switch blades then it will work just as well as a joint through plain track.  I attach a photo that shows a joint going through a single slip, diamond, turnout and various other tracks.  It works well, but looking at the photo shows that one rail needs a little bit of fettling.  One day I will do the point rodding!

 

 

 

Regards

 

Graeme

Graeme

 

1. Yes, i intend to build it as an exhibition layout, partly because I don't have a space where it can be permanently erected.

 

2. I would hand-build the track, but I already have a stock-pile of Peco Code 124. Then again, I also have a stock pile of plain track built on a balsa base. I have generally built my plain track to 31.5mm gauge to improve the running characteristics for several years now.

 

3. 1m is an unusual size. I decided upon it because they would be much easier to fit into my little Kia Rio hatchback. It also means that I will have lots of handy offcuts of the baseboard materials for various purposes.

[Theheretic]

I have been watching the progress of your Carlingford project with interest. I too am interested in the Carlingford branch line as a subject for modelling, perhaps in O scale. I am particularly interested in the possibilities of Rydalmere station as a modelling subject, the station had a goods yard and an industrial siding (the Rheem siding) so there is the possibility of some diverse goods traffic and hence some operating potential.

 

Thank you for your screen shot of the “6 Maps” aerial photo of Carlingford, I immediately had a look at Rydalmere and was disappointed to see that the goods yard was very basic at that time. It looks like the Rydalmere goods yard was only a single goods loop in 1942/3 and no Rheem factory at that time.

 

So modelling Rydalmere in the period prior to the 1940s would seem to have only limited opportunities for goods traffic and hence operation of a layout.

 

In your research of the Carlingford line did you come across a NSWR track and signal diagram of Rydalmere station? I have downloaded your shot of the 1918 Carlingford T&S diagram (from the time of Cyril Byles), thank you for posting that.

 

I have a copy of a 1960’s track plan for Rydalmere, from a large scale plan (so no real detail) of the Sydney metropolitan network at that time but it has no details of the signalling and control arrangements.

 

I recently found (online) an ARHS photo of Rydalmere which was captioned as taken in the 1940’s,

 

 

but upon seeing the 6 Maps aerial photo from 1942/3 it seems to me that this photo probably dates from a somewhat later time, perhaps the 1950’s. The photo shows the Victoria Road level crossing gates, so predates the high level bridge road crossing.

 

Also, in the same series are early photos of Telopea and Dundas stations, just click along to the left.

 

So it seems that to get a version of Rydalmere with the Rheem siding and interesting goods operations I would be looking to model the station in the 1950’s at the earliest (in the transition era)? Like you I prefer the Thow era but if modeled then the operational aspects of the model seem a bit limited.

 

I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on this subject or perhaps if you have come across any interesting information in your research of the Carlingford line. I have all the easily available photos, docs etc. from Google searches of the web.

 

Best regards,

Pierre

 

[Theheretic]

I found an even better site for historic aerial photos of Sydney:

 

https://www.spatial.nsw.gov.au/products_and_services/topographic_maps

 

click on "Aerial and Historic Imagery" on the RHS of the page and it eventually takes you (via another link) to

 

https://portal.spatial.nsw.gov.au/portal/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=483caac110ed49e4877ce5a4a62971c6

 

the coverage of NSW is very patchy but as luck would have it Carlingford and Rydalmere are well covered with aerial photos of 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's and 00's.

 

I can see the development of the Rheem siding and the Rydalmere goods yard over the decades.

 

Looks like the goods yard was expanded and the Rheem siding constructed in the 50's. I can see the construction of the Rheem siding and site works on the 50's photo, possibly before track was laid. In the 1960's the site was a busy place, lots of goods wagons, so good traffic flows. Then I can see the arrival of the electric wires/poles (I think this happened in 1959).

 

Best regards,

 

Pierre

 

 

[hartleymartin]

A bit more thread necromancy from me!

 

I had to put this whole project on hold due to global events beyond my control. In the mean time, someone did the artwork and produced a brass kit for the KA tramcar. I originally asked them to help make the bogies and detailing parts, but they ended up doing the whole thing. The brass kit is available RTR.

 

Marc Dobson is also in the process of producting NSWGR D wagons. There was a lot of correspondence in 2019 to make this happen, but he too was forced to close down his operations due to the global situation.

 

The layout is getting a re-design because I now own a VW Caddy Van and I no longer need to make baseboards that fit into the back of a Kia Rio Hatchback!

[hartleymartin]

I forgot to mention all that time ago that I rode the last train to/from Carlingford on January 5th, 2020. It was a strange to think that in my own lifetime I rode the last train to anywhere. I didn't even think to bring my camera, but being the middle of the night, no good photos could be taken. There had been shuttles with the historic electric sets, but if memory serves, it was opressively hot that day and I stayed indoors with the benefit of air conditioning. I ventured out to take the last train to Carlingford in the middle of the night as the weather was much more favourable.

 

It was a surprisingly well-patronised service, with a lot of (relatively) young people travelling and photographing things.

 

Anyways, the line is closed and it is to be rebuilt as a light-railway service, but it will no longer connect with Clyde, but run into Parramatta along a different route at the southern end.

Thus ended 124 years of the Carlingford Railway Line. From what I understand the line itself never returned a profit on the books. I am searching for good literature on the line still. I am sure there is much more to be found!