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Borderton: Victorian and South Australian Railways in HO


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22 hours ago, DougN said:

Peter, great to see you back. Looks like you have been busy. Its great to see that you are not going for the flat layout that typifies the general VR layouts on the exhibition circuit here  in Melbourne. 

 

i'll look in regularly... Hope we'll see you at the AMRA exhibition in a couple of weeks 

Thanks,

 

Yeah, one of the things that frustrated me with Skipton was the very flat topography, my choice of location doesn't exactly lend itself to large hills, but a floodplains bridge shouldn't be too far from the realm of possibility. Having learnt from Skipton how easy it is to end up with very train-set type hills. 

I will be attending the AMRA exhibition, however for the first time in 3 years it will be without a layout - Skipton now having been permanently retired, partially due to this layout taking up the entire shed, resulting in no space for the required upgrades/repairs. The sale has fallen through for now, but I'm in no rush to get rid of it at this point.

 

Peter

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The 7 wagons were painted over the weekend, having fitted the BB with the correct bogies (40T Cast with spoked wheels).

Painted_wagons.jpg.5e0be42a8795eebc78ba9e8a230d18d3.jpg

The BB will still need some sanding and filing to hide the joins in the sides better, but it still looks better than the plain grey/white.

The QR will receive a sleeper load, the I wagon a coal load, and the GY will probably remain empty. 

 

Peter

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Bit of actual progress for once, but first, more wagons!

As per my last posts, last week I embarked on a program of increasing my wagon fleet, so that Borderton wouldn't be left with an empty yard all the time. To that point, last week I built and painted 3 open wagons and 4 vans. Yesterday, having a day off school for Parent Teacher Interviews, I constructed another two vans, this time a B type box van, and a UB type bogie louvre van.1109324649_BvanandUBvanCompressed.jpg.1089ed41572aa21141d23d95c7ad6600.jpg

Here they are still waiting for brass handbrake details, which were added before painting. 

Once the painting was complete, I decided to see just how many vans I've built/collected, which led to this:

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This is the current wagon fleet. Of the _ wagons here, 19 are kitbuilt, 10 are unmodified R-T-R (other than couplers), and 7 are modified R-T-R, mostly either repainted parts, or replaced bogies. The new B van is 3rd row down 2nd from left, and the UB van is 2nd bottom row on the far right. Most of the kitbuilt wagons are yet to receive decals - it will happen one day but for the time being is not a huge priority, as many are still yet to receive details such as buffers or other modifications that may require repainting.

 

Next up is some actual layout progress. Some time ago I scratchbuilt a coaling stage out of plasticard (I'll post photos of the construction later today, as they are on my personal laptop at home). Yesterday I painted it - an overall coat of matt black. Seen below just after being sprayed. The freshly painted B and UB vans can be seen in the background.10242628_CoalingStagePaintedCompressed.jpg.5350e00dd751fd1fd488b6943acd5885.jpg

 

Later that day, using bluetack, I created a former to put real coal on.

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Then, after a layer of PVA, the real coal (Woodlands Scenics, a mix of "Mine Run" and "Lumps").

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Having checked on it this morning before leaving for school, I'm very happy with how it has turned out.

 

On the layout itself, I have slowly been adding the Woodlands Scenics foam underlay. As it needs to be formed to the track layout, it has taken far longer than had I simply put a layer of cork over the whole layout, however the inclusion of the mainline run meant I wanted to include a decent ballast shoulder. Below are some photos of the progression of the underlay being glued down.

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Due to this type of underlay requiring the track positions to be precise to get the positioning correct, once I had reached this point I decided to glue down the first piece of track. The single piece of flex in the photo above was the one I decided to glue, as it started right on a board joint, so didn't require cutting, and being a dead-straight piece that started to form the centre of the yard, could then be used to position all the other track as accurately as possible.

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The next step will be to complete preparing all of the points (not all of them have had the wiring modifications), and cut some copper clad sleepers for the board joints. I hope to do this tonight, to be ready for more track and underlay laying tomorrow.

 

Peter

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The coaling stage, seen in my previous post, was entirely scratchbuilt out of plasticard, using 1mm plain styrene, 1mm planked styrene (2mm planking) for the sides, 2x2mm square styrene for the legs and edge bracing, and 0.75x1.5mm styrene for the leg bracing. The construction was commenced by cutting out the 1mm plain styrene to the overall footprint of the coaling stage (200x60mm), then cutting lengths of the planked styrene, 5 planks high, one to the length of it, and two to the width. These were then glued on, with the square styrene used to brace it, at 25mm intervals along the length of it, and with 3 on each end. Next, the leg units were assembled. This was done by taping three lengths of the square tube of the same length (in this case 50mm), at intervals of 29mm (for a total width of 60mm, the total width of the coaling stage). Then, two bracing pieces were glued on, before the tape was removed, the unit flipped, and two more pieces of bracing being glued to the other side, leaving a leg unit looking like IXIXI . These were then glued to the underside of the stage, at 25mm centres (with 9 leg units giving a total length of 200mm). 

Below is after the first leg unit was glued to the stage.499278711_CoalingStage1Compressed.jpg.1d5d763f5ebac22773ab0358af125ff5.jpg

 

After the second leg piece was glued on, I added cross bracing between the two leg pieces, following the same X pattern as the bracing on the legs. This was then repeated a further 7 times. Below are some photos after the 4th leg section was added and the bracing fitted.

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By the time I had completed the 6th leg piece and attached it, I had run out of the 0.75x1.5mm styrene strip being used for the bracing, so work had to be stopped for a couple of days while I waited for time to go and get more. Once this was done however, after a couple of hours work I had completed the final 3 leg pieces and subsequent bracing, which brought it up to the stages shown in the previous post.

1189775947_CoalingStage4Compressed.jpg.00b9b5cd5f42f4af8cd921e4c25317fd.jpg1597576758_CoalingStage5Compressed.jpg.6ac54a467df5832d407a3ec99ac6118d.jpg

76057052_CoalingStage6Compressed.jpg.7daecf65d8891097b06d0eadabb68ea6.jpg

This is by no means a perfect, scale reproduction of a VR coaling stage - the fact that most were built to fit the location meant there were no diagrams available, and with no clear photographs of large-size ones such as this one all I had to go on were mostly obscured shots, with the locomotive as the primary focus. As a result, it has more leg bracing than most do (although I can not speak for South Australian ones, which may well have been built more to this style), and a couple of other minor details may be wrong (positioning of edge bracing etc). However, it certainly looks the part (in my opinion at the very least), and having spent several hours on it have no intention of changing it or building another (for the time being at least).

 

More trackwork to follow later in the day when there is more than just a couple of slightly different looking points and copper sheet to show.

 

Peter

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Having spent most of the day in the shed, a fair bit more underlay and track is now down. The Victorian end yard throat has been laid, along with 1, 2 and 3 roads on the first baseboard. The underlay sheets for the roundhouse have been cut to shape and glued, and the underlay for the diesel depot is underway. Photos and captions below.

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First, the 2-road track glued down the other day was extended up to the board join, with a gap left for a copper clad sleeper. 

 

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Next, the points at the Victorian end of 2 road were glued down, to enable 1 road to be fitted, and the turnout and slip for 3, 4 and 5 roads to be glued.

 

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While this was happening, some more underlay sheets were being added to the South Australian yard end, in preparation for the laying of the yard tracks.

 

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And, while waiting for the glue for both to dry to free up some of the cans (For weighing things down), the location of the turntable was marked, cut out, and the cross-bracing added to the baseboard - I had waited to fit the turntable before adding the central cross bracing, just in case I had to move the turntable, as if I had needed to it would have likely necessitated moving the cross-brace.

 

883218983_Borderton39Compressed.jpg.0f9e28d49a34739bbcba935af54cc5c7.jpg

1191783375_Borderton40Compressed.jpg.a7960978721799c78d34944515066c02.jpgAt this point, using the 1:1 plan (I printed out the loco depot part of the plan in 1:1 scale to help position where all the track for the layout goes, as per my previous post the entire layout is determined by the position of the first piece of track glued down), I cut out underlay sheets to the shape of the roundhouse, which were joined together using masking tape first to ensure the size, shape and position was correct.

 

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At this point, having freed up some cans, I continued by adding the 3 road turnout and catch point. The two cans stacked on top of each other are due to some of the modifications I made to the catch point to make the throwbar area less obtrusive, but they resulted in a small, 0.5mm strip of plasticard being placed just underneath the sleepers at one point, necessitating two cans to hold it down - the foam underlay allowed the plasticard to sit in, but having no other track attached meant it needed the extra weight initially.

 

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While this was being done, the underlay for the roundhouse had been glued down and was drying.

 

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Next, 3 road (up to the baseboard joint), and the double slip connecting 4 and 5 roads, and the loco depot, were added. I stopped work at this point (being 11:45pm), and the cans were temporarily removed to enable the taking of the photograph. The underlay for the first of the 3 diesel depot sidings can also be seen, however will be extended further up towards the turntable tomorrow.

 

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The two long turntable roads (not the roundhouse stalls), and two short roads (for yard shunters) were also added at this point, and this was the condition of the roundhouse and turntable area when I left. 

 

Some renewed motivation (as seen from the progress made in the last week when compared to the three weeks prior) means that hopefully, the station area track will be finished in the next week or so, at which point the first of the real landscaping (coaling stage incline excluded, as that will be part of the work over the next week) will need to happen - the area with the dropped baseboard for the bridge, as the landscaping determines the height of the bridge, and no track laying past the bridge can occur before the bridge is in place. There is a large model railway exhibition here in Melbourne over the last weekend in August (24/25) which I'm saving money for, so no fiddle yard baseboards will be bought before then, however after that I plan to spend some more time *properly* clearing up the shed to enable the final 5 boards to be fitted, and hopefully the complete circuit will be ready shortly thereafter, followed by point motors and levers to enable the layout to actually operate. I'm uncertain how I will get the turntable to operate as yet, at least as far as which motorising kit to purchase for it. The control itself will likely be a DPDT centre-off switch mounted on the control panel (Also yet to be built).

 

Tomorrow I have two family birthdays to attend (uncle and grandpa), and an open day at one of the universities I have on my preference list for next year, so there won't be as much progress today.

 

Peter

Edited by 60012 Commonwealth of Australia
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Some more trackwork completed today.

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4 and 5 roads were glued down up to the same point as 1, 2 and 3. 

 

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The turnouts and most of the track for the diesel sidings and fuelling point were also added, with only the small extensions to the track on the baseboard on the far end to go. 

As can be seen the underlay will need a lot of neatening up/adding to/removing once the track is completed, my priority at the moment is having enough underlay under it to lay the track properly.

 

Peter

 

*Edit* On another note, I just noticed this thread has reached 1000 views!

Edited by 60012 Commonwealth of Australia
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Well the track laying in the station is now on the final stretch so to speak.

 

5 road and Siding A (the dead-end extension to 5 road at the SA end) have now been fully laid.

The diesel depot is now fully laid.

The incline to the coaling stage is now glued down and underlay glued on.

All the loco depot underlay is down, excluding a small section leading up to the turntable which will require careful positioning, and will only be done once the coaling stage track is 100% finished so the position of the coaling stage (determining the approach track position) can be determined. 

 

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First up, the diesel depot tracks were completed. The fuelling area will go in the large gap between the 2nd and 3rd roads. 

 

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Next, as can be seen in the middle background here, the Woodlands Scenics risers up to the coaling stage were glued on. Being a short distance incline that will never have more than one or two wagons on it, it's an 8% incline (1:12.5). As can also be seen, there is plenty of stage in the diesel depot for the servicing and refuelling of more diesels than I have. 

 

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Finally, the turnout back to the mainline and dead end extension (Siding A) on 5 road were added, which really shows how little station track is left to go.

 

At this rate, the track in the station, and quite possibly loco depot, will be complete by the end of the week. 

 

Peter

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Some more progress on track laying over the last couple of nights. But first, trains!

 

1937290022_Borderton48Compressed.jpg.8d6f00efd688f6f3253eb7b0e73fd07f.jpg

C26, a modified brass loco with scratchbuilt tender body, with a 9 car plus goods van passenger train, consisting of

SAR D van (R-T-R); VR BC swing door passenger carriage (Kit built from a 3D printed kit, both designed and built by myself); VR ABW passenger car (Kit built by a friend); VR ABE passenger car (R-T-R); VR BE passenger car (Repainted R-T-R); VR BE passenger car (R-T-R), VR BW passenger car (modified kit, built by myself); VR BE then AE (both R-T-R), and finally a VR CE van, also R-T-R. 

In the background K160 is "shunting" wagons in 3 road to marshall a stopping goods to Ararat, whilst a set of SAR vehicles with a couple of VR added in awaits a guards van and loco to head to Adelaide. The next 3 photos are different views of the same scene.

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As for the actual progress, 3 of the 5 turnouts in the SA end yard throat have been laid, along with the catch points for 3 and 4 roads.

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The track up the incline to the coaling stage has also been laid, as has almost all the remainder of the underlay around the turntable approach tracks, with only a small piece in front of the coaling stage incline remaining to be done - the small triangle of bare baseboard between the incline and the two turntable approach roads. 

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The cans being used to weight the track down while the glue dries were only taken off for the photos, in particular the track up the incline will need to retain the weight on it for at least 18-24 hours after being glued, to ensure the glue dries completely so the track doesn't spring up (being an 8% gradient with not much transition has it's disadvantages, even though it is required to fit the space I had).

Some adjustment will need to be done to get the turntable at the right height for the rail heads to line up - I have started the work to do this, I will just need to go through trial and error to get the height right. The track and inspection pits around the turntable and approach roads will most likely be added on the weekend, as I plan to focus on the SA end and the mainline tracks tomorrow and Friday nights.

 

As enjoyable as moving various pieces of stock and locos around is, I'm extremely looking forward to having all the track laid, and start wiring it up. 

 

Peter

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Some more work done today, this time not on the actual layout itself, but required for the layout.

 

Firstly, I completed a proper signalling diagram, based off VR diagrams. The text is yet to be added, as it was made in Sketchup.

174908660_SignallingDiagram.PNG.13b8f81b783770b00242cd540e032637.PNG

The box will be a 38 lever one (plus spares).

Shunt signals are provided for moves in and out of the yard, loco depot, and Siding A. Distant and home signals are provided for moves in and out of 1 and 2 roads.

 

I also decided on the type of signal box, and found a plan. It will be based off the Eaglehawk signal box, which was a 35 lever box. The plan below is from victorianrailways.net

Borderton_Signal_Box_Plan_(Eaglehawk).jpg.80ec3e32e6f1419104ccb3df684dc287.jpg

The box will be scratchbuilt from plasticard. There are a couple of decent photos of the prototype at http://www.stationspast.net/victoria/bendigo-area/eaglehawk/ , unfortunately the box was demolished so it won't be possible for me to go and get any more.

 

Peter

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The yard is done!

Track laying for this evening saw the final 3 scenic turnouts glued down, the end of 1 and 2 roads, and the start of the turntable approach roads. The completion of this means that the yard is now complete, the only remaining track being the turntable and roundhouse roads, along with the mainline at each end. Photos below.

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Just beyond the end of the line at the South Australian end, looking back along the yard towards the Victorian end.

 

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The completed diesel depot, coaling stage road, and start of the turntable approach roads, looking toward the Victorian end. The short section of track between the turnout to the coaling stage and the turnout to the table approach roads looks kinked, but is a nice, very shallow, smooth S bend. The start of the mainline run can also be seen.

 

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A slightly further back view and different angle of the photo above, showing the complete Victorian end yard throat, and the turntable awaiting the 22 roads it will receive - 2 approach roads, 5 exterior roads, and 15 roads enclosed in a roundhouse. This area will be the subject of a lot of attention over the next few days.

 

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Looking towards the South Australian end from about half-way down the yard, showing the recently completed yard throat.

 

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And finally, a helicopter view from above the coaling stage incline, looking towards the South Australian end, giving the opposite view to the first photo.

 

Having checked my photos earlier, it seems it has taken me exactly 7 days to reach this stage of track-laying, having laid the first piece Thursday evening last week. In those 7 days, I have laid approximately 33 meters of flex track, along with 14 turnouts, 3 catch-points, 1 double-compound, and the turntable (more or less, the height may need further adjusting). I am incredibly pleased with the progress and it's pace, especially given I have only been working on it in evenings after school (with the exception of Saturday). 

 

Once the turntable roads have been completed, I will move on to wiring, point motors, and levers. I want to get this part of the layout operational before I start on the fiddle yard, giving me something to play with while I wait for glue to dry etc. With 38 levers for the station, it will be an expensive exercise using Cobalt levers, but no doubt will be worth it. Additionally, at least for the time being, I can get away with 15 levers and 18 point motors - signals will come later as I am yet to decide what type of signalling to use - my options are VR two-position semaphore signals, SAR 3-position semaphore signals, or VR two or three position colour light signals. For simplicity I am tempted to go with VR two position signalling, however whether I choose colour light or semaphore signals remain to be seen. Colour light signals would be by far the cheaper option, however the visual appearance of all the semaphores and disc signals is also incredibly tempting. More to come on that after more research into the two states signalling systems I think - at the end of the day I will go with whatever is more prototypical. Serviceton (the real life equivalent of Borderton) used VR two position semaphores right up to the 1990s, so they seem the most likely choice for the time being.

 

Peter

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7 hours ago, 60012 Commonwealth of Australia said:

The yard is done!

Track laying for this evening saw the final 3 scenic turnouts glued down, the end of 1 and 2 roads, and the start of the turntable approach roads. The completion of this means that the yard is now complete, the only remaining track being the turntable and roundhouse roads, along with the mainline at each end. Photos below.

312316593_Borderton54Compressed.jpg.5b5813460b9ef6084d06603c0456f64f.jpg

Just beyond the end of the line at the South Australian end, looking back along the yard towards the Victorian end.

 

1550977644_Borderton55Compressed.jpg.6a48176c2222c390fea1c2af888ab9dd.jpg

The completed diesel depot, coaling stage road, and start of the turntable approach roads, looking toward the Victorian end. The short section of track between the turnout to the coaling stage and the turnout to the table approach roads looks kinked, but is a nice, very shallow, smooth S bend. The start of the mainline run can also be seen.

 

931257815_Borderton56Compressed.jpg.866d4a420123a652ffb2a3fe40f74f08.jpg

A slightly further back view and different angle of the photo above, showing the complete Victorian end yard throat, and the turntable awaiting the 22 roads it will receive - 2 approach roads, 5 exterior roads, and 15 roads enclosed in a roundhouse. This area will be the subject of a lot of attention over the next few days.

 

440575015_Borderton57Compressed.jpg.7a859e5da6bcc4c260fad183f7e1fc92.jpg

Looking towards the South Australian end from about half-way down the yard, showing the recently completed yard throat.

 

1415366188_Borderton58Compressed.jpg.9641cdd065a1f22ffa9d79f725ae06ff.jpg

And finally, a helicopter view from above the coaling stage incline, looking towards the South Australian end, giving the opposite view to the first photo.

 

Having checked my photos earlier, it seems it has taken me exactly 7 days to reach this stage of track-laying, having laid the first piece Thursday evening last week. In those 7 days, I have laid approximately 33 meters of flex track, along with 14 turnouts, 3 catch-points, 1 double-compound, and the turntable (more or less, the height may need further adjusting). I am incredibly pleased with the progress and it's pace, especially given I have only been working on it in evenings after school (with the exception of Saturday). 

 

Once the turntable roads have been completed, I will move on to wiring, point motors, and levers. I want to get this part of the layout operational before I start on the fiddle yard, giving me something to play with while I wait for glue to dry etc. With 38 levers for the station, it will be an expensive exercise using Cobalt levers, but no doubt will be worth it. Additionally, at least for the time being, I can get away with 15 levers and 18 point motors - signals will come later as I am yet to decide what type of signalling to use - my options are VR two-position semaphore signals, SAR 3-position semaphore signals, or VR two or three position colour light signals. For simplicity I am tempted to go with VR two position signalling, however whether I choose colour light or semaphore signals remain to be seen. Colour light signals would be by far the cheaper option, however the visual appearance of all the semaphores and disc signals is also incredibly tempting. More to come on that after more research into the two states signalling systems I think - at the end of the day I will go with whatever is more prototypical. Serviceton (the real life equivalent of Borderton) used VR two position semaphores right up to the 1990s, so they seem the most likely choice for the time being.

 

Peter

Nice work Peter. Now you can take all those tins back to the kitchen...

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1 hour ago, St Enodoc said:

Nice work Peter. Now you can take all those tins back to the kitchen...

Thanks. And yes, all cans not currently holding the last bits of track down - they were taken off for the photos, I leave them on overnight so there's no chance of the track lifting before the glue is dry, which is a problem I've had in the past - have been returned to the pantry, at least for the next few weeks until I start the fiddle yard!

 

Peter

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On 15/08/2019 at 01:15, 60012 Commonwealth of Australia said:

Some more progress on track laying over the last couple of nights. But first, trains!

 

1937290022_Borderton48Compressed.jpg.8d6f00efd688f6f3253eb7b0e73fd07f.jpg

C26, a modified brass loco with scratchbuilt tender body, with a 9 car plus goods van passenger train, consisting of

SAR D van (R-T-R); VR BC swing door passenger carriage (Kit built from a 3D printed kit, both designed and built by myself); VR ABW passenger car (Kit built by a friend); VR ABE passenger car (R-T-R); VR BE passenger car (Repainted R-T-R); VR BE passenger car (R-T-R), VR BW passenger car (modified kit, built by myself); VR BE then AE (both R-T-R), and finally a VR CE van, also R-T-R. 

In the background K160 is "shunting" wagons in 3 road to marshall a stopping goods to Ararat, whilst a set of SAR vehicles with a couple of VR added in awaits a guards van and loco to head to Adelaide. The next 3 photos are different views of the same scene.

Borderton_50.jpg.a3c362ab585a2a5fa1286daa417d2726.jpg

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As for the actual progress, 3 of the 5 turnouts in the SA end yard throat have been laid, along with the catch points for 3 and 4 roads.

1315788816_Borderton51Compressed.jpg.d7b4d80cb4a9e46b569ccc2f85770081.jpg

 

The track up the incline to the coaling stage has also been laid, as has almost all the remainder of the underlay around the turntable approach tracks, with only a small piece in front of the coaling stage incline remaining to be done - the small triangle of bare baseboard between the incline and the two turntable approach roads. 

116956268_Borderton52Compressed.jpg.fb5964b94bb30f2a5aae739e25565f0b.jpg

190412913_Borderton53Compressed.jpg.43870f6887b96e28de275f197e94ced4.jpg

 

The cans being used to weight the track down while the glue dries were only taken off for the photos, in particular the track up the incline will need to retain the weight on it for at least 18-24 hours after being glued, to ensure the glue dries completely so the track doesn't spring up (being an 8% gradient with not much transition has it's disadvantages, even though it is required to fit the space I had).

Some adjustment will need to be done to get the turntable at the right height for the rail heads to line up - I have started the work to do this, I will just need to go through trial and error to get the height right. The track and inspection pits around the turntable and approach roads will most likely be added on the weekend, as I plan to focus on the SA end and the mainline tracks tomorrow and Friday nights.

 

As enjoyable as moving various pieces of stock and locos around is, I'm extremely looking forward to having all the track laid, and start wiring it up. 

 

Peter

Great Work Peter, really enjoying following the progress of this layout. I have always got an Australian layout idea going on in my head, how much roughly (I don't need to know exact costs) but how much would that C Class and coaches be worth?

 

Regards Connor

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3 hours ago, CCGWR said:

Great Work Peter, really enjoying following the progress of this layout. I have always got an Australian layout idea going on in my head, how much roughly (I don't need to know exact costs) but how much would that C Class and coaches be worth?

 

Regards Connor

Thanks Connor.

 

The C class is brass, and haven't been available for a few years now, but were $1400 or thereabouts when released. The r-t-r carriages were $150 each, the two kitbuild ones are $45 for the kit (paid $100 for the built one), and my 3D print of the swing door design was $50, but they aren't available yet - I'm slowly working on the design with the long-term intention of releasing them as kits, but I only have the basic bodyshell done, it lacks any underframe or end detail.

 

For cheaper steam locos, there are still a few Eureka R classes around ($660), Phoenix Reproductions are releasing D3s next year ($660), and Eureka Models will be releasing K classes at some point in the next century, going by their progress (or, more specifically, lack thereof) on them over the past ten years since they were announced. Orient Express Models (mentioned below) have produced SAR F class tank locos, at $550 for a plain DC loco, $595 for DCC, and $700 for DCC Sound. Unfortunately R-T-R stuff is extremely expensive for Australian stock (A point I want to make in frustration every time I see people complaining about price increases from Hornby or Bachmann, both of which still have incredibly low prices compared to any Australian stock), with the average steam locos being in excess of $650 (360gbp), carriages being $150 (83gbp) or higher, and wagons between $50 and $70 each (28 to 45gbp), with most being sold in packs of 4 or 6 for $240-$280 (134-156gbp), or in some cases packs of 2 or 3 for $100-$180 (56-100gbp), depending on the manufacturer.

Diesels are far more reasonable, at $295-$335 (165-187gbp) but just as hard to come by as they tend to sell-out quickly. As far as any R-T-R items of VR or SAR stock are concerned, particularly locos and coaches, my main piece of advice would be if you want something and can afford it, buy it, as if you wait then you may find they suddenly become sold out, as I found with the Auscision VR X classes - there was one in the condition for my era in a shop for several weeks, and by the time I made my mind up to get it, it had sold. 

 

These prices are the reasons I go for kits, being much more reasonable. From Steam Era, the main manufacturer of VR rolling stock kits, the prices are $20 or so for a 4 wheel wagon, $30 for bogie wagons, $35 for guards vans, and either $45 or $60 for carriages depending on the type. Plus Kadees at $5 per wagon, and paint (a can of TS-33 Dull Red suits VR Wagon Red, and will paint 6 or so wagons, at $12 a can), putting the price for a standard 4 wheel wagon at $27. Still not cheap, at least compared to UK stock, where $27 will buy a R-T-R wagon, but beggars can't be choosers. They have some loco kits out, which are good, but at $600 each are almost as much as the R-T-R ones. For South Australian stock, Orient Express Reproductions have a decent range of R-T-R wagons, including O, D and M bogie vehicles, and OBf and DWf 4-wheel vehicles, and End of the Line Hobbies have a very extensive range of kits, covering SAR, AN and CR, including a couple of resin loco body kits (520 and 720 classes). Links for the three are below, no connection but have dealt with all 3 on several occasions before. The End of the Line Hobbies site could be better set out - most items are rarely shown as "In Stock", but my understanding is they cast items as-required (being resin cast kits). Some require underframes or wheelsets, whilst the Steam Era kits as stated above have everything minus couplers and paint (and in some cases etched handbrake details, but the kits are slowly being upgraded to include these).

 http://steameramodels.com/

http://www.endofthelinehobbies.com.au/

http://www.orientexpressmodels.com.au/OER/index.html

 

I hope that this somewhat long-winded response is of use, and I'm happy to help provide any more information if you would like.

 

Peter

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On 17/08/2019 at 01:19, 60012 Commonwealth of Australia said:

Thanks Connor.

 

The C class is brass, and haven't been available for a few years now, but were $1400 or thereabouts when released. The r-t-r carriages were $150 each, the two kitbuild ones are $45 for the kit (paid $100 for the built one), and my 3D print of the swing door design was $50, but they aren't available yet - I'm slowly working on the design with the long-term intention of releasing them as kits, but I only have the basic bodyshell done, it lacks any underframe or end detail.

 

For cheaper steam locos, there are still a few Eureka R classes around ($660), Phoenix Reproductions are releasing D3s next year ($660), and Eureka Models will be releasing K classes at some point in the next century, going by their progress (or, more specifically, lack thereof) on them over the past ten years since they were announced. Orient Express Models (mentioned below) have produced SAR F class tank locos, at $550 for a plain DC loco, $595 for DCC, and $700 for DCC Sound. Unfortunately R-T-R stuff is extremely expensive for Australian stock (A point I want to make in frustration every time I see people complaining about price increases from Hornby or Bachmann, both of which still have incredibly low prices compared to any Australian stock), with the average steam locos being in excess of $650 (360gbp), carriages being $150 (83gbp) or higher, and wagons between $50 and $70 each (28 to 45gbp), with most being sold in packs of 4 or 6 for $240-$280 (134-156gbp), or in some cases packs of 2 or 3 for $100-$180 (56-100gbp), depending on the manufacturer.

Diesels are far more reasonable, at $295-$335 (165-187gbp) but just as hard to come by as they tend to sell-out quickly. As far as any R-T-R items of VR or SAR stock are concerned, particularly locos and coaches, my main piece of advice would be if you want something and can afford it, buy it, as if you wait then you may find they suddenly become sold out, as I found with the Auscision VR X classes - there was one in the condition for my era in a shop for several weeks, and by the time I made my mind up to get it, it had sold. 

 

These prices are the reasons I go for kits, being much more reasonable. From Steam Era, the main manufacturer of VR rolling stock kits, the prices are $20 or so for a 4 wheel wagon, $30 for bogie wagons, $35 for guards vans, and either $45 or $60 for carriages depending on the type. Plus Kadees at $5 per wagon, and paint (a can of TS-33 Dull Red suits VR Wagon Red, and will paint 6 or so wagons, at $12 a can), putting the price for a standard 4 wheel wagon at $27. Still not cheap, at least compared to UK stock, where $27 will buy a R-T-R wagon, but beggars can't be choosers. They have some loco kits out, which are good, but at $600 each are almost as much as the R-T-R ones. For South Australian stock, Orient Express Reproductions have a decent range of R-T-R wagons, including O, D and M bogie vehicles, and OBf and DWf 4-wheel vehicles, and End of the Line Hobbies have a very extensive range of kits, covering SAR, AN and CR, including a couple of resin loco body kits (520 and 720 classes). Links for the three are below, no connection but have dealt with all 3 on several occasions before. The End of the Line Hobbies site could be better set out - most items are rarely shown as "In Stock", but my understanding is they cast items as-required (being resin cast kits). Some require underframes or wheelsets, whilst the Steam Era kits as stated above have everything minus couplers and paint (and in some cases etched handbrake details, but the kits are slowly being upgraded to include these).

 http://steameramodels.com/

http://www.endofthelinehobbies.com.au/

http://www.orientexpressmodels.com.au/OER/index.html

 

I hope that this somewhat long-winded response is of use, and I'm happy to help provide any more information if you would like.

 

Peter

Thanks Peter

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Today, after a huge effort by myself and a couple of friends over the weekend, the first trains ran! At the moment only the yard track is live - we ran out of dropper wires to do the loco depot by which time it was too late to get more - and the frogs are dead, so some locos jolt, but it's a great feeling to have it at this point. I'll upload a video to Youtube at some point, but for now here are a couple of photos of the first trains, featuring my new loco, Victorian Railways X36 (diesel, not to be confused with my existing steam X36), purchased second-hand yesterday, having been sold out for months. Unfortunately it was missing the rear handrails and one fan grill, but these can be replaced. Also seen are existing locos, VR S313 and SAR 835, both sound fitted. 

 

1483006860_FirstTrain1.png.b129b4ce8f420af74e7696459dfef6a7.png

S313 arriving on the first train into Borderton, with a consist of a VP louvre van, BE second class passenger car, AE first class passenger car, and CE guards van.

 

 

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X36 was then added. Celebratory drinks can be seen in the background (forgot to move them before the photos were taken)

1467976380_FirstTrain5Compressed.jpg.79f57759d0c845652b1fd45064a47928.jpg

835 and a short goods train were then brought in from the South Australian end

 

First_Train_4.jpg.7b2df62a6991f57348057db5522c461f.jpg

And my personal favourite of all the photos, which I may photoshop tomorrow if I get time too.

 

Peter

 

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10 hours ago, 60012 Commonwealth of Australia said:

Today, after a huge effort by myself and a couple of friends over the weekend, the first trains ran! At the moment only the yard track is live - we ran out of dropper wires to do the loco depot by which time it was too late to get more - and the frogs are dead, so some locos jolt, but it's a great feeling to have it at this point. I'll upload a video to Youtube at some point, but for now here are a couple of photos of the first trains, featuring my new loco, Victorian Railways X36 (diesel, not to be confused with my existing steam X36), purchased second-hand yesterday, having been sold out for months. Unfortunately it was missing the rear handrails and one fan grill, but these can be replaced. Also seen are existing locos, VR S313 and SAR 835, both sound fitted. 

 

1483006860_FirstTrain1.png.b129b4ce8f420af74e7696459dfef6a7.png

S313 arriving on the first train into Borderton, with a consist of a VP louvre van, BE second class passenger car, AE first class passenger car, and CE guards van.

 

 

1173041589_FirstTrain3Compressed.jpg.b09bb5d8640a2c0d33c350b12e230e3d.jpg

X36 was then added. Celebratory drinks can be seen in the background (forgot to move them before the photos were taken)

1467976380_FirstTrain5Compressed.jpg.79f57759d0c845652b1fd45064a47928.jpg

835 and a short goods train were then brought in from the South Australian end

 

First_Train_4.jpg.7b2df62a6991f57348057db5522c461f.jpg

And my personal favourite of all the photos, which I may photoshop tomorrow if I get time too.

 

Peter

 

It's a great feeling when the first train runs isn't it!

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Some minor photoshopping of the last photo to get rid of the drinks in the background and give it some scenery. The background is a generic photo from Dimboola (near Serviceton) and can be found here: https://hiveminer.com/Tags/dimboola%2Cpink (3rd image top row)

 

1003847328_BordertonFirstTrainPhotoshop.png.684e56654026657bad80e35715bc08df.png

 

And a B&W version, which I quite like as it gets rid of the sheen of the unweathered plastic locos, in particular 835.

1928742553_BordertonFirstTrainPhotoshop(2).png.3b93c4b6542e7eba214358a458fcf43c.png

 

3 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

It's a great feeling when the first train runs isn't it!

Yes, it certainly is! Needs a lot more track cleaning to properly get rid of all the PVA residue on the top of the rails to allow smoother running (well, as smoothly as is possible with no frog power), but was a great feeling to have the S class running into the platform, then connecting to the X and running around the train. I must admit I hadn't expected to have it running this quickly! A trip to Bunnings over the next couple of days is required, as I used up all the dropper wire I got (all 21m of it) and then I'll be able to do more than just push some wagons around the yard.

 

Peter

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41 minutes ago, 60012 Commonwealth of Australia said:

A trip to Bunnings over the next couple of days is required, as I used up all the dropper wire I got (all 21m of it) and then I'll be able to do more than just push some wagons around the yard.

What do you use for droppers Peter? I use 1/0.7 mm telephone wire, formed into a loop under the baseboard so that thicker wires can be soldered to it.

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Just now, St Enodoc said:

What do you use for droppers Peter? I use 1/0.7 mm telephone wire, formed into a loop under the baseboard so that thicker wires can be soldered to it.

I used 2mm wire, and 3mm wire for the bus, probably a bit overkill, but given the layout will be running off a 5amp system and likely have several sound locos running/on at once it needs to be able to handle it - with Skipton I had to rewire it because I used too thin wire the first time and it wasn't getting enough power to the rails, and it was running one maybe two locos at once, and not sound. The heavier wire fixed the problem.

 

Peter

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20 minutes ago, 60012 Commonwealth of Australia said:

I used 2mm wire, and 3mm wire for the bus, probably a bit overkill, but given the layout will be running off a 5amp system and likely have several sound locos running/on at once it needs to be able to handle it - with Skipton I had to rewire it because I used too thin wire the first time and it wasn't getting enough power to the rails, and it was running one maybe two locos at once, and not sound. The heavier wire fixed the problem.

 

Peter

Your 3mm and 2mm wires sound about right. I actually use three types of wire:

 

7/0.67 (stripped from 2.5mm mains cable) for the bus wires - these form the "trunk" if you think of it as a tree.

24/0.2 (Jaycar heavy duty) for what I call the feeders from the bus wires to the loops on the droppers - these are the "branches".

1/0.7 (as above) for the droppers to each piece of track - these are the "twigs".

 

Each dropper only needs to carry the current for its own piece of track (and probably less in fact, as the fishplates and rails will also carry some in most cases), so you shouldn't have any trouble with multiple sound locos on any individual piece of track.

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Mostly superficial progress lately. The first of two turntable approach roads have been laid and wired up, to the point where at 1am on Wednesday night X36 became the first loco to be (manually) turned on the table. The mainline at the Victorian end has been extended around to the point where the fiddle yard will go.

The signal box diagram has also received an update, to make it easier to read.

1130416698_BordertonSignalDiagramUpdate.png.f71d7b8c88f21618c5439c52e1cf8b80.png

 

This weekend will be busy as I will be at the Caulfield model railway exhibition from 11 to 1 on Saturday, after which I have my brothers birthday, and then Sunday will be spent working on a 30 page assignment for Product Design which is due in two weeks, along with the small N scale layout that forms part of the assignment (there being a practical and theoretical component, the practical component being a shelving unit with an N scale BLT on top, the theoretical component being a 30-50 page document discussing the project and going over theoretical aspects of design and production), so there may well be some more loco or rolling stock acquisitions on Saturday, but no more progress on the layout.

If anyone else will be at the Caulfield exhibition on Saturday feel free to say hi if you see me! I'll be in my usual black hoodie and tracksuits, and probably carrying a Star Wars backpack.

 

Peter

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