Hi from Brisbane, Australia

[PB15_750]

Hi

 

Funnily enough I'm a new member :-)

 

I'm currently working on a small layout (3.9m long by 2m wide) that is basically a figure of eight, and primarily a model based on the old Wooloongabba rail yards,

 

Anyway, i'll post a pic of the layout (bench work done and starting track laying), and some of my rollingstock soon.

 

I also model live steam in 5 inch gauge, but this gives me something to do in the comfort of the house during the hotter months.

 

Looking forward to picking peoples brains on finishing my layout.

 

Thanks

Peter

[Ozexpatriate]

Welcome Peter,

 

I particularly would welcome pictures of a layout based on the 'gabba. I wish you well.

 

My dad grew up on Abingdon Street in South Brisbane near Albert Station. My own memories of PB15s in regular service (on what was then the Lota line) are dim recollections of steam whistles passing the new fangled boom gates that replaced the old crossing gates on Wynnum North Road in the late 1960s.

 

Are you going to attempt the fiveways?

[PB15_750]

I think a layout from where the Gabba line crossed Stanley St in front of the cricket ground, through the five ways, through the yard and into the tunnel to the wharf would make an awseome exhibition style layout as the room needed certainly kills that idea for a layout at home (for me anyway).

 

As QR steam loco's/kits are hard to come by, its actually being modelled in more modern day, so 2300 class hauled coal trains with VAK hoppers instead of PB15 hauled V and VJM hoppers, and 2800 and 1720 hauled mixed goods.

 

I have built the loco shed, and raised turntable, still need the goods shed and a few smaller buildings for the fitters etc around the loco shed.

 

I unfortunately don't have the room for the coal stage either, again, the hand operated skip arrangement would make a nice model.

 

I developed a passion for the Gabba branch a few years back when i was working on the busway through the area, we uncovered the abutment walls of the tunnel under the deviation and Cleveland lines, as well as a lot of 'junk' from the Hancock and Gore sawmill. It was mostly boiler parts, steam piping and bits from the trolleys that moved the timber around.

[Ozexpatriate]

I developed a passion for the Gabba branch a few years back when i was working on the busway through the area, we uncovered the abutment walls of the tunnel under the deviation and Cleveland lines, as well as a lot of 'junk' from the Hancock and Gore sawmill. It was mostly boiler parts, steam piping and bits from the trolleys that moved the timber around.

There's a lot of modelling potential in the 'Gabba. Have you seen this or better yet, the source material?

 

For many years after the 'gabba yard closed the alignment of the line from Dutton Park to Albert was quite visible, including the bridge work where the Cleveland Line and the Dutton Park - Buranda leg of the wye crossed over it. I do recall concrete abutments, but I thought they were for bridges, not a tunnel. The alignment disappeared after I left Brisbane, probably around the time that the dual-gauge flyover was put in.

 

I was surprised by how much Park Road has changed with the busway activity.

[SRman]

Welcome.

 

You'll also have to model the trams and trolleybuses then! And don't forget to have a little man waving a red flag.

[Allegheny1600]

Hi Peter

Welcome to the forum from the old country! (Pommy land or whatever else you may call the UK!).

That sounds like an interesting project you have there, I take it all your stock is scratch or kit built? You have my sympathies and admiration for modelling what is, presumably a rarely modelled prototype! I am very keen on a metre gauge railway in the Peloponese in Greece but have been devoted to too many other things however, one day I would like to tackle modelling it so your endevours are of considerable interest to me!

Cheers,

John E.

[PB15_750]

 

Thanks, i managed to track down a copy of the article which was a huge help, as was the 'Back to the Gabba' DVD.

 

This is the layout plan i came up with........

 

And this is where i got to on my xmas break.....

 

 

Anyway, that'll give you an idea of what i'm upto.

 

Cheers

Pete

 

 

[James]

Welcome to RMweb!

 

I also model live steam in 5 inch gauge, but this gives me something to do in the comfort of the house during the hotter months.

Strange as many british modellers have modelling to do inside in the comfort of their house during the colder months!

[PB15_750]

I take it all your stock is scratch or kit built? You have my sympathies and admiration for modelling what is, presumably a rarely modelled prototype!

 

 

Hey John, fortunately there are a couple of manufacturers of wagons and modern locos, so most of the scratch building is structures, like the elevated turntable. The turntable bridge ended up being the easy bit, the trestle it sits on was a bit more of a pain.

 

Anyway, it sounds like there is a few people interested, so i might start something in the layout section and post some pics of the layout and rollingstock.

 

Thanks for all your comments and welcomes.

 

Cheers

Pete

[SRman]

Black Diamond Models offer some ready to run Queensland Railways stuff - diesels and EMUs. They are quite expensive but look good in the pics. In the past, i have seen a few QR diesels in resin kit form, usually using US running chassis. Some were HO scale using TT track (as per Pete's setup), others used S scale on HO track.