The Biological Clock is ticking

In my most recent post, I concluded with the comment that my biological clock is ticking, and indeed it is!

Philip's Creek, in one form or another,  has now been in existence for almost 30 years. As I am now 70, I probably won't have the opportunity to invest another 30 years on the layout. I don't want to be morbid about this but I recognise that my remaining time is limited.  I'd like to get the layout substantially complete in or about the next five years so that I can enjoy it before my energy, enthusiasm and/or capability fall away.

This is not the first time my biological clock has impacted on my railway modelling. For most of my early life, my family lived at Normanhurst, a northern suburb of Sydney. My father fixed my train set to a board in the garage creating my first model railway layout. The only problem was that it was hinged on the wall and could not be used when the car was in the garage, so everything had to be unpacked and then repacked each time I wanted to run my trains.

In 1969, my parents decided to move to a bigger house in Wahroonga, an adjoining suburb. The bonus for me was that there was a small room available under the house where I could set up my layout permanently. I quickly took advantage of this and built a new layout including basic scenery. However, my lack of planning led to frustration and within the space of about 12 months, that layout was also dismantled. A third layout was constructed to the point where track was laid and trains could be run but there was no scenery. But then, the biological clock interposed and I started to focus on members of the opposite sex. I also learned, very quickly, that mobility was a key enabler for that pursuit. Consequently, I also had to learn how to maintain and repair old cars, a task much simpler then than these days. Very quickly, the layout and 'train room' became a storage area for car parts and spares. A few years later, the uncompleted layout was dismantled and packed into boxes. It took quite a few more years to work through that biological clock impact and get back to modelling.

Coming back to now, so what do I mean by "substantially complete"? The following is a summary of the tasks I'd like to complete to achieve that state.

Scenery around Philip's Creek station completed and backdrops painted.

This is the largest single job and work is well underway. It was the subject of my most recent post.

Quarry Module.

The quarry module is a discrete entity on the lower level and is a complete new build. The quarry siding branches off the main line just north of the Hunter River bridge. The module fits under the helix and requires the operator to move to a different operating position.

 

 Halls Creek and Kingston Plain Modules

These modules require some adaption from their positions on the previous iteration of the layout at Hornsby. The Halls Creek bridge module needs to be widened and the Kingston Plains module approach needs to be repaired after a track realignment. In addition, the Kingston Plains and Halls Creek backdrops need to be integrated.

 

 

The Mount Windeatt Modules.

The Mount Windeatt module needs be refurbished and the adjoining module is to be sceniced. The Mount Windeatt backdrop will also be extended to conceal the Singleton staging area behind it.

 

 

To get to my "substantially complete" state, I will be focusing on finishing the major items of each module. More detailed work such as small mini scenes or automation will be left to later as or when I am motivated.

The reader will notice that this is all about scenery. While individual items of rolling stock may be acquired, there are no glaring gaps in the rolling stock fleet. I'm still patiently waiting on SDS D53 Class but that's the only future planned motive power acquisition. However, a further rollout of sound for some locomotives is on the agenda.

But enough writing, as I said before, the biological clock is ticking!

 

 

 

 

Another Grandfather's Axe

Almost 10 year ago, I wrote a post about a rebuild of an old US tank wagon as a NSWGR 9000 gallon wagon (A 36ft Tank Wagon aka Grandfather's Axe). I was reminded of this post as I started significant scenery work on the upper level of the layout and the refurbishment of the Philip's Creek township. This part of the layout has remained fairly stable since around 2008. By 2018-19, I was speculating about a refresh of the scenery to bring the Philips Creek modules to the standard of the more recently constructed modules. 

However, the downsizing move in 2020-21 has changed that intent. The layout has been significantly reworked and the Philip's Creek modules, in particular, are having a major makeover and this begs the question; as these are the heart of the layout, is it still Philip's Creek? According to Wikipedia, this conundrum is known as the Ship of Theseus, or Theseus's Paradox, which asks whether an object is the same object after having had all of its original components replaced over time, typically one after the other. Is it still 'grandfather's axe'?

Frankly, the short answer is that it doesn't matter. Philip's Creek is model of a fictitious location and it can take whatever form I need it to take. Therefore, it still is 'grandfather's axe'. So enough of the philosophical deep thinking, what's actually happening at Philip's Creek? In short, a fair bit! 

The two photos below show Philip's Creek around 2018.

And the next two photos show Philip's Creek in its emerging form with the terraforming process well underway. The hotel, shops, war memorial and creek have not changed locations and can be used as reference point for a comparison between photos. 

The track on the Philip's Creek modules was lifted and relayed. In essence, the modules were reversed in relation to other modules of layout, that is the Singleton end became the Muswellbrook end and visa versa. The actual station has also been relocated towards the centre as a major passing location for north south traffic and shunting opportunities at either end.

The backdrop has been added and will be painted once the basic terrain colours have been established.

The road bridge, the subject of my most recent post now becomes a significant feature of the station precinct. The earthworks at either end of the road over bridge have now been constructed.

Three of the major buildings have been replaced by new structures. The older structures were all LJ cardboard kits built in the late 1990s. While great kits in their day, after 20 plus years, they were tired and showing their age. 

 

All three buildings were replaced by similar kits from the Walker Models range. They were all easy to assemble which was fortunate because I suspect the instructions to be challenging for novice modeller. 

The Royal Hotel replacement was interesting. Dimensionally, it was an exact replacement for the LJ kit and dropped directly into the place where the old kit had resided.

In addition, I have added a flour mill at the northern end of town. It provides an additional industry and a destination for wheat from Kingston Plains, enhancing the operation of the layout.

One of the consequences of the reversal is that the backdrop is now obstructs one of my favoured photo locations in the vicinity of the Philip's Creek road bridge. That means that the photo header for this blog can never be repeated and the best available is the photo opposite. Unfortunate but in the overall scheme of things, insignificant.

So, back to work, my biological clock is ticking!

Moving Upstairs - The Philip's Creek Overbridge

With the work on the Hunter River Bridge and the area north of Singleton now substantially complete, my focus is moving to the upper level of the layout and the refurbishment of the Philip's Creek township. In the reorientation after the move, much of the earlier Philip's Creek was demolished and is to be replaced. 

However, the first project arose unexpectedly. I had been musing about how I could connect the 'commercial area' (one pub and two shops) and the railway station. A good mate recently invested in a 3D printer and offered to print a rail overbridge based on a standard NSWR North Coast Railway design. He printed the bridge superstructure (beams and deck) in two parts and separate prints for each pier set and abutment. In addition, the fence frames was printed in four separate pieces, two per side.

The components were glued together with superglue and I overlaid the 'deck' with a sheet of Evergreen styrene V grove to simulate the actual timber decking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commercial CGI sheet was glued to the handrails to complete the barrier fencing and the superstructure was fitted to the pier sets in preparation for painting.

Once painted, the overbridge was fitted and then glued into position.

All that needs to be done now is to complete this project is to undertake some significant earthworks to create the bridge approaches but that's a story for another time.

Many thanks Ian.

 

As a footnote, the standard design provides for both a single and two way road widths. The single lane version has four bearers while the two lane bridge has five. The modeled overbridge is a two lane version but only has four bearers. We both realised this error after the event but it is not obvious from normal operating positions. Maybe, I should put load limit signage on the bridge approaches!

 

 

 

Hunter River Bridge - Finishing the Scene - 2

Well, I have finally got to the point when it was time to add 'water' to the Hunter River.  

In preparation, I painted extra trees on the backdrop to represent the foliage on the river banks and added trees and scrub on the terrain close to the backdrop. I also installed formwork to retain the 'water' while it is curing.

'Adding the water' was a task I approached with a degree of well founded trepidation. I used a product called Feast Watson Glass Finish available at Bunnings. It is a two part product and this was where my problems started. I don't think, I mixed it thoroughly. After it was poured onto the baseboard, it cured properly in most areas but, in a couple of spots, it remained in a viscous form. In addition, the surface crazed in some places. I wasn't too worried about the crazing as this is meant to represent a flowing river rather than a very still lake, so some turbulence can be anticipated. However, the soft spots remained a challenge.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing and there probably are a few things I would have done differently. Obviously, I would have been more thorough in my mixing process. I would also have poured the product in two thinner layers rather than a 5mm single pour. However, it is what it is, and once the pour had been completed and the soft spot problem had emerged, I turned to gloss Modpodge. I dabbed it onto the soft spots and a few other locations to simulate turbulence around flood debris and the piers. A few twigs were used to simulate drift wood on the river flats and these also serve to mark where the soft spots are.

There is still few more things to complete. I need to install check rails on the bridge as well as a conduit which was slung just below the sleepers.

The short video below shows 4449 hauling  stock wagons north towards Muswellbrook and beyond. The video was taken as the Modpodge was curing hence the few white spots.  But at least now, when a train crosses the bridge, I can see its reflection in the 'water' below.

 

 

 

 

Hunter River Bridge - Finishing the scene - 1

Following on from my recent post, finally, the scenic work has closed up on the Hunter River. While the work modelling the banks and the littoral areas is fairly routine, modelling the wide expanse of water flowing under the bridge will be a bit more challenging.  

As usual, the landform is foam board, carved and shaped around the bridge abutments. The following photos show the river banks before the final shaping.  These were topped with the domestic wipe disposable towels topped with coloured tile grout and, as usual, there was liberal use of 50/50 PVA glue and water.  My biggest fear while doing this work was accidental damage to the bridge. Fortunately, that didn't happen.

With the banks sorted, I have started to paint the river bed as the first step in the challenging task of adding the actual water. The Google satellite image opposite shows the actual crossing site with the current bridge. As can be seen, the site was located just east of a major bend in the river. With a bit of modeller's licence, I moved the crossing site onto the actual bend so that the transition to the backdrop was easier to achieve. The main river channel is on the outer (northern) side of the bend and there is an accumulation of sediment on the inner (southern) side of the bridge.

In preparation for the final task, I was able to visit Bob at South Coast Rail to see how he had created the water for his excellent model of the Thomson River bridge. ( http://southcoastrail.blogspot.com/ )  I really appreciated the opportunity to understand his technique. Thanks Bob. 

Now, hopefully in the current heatwave, I'll be able to find a day when the temperature in the garage is reasonable enough to tackle this.

 

 

And finally, in recognition of the time of the year, Christmas has come around again and this will be my final post for 2023. As the year rapidly draws to a close,  I'd like to take the opportunity to wish all readers a Merry Christmas and a very happy 2024 for you and your family.

Having just crossed the Hunter River bridge, 4473 heads north with a load of empty wheat wagons.

 

Leaving Singleton 2

In an earlier post, I wrote about my plans for the part of the layout immediately 'north' of the lower staging yard. Leaving Singleton  Notionally, it is that small portion of the Main North between Singleton and the Hunter River bridge.

The adjacent photo shows the concept for this section as detailed in the earlier post. The scratch-built Albion Hotel is one of key elements of that concept. A paling fence has been used to contain the hotel yard and level crossing lights have been installed adjacent to the hotel on John St.

The scenery construction followed my usual practice of Woolworths 'domestic wipe' disposable towels overlaid with coloured tile grout and then static grass. The very basic backdrops have been hand painted using artist's acrylics. The level crossing lights at John Street and associated flasher unit are HMA products.

While it has taken a while, in many respects, this work is a just an in-fill before the more challenging work associated with the Hunter River crossing. Consequently, a number of details have yet to be added but I don't anticipate this will happen until other scenery elements have been completed. The outstanding tasks include:

• The back drop including the gaping access to the staging area needs much more work. The foreground of the back drop needs a more urban appearance and the hole need to be screened, possibly with some trees. I also need to work on a method of activation for the level crossing lights. This will be a process of trial and error for me. 

 

 

• 
  Again, the backdrop needs more work to reflect the transition from township to open country. A few more rural fences and isolated trees would probably also enhance the scene.

 

 

 

 

• The tree line in the foreground of the backdrop intends to show the course of the Hunter River disappearing into the distance as it meanders its way east towards Newcastle. This needs to be integrated with the bridge site. The water pumping station and associated buildings will also be added.
  

That said, at least now as 5069 departs Singleton to collect a load of coal from the Philip's Creek Colliery, it's no longer passing through the stark barren white and green landscape shown in the photo at the top of this post. More to follow!

 

 

 

Inspired by True Events - Building the Albion Hotel at Singleton

"Inspired by true events" is a caption often seen on movie and TV screens of late. Basically, it means that the script writer has adjusted or amended a true story by altering events or adding different characters which to increase the drama and/or romance of the film. I, for one, am often cynical about these alteration, but if I'm honest, I must also recognise that such changes are also the essence of prototypical modelling. And my latest foray into scratch building underscores the concept of prototypical rather than prototype.

In my most recent post, I made reference to the Albion Hotel, a building which is located just north of Singleton railway station on John Street. I presume that this proximity was the prime reasons for its original construction. My research managed to locate a number of hotel surveys, including a few photos, which had been published by the ANU. https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/handle/1885/136613 These show that the Albion appears to have been built well before 1926 but went through a significant number of changes over time, with probably the most significant occurring some time between 1960 and 1981when a major extension was completed on the western side. These changes are apparent in the two photos below.

I opted to build the 1960 version and have assumed that the extension was not completed until some time after 1973, the upper limit of my modelling time period. The key features I wanted to capture were the shape of the side walls, the awning, the large KB sign and the tiled roof line at the front.

Unfortunately, as I realised later, the KB sign only appeared on the eastern side as there are windows on the western side. But it's the western side that faces the operator. Oh well, that's an example of when inspiration trumps fact! (No political pun intended)

 

The model was primarily constructed from styrene with brass wire for downpipes and external plumbing. Doors and windows are Tichy products. The windows are oversized but are what I had to hand at the time. The signage and interiors came from the internet. Unfortunately, the large KB signs are not the exact ones in the 1960s photo but are probably close enough. The chimneys came from a good mate who recently acquired a  3D printer. He has also printed a few other items beyond the scope of this article but they will probably be the subject of a subsequent post. A balcony railing has yet to be fabricated.

The sign on the awning was produced using PowerPoint and incorporates a fictitious name of the licensee. This name, William Clarke, comes from my family history, a maternal great great grandfather. He was a publican in Birmingham around 1890. Incidentally, before that he had spent about 20 years on the footplate as a locomotive driver, although, a family story indicates that he was fired from that job for drunkenness.  Still, he was the obvious choice.

 

 

The hotel can't be fixed into its final position until the backdrop and ground cover have been finalised. And not to mention the level crossing, hopefully with sensors activating flashing lights, immediately behind the hotel. But that's a challenge for another day!