Somewhere in the outback. Aussie diorama.

[JZ]

Toying with this idea before I went on my latest Australian sojourn. I love the colonial architecture of Australia and the station building mix of British style with a twist. The original idea was just an outback pub, couple of shops and that's yer lot. But as I already had a couple of items of NSWGR stock, decided to add a small station building, with a through track and a siding. A visit to Casula Hobbies in Liverpool, NSW, got me a couple of shops, some buffer stops, a cattle wagon kit and two Australian cars, other cars will be a mix of British, Euro and American, as it was in the early 1960s. The station building is the old Airfix/Dapol offering, with Tichy Trains windows, which happen to fit with the minimum of mods. Corrugated roof is a given. Setting will be in Western NSW. While I was in Silverton, I collected a bag of dirt/sand for the road(s).

These first two pictures are of Nyngan station. No longer served by passenger trains, the line is open for freight. The colours are seen all over NSW railways, with brick or stone building usually painted terracotta, with lintels and ledges picked out in maroon. Widow frames buff/sand, doors maroon and plinth and roof and on some stations, decorative stonework, buff.

This is Katoomba, in the Blue Mountains. This is generally the colour scheme for wooden station buildings.

Not sure where this was and yes, it is a crappy photo, but was grabbed as a rough detail shot.

And this is the pub. A laser cut kit from Mount Blue Models in New England, though quite why the produce an Australian kit is beyond me, but hey ho. It will be the Station Hotel.

A name for the project is still pending, but I'm sure Google Maps will provide me with something suitable.

 

[Paul H Vigor]

4 minutes ago, JZ said:

Toying with this idea before I went on my latest Australian sojourn. I love the colonial architecture of Australia and the station building mix of British style with a twist. The original idea was just an outback pub, couple of shops and that's yer lot. But as I already had a couple of items of NSWGR stock, decided to add a small station building, with a through track and a siding. A visit to Casula Hobbies in Liverpool, NSW, got me a couple of shops, some buffer stops, a cattle wagon kit and two Australian cars, other cars will be a mix of British, Euro and American, as it was in the early 1960s. The station building is the old Airfix/Dapol offering, with Tichy Trains windows, which happen to fit with the minimum of mods. Corrugated roof is a given. Setting will be in Western NSW. While I was in Silverton, I collected a bag of dirt/sand for the road(s).

These first two pictures are of Nyngan station. No longer served by passenger trains, the line is open for freight. The colours are seen all over NSW railways, with brick or stone building usually painted terracotta, with lintels and ledges picked out in maroon. Widow frames buff/sand, doors maroon and plinth and roof and on some stations, decorative stonework, buff.

This is Katoomba, in the Blue Mountains. This is generally the colour scheme for wooden station buildings.

Not sure where this was and yes, it is a crappy photo, but was grabbed as a rough detail shot.

And this is the pub. A laser cut kit from Mount Blue Models in New England, though quite why the produce an Australian kit is beyond me, but hey ho. It will be the Station Hotel.

A name for the project is still pending, but I'm sure Google Maps will provide me with something suitable.

 

Black stump blues!

[JZ]

A start has been made on the station building. A portmanteau of what I saw on buildings while travelling by train. The base is the old Airfix kit. I needed to open up the double doors and enlarged one of the toilet windows each side, but for the others, I had Tichy Trains windows and doors that fitted with minimal work.

The rest of the window will be fitted shortly, once the frames are painted. The architrave was made using 3 sections of Plastruct, flat, half round and L.

[JZ]

Came across this photo of a pub in Bourke, NSW. It could almost be the prototype for the Mount Blue kit.

Edited December 14, 2022 by JZ

[JZ]

First completed building.

A Model Train Buildings kit. Quite basic compared to the US ones I have been building, but it did come with Tichy windows and doors. I will probably make up a sandwich board to put on the pavement. Work stalled on the station building as I was out of Crimson Lake in a pot for the window surrounds, but now I have it.

 

Getting hold of more Australian cars is a problem, though I don't want that many. I have a Ford Falcon XL station wagon and a Chrysler Valiant S. I also have a few European cars that were found on Australia, though getting British ones in HO is difficult. I have noticed that Holdens from the late 1950s, early 1960s have a passing resemblance to Opels of the period, so got hold of a 1954 Kapitan and a Rekord series A.

[JZ]

As it may have been noticed, I have a name for the small outback town, Ullanulla. I don't think anywhere of such name exists and that  means no rivet counter can say "That looks nothi................................" The name is taken from Ulladulla and Cronulla.

Back to the station building. Windows are in on the street side. A bit of touching up to do shortly. Once the platform side is done, I will make the patterns for cutting the corrugated sheet for the roof. I will be doing it in two rows and not bothering to do individual sheets.

[JZ]

On measuring the roof and finding that it needed 9'6" corrugated sheets, I decided to use just a single piece. It is likely that a large user such as NSWGR would purchase the correct size, rather than use shorter panels on a roof such as this.

[JZ]

Ullanulla station. Still need to touch up those window frames.

Since finishing this, I have found a NSWGR painting guide. 

Edited December 17, 2022 by JZ

[john new]

There is a website on Australian Cane Railways with some drawings of typical Australian buildings and cane railway rolling stock etc., hidden amongst the plethora of information. You have probably found it already but just in case I am mentioning it. Been a long time since I visited it to find Jim Fainges' downloadable free kits (I think that is the right name) I think this is the one hoping it helps

[JZ]

Keeping out the rain today. So got on with these two shops. Mount Blue Models 'Little Gem' grocery store. Although based on a real store in Oregon, a little adaptation finds them in NSW. Still to add tin roofs and verandas.  Rather than post to support the veranda, I will be using wires from the top of the false front, something I noted on my travels last month.

Still need a few more advertising posters on the front.

Chose the Craven A advert after a search revealed it as a popular brand in Australia.

And of course, you can't go without a Vegemite advert.

Chimney stack will be omitted, they will be useful on the HOn3 layout.

But I must really be getting on with Malmsmead.

[manna]

G'Day Folks

 

Enjoying a Aussie layout, don't see to many. Here's a little bit of inspiration, the first two are obvious, they are in Southern Qld, the water tower is from the SAR, at Mingary, ( near Broken Hill) been disused since the end of steam in the 70's

 

manna

[mervyn]

Great Modelling that water tower looks like the Dapol kit one !. I "accidentally"  bought a Bachmann Australian station building ,looks good as light railway station building !

[JZ]

On 23/12/2022 at 05:19, manna said:

G'Day Folks

 

Enjoying a Aussie layout, don't see to many. Here's a little bit of inspiration, the first two are obvious, they are in Southern Qld, the water tower is from the SAR, at Mingary, ( near Broken Hill) been disused since the end of steam in the 70's

 

manna

Funnily enough, I passed through Texas mid November and the butcher was just one of the buildings that were inspiration for these small shops.

Unfortunately I don't have room for the hall, but might add a Dapol water tower to the station. Didn't get as far as Mingary, but did visit Cockburn.

Edited January 6, 2023 by JZ

[JZ]

On 23/12/2022 at 05:19, manna said:

Any idea on what the colour scheme would have been in the period 1960-1970?

[manna]

12 hours ago, JZ said:

Any idea on what the colour scheme would have been in the period 1960-1970?

Hi JZ

Give me a day or so, I just posted that question on my SAR Facebook site, I HAVE A FEELING that they came in different colours.

 

manna

[manna]

G'Day Folks

 

Heard back from my buddies on Facebook, yes they did come in different colours, the one at Mingary, was Black in the 60's, the one at Orroroo was Red, ( probably a dark Red) and I know of another that was Grey.

 

manna

[Ravenser]

A little 1980s NSW inspiration for you .

 

Cowan has a lot of potential for a model - 3 points, one platform but intensive action (turnback of an hourly passenger service, and dropping off bank pilots into the siding

 

No idea where the other building is, but it's adjacent in the camera sequence to some shots taken at the Rail museum at Thirlmere

On 14/12/2022 at 15:24, JZ said:

The name is taken from Ulladulla and Cronulla.

 

 

Two places wildly unlike each other.....

[JZ]

Saw this and couldn't resist. A little pricey, but better painted than I could ever do.

[JZ]

Came across this in an Australian group on FB.

[JZ]

Must upload pictures of the progress to buildings. This is not forgotten, but working on the HOn3 at the moment. Still, I have picked up a few more vehicles, Holden, Ford falcon and a few  British and European models in HO that sold in Australia. Also a Bedford TK and an SB bus.

[JZ]

After chatting with Don Gurr of Cooee Models who doe the Road Ragers vehicles, a couple Utes from the 1960s will be available again later this year.

 

 

 

Edited June 22, 2023 by JZ