Layout photos

Hi all,

Here are some photos of the layout so far.

This is the entrance to the yard, looking south towards Demondrille

Here is a view towards the station building; a "Workshop 5" ACS is at the "platform". 

Looking in the other direction.  A Stephen Johnson signal box (not quite right for the prototype, but hey) and an Ian Lindsay A4 station building.  Again, not prototypical for Kingsvale (which was a modification of the A4) but it will convey the right impression.  There are three roads in the station precinct; the main on the left, loop and loading bank loop on the right.

As you can see from the previous photo, this is my first attempt at a backscene.  It's painted on a flat piece of primed 3mm ply; there are a few imperfections in the surface I should have repaired after priming.  I'm quite pleased with this first effort, though there are some aspects which are clearly not right and I will try and correct these before starting a new one from scratch.  Too many mountains for this part of the world.   I couldn't get a recent photo of this scene because a number of trees have grown along the Kingsvale Rd boundary obscuring the horizon.



Here is my #6 scratchbuilt point so far.  This is code 55 rail, though I built the main line (at the top of the photo) in code 70.

I hope that gives you some idea of my progress.  The next two tasks (about which I'm procrastinating again) are finishing the detailing of the rails, painting and laying onto sleepers; and fixing the platform in place and completing the platform face.

That's all for now. 

James.







10 followers!

Hi all,
Thanks to the ten of you who felt it worth the while to "follow" my blog.  The pressure is mounting to make it worth your while.

I am holidays this week, and while this has meant no work on the layout, I have had some time to explore the closed north coast branch between Lismore and Mullumbimby, as well as an excursion to Kyogle and Border Loop.

It has been great to explore this picturesque line, but depressing that, despite what must have been a huge effort to build it over 100 years ago, it now lies in ruins.  I can understand the economic arguments, but I still can't see the sense in that.  Maybe there is no sense; perhaps it's just the march of humanity and our bondage to decay, but it does seem a pity.

It's worth exploring the back roads to Booyong and Nashua, as well as St Helena.  It's only seven years since the last train and most of the track and bridges look in reasonable nick, but already there are trees popping up in some areas and being an area of high rainfall, it won't be long before the whole right-of-way looks pretty much like it did before the line was surveyed.

Certainly plenty of modelling prospects for this line, and an opportunity to go wild with the scenery to capture the look of that lush north coast vegetation.