Australian Model Railway Magazine - February 2020 PDF

$11.
00
AUSTRALIAN FEBR
UARY
2020
MAGAZINE
Lambing Flat
QR/QRN ‘Sweeper’ Train Nos 243/752 Issue 340 Vol. 29 No.7

Billabong Marina 7: Moving the Traffic ISSN 0045-009X
In the Loop: Exhibitions 0 1
9 770045 009009
5HYLHZV0DLOEDJ$0501HZV
AVAILABLE NOW!
QUALITY and AUTHENTICITY
from the track specialists
il i i
ARRIVING SOON...
KEY FEATURES
Code 70 nickel silver rail Authentic tie sizes and spacing
Realistic solid point blades Standard American number system
"Unifrog" design for flexible for frog geometry
wiring options Fine scale representation of traditional
Scaled from A.R.E.A. drawings and rail spike fastenings
N.M.R.A compliant
Order your copy of the Peco Catalogue for full details of 83 Line
and 70 Line products, or visit our website at www.peco.uk.com
Distributed by:
AUSTRALIAN MODEL CRAFT CO.
P.O. Box 245 Arundel, QLD 4214 (Trade enquiries only)
If you cannot obtain any PECO product, contact us on the PECO HOTLINE 07 5528 9686 for a list of AMC PECO hobby shops.
Photos courtesy P. Turtle
NR class Locomotive
In late 1997 National Rail Corporation out-shopped two NR class
locomotives bearing indigenous design based on the work by Alice Springs
artist Bessie Liddle.
The first was launched in Sydney by Cathy Freeman in November 1997,

Warmi NR30, featuring an Aboriginal Dreaming story. Decorated by Bessie
after a Warmi dot painting showing a snake, bush tucker and women’s
footprints.
The second was launched in Alice Springs by Mark Vaile in December 1997,
Kungara Mankurpa NR52, this design depicts the Star Dreaming story
Seven Sisters. Decorated by Bessie, a dot painting showing the travels of
the Seven Sisters and their pursuit by the Snake Man in Pitjantjatjara
SRRP: Non-Powered $ 235.00 country.
Powered - DC $ 375.00
The production is limited to a total of 660 units across the 6 options and is
Powered - DCC / Sound $ 495.00
fully licenced by the artists agency.
NR 30 © Bessie Liddle / Copyright Agency
NR 52 © Bessie Liddle / Copyright Agency
Model Features:
- Highly detailed Ready-to-Run HO scale model - 5-Pole skew wound electric motor and dual flywheels
- Precisely tooled plastic body (ABS) - All wheel drive and electrical pickup
- Genuine Kadee scale head whisker coupler - LED headlights, marker lights, number boxes and ditch lights
- Separately applied handrails and detail parts - All models come standard with an MTC 21 pin motherboard
SDS Models (Australia) Pty Ltd. - ABN 86 628 053 529

PO Box 804 Winston Hills NSW 2153 Australia
sdsmodels.com.au
Email: sales@sdsmodels.com.au
AUSTRALIAN
MODEL RAILWAY
MAGAZINE
Editor: James McInerney Issue 340 Vol.29 No.7
FEATURES
18 Lambing Flat (Beecroft version) 30 Practical Track Planning for

James McInerney illustrates the most recent version
of his long-lived HO scale NSWGR layout, while
Operation and Enjoyment
also recording its 35 year history. Graeme Barnes designs a layout to suit the typical
‘Raleigh Modlar’.
36 Backdate an Auscision MLV

Ian Dunn shows how to modify a proprietary model
to represent an earlier period.
40 QR/QRN ‘Sweeper’ Freight Train

Nos 243/752
28 Planting a Vineyard Lincoln Driver describes a modern era Queensland
Joe Dal Forno creates train that would be very interesting to model.
a vineyard and then
a few other items
with the leftovers! 46 Billabong Marina 7
Moving the Traffic
Tom Carlos makes his little layout work for a living.
AUSTRALIAN FEBR
$11.00
A Y
OTHER FEATURES REGULARS
20 0
MODEL RAII 37 In the Loop: 54 Reviews

MAGAZINE The Exhibition Experience 55 Recent Releases
Lambing Flat 51 Gallery: The Commonwealth 57 AMRM News
Railways Standard Gauge System
60 Diary
60 Vale: Warren McLean
61 Mailbag
70 Advertisers’ Index
ON THE COVER: The connection off the down Cowra Mail stands
at Lambing Flat, the main station on James McInerney’s very long- Follow us
lived HO scale homage to the NSWGR’s Blayney-Demondrille
QR/QRN ‘Sweeper’ Train Nos 243/752 cross-country line. The history of this venerable layout begins on
on
Issue 340 Vol. 29 No.7
Billabong Marina 7: Moving the Traffic
In the Loop: Exhibitions
9
ISSN 0045 009X
770045 009009
0 1
p.18. Photo by James McInerney. Facebook

Page 4. February 2020
Comment By Bob Gallagher AMRM Crew
Editor James McInerney
Christmas Past, Cricket and New Blood Editorial Assistants Alan McKenna, Phil Knife
Production Assistants Jade Por, Chris Jones
As these thoughts are being typed, it is a fortnight before Christmas Day. Traditionally, many Pete Grant, Louise Smithers
youngsters were introduced to railways with a train set as a Christmas present. Often, the pre- Office Manager Melissa Cullen
Subscription and Sales Coordinator Karen Baldini
sent was really for dad, but the credit was always placed with the youngster who ‘wanted a Illustrators Ian Thorpe, Pete Grant
train set’. There is little doubt that many readers got their start this way, indeed for those of my Design John Casey
Computer Programmer Grahame Davis
vintage and older, the train set may even have been clockwork. I had the added advantage that Webmaster Peter Knife
an uncle was a Hornby Club member, so my parents had some good guidance. Draughtsman Roger Johnson, Mitch Campton
Then, train sets were used to promote the festive season. More than one shop window in the
SCR Publications – General Manager
city of Sydney included a continuously operating train. I am sure it was common all around this Robert (Bob) Gallagher OAM
country. Inside the shops, in the toy department, there were plenty of offerings, especially as the
SCMRA PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE
genre changed from clockwork to electric. One classic set even offered a double-ended diesel John Bevan, Fred Gooch, Ian Dunn,
resembling a Victorian Railways B class, another a Sydney suburban electric set. Trevor Moore, Bob Gallagher, John Parker
Christmas was also a time for families to celebrate together, well at least up until Boxing Day,
when the Melbourne cricket test was on the radio. The rail enthusiast hobby in NSW was a real AT ISSN 0045-009X
puzzle to me in the sixties and seventies; no matter where you went, the cricket was on the The official Journal of the Southern Cross Model
Railway Association (SCMRA) in Australia.
radio. No-one seemed to be listening, but the dulcet tones of the commentator were always Published bimonthly by SCR Publications of PO
there to be heard! Box 345, Matraville 2036 for the Southern Cross
Model Railway Association. (ABN 70 000 558 574)
This time was also a great time to model. If you built your own trains, every spare moment All rights reserved and all editorial matter copyright.
had to be found to, bit-by-bit, build that empire. The Christmas break was an ideal time to spend Print Post Approved. Imaging by Imagination
hours at the modelling desk, or on the kitchen table, building that specially needed model, be it Graphics Pty Ltd. Printed by John Fisher Pty Ltd,
Marrickville NSW. Most editorial and distribution
following an article from the Australasian Model Railroad Magazine, or something from scratch tasks are carried out by voluntary labour on a non
using ideas gleaned directly from other authors in the magazine. Of course, the cricket was on profit basis.
in the background... I do not remember the outcome of too many matches specifically, but can EMAIL: amrmagzn@tpg.com.au
show which models were built during this time. Of course, as the cricket came onto the TV, the WEBSITE: www.australianmodelrailways.com
number of models completed started to dwindle, especially when they invented the instant FACEBOOK: https://tinyurl.com/y8oykqxk
replay! As soon as a wicket fell, modelling stopped while the incident was watched. The one
DISTRIBUTION: Subscriptions, SCMRA members,
extra-special memory from this period was the match when Doug Walters hit a six off the last h o b by s h o p s a n d A s s o c i a t i o n s by S C R
ball of the day, achieving 100 runs in a session, while I was building cattle wagons from matches. Publications; newsagencies and bookstalls by
Ovato.
But time moves on. It is almost impossible to model and have the cricket on TV these days,
far too many play-backs and analysis so that modelling is slowed, but track laying or scenery CONTRIBUTIONS in the form of articles, photo
graphs, hints, Letters to the Editor, drawings or
work can still be accomplished to the tones of cricket on the radio. But that is not the only trade press releases are welcome for publication in
change; train sets are not so common any more. Look in the shops, the best on display are some this magazine. All items received will be acknowl
edged upon receipt. Contributions can be made as
inexpensive models glamorously theme packed, but almost none indigenous to us. When asked 'hard copy' and/or electronically. Contact
why, international brands and importers are quick to reply that there is no demand any more. amrmjmes@tpg.com.au before submitting electron
While some of us may lament this reasoning, it is not hard to see that today’s youngsters are ically. Please pack photographs and diagrams
between stout cardboard before posting. Indicate
bombarded by games and toys that cater for the creative and movement issues. The Rev. Wilbert whether photographs/slides are to be returned.
Awdry, the author of Thomas the Tank Engine has a lot to answer for, especially with the commer-
cialisation of the brand, which children, both boys and girls demand when they are young. Alas, pRINT & DIgITAL SUBSCRIpTIONS: Details on
page 65.
too many do not continue their railway interest.
But, and it is a good ‘but’, some do continue their interest. And here it is up to those of us ADVERTISINg: Details available from SCR
Publications, PO Box 345, MATRAVILLE, NSW
who have been around for a while to observe any newcomer and offer as much assistance as we 2036. Phone (02) 9311 2036 (9.30am2.30pm,
can without becoming a nuisance! Reflecting back to the 1970s, a large Sydney club had week- MonFri). Fax (02) 9661 4323. (24 hour).
end meetings that tabooed children. To counter this, a few of us ran modelling clinics where the ADVERTISINg DEADLINE for all copy and
parents joined their sons learning to build models. Many of those sons are still in the hobby RELEASE DATES are:
today and so are many of the mums and dads who caught the model railway bug in the process. Advertising On Sale
Deadline Dates
Sure, in the past train sets were very important, but now that their relevance has been dimin- April 2020 1.2.20 15.3.20
ished, it does not mean we have to avoid encouraging the young in the hobby, no matter how June 2020 5.4.20 17.5.20
August 2020 7.6.20 19.7.20
old they are. Modelling railways is a great enjoyable pastime, sharing the experience increases October 2020 7.8.20 18.9.20
the enjoyment. December 2020 2.10.20 13.11.20
February 2021 27.11.20 16.1.21
SOUTHERN CROSS MODEL RAILWAY ASSOCIATION
The Annual Membership Fee for SCMRA is $66.00 from of each month in New South Wales. For further details and
March to February and the Joining Fee is $20.00, which location please contact the divisional representative.
includes the membership data pack. Applications must be Membership services include magazine binders and pho-
received by the first of the odd month to meet our mailing list tocopies of articles from out of print issues of AMRM at dis-
This publication accepts no responsibility for the
deadlines. For applications received between the 2nd count prices. accuracy or reliability of articles or advertising con
September and the 2nd January the Half Annual Fee is tained herein, statements made or opinions
$30.00 plus the ($20.00) Joining Fee (does not include Secretary: Bob Gallagher
expressed in papers or discussions, nor do we nec
October issue of AMRM). All fees are GST Inclusive. Membership Enquiries: essarily subscribe to the views expressed or implied
Membership entitles you to participate in the activities of PO Box 345, MATRAVILLE, 2036 by contributors. Neither is any guarantee implied or
the Association, to receive AMRM and our regular news- Phone (02) 9311 2036 expressed as to the good conduct or practice of
sheet Booster. Standards, Recommended Practices and advertisers herein. This publication reserves at all
Information Sheets covering model railway practice are DIVISIONAL REPRESENTATIVES times the right to refuse acceptance of any matter
included in the joining kit together with a vinyl ring binder and New South Wales: considered unsatisfactory for publication.
are also issued at regular intervals. Graham Windmill, Ph. (02) 9626 0351 The Australian MODEL RAILWAY Magazine is pub
For further details write to the Secretary or contact the lished by SCR Publications, PO Box 345, Matra
Victoria:
divisional representative. ville, NSW 2036. Please address all correspond
David Brown, Ph. (03) 5986 2363 ence to the Editor.
Meetings are usually organised on the second Saturday email: cigam41@gmail.com
Australian MODEL RAILWAY Magazine February 2020. Page 5

Minimodels - Sydney Suburban Electric Car series
1955 Commonwealth Engineering - “SPUTNIK” sets
Sputnik with Single Deck Trailers (4-car sets)
572 – 4-car Set in Tuscan Red
Sputnik Power Car with Tulloch Double Deck Trailer Car

(4-car sets)
573 – 4-car S-Set in Tuscan Red
574 – 4-car W-Set in Blue & White
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Single Deck Trailers (2-car sets)

577 – 2-car set in Tuscan Red
578 – 2-car set in Blue & White
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Train (4 – car set)
586 – 4 car W-Set Orangutan theme
587 - 4 car W Set Floral theme
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HO $355 G $1,197
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Saturday, 21 March
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From 9.00am to 5.00pm
Registration Essential by 6 March

Cost $45.
ModelOkits are pleased to announce
NSWGR Z13 Class Tank the production of the
Locomotive Send cheque and details to
In fine scale 7mm kits and Batch Build Ready-to-run by DJH. NSWGR Z12 Class
Locomotive SCMRA
- RTR locomotives are fully built/
running/tested, Includes PO Box 345, Matraville 2036
number plates and standard
paint (black).
- Tender options: C Class 6 wheel
or Baldwin L Class Bogie Tender
- RTR locomotives are fully built/running/tested, Includes number plates , decals, - Detail includes: slow running ,
standard paint (black), working lights, 8 pin DCC interface (plug-in). real coal, detailed back head.
- Detail includes: slow running , real coal, detailed back head. Specific paint Specific paint requests will
requests will incur additional charges. - Minimum radius: 6’ incur additional charges.
- Minimum radius: 6’
ADVERTISING
NSWGR DEADLINE
FS & BS CARRIAGE KITS April 2020 Issue
Kits Include: Advertising deadline is:
- Etch Brass sides & detail components
- Laser cut acrylic chassis 1 February 2020
Available Now! - Single piece styrene roof
Price: $425.00 each. - 3D printed ends, bogies and detail
components The April 2020 issue should be available at
the normal outlets around 19 March 2020.
COMIN
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Kits Include: Riveted Water Tank SOON
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- Laser cut acrylic chassis
- 3D printed bogies and detail
components
(Prices TBA)
NSWGR RUB CARS G Minerva Manning Wardle K Class

COMIN
SOON Versions available:
Black Lined Yellow/Red
Dark Red, Lined Yellow
Deep Blue Lined Red/Straw
Plain Black Version AVAILABLE NOW!
These locos saw service on the NSWGR as Interested in larger scale ride-on model railways?
engines 292 & 293 under P(127) class
(Later 532 &533)”on the Camden Tramway, Clyde – Carlingford Line and Private Want to drive your own live steam locomotive?
Industrial Lines. If there is enough interest we may put together a conversion kit. Want to smell the steam, coal and oil?
Want to relax behind your own electric or IC locomotive?
Then you need a subscription to the Australian Model
Engineering Magazine. You can subscribe by post, phone, fax,
or via our secure on-line facility.
Available in individual passenger cars or sets. (Types SFS, SBS, OFS/OBS, AME is also available in most Newsagencies.
RS, & PHS.) PO Box 267
Kits available by order only: Quarter 3/2020
Prices : TBA Prices: DC-$495 DCC-$595 DCC Sound-$725 Kippax, ACT, 2615
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Visit our shop at Unit 4/61-71 Rookwood Rd Yagoona NSW 2199. Shop Open Fridays from 10am - 2pm or by Appointment Monday to Thursday
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Now incorporating the full range of Waratah MRC, O-Aust Kits & Model O Kits products The magazine for ALL model engineering enthusiasts

62 Moore Street, LIVERPOOL Mail orders:
PO BOX 3206, LIVERPOOL, NSW 2170 www.casulahobbies.com.au
PHONE (02) 9602 8640
Email:
FAX (02) 9602 8874 sales@casulahobbies.com.au
Still the place for models of Australian Railways

TRADING HOURS: MONDAY-FRIDAY: 9.30am-5.00pm. SATURDAY: 9.30am-2.00pm. CLOSED SUNDAYS
Z19 Class 0-6-0 Steam Locomotive

$750.00 each
or 2 or more $725.00
Subject to Exchange Rate
EXPECTED DELIVERY SECOND HALF 2020
1955 Centennary of the
Features:
NSW Railways model DCC-ready – 21 pin plug on circuit board
Sound ready – speaker in tender
Heavy die-cast metal chassis, boiler and footplate.
ABS and metal, separately applied details
Stainless steel tyres on all wheels
All wheel pick-up – engine and tender
All wheel drive on engine
Metal handrails
Kadee couplings fore and aft
Factory painted and decorated
18" minimum recommended radius
RP25/88 flanges – will operate on code 70, 83
and 100 track
Operating LED lights, front and rear (specific
locos only)
Selection of numbers and tender types
LAY-BYS WELCOMED AND LONGER PERIOD AVAILABLE FOR MODELS IN PRODUCTION NOT HERE YET
PRE-ORDER FORM Z19 CLASS 0-6-0 LOCOMOTIVE
Please reserve the following sets for me:
Price from
Description and Numbers available 1 January
Quantity (Please tick the appropriate number) 2020 Sub-total
19-001 Thow cab, marker lights, BP tender with coal rails 1916 1938 1948
19-002 Thow cab, headlight, BP tender with coal rails 1901 1919 un-numbered
19-005 Thow cab, headlight, Baldwin tender 1901 1919 un-numbered
19-006 Cutaway cab, marker lights, BP tender with coal rails 1923 1952 1959
19-007 Cutaway cab, headlight, BP tender with coal rails 1954 un-numbered $750.00
each or 2 or
19-010 Cutaway cab, headlight, Baldwin tender, cowcatcher more $725.00
1954 1957 un-numbered Subject to
19-011 Thow cab with BP tender, 1955 Centenary black with red lining, Exchange Rate.
no headlight or marker lights, BP tender with coal rails 1948
19-012 Thow cab, BP tender, no headlight or marker leights, BP tender with coal rails 1925 1948
19-013 Cutaway cab, BP tender, no headlight or marker lights, BP tender with coal rails 1942 1903
Additional locomotive numbers may be produced
Postage
$20.00
YOUR ORDER TOTAL $ $
PRICES SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. LAY-BYS AVAILABLE BY PHONE OR IN SHOP.
MY DETAILS:
GET TOGETHER AND BULK ORDER. ORDER TWO OR MORE LOCOMOTIVES
Your Name:
Address: Postcode:
Telephone: E-mail:
Order/Lay-by No. We will allocate the number after payment is received and will return to you the paid order form.
FOR OFFICE USE ONLY
AMOUNT ENCLOSED: Cheque Money order

Please charge my Visa/MasterCard: $ Name on Card:
Card Number: ___ ___ ___ ___ - ___ ___ ___ ___ - ___ ___ ___ ___ - ___ ___ ___ ___
CVV (on rear of card): ___ ___ ___ Expiry date: ___ ___ - ___ ___
Model details and specification and price subject to change without notice. Direct deposit to CBA Casula Hobbies BSB 062-329 Account No. 10283495
Revised order form as at 1 January 2020

Features:
- Ready to Run
- Blackened metal wheels
- Plastic (ABS) Body
- Heavy Metal Chassis
- Brass flywheel
- Factory Painted & Decorated
- Separately applied metal parts
- Sound ready or fitted
- ESU Loksound V5*
- Operating Headlights / Marker lights
- Genuine Kadee Couplers
- All wheel drive and pickup
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- Built in Stay Alive
The VR W Class & NSWGR 7101 Class Diesel Hydraulic Locomotive

IDR Models is proud to announce the next model in the shunting locomotive series
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NSWGR 70 Class W 243 Original Body W 244 Rebuilt Body
$290 + Postage
NSW X200 Railtractor
$180 + Postage W 244 Rebuilt Body NSWGR 7101
PO BOX 39, Galston, NSW, 2159

PO BOX 39, Galston NSW 2159 www.idrmodels.com.au
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ABN: 64 123 138 661
eveleigh press proudly presents
Hudson
BrotHers by david Jehan
The business founder, Plymouth cabinet-maker William Henry Hudson, arrived in Sydney in 1846 with his family and started a joinery
business in Redfern which became known as ‘Hudson and Sons’. Hudson became one of the main builders in Sydney providing timberwork
to many notable buildings including the Great Hall of Sydney University.
Twenty years later, in 1866, William Henry retired and left the business to his three sons Henry, Robert and William. The firm now took on
the new name of ‘Hudson Brothers’ and a new direction.
Under the leadership of Henry Hudson the firm imported the latest woodworking machinery from America and rebuilt the original Redfern joinery shop as the Steam Joinery
Works. They also operated their own sawmills in the Myall Lakes district and Pyrmont and had depots in various NSW country towns such as Hill End.
The brothers moved into rolling stock manufacture after the collapse of P.N. Russell and Co. and greatly expanded the Redfern works. Their success required further growth
resulting in the company building a massive industrial complex in Granville and acquiring a third plant in Wickham.
The firm was incorporated as Hudson Brothers Limited in 1882 and became the major railway rolling stock manufacturer at the time. Thousands of goods wagons,
passenger carriages and tramcar trailers were built for NSW.
Major achievements include:
the provision of all timber work for the impressive 1879 International Exhibition building known as the Garden Palace in the Sydney Botanical Gardens,
the design and construction of the temporary water scheme that saved Sydney from drought in 1886,
the design and construction of the huge winding machinery for the North and East Sydney cable tram systems of the early 1890s, and
the introduction of large refrigerator cars for the transport of chilled meat onto NSWGR.
They were also a major supplier of agricultural equipment including ploughs, chaff cutters, horse gears, windmills, etc.
Hudson Brothers Limited ultimately evolved to became the iconic Clyde Engineering Company in 1898.
The timber supply business was split off from the engineering business in 1886 and survives at the time of writing as Hudson Building Supplies which is part of the
Independent Hardware Group.
$85.00 plus postage

SCR PUBLICATIONS
PO Box 345 Matraville 2036
Telephone: (02) 9311 2036 www.australianmodelrailways.com Fax: (02) 9661 4323

Victorian Railways T-Class
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$335.00 DC
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V.R. S-Cars.
Broad Gauge
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Victorian Z-Cars. AZ, BZ, ACZ. BCZ, BTN & BZN.

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Fully tested
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for 5 years
VANGUARD ZERO ONE VESTA ZERO TWO

• 2 x 5mtr hand held controllers • 2 x 2.5mtr hand held controllers
• 1 x 12V DC accessory • 1 x 12V DC accessory
• O gauge • N gauge
• Twin track • Twin track
• 2.5 A per track
$299 $225
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VECTOR ZERO THREE VORTRAK ZERO TEN

• 2 x 2.5mtr hand held controllers • 2 x 5mtr hand held controllers
• 1 x 12V DC accessory • OO/HO/N/OO9 gauge (1 amp per track)
• OO/HO/N/OO9 gauge • 2 x 12V DC accessories
(1 amp per track) • Four track
• Twin track
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POSTED
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VECTOR ZERO THREE ‘CRAWLER’ Each controller has state-of-the-art design, offering
• Perfect companion for all the small
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manufactured for each track from 220/240 AC mains.
• Slowest speeds ever CDU FOR POINT MOTORS ON-BOARD
• 2 x 2.5 mtr hand-
Our controllers do not have any type of feedback and
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• Twin track not PWM therefore fully suitable for all coreless motors.
$250
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Mail Order: please make money orders payable to E J Baybutt

PO Box 407 SANS SOUCI NSW 2219
• Phone: (02) 9529 2235 • Fax: (02) 9583 9557
• Email: eureka.m@bigpond.net.au
• Website: www.eurekamodels.com.au
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Weathering add $25.00 NOEF in Blue or Red, 3-pack Price $680.00
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THE CHG 4-WHEEl

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THE NSWGR bCW bOGIE CaTTlE WaGON

1974 version
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THE RH FOUR WHEEl CEMENT

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IN TWO VaRIaTIONS
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THE NSWGR RSH 4 THE NSWGR lCH & CCH
WHEEl HOPPER 4 WHEEl COal HOPPERS THE NEXT IN EUREKa’S
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THE TaM
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Standard version Pack of 10 CCH aND CaNDy
pack of 4 $165.00 Pack of 5 LCH & 5 CCH
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$165.00 $150.00
Weathering add $35.00
THE PRIVaTE OWNER

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Before 30/12/18 $440.00
After 31/12/18 $495.00
Factory weathering add $25.00
)DFWRU\¿WWHGVRXQG DGG
Liveries will include CityRail Heritage Red, CityRail Grey, Candy and as originally
ETA 2020
issued to service Tuscan Red and Reverse Red.
NSWGR DEB SET

7KUHH&DUVHW 3UHGHOLYHU\SULFH
)RXU&DUVHW 3UHGHOLYHU\SULFH
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ETA 2020
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After 31/12/18 $495.00
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EARLY 2020
THE VICTORIAN RAILWAYS K CLASS

Full payment received before delivery $720.00
After delivery price $795.00 Photo: Graham Cotterall
Sound add $130.00
ETA 2020
THE NSWGR 38 CLASS RE-RUN

Streamlined LQ%ODFNODWHV
3801 In Green, Black And Grey LQ%ODFNODWHV
LQ6SHFLDO*UHHQ
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3807 in Royal Train Black
3809 in Black
3815 in Black
3818 in Green with Black Smokebox door
3820 in Black
3822 in Green with Black Smokebox door
3827 in Service Green
3830 in Green with Black Smokebox
After delivery price $770.00
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EXPECTED DELIVERY: MARCH 2020
THE NSW NTAF 10,000 GALLON BOGIE OIL THE NSWGR 59 CLASS 2-8-2 GOODS ENGINE IN
TANK WAGON BOTH COAL AND OIL BURNING VERSIONS
)HDWXULQJWKH::'2'IWWDQNRQDZHOGHGXQGHUIUDPHVDVUHEXLOWDIWHU
3UHGHOLYHU\ SULFH $620.00
WW2. $YDLODEOHLQVL[FRPSDQ\OLYHULHVLQSDFNVRI
Factory Weathering
Pack NT1:$PSRO(VVR%ODFN ETA 2020
Pack NT2: 1 Golden Fleece, 1 BP, 1 Black
add $25.00
Pack NT3: 1 Mobil, 1 Shell, 1 Black Sound add $130.00
Pack NT4: 3 Black
Price per pack $165.00

Weathering add $25.00 ETA 2020
3RVWDJH DGG
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and our easy regular payment scheme contact Eureka Models or see our website:
“The Leaders in Sound” www.eurekamodels.com.au

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S A view of Lambing Flat sta-
tion, looking towards the locomo-
tive siding and ‘New Yard’, which
is just around the curve past the
road overbridge. Long-time
Goulburn identity, 4820, rolls
past with a block train of loaded
LAMBING FLAT (Beecroft version)
RU wheat hoppers.
] An overall view of ‘New Yard’,

James McInerney presents the history of his long-lived HO scale NSWGR steam-era
which forms one end of the Y
shaped layout. This yard acts as layout, illustrated with images of the layout as it was just before its most recent move.
an open fiddle yard to reverse Photos by the author.
trains traversing the layout and
also allows a considerable propor-
tion of the rolling stock collection
to be on display, rather than History There had been other NSWGR-inspired
tucked away out of sight, as it The version of Lambing Flat described here Lambing Flat layouts, most of which never got
would be with a conventional hid- had its beginnings in a module, featuring the beyond the bare board and track stage, dating
den fiddle yard. Trains are rear- Wombat Flour Mill, that I built in 1984 and first back to 1977. When I moved to Burwood in
ranged by the use of a shunting displayed at the Modelling the Railways of NSW 1983 my modelling interests had finally ‘gelled’
locomotive following proper convention in August of that year at the old into a specific interest in NSWGR ‘pioneer ’
NSWGR shunting procedures, AMRA (NSW) clubrooms in Rockdale. branch lines and the locomotives and rolling
adding a lot of interesting activity
to what is quite a small layout.
W A well looked after 3267, char- Why ‘Lambing Flat’?

acteristic of Cowra’s P class loco-
motives during the early 1960s, Lambing Flat is the old name for Young, a largish country town on the South West Slopes of
rolls into Lambing Flat with a NSW, and the location in which I grew up. While I did want to model the railway system I grew
mixed train. There is plenty of up observing (the Blayney/Demondrille line and branches), I did not want to model a specific
activity on the platform, as well location on the line, as this would restrict me too much in what I could (legitimately) run on the
as in the goods yard. layout. By modelling an imaginary location, but keeping to the ‘rules’ of NSWGR design and
practice, I could have the best of both worlds.

stock that ran on them, rather than the ‘generic’ NSWGR theme As I had never been a great lover of huge ‘Plywood Centrals’,
that I had been previously pursuing. I decided to construct the layout as a series of small modules,
This, combined with a major advance in my modelling skills, completing each module to the fully-detailed stage before mov-
brought about by the inspiration and mentoring provided by ing on to the next. The ‘mill’ section was the first, and a new sec-
regular attendance at meetings of the Australian Plastic tion was completed each year (and shown at the annual
Modeller’s Association over the previous couple of years, caused MRofNSW conventions) until an almost complete layout (the
me to dispose of my previous Lambing Flat layout and the collec- locomotive siding area was not finished) had its first exhibition
tion of models I had amassed up to that time, and start again appearance at the Cowra Railway Centenary in November 1986.
from scratch. With the purchase of a Mansfield brass 50 class The engine siding area was completed in early 1987 and the
locomotive (still running on the layout today as 5184), I resolved completed layout was exhibited a number of times in that year in
to create a layout, including rolling stock, that was as accurate Sydney and Newcastle. The layout at this time was a terminus,
and detailed as I could make it. exiting to a fiddle yard under the road bridge next to the mill, a
Lambing Flat ² DSSUR[ P [ P P JULG

At A Glance
Scale: HO
Prototype: Inspired by the NSWGR’s Blayney-
Demondrille cross-country line

Period: 1930s-1970s
Layout type: Y shaped end-to-end / fiddle
yard to fiddle yard
Layout size: 4.5m x 4.3m
Baseboard: Plywood, pine and MDF box struc-
ture

Baseboard height: 1360mm
Track: Handlaid code 55/Peco code 75
Minimum radius: 1m

Ruling gradient: No deliberate gradients!

Control: DCC

Structures: Scratchbuilt and modified kits
Scenery: Plaster over polystyrene foam
Locomotives: Brass and plastic r-t-r, kit-built

Rolling stock: Kit-built, r-t-r and scratchbuilt

Builder: James McInerney

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A scene showing the diorama-style presentation of the layout, looking towards the ‘mill’ end of the layout, as a 44 class proceeds towards the
‘Harden’ fiddle yard. The shelf holding up the lights and the space under the layout provides very useful storage space for the various items accumu-
lated by a family over the years. In reality, the bright lighting of the layout also draws the eyes away from the unfinished valancing!
format that was almost unheard of on the Australian exhibition In 1990 my then wife fell pregnant with our first child and it
scene at the time. I have always much preferred shunting wag- was thought that, perhaps, sitting within easy reach of little
ons about to running around in circles and had been heavily hands in the family room was not the best place for the layout!
influenced by British-style terminus to fiddle yard layouts, plus I The roof space was turned into a very pleasant attic and the lay-
wanted to display the layout in such a way that fellow enthusi- out moved up there.
asts could see and appreciate the detail that had been incorporat- Intriguingly, both my children learnt to climb the ladder to
ed into the layout. the attic before they could walk!
At this time, the average exhibition layout was displayed at When re-assembled ‘upstairs’, it needed two new corner sec-
quite a low height, ostensibly ‘so the kids could see it’ and was tions to make it operable again and the existing station sections
invariably a ‘tail-chaser’ with trains racing around at high speed, were widened to allow a major rearrangement of the track plan
whereas I was exhibiting a finely detailed end-to-end layout, at the turntable end to extend the crossing loop and convert the
enclosed in Perspex and carefully lit, at eye-height for an average then dead-end No.2 goods siding into a more authentic double-
adult. For some, the ‘shock of the new’, especially the display ended siding. The first new module, fitting between the mill and
height of the layout, was too much and I think certain individu- yard throat sections, also incorporated a stock siding and a sid-
als took years to recover… I was intrigued to note that, despite ing to the relocated ‘Co-op’ shed. This section was quickly con-
the criticism of the height I received from some quarters, after structed to the working track, first layer of scenery and a couple
Lambing Flat appeared on the exhibition circuit the average dis- of buildings stage, but constructing the stockyards and adding
play height of exhibition layouts did increase somewhat! more detailed scenery did not get done until just before the lay-
For some reason lost in the mists of time, I didn’t exhibit in out was dismantled in late 2018!
1988 but did make some changes to the layout, adding more The other section, at the turntable end, was completed to the
detail and replacing the modified Rails North large A5 station full scenery stage, including a rather nice scratchbuilt trestle, but
building kit with a scratchbuilt A3 skillion-roofed building, con- has been in store since 1999, as it did not fit the new area when I
structed to the plans of Greenethorpe station building on the moved in that year. The move was necessary as the family had
branch to Grenfell. When not being exhibited, the layout (minus outgrown the tiny Burwood house, so a new residence in leafy
fiddle yard, which would not fit) lived on top of a set of bookcas- Beecroft was purchased.
es in the family room of my two-bedroom semi-detached house. This house had a two-car garage, which was to be the home
At home, the ‘fiddle yard’ consisted of one of my home-made of Lambing Flat for nearly two decades. The layout was not reas-
ply stock boxes mounted horizontally on runners under the mill sembled immediately (there was a diversion into a 1:24 scale gar-
section. A down train would be assembled on the main line den railway, but that is another story), but by late 2002 the layout
opposite the mill from the contents of the stock box, run into the was back in operation. The events of the official opening were
station, shunting would take place, then the up train would recounted in Lambing Flat Reopens in AMRM Issue 240 (June
depart, come to a stand opposite the mill and the train was then 2003).
placed back into the stock box. The layout then led a quiet life for a few years, the only major
The last time the layout was exhibited was during 1989, when change occurring in 2006 when DCC control was adopted,
it made a number of appearances, transitioning during the year though it was some time before a significant number of the exist-
to a through station served by a fiddle yard at each end. ing locomotives were ‘chipped’ (some have still not received a

W One of Cowra’s ‘forgotten’ locomotives, sat-
urated 3092, heads home with the school train,
formed from two end-platform carriages and a
VHO for the guard, running past McFee
Motors. While not a scale model of the proto-
type, the building commemorates the real
McFee Motors, a now long-gone service sta-
tion at Young that employed the author for a
couple of months after he left school in 1974.
chip). However, events in the wider world, specifically the explo- esting than using the ‘0-5-0’ shunter (my hand!) as occurred in
sion in availability of HO scale r-t-r NSW models, were about to the existing fiddle yards.
create the conditions for the first substantial expansion of the Construction began in November 2012 and the trackwork was
layout in 20 years (I have often said that progress at Lambing Flat completed and operational by late December, though it was
is measured in inches per decade…) another three years before the scenery was finished!
By 2011 I had accumulated so much new rolling stock that The next six years were occupied with adding more locomo-
there was no space on the existing layout to accommodate it. An tives and rolling stock and various details to the scenery, until
extension was constructed, creating a junction near the mill, late in 2018, by which time the domestic situation demanded
leading to a new fiddle yard. The story of this extension was that a new home be found for both myself and Lambing Flat.
recounted in Along Back Creek in AMRM Issue 305 (April 2014). Before the layout was dismantled, a number of ‘last’ running
The relief afforded by this extension was very temporary indeed. days were held, one of which was recorded by Ron
The collection continued to expand, so it was resolved to replace the Cunningham in The Ramblers Visit Lambing Flat in AMRM Issue
small ‘Murringo’ fiddle yard at the turntable end of the layout with 335 (April 2019) and another by Zac Dray on YouTube at:
a new, much bigger, fiddle yard to accommodate what I already https://youtu.be/qNAGH2xOfmo.
had, as well as the models I was sure to acquire in the future.
While planning this extension, I had become aware that most Baseboards
of the train marshalling activity now took place in the fiddle The ‘underpinnings’ of Lambing Flat consist of a series of 7mm
yards, which wasn’t a lot of fun at all. It struck me that if, rather ply modules, framed with either ply or 25mm x 50mm pine
than construct a traditional fiddle yard, I built the new yard as a (depending on the age of the module) to keep everything rigid
scenic feature, I could have more rolling stock out on display and provide a suitable end plate to allow each module to be bolt-
where I (and visitors) could see them, plus, remarshalling trains ed together.
‘properly’ with a shunting locomotive would be a lot more inter- The first two modules to be built (the mill section and the
The sheep van already has its passengers, but

the cattle wagons are still waiting for theirs to
arrive at the Lambing Flat stockyards as 4820
rolls past with a loaded wheat train.
While the models available for operation on the layout cover a considerable number of years, the attempt is made to not mix the periods too much in
individual trains. Representing the pre-1955 years of steel S wagons, Thow bogie opens and coal in G wagons, a drumhead smokebox 53 class with a
3650 gallon bogie tender drifts past the mill with a train of mostly loco coal from Lithgow, bound for destinations in the south of the state.
yard throat) measured 1100mm x 400mm, as that was the largest One of the reasons I stopped exhibiting the layout in 1989 was
module that would fit across the back seat of the two-door that it had got too big to fit into the car all at once. Despite it
Holden Gemini I owned at the time. The next two modules to be becoming a home layout from 1989, I continued to construct the
built, the main station section and the fiddle yard, measured layout as a set of self-contained ply modules, which was very
1500mm x 400mm as I had, by then, acquired a Holden Camira useful when I moved from Burwood to Beecroft in 1999 and the
station wagon! subsequent move away from Beecroft in 2019.
Up until the layout was extended in mid-1989, the original When the layout was ‘permanently’ erected at both Burwood
four sections, plus the 750mm x 400mm turntable section, along and, subsequently, Beecroft, the modules were supported on ‘L’
with the lighting valances, backscenes, legs and other miscella- girders of pine permanently attached to the walls and the light-
neous items, plus a couple of home-made ply stock boxes, all fit- ing and valances permanently attached to the ceiling in the loft
ted inside the luggage section of said station wagon, allowing at Burwood, then on specially constructed shelving in the garage
the entire layout to be transported to exhibitions in one trip. at Beecroft.
Another pre-1955 scene sees ‘roundtop’ 3607

crossing Back Creek with an ultimately
Cowra-bound passenger train.

While the layout started out as a steam-era
‘pioneer’ branch line, the time period and traf-
fic modelled has expanded to include some of
the early NSWGR diesel locomotives and
‘main south’ style trains that the author is
very fond of from observing them in his youth.
Some problem on the Main South north of
Harden has caused main line traffic to be
diverted to the cross-country line and 42109
and 42201 are just getting into their stride
with a Melbourne-bound interstate train that
they have just taken over at New Yard, having
exchanged loading with a pair of Lithgow-
based Alco diesels.
While this system worked quite well when I was in settled too short to handlay any more track, so the line to the ‘Harden’
long term accommodation, it did take a lot of time to disassemble fiddle yard (described in Along Back Creek, AMRM Issue 305,
on moving and then reassemble at the new location, so the lay- April 2014) and the ‘New Yard’ section were laid using Peco code
out is currently being reassembled at the new location as a series 75 track and turnouts. I have to say that, despite the age of the
of self-contained units, complete with legs and lighting, based handlaid sections, they have held up very well and, being con-
around the original modules. This will mean that when I move structed to NMRA standards, those sections do tend to have
again it can be disassembled quickly and re-erected just as quick- fewer derailments that the sections laid with proprietary track.
ly at the subsequent location.
The modules built since those for the original exhibitable lay- Buildings and Scenery
out still follow the same format, but are bigger, as I no longer The main railway buildings (station, signal box, out-of shed,
need to transport them in the back of a station wagon. The only toilet/lamp room, goods shed, coal stage and turntable) at
criterion affecting the size is that I can manoeuvre them on my Lambing Flat are scratchbuilt to NSWGR official drawings, using
own, so they have been built to fit the space available. styrene and timber as appropriate, while the station master’s res-
Track idence and the ‘white house’ by the level crossing are heavily
The track on the original sections (built pre-1990) is all hand- rebuilt LJ Models card kits. The ‘Co-op’ building and the road
laid code 55 rail, soldered to a ‘skeleton’ of copper-clad sleepers, overbridges are also scratchbuilt. The rest of the buildings,
infilled with timber sleepers, a modified version of the ‘Clive including the notorious mill building, are modified kits from var-
Huggan’ method of handlaying track, as described in Clive’s ious manufacturers.
articles in AMRM Issues 61, 62, 63, 90, 91 and 95 (March, May, Most of the buildings are built on a thin ply sub-base, allow-
November 1973, May, July 1978 and March 1979). ing the completed, painted and weathered model to be placed
The ‘skeleton’ of rail and copper-clad sleepers forming a turn- on the layout as a self-contained unit. This also allows them to be
out, or just plain track, once soldered together were sprayed recovered without damage, should that section be scrapped, or
with ‘rust’ coloured paint and then the pre-stained timber sleep- moved elsewhere on the layout, if changing circumstances
ers were glued in place between the copper-clad ones. Once the require it.
individual ‘units’ were assembled, they were glued to the base- The scenery is constructed from carved polystyrene foam,
board, wired up and, eventually, ballasted after the rest of the acquired from a variety of sources over the years, covered with a
scenery was completed. layer of tinted plaster. When the plaster has set, it is painted with
When I extended the layout, post-2011, I decided that life was the layout’s ‘base colour ’ (a specially tinted tin of acrylic wall
There are three locomotives that ‘cover’ the

shunting roster at New Yard, saturated 5134,
tank engine 3067 and this scruffy specimen,
4102, which is a long way from its usual
haunts in the Sydney suburban area. While
3092 is turned in the background, 4102 is
standing in the New Yard shunting neck with
a rake of modern-era (for Lambing Flat) bogie
wagons, waiting for instructions from the
head shunter. It is a source of great speculation
amongst the local staff (and enthusiasts) as to
why it has been banished to a remote country
location and, indeed, how it got here without
failing… In reality, the model is a beautifully
smooth runner and is far more reliable than
the prototype!
A glimpse over the back fence as well-looked-
after 3267 drifts past the Co-op shed with a
goods train.
paint from the local hardware store) and the first ‘layer ’ of bottle and securing in place with a dilute PVA glue/Matt
ground cover sprinkled on, the paint acting as glue for this layer Medium mix applied with an eye-dropper. I have recently been
and holding it in place. experimenting with ‘static grass’, which can be seen in some of
The first scenery layer traditionally came from my (now the images.
exhausted) supply of dyed sawdust that was created in the early Backscenes were hand-painted with artist’s acrylic paint on
1970s when I was a teenager! As that ran out, I gradually
changed over to Woodland Scenics ground foam. Further layers
were then added as required to build up the depth of the scen- T New yard’s regular shunter, 5134, carries out its duties as Harden-
ery, sprinkling the materials in the appropriate places, ‘misting’ allocated, ‘balanced wheel’ TF, 5405, waits at the home signal for per-
with a water and detergent mix dispensed from an old spray mission to enter the yard.

S The shunter has moved out of the way and 5405 has been admitted to
busy New Yard. Traffic is heavy today; 4820 is waiting on the main line
the older section of the layout, while the most recent section, with a wheat train, 5597 is in No.1 siding with a general goods and
New Yard, is backed by two of the excellent Haskell ready-to- 42109 stands in No.5 siding while 5134 and the yard shunting crew
place photographic backscenes. attempt to keep up with the volume of traffic.
Locomotives and Rolling Stock

As could be expected from a layout the age of this one, the
locomotives and rolling stock to be found on it constitute a veri- attempted to recreate the way the railway operated, as well as
table museum outlining the development of NSWGR modelling how it looked.
from the early 1980s to just last year… There are brass locomo- When I was a young teenager I spent quite a lot of time hang-
tives from the heyday of brass in the 1980s right through to the ing around the station at Young, observing the everyday opera-
latest bits of magnificent plastic from China. tions of what was then a fairly busy place. A walk down to the
The rolling stock likewise ranges from the earliest injection- station after school would normally find the afternoon train
moulded and urethane kits to the latest r-t-r models. There are shunting the station and, as I was quite well known by the staff
even a few scratchbuilt items! Pretty much everything on the and obviously regarded as sensible, I was permitted to observe
layout has had detail added where needed (not so much need shunting operations ‘from the ground’. This gave me a very
to add/correct detail these days) and almost everything has good primer in NSW shunting operations, which was followed
been weathered. Weathering is not ‘generic’, but based on pho- up by an eleven year career (1977-1989) as a shunter and guard,
tos of the item as it was in service. Once one has studied so it was a natural extension to recreate in miniature what I had
enough photos it becomes clear that each class of locomotive observed and performed in 12" to the foot scale.
and rolling stock had distinctive patterns of weathering, Starting out with a written sequence of arrivals and depar-
depending on their age, the period and the locations in which tures, the operating system has evolved and is now based
they operated and I have attempted to recreate these variations around a simple card system. Each vehicle on the system has a
on the models. corresponding card with the vehicle’s code and number written
on it, along with other useful info such as length, prototype
Operation weight and type of (prototype) coupling fitted. There are boxes
While it is very nice to have a layout that looks good, populat- at Lambing Flat, New Yard, Wirrimah and each fiddle yard,
ed with locos and rolling stock that look realistic and run well, it divided into sections that are marked with the various destina-
isn’t going to hold one’s interest for very long if all you can do is tions on the layout and, in the case of the stations, whether the
look at it… Lambing Flat has always been a layout that has vehicle is being loaded or unloaded.

When trains are being made up in the fiddle yards, an appro- ‘Temora’ enters New Yard and is then placed in the storage sid-
priate number of wagon cards are selected from a destination ings for a suitable period to represent the ‘in transit’ time of the
box and those vehicles are marshalled into a train, taking into vehicles. It is then assumed to have returned from ‘Temora’ and
account the appropriate NSWGR marshalling rules, such as the is then routed either to ‘Harden’ or ‘Cowra’ as appropriate.)
necessity to include a vehicle with knuckle couplers and buffers This simple card system results in a never-ending and unpre-
as a ‘cover truck’ between vehicles or locomotives with hook dictable sequence of arrivals and departures of the many differ-
drawgear and those with knuckle couplers, but no buffers. ent types of rolling stock that operate on the layout and provides
The cards are placed in a ‘train card’ made from a length of a pretty good illusion that this is a ‘working’ railway with a use-
heavy card with clear plastic stapled on to it in such a way that ful function, providing transportation services to the surround-
there are individual ‘pockets’ that the cards can be placed in, cor- ing miniature population. It has certainly held my interest for
responding to destinations on the layout. The train is then thirty five years or so.
worked onto the layout, accompanied by the train card, which
tells the operator where on the layout the wagons are to go. The Future…
To make operation even more interesting, the two destination As I write, reassembly of Lambing Flat in its new home is
fiddle yards (‘Harden’ and ‘Cowra’) are at the same end of the almost complete and by the time you read this, it should be well
layout, creating a situation, similar to Binnaway in the north and truly back in full operation, but not in the form described in
west of NSW, where ‘through’ traffic has to be reversed to con- this article. The new space is longer, but not as wide as described
tinue its journey to its ultimate destination. This is the main here, so some rearrangement of the modules is taking place.
function of ‘New Yard’, reversing ‘through’ traffic, as well as rep- Lambing Flat station is on one side of the space, with New Yard
resenting the third destination on the layout, ‘Temora’. (Traffic to (now extended and renamed ‘Bulla Creek’) on the other side,
connected by a couple of newly-built modules (still in the style
described above).
Only the ‘Harden’ fiddle yard could be fitted in, so there has
had to be a rearrangement of the traffic flows, but the
‘Binnaway’ scenario described above has been retained, just in a
slightly different way! If you want to find out how things are
T A view from the other end of New Yard; 5405 has come to a stand, going, consult my Facebook page, where an evolving record is
4820 has departed and a diverted Main South train has arrived and is being kept.
standing on the main line, waiting for 5134 to sort everything out. New
Yard may be small, but it is very busy!
Planting a
Vineyard
Joe Dal Forno creates a vineyard in
HO scale, plus a few other things
with the leftover materials.
Photos by the author.
M
y HO scale layout is of NSW outline, but of no specific able representation of the real thing. Having a sweet tooth
period or location; I just like model railways and ‘mak- can be useful.
ing things’. As it happened, I had a corner on the lay- 6. John Deere bulldozer: an ERTL model purchased from a
out that looked bare, giving me the idea that a vineyard would hobby shop.
be a worthwhile addition for that spot. So I set about construct- 7. Paint: Any suitable paint will do. I used what I had on hand:
ing one, a process that proved to be easy and utilised available Humbrol H29 Dark Earth for the vine supports and Mr
materials. Hobby Aqueous Hobby Color H328 Blue FS15050 Gloss, a
dark blue for the grapes, plus whatever colours were available
Pre-planning for the roses.
The first decision to be made is about the length of each row 8. Roses: I used the same four-strand wire as the vine support
of grapevines and how many of them. Obviously the space avail- and slivers of dried No More Gaps for the flowers.
able will help one to arrive at that answer. In my case, I con- 9. PVA glue.
structed six rows, 15mm (a scale 4'3" – 1.3m) apart. From observa-
tions when visiting vineyards, I estimated that they need to be Making the Vineyard
20mm high (about 5'7" – 1.75m in real life). 1. I cut the wire to 40mm and bent it at a right angle to form an L
It may also be necessary to decide which grape varieties are to shape so that each arm was 20mm long. Two of these are
be grown! As I prefer red wines, I chose to model red grapes. required for each support. I tinned each piece for strength and
The main reason for this, of course, is that they are more visible soldered them together to create a T shape as per Photo 1.
on the layout. In truth I do not discriminate regarding the colour There may be a variation to this method depending on the
of the wine I enjoy! wire/material used, but this was my chosen method and it
proved to be very simple. Make as many as are required for
Materials the size of the vineyard decided on.
1. Vine supports: I used a fine four-strand copper wire that I hap- 2. I painted the toothpick brown before cutting it to a length of
pened to have a supply of, for the combined horizontal and 22mm. I used a toothpick because it provides a large top sur-
post support and a toothpick where only the vertical support face for the ends of the wire supports to rest on. Again refer to
was required. Any wire or equivalent will suffice [Photo 1]. Photo 1.
2. Grapevines: Here I used Heki flock as it consisted of small 3. I drilled 2mm holes in the baseboard top (the hole doesn’t
pieces of green foam that would represent the vine leaves rea- have to be too deep) at appropriate centres (theoretically
sonably well when viewed from a distance. It must have been 40mm centres) to accommodate the toothpick supports plus
nearly 30 years ago that I bought these from Grace Bros, those supports at the beginning and end of each row. The
Roselands, on the occasion of their hobby department being toothpick supports would be placed in each hole and secured
closed. Eventually, everything finds a use! I certainly didn’t there with PVA glue.
think of a grapevine when I bought the flock but at 50c a 4. Next I located the wire T pieces at the midpoint between the
packet I couldn’t go wrong. toothpick supports, so that the ends of the horizontal arms
3. Grape containers: I used planning board indicators (my best rested atop the toothpick supports. A dab of PVA glue is suffi-
attempt at describing them) that were salvaged from a factory cient to keep them in place on the top of the supports, plus on
where I was employed, again over 30 years ago, during a the baseboard, since they won’t be supporting any weight.
clean-up. I have found two other uses for these on the layout Refer to Photo 1 to see how they sit.
as noted below in this article. Again, everything eventually The vertical wire support of the T piece can be secured to the
finds a use. baseboard with another dab of PVA, without the need to drill
4. Grape pickers: These came in a number of packets of figures I a hole, as it will not be supporting much weight at all.
obtained via eBay. 5. Next I placed some PVA glue along the horizontal wire with a
5. Tractor and trailer: A toy found inside a Kinder Surprise choc- toothpick, for short lengths at a time, and sat pieces of flock
olate that, with a dab of paint here and there, makes a reason- atop using a pair of tweezers. I placed as many as I thought
The parts for the vine supports and

grape baskets.

would look realistic, each secured with a dab of glue, continu-
ing until all rows were installed and filled with flock.
6. I painted the ‘grape baskets’ various colours with some paints
I had lying about and filled them with flock to represent over-
flowing baskets of grapes, as in a real vineyard. I also filled
the tractor ’s trailer with flock to show that the pickers had
been very productive!
7. Finally I had a vineyard resplendent in green leaves, but no
grapes, so I decided to paint some of the flock on the rows,
baskets and trailer with a deep blue paint I had on hand to
resemble red wine grapes. I must say that it looks more effec-
tive in this way and certainly makes the vineyard more
realistic.
On a recent trip through the Riverina and the Murrumbidgee
Irrigation Area I noticed that many vines were displaying
autumnal colours of rust, yellow and green and were quite
distinctive as a result, so that this style could be an alternative
option to model. 3
8. One aspect of a vineyard I had read about is that of growing a A closer view of the workers and vehicles servicing the vineyard.
rose bush at the beginning of each row. It seems that roses act
as an early warning system for the winegrower as they attract
pests such as aphids and are susceptible to black rot and mil-
dew before the vine is attacked. 2. Painted appropriately and stacked two high and four abreast
I made rose bushes with the same fine four-strand copper (as in my case) I now had a set of realistic looking bee hives
wire used for the vine supports. I splayed out the wire strands [Photo 5].
and made the rose flowers from thin pieces of dried No More
Gaps. These were attached to the wire with PVA glue and Conclusion
painted various colours [Photo 2]. I am happy with the results. The vineyard doesn’t look out of
place and has received favourable comments from visitors. As
9. Finally, I located figures within the rows and around the
expected, it did turn out to be an easy project to complete.
equipment. I cut small pieces of clear plastic from scrap and
glued the figures to these using superglue, thereby making
the figures more stable on the layout. Luckily some of the fig-
The Future?
There is more room in that corner of the layout, so I think I
ures appear to be dressed for the job and their waving arms
shall plant a few rows of Sangiovese grapes for some Chianti
can be construed to be the act of picking grapes [Photo 3].
style wine. The roses could do with a review to make them larg-
er and more visible, so that’s a project for a rainy day and I have
Other Uses for the Planning Board Indicators
a few more planning board indicators left just waiting for a new
Having found a use for the planning board indicators as
idea!
grape baskets, I realised that these indicators could be useful
elsewhere on the layout.
1. I had constructed an overhead water tank using the Casula
Hobbies water tank kit and I found that the planning board
indicators were ideal as concrete footings for each of the
tank’s timber supports. The aperture of the indicator is 3mm
square allowing the tank support to fit neatly inside. Once
painted they give a good representation of a concrete footing
[Photo 4].
4
Further uses for the planning board indicators: as concrete footings for
an overhead water tank.
Further uses for the plan-

2 ning board indicators: as a
The roses, planted at the end of each row. stack of beehives.

Practical Track Planning for
Operation and Enjoyment
Graeme Barnes, principal of Track Planning Services, describes the development of the track plan for the ‘Armidale,
Dangarsleigh and Long Flat Line’, originally given as a formal address at the 2016 New England Model Railway Club
(NEMRC) convention. Illustrations by the author.
S
ome model railway layouts start at a distinct point in time. Some Practical Considerations for Good Design
The design for this layout is one that was arrived at “An idea for a railway in the mind”
because of an invitation to give a presentation at the New The vision, operating concepts, wants and needs of a mod-
England Model Railway Club (NEMRC) 2016 convention. I ques- eller before starting design of a layout are important for the long-
tioned what I could present to modellers that would have term enjoyment of the layout. Writing down and committing all
impact, as well as provide a worthwhile and interesting experi- the likes and dislikes for a layout is a key element for success to
ence. I owe the inspiration for this design to the ‘well-known’ complete a model railway. Even though our ideas change as we
member of the hobby ‘Raleigh Modlar’. He was the driving force gain experience, or just simply a desire to modify our original
for the idea for the plan and selection of ‘The Dangarsleigh plan for perceived improvement, a written plan is critical for cre-
Room’ at the Armidale convention site. ating a starting point.
Here are some (but not all) reflections before putting pen to
Before Starting paper.
There are a few common principles that drive the initiation of z The space available: our limitations.
a model railway layout. There must be an idea in the mind for a z Does size matter? Big is not best and small is often enough.
railway, inspired perhaps by childhood memories, where one z Aisle widths to fit our size and shape.
grew up, or an experience from a railway journey, magazine z Reaching into the layout.
article(s), or the influence of a friend/relative. z Zero height – to provide for our assorted sizes and shapes.
The idea must be self-evidently satisfying; otherwise it is easi- There is no single answer to height.
ly extinguished with doubts or misgivings. For many people, the z Graded elevation for increased operating opportunities.
idea is often and soon taken over by another more inspiring idea z Track curvature – limited by space available and our ability to
(often a problem for those referred to as ‘armchair modellers’!) reach across oversize curves.
Without the conviction to make a start on a layout, the next idea z Coach and wagon storage. A question of whether we want
is always better, but the layout never gets started. our rolling stock on the layout, in boxes under the layout or
To come to fruition there also needs to be an identified space hidden in another room or out of sight in staging areas.
to build a layout. Every modeller must come to terms with the z Train length. Limitation of what we view at any one time. In
reality of their space [Ron’s Law of Railway Modelling: “The layout real life we rarely see all the train passing before us.
you want to build is always 10% bigger than the space you have to z Operation. How many trains can we control at one time?
build it in” – Editor] In Australia the large shed in the yard, with z Planning grid.
air conditioning, lounge area, workshop, refrigerator, etc. is the z Track, turnouts and inventory.
archetypal dream. Reality is usually different from this dream. z Edges of benchwork; location and shape.
Often our available space is a hallway, spare bedroom, part of a z Wyes (triangles) or turntables? Turning whole trains or just
garage, a covered veranda, etc. If this is what we have, this is individual rolling stock.
what we work with! Available space for most modellers is usual- z Scenic dividers.
ly about 5-20m2. Examples of typical modelling space are shown
in Table 1. Preparing a Visualisation of the Layout
“Seeing the layout”
Table 1 The design of any layout is presented as a two-dimensional
Description of Space Dimensions of Space Area m2 plan. Later, each design could end up as a living, breathing
three-dimensional finished product. The conversion of the 2D
1 sheet ply 1.2 x 2.4m 2.88 concept to something each modeller would love in his space is
2 sheets ply 2 Sheets up to the modeller.
1.2 x 2.4m 5.76 The problem in converting the 2D plan into the layout of our
dreams is greater for some than others. We are not all adept at
End section single garage 1.53 x.3m 4.95 visualising how a plan can be converted into a layout. Some peo-
Small single bedroom 3.3 x 3.3m 10.89 ple are simply not good at ‘seeing’ a 2D plan as a fully operation-
al 3D product. This ability to be ‘spatially aware’ is part of the
Large bedroom 3.6 x 4.2m 15.12 differences between us as human beings.
Single garage 3.3 x 6.0m 19.80
The Idea for a Demonstration Layout
Our response to the desire to build our “An identified space to build a layout”
layout in the space available has conse- The Dangarsleigh Room, used at the
quences. We compensate for the size of 2016 Armidale convention, had many
our models and we condense our ideas “... a model railroad layout starts with a worthwhile features making it ideal for a
for the reality of the space available. desire to create something from our substantial layout [Images 1 and 2]:
Railway modelling is a juggling act in imagination to satisfy our need to see trains z A fully-lined rectangular room
which we give up some aspects of our running through a landscape of our 11.24m x 5.11m
dream to make the layout happen. The dreaming ... “ GB z Area of the room is 57.44m2 [this is a
practical factors that we incorporate into medium to large space for a layout]
clever design for a model railroad are z Good overhead lighting and air-con-
addressed in this article. ditioned for reliable operation

z Glass bifold doors in one of the narrow
ends (north wall)
z Sliding door entry through a 1.7m open-
ing on the west wall
For design purposes other entrances are
ignored.
The frosted glass wall at one end gives
casual visitors a glimpse into the unfolding
experience of a model railway.
Conception of a Plan
The Armidale, Dangarsleigh and Long Flat Line
The AD&LF is one of those iconic, if imag-
inary, treasures of the New England area.
Historically a diverse line, the AD&LF has
operated for what seems an eternity, from
Armidale to the seaport of Port Macquarie.
Socially, culturally and economically these
important centres are a neat and com
plementary pair of Australia’s best country
cities!
This is a ‘bridging’ line (to use American
terminology) carrying a wide variety of rural
and other products between both centres. The Dangarsleigh Room in Armidale; site of the New England Model
Passenger traffic has always been important Railway Club 2016 convention. An ideal sized room for a medium-sized
for the management of the line; business layout and typical of the space available to many modellers. Image courtesy
travellers, workers, tourists and holiday mak-
ers have made travel in both directions
1 of Chris Estreich NEMRC.
important to the overall operation of the line.
The AD&LF joins the sea to the high country.
When the line was first contemplated, it seemed that crossing z Port Macquarie terminal.
the Great Dividing Range would pose a problem, but the bril- z Swanvale; a well-known and iconic destination for members
liant engineers of the NEMRC found a way through the grazing of the NEMRC.
country east of Armidale, through Dangarsleigh and Yarrowitch z Long Flat on the banks of the Hastings River.
and over the escarpment into the Hastings Valley, passing z Bulga plateau; a place for the finest milk products.
through Long Flat and along the Hastings River into Port z Wally Carr, Cedar Tops, Yarrowitch and Dangarsleigh in the
Macquarie. high grazing country.
Raleigh Modlar (RM) had made many requests of the design- z Work Shop Line: a place for RM to sit and work at a bench,
ers before settling on his choice of the route between the two cit- yet, part of a terminal line for repair, storage and program-
ies. After many initial plans were drawn RM selected option ‘E’ ming of rolling stock.
for its all-encompassing appeal, service to the region and long- z Sections of elevated track rising from ‘zero’ level to 325mm.
term potential for a successful, profitable business future. z Gradients from 0.9% to 3.1% (1 in 110 to 1 in 32).
The AD&LF is essentially an ‘around the room’ layout with a z Triangles (wyes) with the capacity to turn entire trains.
large central peninsula. In plan view the layout represents a The two large loops require access hatches to enable construc-
large misshapen ‘E’. The central peninsula juts into the room tion near the walls and to provide future access. The hatches
towards the glass wall and provides enough width for Armidale provide more landscaping opportunities.
and Port Macquarie terminals to be placed back to back on the On the plans all bench edges are shown as orange lines.
peninsula, visually separated by a central divider.
The design [Images 3 and 4] provides continuous running A Trip Around the Layout
with large end loops giving long stretches of open country run- The charming city of Armidale is located on one side of the
ning (bypassing the terminals as required). The plan incorpo- central peninsula in the middle of the layout room. It is an
rates many branch lines to smaller country centres with a rail
service transporting all manner of goods and passengers
throughout the network and to the big cities. Timetables provide
for a multitude of efficient and integrated freight and passenger
operations. Whole trains can be turned on the wye joining the
great loop to the Work Shop. Once in the staging and repair lines
of the Work Shop, RM can tinker and repair rolling stock while
rail operations continue throughout his system.
A Plan to Work With

Essential elements of the AD&LF were established before
design of the layout began:
z HO scale.
z All curves 850mm radius.
z Minimum aisle width 1.0m.
z Maximum reach into layout 800mm.
z Continuous running: Main line 50.06m (shown on the plans
as the blue track).
z Some double track running.
z Total track 179.78m, 110 turnouts. 2
z End-to-end branch lines.
z Rural and urban localities, industries, sea port. The Dangarsleigh Room in plan view. The folding glass doors are at
z Armidale terminal. the north end of the 11.24m x 5.11m (57.44m2) room.

W A planning sheet is useful to help
understand what is wanted on the
layout, whether the plan is being
prepared professionally or by the
builder themselves. Before starting
to design the layout, a clear picture
of what is regarded as ‘essential’,
along with what would be ‘nice to
have’ and ‘not necessary’ is a very
useful thing to have. The ideas for
the layout can be recorded in ‘black
and white’, plus notes made about
specific requirements and non-
required features can be ignored.
W One of a series of hand-drawn

ideas to see if RM’s wishes can be
accommodated in the space availa-
ble. Concept “E” is the basis for the
final CAD plan. The large grid lines
are at 1m intervals. Large test cir-
cles for track are 2m diameter for a
1m gap between circles for aisles.
5
The completed CAD plan of the layout.

important interchange city
with north-south rail traffic
between ‘Sinney’ and ‘Brisbin’
and the seaport line to Port
Macquarie. Here are extensive
carriage sidings, as well as
marshalling and goods sidings.
The rail precinct is a busy ter-
minal for shunting a wide vari-
ety of rolling stock.
From the Armidale termi-
nus, track begins rising
towards the peaks of the New
6
England region, passing The major cities of Armidale and Port Macquarie on the central island benchwork, shown on a 200mm x
through the distinctly rural 200mm grid. This section of the plan shows the myriad opportunities for shunting at both centres. The
centres of the high plains. harbour at Port Macquarie can accommodate models of ocean-going ships next to the wharf, giving both an
Before the main line has trav- interesting scenic feature and a ‘destination/starting point’ for traffic on the railway. The main line is
elled too far from Armidale, a marked in blue, while the backdrop dividing the cities is green; refer to Table 4 for the colours indicating
diverging branch line begins its the other sidings and operational areas.
regular descent towards the
small rural township of
Swanvale. Passing under the
towering curves of the main line the Swanvale branch disap- Industries/freight offering at the intermediate locations
pears into the hills before heading towards its destination, near z Grain silos at Swanvale
the glass wall entrance to the room. z Dairy sidings at Bulga
Before the main line descends to breach the escarpment, a z Timber from Cedar Tops
branch line rises on the aptly named Cedar Tops line into
Dangarsleigh. This is the high point of the layout at 325mm, also Elevation for Interest
facing the entrance to the layout room. Armidale and Port Macquarie are separated by a landscape
Back on the main, the line passes through the old village of backboard on a central peninsula, but are at different heights to
Wally Carr, reputed to contain Australia’s oldest population. The reflect their relative difference in altitude (Armidale is 100mm
line is descending to the coast, travelling through timbered and above the ‘zero’ height of Port Macquarie). The main line is
wooded landscapes of the escarpment. It snows in this region designed for clockwise running, but is essentially a bidirectional
and the timbers and mid-storey trees and shrubs show their rug- single track. To allow for passing on the main, loops are placed at
ged nature for survival. strategic locations. However, much of the main line is graded.
Down on the coastal hinterland, running is a lot easier The loops are designed as flat lengths of track, even though they
towards Long Flat. Before reaching this delightful riverside are in elevated country. These flat loops are a safety measure to
town, there is a diverging track to another terminus at Bulga; counter run-aways.
rich dairy country on its own high plateau. Bulga sits overlook- The track to Cedar Tops rises at 3.1% (1 in 32) to reach
ing the run through Long Flat and trackage heading around the Dangarsleigh at 325mm above ‘zero’ height. At Cedar Tops all
loop towards the distant seaport. rail is level for safe shunting conditions. Further along the main
On this great loop, track takes off towards the Work Shop; the line Wally Carr is at 150mm elevation, with the station’s island
site of all RM’s efforts to maintain his rolling stock and the centre platform on level ground.
of his struggles to maintain and improve his empire. The Work The Swanvale branch rises from zero height at a regular 1.2%
Shop line extends across the glass wall of the room. (1 in 83) grade to join the main line into Armidale.
After circumnavigating the great loop, the main travels a con- From Port Macquarie the main line traverses the hinterland
siderable distance to Port Macquarie. Here the line provides plains through Long Flat before rising 0.9% (1 in 110) to the
shunting and storage services to many dedicated freight busi- Work Shop Wye at 75mm above ‘zero’. From the Work Shop Wye
nesses and rail passengers. Along the harbour, ships are waiting into the Work Shops the line rises a further 25mm to provide
to receive rail loads for foreign and local ports [Image 5]. increased clearance above RM’s workbench. Another branch
from Port Macquarie to Bulga Plateau rises at 1 in 38 (2.6%) to
Significant Passenger and Freight Operations 150mm before levelling out at the thriving community of Bulga.
Some, but not all, operations are outlined here: Image 7 gives an idea of how the various areas are separated
Passenger Traffic by height.
z Armidale/Port Macquarie long distance traffic
z Local traffic for the rural stations at Wally Carr, Long Flat, the Landscaping
Work Shop, Dangarsleigh loop and Swanvale Landscaping turns a piece of track into an artistic delight. This
z Carriage sidings provided at Armidale and the Work Shop. is the realm of the modeller to create something from his
Industries/freight offering at the major termini [Image 6] dreams. Every modeller looks at a plan through different eyes
and with guarded expectations of themselves.
Table 2 This plan simply indicates ‘view blocks’ (the green lines) for
RM to understand that the plan can be broken into a number of
Armidale Port Macquarie discrete scenes [Image 8]. The most obvious landscape compo-
Arenuts Biscuits Jumbuck Jumpers and Sox nents are the backboards running around the room behind the
track and splitting the towns of Armidale and Port Macquarie on
Blood Red Pies Philibert’s Fish Finger Factory the peninsula.
Cedar Tops Chairs Army Dale Furniture Exporters The rest of the landscaping is up to RM! Here are some sug-
gestions:
Public goods yard PQQ Wharves Near the room entrance, the Swanvale Branch disappears into
a tunnel under the towering mountain face, rising to
Armidale industrial sidings Bulga Cheeses
Dangarsleigh Loop. Up above, the cliff sides and Cedar Tops line
Public goods yard rises from a cutting before exiting to the heavily timbered peak
above Dangarsleigh
Marshalling yard
In Port Macquarie many structures are required for passenger,

A ‘three-dimensional’ view of the
AD&LF line when viewed from
the entrance to the Dangarsleigh
Room. To the immediate left inside
the door is the Work Shop branch.
Jutting from the far wall is the
central island, with Armidale on
the left and Port Macquarie on the
right.
freight and manufacturing industries. Some of these structures curves in the layout are 850mm radius. Where there is parallel
may be strategically placed to block other aspects of the town, track, the outer track is 902mm radius with the same centre
until the viewer shifts position to reveal another scene. point.
To scenically separate Long Flat and the Bulga plateau may
only require timbered hillsides and a bridge over the main line Table 3
(as the branch curves away from the bench edge). Armidale Dangarsleigh & Long Flat Line
The extensive nature of the design and the various grades Inventory of Track and Turnouts
provide opportunities for hidden track, cuttings and tunnels. HO Peco Streamline Code 100 Length Quantity
Track Inventory and Placement SL-100 Flex 914.5mm. (wood) 136m 149
With an area of over 55m2
this is a medium to large layout.
SL-88 Right turnout 257mm 8
The precise location of the turnouts and curves is essential. In
this plan, plain turnouts are preferred, while curved turnouts SL-89 Left turnout 257mm 10
and double slips are avoided. The grid for layouts developed by
Track Planning Services (the author ’s company) is 200mm x SL-91 Right turnout 184mm 44
200mm. This is a useful grid as it approximates a typical hand
SL-92 Left turnout 184mm 184mm 44
span. The table of track and turnout inventory gives all informa-
tion for hardware. Each turnout part number is also indicated on SL-93 Crossing 127mm 1
the plan.
In designing the layout care has been taken to place turnouts SL-94 Crossing 248mm 1
in accessible locations. In general, turnouts are placed within SL-99 Threeway turnout 219mm 2
800mm of benchwork edges for easy reach in case of derailments
or turnout failure. Loco refuges and run-around necks are Total track length 180m
designed with the length of the longest locomotive working in
the area in mind.
Another plan locates centres of all (regular) curves. Regular
8
The outline of the baseboard is shown in orange and the locations of the scenery breaks are shown in green. The track is not shown for clarity.
Scenery breaks isolate the layout into viewing blocks. These breaks can take many forms, such as trees and other vegetation; topographic features
such as cuttings, banks, escarpments, low hills; structures, bridges, townscapes, etc. The object is to create distinct and separate points of view as
operators and visitors move around the layout room.

Identification of Sections of Track great loop near the Work Shop Wye). It is possible to build and fit
As an aid to RM, his plans are produced in colour to identify reasonable curves within the loop at some later stage, however
each line of the railway (see Table 4). Each branch line, all sid- the access hatch may need to be sacrificed, causing issues reach-
ings, including carriage sidings and freight yards, and all other ing to the rear of the layout.
sections of track are colour-coded. This is of particular benefit Further lineside industries are possible, e.g. stock loading near
when wiring and planning operational routes around a layout of Long Flat, construction of an abattoir along the main line
this size. between Wally Carr and the Armidale Wye. The design of this
The table also indicated the length of track in each section – layout provides significant long distance running and plenty of
information for laying track and assessing the number of pieces opportunity for shunting for the movement of goods wagons
of rolling stock that can fit into each siding. and passenger carriages.
The AD&LF line was never meant to be a ‘nuts and bolts’
The Future for the Layout Australian layout modelling real locations. Rather it is an attempt
The AD&LF line is a design produced to a wish list for RM. to demonstrate that taking a ‘what-if ’ approach and designing a
Not all ‘wishes’ have been able to be incorporated into the plan layout to suit the individual ‘Raleigh Modlar ’, taking into
(e.g. ore processing was desirable, but had to be replaced with account that modeller’s personal preferences, can result in a lay-
timber getting for Cedar Tops Chairs). A locomotive depot, with out that is very satisfying to build and operate and is likely to
servicing facilities, and possibly a turntable and roundhouse, sustain the interest of the individual RM for a very long time.
could be incorporated into the design (using the area within the
Table 4. Identification of Sections of Track by Colour

Track Section Colour on Plan Length Track Section Colour on Plan Length
Arenuts Biscuits bright pink 1.04m Loco Refuge 3 brown 0.43m
Armidale Industrial Siding rose 2.63m Loco Refuge 4 brown 0.50m
Armidale Passenger Terminal turquoise 6.70m Loco Refuge 5 brown 0.67m
Armidale Wye pink 4.04m Loco Refuge 6 brown 0.43m
Army Dale Furniture Exporters dark teal 0.83m Main Line blue 50.08m
Blood Red Pies khaki 0.77m PQQ Wharves bright pink 10.88m
Bulga Cheeses pink 2.90m Philibert’s Fish Finger Factory dark lime 1.69m
Bulga Dairy Sidings pale green 3.79m Port Macquarie Terminal purple 3.38m
Bulga Plateau Branch red 5.79m Port Macquarie Wye mid green 3.50m
Cedar Tops plum 4.84m Port Terminus tan 4.93m
Cedar Tops Branch yellow 7.41m Station Loop sky blue 1.00m
Cedar Tops Chairs mid blue 0.66m Swanvale Branch rose pink 11.98m
Coach Yards light turquoise 5.94m Swanvale Silos pale yellow 1.60m
DCC Program Track plum 0.91m Swanvale Station and Yards dark tan 2.76m
Dangarsleigh Loop green 2.19m Wagon Yards cerise 7.22m
Freight Sidings dark green 3.36m Warehouse Siding teal 0.65m
Jumbuck Jumpers & Sox yellow ochre 1.12m Woolly Jumper Exporters grey 0.84m
Loco Refuge 1 brown 0.25m Work Shop Line aqua 16.68m
Loco Refuge 2 brown 0.25m Work Shop Wye dark yellow 5.12m
This 1970s-era night scene at a diesel depot, photo-

graphed by Ben O’Malley, shows the sort of cameo
scenes that could be incorporated into a layout built
in the format described by the author in this article.

WAGON WORKS
Backdate an
Auscision
MLV
Ian Dunn changes some details on a proprietary model to represent its appearance in an earlier period of its life.
Model photo by the author.
S
ome time ago, Auscision produced a frame 5'6" wheelbase bogie. In the late
good model of a 36'0", fishbelly-
underframed MLV louvred van.
Materials 1930s an upgrading programme was insti-
tuted and plate-frame, 6'6" wheelbase 2AE
The model depicted a vehicle late in its
life, with roller bearing, high speed Required bogies began to be fitted, allowing a
recoding to MLV, which reflected their
bogies, single roof, bufferless and with higher permitted speed. At some stage an
low lamp brackets. This limits its useful- z Auscision ‘Fishbelly’ MLV model undocumented body repair/replacement
ness for those modelling the popular z One pair of SDS 2AE bogies programme was also instituted, with the
1960s steam/diesel crossover period. z One Stephen Johnson Models corru- three-compartment type being replaced
These very distinctive vans, of which gated iron 36'0" shade roof by a two-compartment variety with much
there were about 100, originated as three- z 21 Stephen Johnson Models shade wider louvred panels.
compartment louvred vans, built on vari- roof support brackets This body was not applied universal-
ous types of underframes between 1910 z Four parallel-shank Cammell buffers ly, and some old three-compartment
and 1921. The first two contracts used the (Casula Hobbies – also available else- bodies were converted to two-compart-
complicated and weak Thow compound where) ment type by replacing the centre pair of
truss underframe and this was modified z MLV decals from InFront Models doors with narrow fixed louvred panel
in the 1920s to a simple queenpost z Brass wire for handrails pairs and re-arranging the interior parti-
arrangement. The later contracts were on z 0.010" x 0.030" flat brass bar for the tions. In 1957-58, Tulloch Limited was
all-steel cantilever underframes. lamp irons contracted to supply 115 very distinctive
All types used the Thow diamond- 36' underframes, with heavy, fishbelly-
In glorious July 1958 sunshine, newly ‘converted’ MLV8347 stands in the yard at Clyde Wagon Works for its official portrait. The specific details
that differ from the Auscision model: 2AE bogies, buffers, marker lamp iron positions, handrails and the ‘shade’ roof, can be easily discerned from the
photo. Railway Archives photo.

profile solebars. These were married to
reconditioned 2AE bogies and many
had MLV bodies fitted. Most of the
bodies were new-builds of the two-
door variety, but a very few were the
old three-door type converted to two- IN THE LOOP
door as outlined above.
The subject of this model conver-
sion, MLV8347, was originally built on
a steel cantilever underframe by Clyde
as part of Contract 16/14. As BLV8347 it
entered traffic in July 1915 and was
The Exhibition
Experience
upgraded to MLV by the fitting of 2AE
bogies and knuckle couplers in 1952. It
was one of those chosen for a new
Tulloch underframe and was out-
shopped in July 1958 as a rebuild, with Trevor Hodges discusses the pros and cons of exhibiting. Photo by the
new under frame, new body and author.
reconditioned bogies – a masterpiece
of creative accounting. It survived in
revenue service until 1979, when it
A
couple of times in the past or entirely on my own.
was transferred to the L Register as twelve months I’ve been I’ve also built a number of home lay-
Material Wagon L270. It was con- involved in discussions that outs and have been involved in build-
demned in July 1991. started with sentences along the lines ing a couple of club layouts. The first of
To backdate the model to its 1958 (as of: “Well that was disappointing. There the exhibition layouts was Wynot (an
‘rebuilt’) condition, in which it ran for wasn’t anything very new or that I haven’t HO layout) which had a single exhibi-
at least fifteen years, you need to dis- seen before. There hasn’t really been a good tion appearance at the Newcastle exhi-
mantle the model and make the fol- layout since (insert your own preference of bition in 1997, Stringybark Creek (an O
lowing modifications. Remove the air scale, gauge or prototype here)...” These scale layout) that appeared at a series of
hoses before unscrewing the bogies sentences, almost always delivered by exhibitions in the early 2000s, Queens
and unclipping the body from the someone I know who has just visited a Wharf (my own small diorama in O) that
chassis. The only modification needed model railway exhibition, always get appeared at four or five shows in
to the chassis is addition of 1'5½", par- my attention because I rarely feel like Sydney, Brisbane and Murwillumbah,
allel shank Cammell buffers, and this after attending a show. as well as Morpeth (again in O) that
painting the handbrake and release Even if there are no layouts in my appeared at a show held by the Aus7
levers dark grey. own scale and gauge, I almost always Modellers group in 2014 and at the New
On the body, file off all the marker find something to inspire me and I England Convention in 2018.
lamp brackets and replace them with often meet an old friend I haven’t seen I was involved in a major overhaul of
brackets made up from 0.010" x 0.030" for a while at the show and can catch the scenery on the New England Model
flat brass bar – two up high on the sides up with over a coffee. Just as common, Railway Club’s layout Swanvale.
of the corner pillars each side, and two when I enquire about an exhibition I However, aside from helping out with
in the lower middle of each end, as was unable to attend in person, is the its appearance at Delungra in 2004 (that
seen in the photo. Add wire handrails reply “Not very good, too many trade I wrote about in an earlier In The Loop) I
on the end of each corner post, using stands...” The exact proportion of trade can’t claim I ever helped to take this lay-
the photograph as a guide to place- stands to layouts is never specified, so I out to a fully fledged exhibition. All in
ment. On the roof, mark a line 0.5mm must assume it’s some golden mean all, I’ve probably attended about ten
in from each edge and glue seven roof- that exists only in the mind of this criti- exhibitions with a layout and about the
support brackets inside each line. Add cal exhibition attendee. same number as a representative of a
another seven along the centre line of If you take this to an extreme and modelling organisation on an informa-
the roof. combine these two assessments of exhi- tion stand. I certainly won’t claim this
While the brackets are drying, spray bitions, then a really good exhibition is makes me an expert, there are others
the underside of a Stephen Johnson actually impossible: as there hasn’t been who have put in vastly more time
36’0” corrugated iron shade roof black, a good layout since (insert your own exhibiting than I. However, I feel I’ve
then cut it to length and glue it to the preference of scale, gauge or prototype done enough ‘exhibiting’ to offer some
support brackets, ensuring even over- here) and as there are always too many observations about the experience of
hang at the sides and ends. Carefully trade stands; even if there were no attending a model railway exhibition as
scrape and sand the data plate print- trade stands the layouts weren’t worth part of the show rather than just as a
ing off, leaving a smooth, grey panel a second glance anyway! Hence a paying attendee and observer.
for a decal. Spray the body and roof ‘good’ exhibition is forever out of reach. I want to cover this topic because I
your preferred shade of grey, then re- I suppose one could pose the ques- feel strongly that we all have a vested
assemble the body and chassis, taking tion, “So if things are so bad, what have you interest in making model railway exhi-
care not to bend or damage the end done to address this shortage of good lay- bitions the best they can be. Some feel
verticals and side strap bolts which outs?”, but the obvious rejoinder would these shows are the life blood of the
extend below the bottom of the mould- be to ask what I’ve done to achieve this hobby where we meet, talk, shop and
ing. same outcome. While I can’t claim to inspire each other at the same time as
Screw in a pair of SDS 2AE plate- have set the world on fire with the allowing the general public a view into
frame bogies and lastly insert the air quantity of my exhibition layout output, the ‘what’ and ‘who’ of our hobby. In
hoses. Decal as seen in the photo, and given that I work in O (7mm) scale doing so we are exposing the next gen-
overspray with a flat finish and and as such the results of my output are eration of modellers to the possibilities
weather to taste. Now you have a likely to be viewed as being outside of this hobby.
very distinctive MLV to vary the con- ‘mainstream’ interest, I can count five In a very real sense exhibitions are
sists of your 1960s/1970s goods trains exhibition layouts I’ve been involved in the one place where the general public
(and a spare pair of roller bearing building with a team of other modellers get a close-up view of the things that
bogies).

make this hobby what it is and get to talk to the people who are I started building the exhibition portion of Morpeth in about
involved in it. When one considers the responsibility this places 2010. It was shown in an incomplete state in 2014 and again in
on those of us who organise and exhibit at such a show, one 2018 when it was almost finished. So it took all of my modelling
starts to get a sense that this activity is quite an opportunity and output for the best part of eight years to get it ready to exhibit in
I feel many more of us could, or should, be involved. its final form. This includes building rolling stock and locos to
In an effort to encourage those of you reading this who run on it, of course, but it’s still a fair chunk of time. I’m willing
might be contemplating building an exhibition layout, I thought to concede that I’m fussy and slow, but I don’t show models
I might take a broad look at my exhibition experience and the that are less than the best I can do at the time I display them,
conclusions I’ve drawn from these. Hopefully this might help to which might help explain why it took so long for this layout to
dispel some of the concerns you might have about undertaking appear in public.
such an enterprise and help you avoid some of the pitfalls I’ve The point I’m trying to make is that it took a lot of work and
encountered over the years. I’ll start with the downsides, but it quite a bit of money to get Morpeth to a point where I was ready
needs to be kept in mind that these are all personal observations to show it in public and my guess would be that this would
and as such they do not apply in all cases, to all exhibitions and apply to any individual or group who might be contemplating
to all layouts. After that we’ll take a look at the upsides and also doing something similar. My advice is if you’re thinking about
look at some observations that don’t really fit into either of building a layout for exhibition use, take some time to consider
these categories. whether you’re in a position to commit to the time and expense
that such an endeavour requires.
The Downsides If not, then the exhibition-going public will still be there
Let’s be upfront about it: if you decide to build and exhibit a when you are able to make such a commitment. By that stage
layout then you’re going to have to invest a considerable you may be able to produce a layout that is even better than it
amount of your own money and time into the venture. In spite otherwise would have been, as it will employ all of those skills
of what you may have heard, in my experience the recompense you will have developed in the mean time. As for Morpeth, this
exhibitors receive back from the organisers of exhibitions very particular layout is very unlikely to ever appear in public again
rarely comes even close to covering the costs of taking a layout because, now that it has been incorporated into a larger home
to a show. layout on the upper storey of my shed, getting it down and into
This becomes particularly apparent if you live outside a met- the trailer has become a major undertaking. But you never
ropolitan area and have to tow a trailer housing the layout any know...
distance. I have a feeling that some exhibition organisers set If you’re anything like me you’ll tend to underestimate the
their remuneration scales prior to the first oil shock in the early time a given task or tasks will take and overestimate the time
1970s and that’s where they’ve remained ever since. And yes, I you have available to carry these out. Getting a layout ready for
am exaggerating. As a very rough guide I can remember attend- an exhibition is always an exercise in getting the most out of the
ing one exhibition where I estimate my out of pocket costs ran time you have available, but it would pay to be mindful that,
to something like $800.00 for fuel and accommodation. I unlike a home layout, exhibition layouts need to be presented
received $250.00 from the organisers to offset these costs. neatly and this almost always requires a skill set that does not
As no one who builds a layout for exhibition use does so to lie within every railway modeller’s background, including me.
make money, I don’t consider this amount to be particularly sur- Sewing up curtains to hide the trestles the layout sits on,
prising. However, if they’d offered me $600.00 I wouldn’t have making layout nameboards, getting a lighting rig built and
said no! operating and making sure everything is clean and remains
One of the author’s

exhibition layouts,
‘Queens Wharf ’,
set up and ready
for action at the
Brisbane Model
Tr a i n S h o w i n
2012.

damage free takes planning and organisation, a far cry from the There are lessons to be learnt from people like Geoff Nott
skills needed to get a steam loco you’ve built to run sweetly. that stay with you, lessons that you can only learn if you main-
Estimate what time you think you’ll need to get these tasks tain an open mind and by building a layout and taking it to an
completed and double this estimate. exhibition. Layout building is a common language that, in spite
Also, ensure you give the better half a good six months’ of differences in scale, gauge or prototype, we hobbyists all
notice with repeated reminders that she’s promised to sew the share. However, if you wish to practice speaking this language
layout curtains if you wish to maintain domestic harmony. I you need to immerse yourself in it by building something and
have a partner who is a trained Home Science teacher and a sis- taking it to a show.
ter who is a trained Fashion teacher, but I still ended up sewing Perhaps the biggest upside of taking a layout to an exhibition
the curtains for Morpeth myself, and it shows! is the deadline provided by such an appearance and the incen-
And finally, do not, under any circumstances, make major tive this provides to get a lot of jobs done that otherwise might
changes to the electrics within six months of an exhibition and slip a little further down the priority list. Having recently built a
even with this, give yourself ample time to thoroughly test and new home layout, I’ve had plenty of experience of how certain
debug any such changes. Crawling around under a layout at less-than-exciting layout tasks can be put off virtually indefi-
10pm the night before the exhibition starts, trying to track nitely, mostly because there’s always something more interest-
down an electrical issue, is no fun. And no, you don’t have to
ing to do or friends to meet to have a coffee with.
ask how I know this!
However, when your pride and joy is going to be stared at
by the thronging masses in a couple of weeks you have a very
The Upsides
big incentive to get things done. Morpeth has a ship model sit-
While exhibiting can be draining both physically and men-
ting at its pier and I doubt very much I’d have commenced
tally, generally speaking I find the whole experience to be enor-
mously rewarding. Because I’ve spent the last 30 years of my building it without the incentive provided by Morpeth’s atten-
life living in regional NSW, exhibition attendance has almost dance at the New England Convention in November 2018. I
always meant that I have to travel considerable distances to get didn’t get the ship model finished, but the hull and main super-
to a venue, except for the Murwillumbah show, which hap- structure were completed and painted in time for this show, so
pened to be held in the same town I was living in at the time. at least it was identifiable as a ship.
The organiser, Phil Flynn, had asked me to attend with I won’t try to put a rosy glow on my experience of exhibiting
Queens Wharf a couple of times, but after I moved to the same layouts and pretend that it’s all been totally positive. I’ll never
town I felt I’d run out of excuses, so I took the layout to the forget setting up a layout I’d had a part in building with a
show at the local high school and had a wonderful time. The group, only to discover that the trains only seemed to travel
whole experience of getting things ready, packing, driving to a across a recently installed bridge in one direction. When we
show, meeting up with friends and of course, playing trains for tried to get them to cross in the other direction they derailed
the weekend, is payback for all the work you’ve put into the every time. For the next three days our trains only ran in one
layout. If you happen to win an exhibition trophy for your lay- direction on the layout, but no one seemed to notice and the
out then this is an added bonus but, generally speaking, and if layout won a couple of trophies so it all turned out OK in the
everything works as intended, attending an exhibition with a end.
layout is great fun. Or the time a group of us spent hours trying to find a short
Perhaps the most positive thing about taking your layout, or circuit on a layout without success. At about 9pm on the Friday
a layout you’ve worked on with a group, to a show is that you night before the exhibition with still no trains running, we final-
get to see people’s reactions to all your hard work. Seeing the ly rang one of the group who wasn’t present to ask him if he
light in a small child’s eyes as the stock you’ve poured your could suggest anything. To this he replied “I laid some track on
heart and soul into roll past really takes some beating. There’s my module last week, perhaps you might want to look to see if I’ve
also the experience of having your work praised by your peers gapped the rails”. The track he’d laid using copper clad sleepers
and possibly modellers you’ve known and admired for years. had no gaps cut between the rails, thus causing the short.
Having the missus tell you your trains are “cute” is, of course, a The layout had worked flawlessly a couple of weeks before
positive experience. However, there’s something very special when we’d set it up to test it prior to the exhibition and he’d
about having your work praised by a knowledgeable peer. made this change after this test run. None of us had realised
I’ll never forget a rather sour-faced man, holding several that this change had been made, so it wasn’t something we
bags stuffed with train items, walking up to me at an exhibition were looking for. However, there were a couple of members of
and proceeding to interrogate me about the cost of the models I the group who were looking for him the next morning!
had running on my layout. He fired several questions at me I’m sure that any group of modellers who have built and
that ran along the lines of “How much did that cost?” and “Is that
exhibited a layout could relate similar tales. However, I’d sug-
ready-to-run or a kit?”, to which I had to admit that it was in fact
gest that it’s the acquisition of such experiences, both positive
neither and that I had scratchbuilt the model in question. After
and negative, that forms part of the reason hobbyists continue
obviously having all his suspicions confirmed, he turned to
to build layouts. By definition, building a layout, setting it up
walk away muttering something like “Too bloody expensive”.
and getting those tiny little wheels to successfully traverse a
As the thought “Why do I bother?” ran through my mind I
was approached by a rather tall man who proceeded to heap length of track in a public setting is, on the surface, such an
praise on my little layout and asked me several insightful ques- unlikely event that I’m pretty sure people do it just because it’s
tions about how I’d achieved a particular scenic effect and the a challenge. A bit like Edmund Hillary being asked why he
weathering applied to one of my locos. It was only later that I climbed Everest, to which he’s reputed to have replied: “Because
walked down the aisle of the exhibition to discover that this sec- it’s there”. Why did I build a layout for exhibition? Because I
ond person was (the late) Geoff Nott. love this hobby and I think people outside it should get to expe-
I stood in front of his layout and looked at the many prizes rience a little of what I feel for it.
and trophies his layout had acquired over the weekend and If you ever find yourself saying something like “There really
I’ve since convinced myself that I’d gained an insight into why hasn’t been a good layout since (insert your own preference of scale,
he was such an outstanding modeller: he was like a sponge gauge or prototype here)”, then my suggestion would be “build a
who soaked up tips and modelling techniques wherever he layout yourself and take it to a show”. No matter what type or
was, even from modellers who worked in different scales, gaug- quality of layout you build, such an experience will very quick-
es and prototypes from the ones he worked in. But the thing ly cure you of making such statements in the future and we’ll
that really sticks in my mind is that he clearly knew my name all benefit from seeing a new layout on the exhibition circuit.
while at the time I didn’t know his. Isn’t that what’s it’s all about?

TRAINS WORTH
MODELLING
QR/QRN
‘Sweeper’
Freight Train
Nos 243/752
Lincoln Driver describes a Queensland train service, much associated with steel traffic, as it was during the ‘noughties’
(2000-2009). Photos by the author unless otherwise credited.
A
s with the rest of Australia, steel remembers fondly from his time working The term ‘sweeper’ train was given to
products are a commodity that is for QR, but will include some information this service due to the nature of its opera-
carried by rail in Queensland. on the early noughties as well. tion, as it would pick up (sweep up) and
Unlike the other states of Australia, drop off wagons enroute to and from
Queensland has never had dedicated The ‘Sweeper’ Train 243/752 Townsville. The service number designat-
steel-carrying trains. This is due in part to QR/QRN’s ‘sweeper ’ trains carried a ed to this train was 243X in the down
the considerably smaller amount of steel variety of goods such as timber, logs, pet- direction (northbound to Townsville) and
products being transported and the rol, diesel, oil, molasses, overflow contain- 752X in the up direction (southbound to
restrictions of having a smaller loading er traffic, departmental wagons, new out- Brisbane). The character X at the end of
gauge as a result of Queensland’s 3'6" of-gauge coal wagons for the Central the service number denotes the owner of
(1067mm) gauge track. The only excep- Queensland coalfields (both QRN and the service, in this case the Intermodal
tion to this was the Queensland Rail/QR Pacific National) and of course steel prod- business within QR/QRN. In the early
National (QR/QRN) ‘sweeper ’ freight ucts. It was also used for locomotive and noughties this service would run up to
trains of the noughties (2000-2009) that wagon balancing/servicing purposes. On five times a week in each direction
ran on the North Coast Line (NCL) from the odd occasion, this train could be com- (Monday to Friday), but by the mid-to-
Acacia Ridge (Brisbane) to the northern prised purely of wagons loaded only with late noughties it only ran up to three
city of Townsville. These trains sometimes steel products, however this was rare. times per week in each direction.
carried large quantities of steel products. This would only have been a result of not During this latter period the north-
The focus of this article will be on the having any of the other loading on this bound (243X) service departed Acacia
mid-to-late noughties, which this author train. Ridge on a Tuesday, Thursday and
S QR National northbound ‘sweeper’ freight

train, Y243, hauled by GE locomotive 2820, is
seen crossing Kanyan Rd between Theebine
and Paterson crossing loops (between Gympie
and Mar yborough) on 5 May 2006.
Unusually, the train is conveying steel prod-
ucts only to destinations north of Brisbane.
Photo by Matt Green.
W QR National train, Y752, the southbound

‘sweeper’ is seen departing Glanmire crossing
loop (south of Gympie) on 26 November 2006.
GE locomotive 2814 is hauling Clyde/EMD
locomotives 2501D and 2357 ‘dead attached’.
Most of the rolling stock is made up of empty
steel carrying wagons returning to Acacia
Ridge. Other rolling stock of note in the con-
sist are four VAOW woodchip wagons (con-
verted from old coal wagons) which were being
transferred to Acacia Ridge for eventual use in
Western Australia by ARG (a subsidiary of
QRN). There are also a few fuel tankers bring-
ing up the rear. Photo by Matt Green.

On 3 November 2007, QR National northbound ‘sweeper’, Y243, was photographed just after it had departed Elliott (south of Bundaberg) with
2840 and 2494H towing locomotive 2602 ‘dead attached’. A good variety of wagons appeared in this train; a container wagon carrying a 40’ open
container loaded with timber products, followed by a single QLX louvred van, three WSE water wagons (by this time these wagons were being used
to transport molasses) and a fuel tank wagon. Steel loading (in the three types of wagons detailed in this article) has been marshalled in the middle of
the train, with rail and sleeper carrying wagons at the rear.
QR Heritage Locomotive 1620 was transferred from Rockhampton to Brisbane on the QR National southbound ‘sweeper’, Y752, for overhaul/reacti-
vation to the QR Heritage fleet. Only the leading locomotive, 2388, was powering on this occasion; 2842, 1620 and 2410D were all ‘dead attached’.
Empty steel-carrying wagons returning south are marshalled at the front of the train and empty fuel tankers (out of picture) are at the rear of the
train. The train is seen passing through Bundaberg station in the afternoon of 13 January 2008.

W Solid round bar bundles loaded in a HWOS
open wagon at Acacia Ridge on 11 March
2007. Photo by Arthur Hayes.
Saturday arriving in Townsville on a

Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. The
southbound (752X) service would depart
Townsville on a Tuesday, Thursday and
Saturday with the arrival at Acacia Ridge
on a Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
Compare that with today; with the priva-
tisation of the coal and freight businesses
(Aurizon formerly QR National) it now
only runs on an as-required basis, often
only carrying departmental wagons and
very little revenue freight.
The corresponding train number uti-
lises the first three characters of the ser-
vice number with the addition of a prefix
character denoting the train type. In the
case of 243/752 ‘sweeper ’ freight train,
the first character of the train number
differed depending on the motive power
and the maximum train speed of that
particular service (based on the maxi-
mum speed of rolling stock being con-
veyed). Most of the rolling stock on these
trains restricted the maximum speed to
80km/h.
The list below shows examples of the
first character of the train number:
z 6- 80km/h diesel-hauled
z C- 80km/h electric-hauled
z D- 60km/h electric-hauled
z F- 100km/h electric-hauled
z Y- 2800 class-hauled train, running
between Rockhampton and Bris-
bane (maximum speed not appli-
cable)*
*2800 class locomotives are out-of-gauge
rolling stock between Rockhampton and
Brisbane and this train ID character is
used any time a 2800 class loco is mar-
shalled in a train in this area.
The second character of the train num-
ber denotes the destination. In this case
the “2” refers to Townsville and “7” refers
to Acacia Ridge.
Motive Power
There was a wide variety of locomo-
tives used on ‘sweeper’ trains during the
noughties. Both diesel electric and electric
locomotives were used. However, if elec-
tric locos were used ex-Brisbane they had
to be replaced with diesel locos at
Rockhampton in order for the train to
] C channel and angle iron loaded in a

HWOS open wagon at Acacia Ridge on 11
March 2007. Photo by Arthur Hayes.
W Bundles of steel rod loaded on a PFU flat

wagon passing through Bundaberg on 21
October 2006. Note the use of timber dunnage
between rows of bundles for ease of loading
and unloading.

X Various types of steel could be carried on
the same wagon, as depicted here with C chan-
nel and I beams loaded on top of plate steel on
a PFU flat wagon, seen here passing through
Bundaberg on 10 January 2006. As with the
previous photo, timber dunnage is placed
between the steel plates and the I beams/C
channel to facilitate loading and unloading.
continue the journey north (Rock-

hampton is the northern limit of electrifi-
cation on the NCL). The use of Clyde
ASEA Walkers (CAW) 3900 class electric
locomotives (EL) ceased after 2005, as the
class was transferred from the Regional
Freight group to the Coal and Mineral
Group to assist in the expansion of coal
services in Central Queensland (CQ).
From 2005, General Electric (GE) 2800
class and 90t Clyde/EMD 2170/2470/2300
class diesel electric locomotives (DEL)
became the main motive power on these
services. It wasn’t uncommon to see a
lash-up of different classes of locomotives
on this service, although not all were pro-
viding power, instead being ‘dead
attached’. Locomotives of the 1720 class
DELs also appeared on these trains from
time to time, however this would normal-
ly be for locomotive balancing/servicing
purposes. Occasionally, Central Queens-
land coal locomotives, such as the 2600
and 4000 class DELs, would be attached
to this service to be sent to and from
Redbank for repairs or overhauls. New
locomotive deliveries to the northern coal
depots would also be attached to this
train.
Between 2008 and 2010, 45 Siemens-
built 3800 class electric locomotives were
shipped from Germany to Queensland,
arriving at Brisbane’s Fisherman Island
port. They were then transferred to rail at
Fisherman Island and railed to Acacia S Various sizes of I beams loaded on a PFU flat wagon at Acacia Ridge on 13 April 2006. Photo
Ridge to then be hauled up to Yukan/ by Arthur Hayes.
Jilalan (near Sarina) on train 243 for even-
tual use in the Goonyella Coal System. T Long steel beams (up to 25m) could be carried using three PFU flat wagons marshalled togeth-
The 3700 class electrics (converted by er. As can be seen here at Acacia Ridge on 5 October 2007, the overhang of the long load is above
United Goninan in Newcastle from the adjacent runner wagon by a minimum of 200mm, as required by the loading regulations. The
Comeng/Hitachi built 3100 and 3200 class) ‘runner’ wagon could be loaded too, as long as its loading did not prevent the long beams moving
were also conveyed from Acacia Ridge to through curves. Photo by Arthur Hayes.
Yukan. An unusual locomotive transfer
occurred in 2008, QR Heritage English
Electric diesel (and class leader) 1620, was
relocated from Rockhampton to Redbank
for overhaul/reactivation to the QR
Heritage roster.
Steel Loading
Numerous types of steel products were
carried on these trains, including plate, I
beam, H beam, angle, C channel, tubing,
plus solid round bar and reinforcing bars.
These steel products were a part of a con-
tract with BHP, having been brought up
from the south on standard gauge trains
to Acacia Ridge and then transferred to
narrow gauge wagons. The steel products
were then transported on 243 to northern
cities such as Rockhampton, Mackay and
Townsville. After unloading, these wag-
ons would return empty back to Acacia

W An empty HO open wagon, passing
through Bundaberg on 27 November 2005.
Ridge on 752. In the early noughties, steel

was also transported to Maryborough,
Bundaberg, Gladstone and Cairns. QRN
lost the BHP Steel contract in 2009/10,
however some steel products are still car-
ried today by Aurizon in the form of
open-type container traffic, but the task is
considerably smaller.
Steel Carrying Wagons

QR/QRN utilised two types of wagons
for carrying these steel products; flat and
open wagons.
Flat Wagons
One type of flat wagon was used dur-
ing the noughties; the PFU flat wagon.
Originally built as the QFX/QFC flat/con-
tainer wagon (between 1965 and 1976), a
total of 25 PFU wagons were converted
and available for steel traffic by the end of
September 2000. They were fitted with
permanent timber bolsters across the
wagon to assist with loading and securing
devices. Permanently mounted securing
chains and winches were also fitted. The
tare weight of a PFU was 21.2t with carry-
ing capacity on the NCL of 41.8t, giving a
gross weight of 63t. PFU flat wagons
would generally carry large steel plates,
owing to the ability to carry wider steel
plates than were possible within the con-
fines of an open wagon. Some of these
larger steel plates were out of gauge to
QR’s normal loading gauge, but were able
to be transported with restrictions on
what lines they were allowed to travel on
(as allowed by the Manager of Special
Loads).
It wasn’t uncommon to carry other
steel products, either separately or on top
of plate steel up to the maximum weight
S Some empty HWO open wagons passing south through Bundaberg on 27 November 2005. permitted to be carried by the wagon.
The timber dunnage was left in unloaded wagons and used again for the next northbound load. Utilising three PFU wagons marshalled
together, 25m long steel beams could be
transported. The beams would be loaded
T A loaded HWOS open wagon passing through Bundaberg on 21 October 2006. onto the middle PFU wagon, 5m of over-
hang would be across the adjacent two
wagons (also known as ‘runner’ wagons).
Extra bolsters made from sleepers were
mounted on the ends of the middle
wagon to reduce sag and ensure that a
minimum height of 200mm above the
floor of the runner wagon was main-
tained. The entire PFU class was with-
drawn from service in 2009 at the comple-
tion of the BHP contract.
Open Wagons
Two types of open wagons were also
used for steel traffic. These were the HO
and HWO classes of open wagons.
The HO class of open wagons was
originally built in 1973, with a total of 250
made for general freight duties. They
were the largest open wagon QR had
(largest by cubic carrying capacity), more
than doubling the size of the previous
largest open wagon type. The tare weight

X Empty SCFU 20'
open containers riding
on PCZY container
wagons passing through
Bundaberg on 27
November 2005.
of the HO was 20.8t, with a carrying rying capacity on the NCL of 42.4t for a demand, but the majority of the time the
capacity on the NCL of 42.4t, for a gross gross weight of 63t. traffic was conveyed on 243/752 in the
weight of 63.2t. They featured two sets of Like the HO wagons, the HWO were classes of wagon described here.
swing-opening doors on each side and becoming less useful with the increase in
were less than ideal as access to load and containerised loading in the 1990s. In Conclusion
unload the wagon was restricted. September 2001, 25 HWO wagons were By the end of the decade the QR/QRN
Ironically, in 1992, 20 HO wagons were recoded to HWOS for use as dedicated North Coast Line ‘sweeper ’ trains were
converted to the HOE class by removing steel traffic wagons. These wagons were what I consider one of the last ‘interest-
the doors and painted white and green easily identified by the end doors being ing’ freight trains to operate on the NCL,
for BHP steel traffic. Some of these HOE painted blue with white stencilling on the due to the variety of locos and wagons
wagons were written off in a level cross- door stating: “Steel Traffic Only”, “Return to that were seen on them. Added to that
ing accident at Wilmington (between Acacia Ridge when empty”. From time to was seeing the interesting steel products
Bowen and Townsville) in 1994. Some time, when the need arose, some ‘stand- that were once carried by rail, almost all
other HO wagons had their doors ard’ HWO wagons were also used for now lost to road transport. A decade later,
removed, but were not recoded to HOE steel traffic up and down the coast. almost all of the revenue freight trains on
and were used in captive traffic, trans- After the BHP Steel contract expired the NCL are made up of containers on flat
porting coil steel between Whinstanes some of the HWOS wagons found their wagons.
and Acacia Ridge yard in the early 1990s. way into general freight traffic, in particu-
With the move towards containerisa- lar the weekly Rockhampton to Winton Modelling
tion in the 1990s, HO wagons in general freight service. The last remaining Quite a few of the locomotives and
freight traffic were starting to become sur- HWO/S wagons were withdrawn from wagons mentioned in this article are
plus to requirements. Like a lot of other active service in 2014. There are three available commercially in HO scale, in
surplus wagons, conversions took place to HWOS wagons stored inside the Mt Isa both r-t-r and kit form. The following list
get more use out of them, such as PHO Q-Link goods shed, three HWO wagons is by no means exhaustive (there may be
platform wagons, HOQ bulk cement, are in use by Queensland Rail at their low-volume specialist items available that
HOS concrete sleepers, HOA palletised Mayne depot for internal material storage we are not aware of).
loading and underframes for tank wag- and two more HWOS wagons have been
ons, to name a few. All HO wagons were purchased by a private owner. The rest of Locomotives
withdrawn from service in 2013, with the the class have been disposed of. Southern Rail have available r-t-r ver-
exception of six wagons that were sold to sions of the 2300 and 2170 class Co-Co
EDI for transporting Perth suburban elec- Additional Wagons diesel-electric locomotives, and models of
tric train bogies from Maryborough to A small number of half height 20' open the 2400/2470 class were expected to be
Acacia Ridge. containers fitted to container wagons released soon as this article was being
The HWO open wagon was originally (usually from the PCUY or PCZY class of written. Wuiske Models/Haskell have pro-
built in 1977/8 as a general-purpose open container wagon) were used to supple- duced r-t-r models of the 2470 and 1720
wagon and was the last open wagon that ment the above listed wagons for the class Co-Co diesel-electric locomotives.
QR purchased. Although they were the BHP contract. These containers were
longest open wagon QR/QRN owned, coded the SCFU class and featured drop Wagons
they had a smaller cubic carrying capacity down doors on each side of the container CGL Models has available r-t-r models
when compared with the HO wagon, to assist in loading/unloading of steel of the HWO/HWOS open wagons, while
owing to the lower height of the sides of products. Their small size restricted how PGC Scale Models produced a kit for the
the wagon. A total of 125 HWO wagons much they could carry. There were issues HO open wagon.
were built. They were fitted with twelve with these containers; the drop down
drop down doors (six on each side) which doors were known to get lost in transit Acknowledgement
enabled easy access to loading and from time to time. The author would like to thank Arthur
unloading of the wagon. The tare weight Other classes of wagons may have Hayes for his assistance in preparing this
of the HWO wagons was 20.6t, with a car- been used from time to time due to article.

BILLABONG MARINA 7
Moving the Traffic

Tom Carlos, having built his layout, puts it to work. Photos/diagrams by the author.
T
he water laps against the stone appears; a 48 class with four ice-chilled is some conversation between the driver
wall, gently rocking the fishing refrigerated vans and a guard’s van rolls and shunter, along with some pointing
boats whose crews are unloading into Billabong Wharf station, making sure and head nodding. The crew returns to
their overnight catch. Seagulls swoop and the rear of its train is clear of the points the rail tractor and with a roar it pulls its
caw with the hope of catching a stray fish (Diagram 1). load away from 4894.
while pelicans stand nearby silently, The X200 class shunter couples to the The working day for the rail staff at
expecting a feed. The serenity is quietly guard’s van at the rear of the train and Billabong Marina has begun.
disturbed by a distant and growing rum- 4894 is released. The guard exchanges The crew of 4894 trundle their loco
ble. Before long the source of the noise paperwork with the crew of X210. There back through the station and stops on the
main line. Then they grab a
bacon and egg roll and a coffee
for breakfast from the Tower
Ale House and enjoy the new
morning’s sunshine.
For the crew of X210, the
first part is easy. There are four
refrigerated vans to drop off at
Fine Fish. Two will go inside
the building and two will go
out the front. The rail tractor
pulls the vans past the bakery
and around the rear of the fish
co-op before propelling them
into place. The guard’s van is
still attached. The rail tractor
drives across the bridge and
reverses the MHG into the
empty cattle siding. This is the
perfect place to store it as the
Photo 1: Shunting the wharf sid-

ing to move the MLV between the
wagon positions shown in
Diagrams 2 and 3.

48 class will reverse onto its
train and then push the train
to collect the guard’s van
(Diagram 2).
A look at the ‘pick ups’ for
the departing train shows that
an FMW frozen meat wagon
needs to be picked up from the
bakery, an empty rail tank car
(RTC) from the fuel depot, an
MB closed van and a BD open
wagon from the wharf sidings.
A fifth wagon needs to be dealt
with as well. An empty MLV
louvred van needs to be
moved from the wharf to the
bakery to be loaded with baked
products [Photo 1]. This is
located underneath the crane 1
on t he wat e rs id e si di n g,
behind the MB. The crew tack-
les this first.
The MB and MLV are pulled
from the siding. The MLV is
placed on the platform road
and the MB replaced pretty
much where it was. It will be
collected later.
The rail tractor and the MLV
travel back over the bridge,
past the swagman and his
tucker bag, and pull up at the
Billabong Marina platform.
The van is on the wrong end of
the rail tractor. The crew of
X210 can run all the way
around the little railway to the
rear of the wagon, or they
2
could use the dairy siding as a
run-around road. The dairy
siding has a milk tank in the
siding, but it can be moved, so
it is not too much of a problem.
If it was just me, I’d take the
loco for a spin all the way
around, but most crews seem
to choose the latter method
(Diagram 3).
The MLV is uncoupled and
X210 rolls forward before
reversing onto the milk tank.
Once attached, the milk tank is
then pushed further back and
the rail tractor couples to the
rear of the MLV. The FMW is
removed from the bakery sid-
ing and placed on the main
3
line. The MLV is put in place
and the FMW is retrieved. The
train consist is now FMW-
X210-BMT [Photo 2].
To replace the milk tank the
reverse move is made. The
Photo 2: Shunting the bakery sid-

ing involves removing the FMW
meat wagon and replacing it with
the MLV moved from the wharf
siding. The shunt is in progress
near the dairy sidings and soon
the wagons will all be in the posi-
tions shown in Diagram 4.
Australian MODEL RAILWAY Magazine

demand, there could be two or
three trips and some passen-
gers might need to travel in the
guard’s compartment. It’s all
part of the adventure of travel-
ling to Billabong Marina!
Returning to the shunting
task, the whole train is used to
pick up the open wagon before
it is placed on the platform
road and the SHG returned to
the siding.
Now all four wagons for the
outgoing train have been
assembled. The order isn’t
important as the train will be
taken apart at the main yard
and the wagons forwarded
4 onto their final destinations
from there. However, I do like
FMW is left on the main line while X210 pro- ter as it is the smaller distance to cover. Not to keep RTCs in the middle of
pels the milk tank beyond the dairy siding only this, but it also means that they can go the train.
before the points are thrown and then the milk straight into the wharf sidings to collect the The 48 class crew backs the
tank is placed back in its rightful position. The MB left behind earlier (Diagram 5). Once the locomotive back onto the four
rail tractor is now on the other end of the FMW MB is attached, the BD is the next wagon to be wagons and, once coupled,
and in the perfect spot to collect the empty oil picked up. It is hiding behind an old SHG sets back further to collect the
tank from the depot (Diagram 4). goods brake van on the second siding. guard’s van. With the train
The little rail tractor reverses its single The SHG is used for passengers travelling complete, brakes checked and
wagon train to the oil depot and pulls out the from the wharf station to the marina platform. the paperwork all in order, the
empty RTC. The crew now have another The rail tractor places the SHG in the station 48 class toots its horn and
choice; travel forward all the way around the and a rail motor pulls up behind it. Passengers grumbles away leaving the lit-
layout or propel the two wagons back to transfer to the old vehicle for the short trip to tle railway in tranquillity again
Billabong Wharf. If it was me, I’d go for a trip the marina. The SHG is then propelled back (Diagram 6).
around the layout. Most crews choose the lat- with passengers from the marina. In high Although it was constructed
first, Billabong Marina is now
an extension of a larger layout
and trains run to and from
other destinations on the larger
layout.
I love operating model rail-
ways. Not just running trains
around circuits (though that
can be very therapeutic some-
times), but running trains with
a purpose. It is what happens
on the real railways, so why
not model that aspect of it as
well? When a wagon arrives
on the layout, it has a destina-
tion, a reason to be there.
As part of the operations of
the larger layout, wagons are
moved about using wagon
5 cards and waybills. Each
wagon has a wagon card with
its number and a useful
description - generally its col-
our – on the card to help oper-
ators find the right wagon for
the card. The bottom of the
card is folded up to create a
pocket for the waybill.
A waybill is essentially a bit
of paper with delivery instruc-
tions. When I worked in a
warehouse shipping books
years ago, we called them con-
signment notes. It had the
address of the receiver, the
contents of the freight and the
address of the shipper. They
were bundled up and handed
to the truck driver who collect-
Shunting the layout in ‘stand-alone’ mode.
6 ed the boxes we were shipping

out. The consignment notes (in an age operational day. The cards of the new make the cards, as it would also produce
before the internet was popular) effective- wagons are put in the first box. The cards an inventory of all of my rolling stock,
ly travelled with the parcel we were ship- for the outgoing wagons are in the fourth which would be handy for insurance pur-
ping. box. Their wagons are located and they poses.
In the same way, a waybill travels with leave the layout. All of the cards are then Type “car cards and waybills excel” into
the wagon to which it is assigned or, in moved along one box. The waybills are your favourite browser and you’ll find a
our case, placed in the wagon card pock- not changed before the wagons leave as number of examples, or instructions on
et. For example, a TRC refrigerated van their inbound waybills can help the oper- how to make them. I downloaded a cou-
has travelled from Sydney overnight and ator locate the wagons. ple of Excel files from Gerry Hopkins’
arrives at the marshalling yard. The oper- There is a problem with this as all 16 website years ago after visiting his layout.
ator of the yard receives the wagon cards spots would be filled, so that when a new A quick internet search re-found Gerry’s
from the crew of the train so that the train arrives, there would be 20 wagons, a page: www.greatnortherndownunder.
wagons can be sent to their final destina- loco and guard’s van to be dealt with. com/Operation/Waybills.html.
tion. There would be little space to move. Not Gerry is a master modeller and has a
The TRC is to be delivered to Fine Fish only that but it would also mean that I fantastic layout based on US prototype. I
at Billabong Wharf, so it is assembled into would need to consign 28 wagons to the expect many readers already know of
a train for Billabong Wharf. When the layout. Gerry and his website; it is well worth a
train is ready, the wagon card is passed By reducing the wagons already on the look around.
onto the train crew. When the train layout to 12 and the number of trains to For the waybills, I initially created my
arrives at Billabong Wharf the card is three per operational day, the layout is own with lots of details. Then I used some
handed to the shunting crew. They look more manageable and I only require 20 made with an Excel file downloaded from
at the waybill and place the wagon in the wagons. Four trains per day would mean Gerry ’s website. However, after a few
siding at Fine Fish where it will be ‘load- that I would need 24 wagons. operating sessions, you soon work out
ed’. The process of moving the cards that the operators just need to know
In this case, instead of a waybill that is through the boxes is the same except now where to place the wagons, it doesn’t
filed somewhere, it stays in the pocket. I use three boxes. The fourth box is for ‘off matter where they come from or to some
Each waybill is double-sided and has four spot’ wagons – wagons which can’t be extent what they are carrying. Now I use
different destinations. At the end of each delivered just yet. For example: despite a PowerPoint file that I downloaded from
operating session, the waybills are usually my best planning, I had a fifth refrigerat- Rod Valance’s Willow Creek Railroad web-
changed to their next destination, ready ed van delivered to the fish co-op which site: www.sites.google.com/site/willow-
to go at the next operating session. has space for only four vans. The wagon creekrr. Rod’s layout is great and it is defi-
Each location for wagons to be deliv- was left in an available space and the card nitely worth watching the videos that he
ered with this system generally has its was placed in the ‘Off Spot’ box. When a has produced on his layout.
own box on the front of the layout. With place became available during the next lot Using PowerPoint is more labour
this layout attached to the larger layout, I of shunting moves, it was delivered to the intensive than an Excel spreadsheet, but
reckon that I can have 16 spots for wag- fish co-op for loading. Rod has used coloured borders around
ons, one of which would be blocking the This system can be quite forgiving of the wagon destinations. This helps the
curve near the tavern. Most of the wag- mistakes too. In one of my operating ses- person operating the marshalling yard
ons used are bogie wagons. I have four- sions a van was to be moved from the and assembling the trains, as they don’t
wheeled stock, but I have yet to incorpo- wharf to the bakery. It was accidentally need to have a great grasp of the geogra-
rate them into the layout operations. marshalled onto a train to the main yard, phy around your layout as all of the same
Four-wheeled wagons would double the where the mistake was realised. It was colours can go onto the same train
number of spots as a 18’ S truck is half the then merely placed onto the next train [Photo 3]. As I created these, I wrote a
length of a 40' bogie vehicle. back to be delivered to its destination. number of lists out for the destinations
However, as the front of the layout is The mistake was easy to rectify as the and trains the wagons were to go on.
only 1.45m long, I don’t have enough waybill card travelled with the wagon. Each waybill was recorded on up to five
space for 16 little card boxes. If I group Where do you get the car cards and lists. This was probably over the top, but
some spots with a common feature, such waybills from? Originally, I made my own it was to make sure that not too many
as Billabong Wharf, I would still need a using Microsoft Publisher, printing onto wagons were delivered to one destination
lot of boxes. 200gsm card, and wrote out all of the data or sent out on a particular train.
I have four boxes. The idea is that there onto the cards. I was told by a fellow club Experts tell me that “there is more than
are four trains of four bogie wagons each member that I should have used Excel to one way to skin a cat”, so you could just cre-
Photo 3: The shelf that holds the

‘paperwork’ that tells the operator
what the vehicles have to do.

the next wagons to leave are 2,
4 and 6. When they arrive at
the front of the layout, three
more wagons, say 12, 5 and 8
are moved. The wagons down
the front will cycle through
more quickly than the wagons
at the rear. More wagons could
lead to more opportunities for
interesting movements, but too
many would gridlock the lay-
out.
Other options are to put
another industry on the
approach road to the station.
Bear in mind that the indus-
tries need not be the same as
are marked on the plan. Trains
7 could work in up and down
movements. Our first train
ate your own waybill cards in a way that suits ons 1, 5 and 8 and take them to the front. While from the back could work
your needs. I certainly find them a useful way I have my industries labelled, these could be ‘down’ to the station via the
to move wagons. substituted for whichever other industries took end of the quays and over the
Retur ning to Billabong Marina, it is your fancy. If we used four-wheeled wagons, bridge. Our second train could
designed to operate as a stand-alone railway as we could have more to choose from and the work ‘up’ across the bridge
well. As such it can hold its own, giving opera- shunting could be even more challenging. first. As such, maybe these
tors enough work to do. The next three dia- Once the train is assembled, it is hauled to trains work only the sidings
grams show the layout set up for ‘local’ opera- the front of the layout (Diagram 8). Wagons 1, 5 with trailing points (points
tion with 12 wagons and the SHG – to provide and 8 are swapped for 9, 10 and 11. There where the train would need to
a guard’s van with passenger accommodation would have been some running around when reverse over to change tracks)
for the passenger service to the marina wagon 11 was collected. The train then trun- on these trips.
(Diagram 7). dles over the bridge to the rear of the layout With a layout like this, even
We could limit our work to one side of the
W (Diagram 9). though it is quite small, there
layout at a time. Here we need to pick up wag- Once wagons 11, 10 and 9 are put in place are many options that you
could play around with. That’s
all part of the fun!
Reflections on the Layout

Billabong Marina is a fun lit-
tle layout. I have enjoyed
building it and learning new
techniques. My operators
enjoy the shunting challenge
as much as I do. On its only
outing (so far), to a school fete,
I had a great time running it.
Would I build it again?
I reckon that I would. It fits
the space that I have very well.
However, if I had even slightly
more room, I would definitely
use ‘first radius’ track, or at
least 10" (255mm) radius
curves. Once I ballasted the
8 track, I found that some of the
stock that went around when
there was a bit of flexibility in
the roadbed, now came off.
First radius set track curves
also give you smoother transi-
tions from the points. This
would make the layout longer
and wider, but there would be
fewer restrictions on the rolling
stock that could be used.
For those with not much
space, a layout like this has a
lot of ‘bang for your buck’,
allowing a lot of modelling
activity in a very small area.
9
Gallery
The
Commonwealth
Railways
Standard Gauge
Malcolm Jenkins kitbashed
the rear of a Lima SDP40 and the nose
System
of an Atlas E8 to create this N scale model of James McInerney samples some of
CR CL6. It is powered by the mechanism from a Bachmann SD45.
The prototype entered service in 1970 and worked on the Commonwealth Railways (and later the delights of the Commonwealth
AN) standard gauge network until converted to a CLF in 1992. Railways. Photos by Gavin Thrum,
unless otherwise noted.
The Commonwealth Railways’ stan-
dard gauge system across Australia is a
much neglected modelling topic. While
the diesels, Indian Pacific carriages and the
bogie exchange stock have achieved a cer-
tain level of recognition, perhaps due to
their appearances in the more-modelled
eastern states, the Trans Australian
Railway itself, particularly in the years
prior to the Australian National takeover
in 1975, is not a subject that has often
Malcolm Jenkins created this N scale model
appeared in these pages. However,
of CR GM12 class locomotive, GM16, from a thanks to these photos, supplied by Gavin
Weico whitemetal kit, riding on a Lifelike SD7 chassis with some Thrum (images from the 2017 Modelling
etched details taken from an American F7 locomotive. The prototype GM16 entered service in the Railways of South Australia convention)
1956, hauling general traffic on the Trans Australian line, as well as coal trains from Telford to and Paul Grundy (models he has con-
Stirling North. It continued on these duties until it was withdrawn in 1991. structed), we can present a tiny sample of
the delights available to those who are
prepared to look further afield than the
‘mainstream’ modelling topics.
Bryan Howleson modified an N scale Bachmann Spectrum GE ‘44 Tonner’ diesel

locomotive to represent the Commonwealth Railways’ DE90, which was originally
imported by the US Army in 1943 for shunting at Commonwealth Department of
Munitions’ factory at St Marys in NSW. After the war it briefly became the
NSWGR’s 7921, but was reclaimed by the Commonwealth government in 1948
and used for shunting at the Commonwealth defence facility at Woomera.
The CR took it over in 1950 and used it mostly for shunting at Port Pirie and
Port Augusta. After a long life in CR and AN service, it returned to NSW in the
1980s and is now preserved by the NSW Rail Museum at Thirlmere, once more
wearing its old NSWGR number, 7921.
T This N scale model of the CR’s Budd railcar CB1 was kitbashed from a Kato r-t-r model by Bryan Howleson. This vehicle was one of three stand-
ard US RDC-1 design Budd railcars imported in 1951 and used on passenger services between Port Pirie and Woomera (and from 1951/1961 to
Tarcoola). They were also used on services to Marree and Whyalla, once those lines were opened. When Australian National took over the CR in
1975 they were withdrawn from service and stored at Port Augusta until reactivated for the new ‘Iron Triangle Ltd’ service from Adelaide to
Whyalla in 1986, on
which service they were
used until December 1990.
CB1 was then donated to
the Port Dock Station
Railway Museum for pres-
ervation, in 1996.
g February 2020. Page 51

Gallery
S Paul Grundy has specialised in modelling locomotives and rolling stock from the full history of the Commonwealth Railways from its opening in
1917 until the ANR takeover in 1975. His personal collection includes a huge number of individual items, covering both the standard and narrow
gauge systems, many of which he has also made available to fellow modellers through his ‘shop’ on the i.materialise 3D printing site. This image
shows his HO scale steam era ‘Trans Australian Express’ running behind a ‘near-enough’ G class, converted from a ‘high-frame’ NSWGR 32 class,
on the Rockingham Model Railway Club’s layout. Photo by Paul Grundy.
W Paul’s 3D printed HO scale model of a BRP
second class wooden sleeping car with clerestory
roof. The prototype was delivered as an ABP com-
posite sitting carriage, but was quickly converted
to a BRP second class sleeping car and formed
part of the consist of the original East-West pas-
senger train. It remained as part of the Trans
Australia service until replaced by air-conditioned
carriages in the 1950s. Photo by Paul Grundy.
W Another 3D printed HO scale passenger car
from the early days of the Trans Australia line,
an ARP first class sleeping car, painted in the
chocolate and cream colours used prior to the
Second World War. The prototypes were deliv-
ered from 1916 and used on the Trans Australia
service from the beginning. Some were convert-
ed to sitting cars in the 1940s and some were
later placed on narrow gauge bogies and used
on ‘The Ghan’ during the 1950s/1970s. Photo
and model by Paul Grundy.
W This N scale model of CR Theatrette Car,
W144, is a modified Spirit Design VR E car kit
and was also built by Bryan Howleson. The pro-
totype was built as 8AE, a VR and SAR joint
stock carriage for ‘The Overland’ in 1907, serv-
ing on that train until 1952 when it was sold to
the SAR and renumbered 551. It was eventually
resold to the CR in 1961 and converted into a
mobile theatrette car in 1963, serving on the
famous ‘Tea and Sugar’ train until removed
from service in the mid-1980s and sold to the
Ghan Preservation Society.

X This N scale model of a Common-
wealth Railways VFX box van was
constructed by Bryan Howleson.
The prototypes entered service from
1971, were recoded ABFX from
1980, some became RBFX when
taken over by National Rail in the
1990s and some became ABFY when
purchased by SCT.
X The CR was known for very

large items of rolling stock, such as
this 70' long CE/ACEY cattle
wagon, which was created in the
mid-1970s by welding together two
35' CB class cattle wagon bodies on
a new underframe. The original
underframes of the CB cattle wag-
ons themselves dated from the con-
str uction phase of the Trans
Australia Railway, having been
built as R type flat wagons in 1914.
The CB cattle wagon bodies dated
from the early 1930s. Photo and
HO scale 3D printed model by Paul
Grundy.
X Another huge CR wagon was the
SC/ASCY vehicle built for the con-
veyance of sheep in 1964. There
were only six of these 85’ wagons,
numbered 1792-1797. They had a
capacity of 500 sheep. Paul built this
model using an HO scale 3D print
that he created and, as with his
other models shown here (and many
others), has been made available
through his i.materialise shop.
Photo by Paul Grundy.
X This model of a CR LEX/ALEX
semi-louvred van was also made
from an HO scale 3D print by Paul
Grundy. The prototypes, consisting
of 40 vans constructed by Common-
wealth Engineering in Qld, entered
service from 1965 and were allocat-
ed road numbers 1926 through
1965. In AN days, many of these
vans were converted to container
flats. Photo by Paul Grundy.
X Phil Badger built this N scale CR GOX

bogie open wagon from a Peter Boorman’s
Workshop urethane kit. The master was cre-
ated using 3D printing in Frosted Extra
Detail Plastic by Shapeways. The prototype
entered service in 1972, was recoded AOOX
in 1980, with some passing to National Rail
in the 1990s,where they were recoded
ROOX.

Reviews
NSWGR S Four-wheeled Open one-piece casting, sometimes take
Wagon kit in O scale (1:43.5) by on a definite twist.
ModelOKits, PO Box 379, The rest of the construction
Ermington 1700. Website: www. process was fairly straightforward
modelokits.com. Email: sales@ (I followed the instructions) and
modelokits.com. Price: $85.00. followed the well-worn path of
most 7mm scale wagons. I
Prototype removed the Slaters wheels sup-
S trucks were the most com- plied with the kit from their packag-
mon four-wheeled wagon on the ing and cleaned these up prior to
NSWGR with their numbers reach- fitting. These wheels are steel and
ing something over 10,000 in the they often have some minor oxida-
1930s. These ‘standard’ 18' long tion on them and this is a lot easier
wagons began appearing in 1900 The last S trucks were with- examined the white styrene body to clean off prior to fitting them to
with the full steel-bodied S truck drawn from revenue service by the components to ensure that every- the wagon.
gradually becoming ubiquitous on mid-1980s. [The full story of the thing was in order. I followed the I drilled the whitemetal W irons
the NSWGR system. The early evolution of the NSWGR S truck diagrammatic instructions and had to accept the Slaters brass bear-
steel-bodied wagons were pro- was told in Craig Warton’s articles the body shell together in shor t ings in my pillar drill, holding the
duced in batches in the early part ‘S, S and S’ and ‘S, S and S Part 2 order using a commonly available casting in a small jig supplied sep-
of the 20th century and there was - The Fiddly Bits!’ in AMRM Issues spirit-type styrene cement to arately by ModelOKits that is
then a lull in new construction until 191 and 192 (April and June 1995) assemble the par ts. I folded the designed for this operation so that
the 1940s when a major ‘renewal’ – Editor]. brass etches that form the external the casting is 90° to the drill bit. I
program was commenced that saw ‘steel’ corner braces of the body fitted the top hat brass bearings
the entire existing fleet of steel- Model and glued these in place with a and retained these with a small dot
bodied S trucks replaced with a Quite a few years ago I read medium-strength super glue. After of super glue. After I had these
new design of 18' four-wheeled somewhere that something like one this glue had set I gave the body a components ready, I drilled the
open wagon, still coded ‘S’ and third of all wagons on the NSWGR good scrub with a tooth brush in holes in the body identified in the
retaining the running numbers of system in the late 1940s through to warm soapy water, thoroughly instructions for various detail parts
the earlier version. the early 1970s were made up of rinsed it and set it aside to dry. and wire. Some of these holes are
The post war ‘composite’ S the humble S truck. I make no The components assembled extremely difficult to drill after the
truck would be the version most claims to the accuracy of this pro- very easily and produced a body wheels are fitted so this is best
familiar to modellers. This consist- portion (it may in fact be higher or that was warp free, providing the done as early as possible in the
ed of a steel underframe, steel lower), but it can be used as a perfect base for the later fitting of assembly process.
body panels and coping with timber rough guide and translated into the whitemetal W irons. I found this On most of my wagons I’ve fit-
framing, fabricated W irons and model form it means that the rolling to be a significant improvement ted the W iron castings with a two-
wooden side doors with metal stock roster of anyone modelling over some of the urethane wagons par t epoxy-type glue which I’ve
hinges and fittings. They began to the NSWGR in that era should con- I’ve assembled over the years always found to suit this type of
appear in 1945 and on through the sist roughly of one third S trucks. which, while often provided as a application. However, epoxy does
later part of the decade and into the In my case I have 18 wagons on
1950s, with some minor detail dif- Morpeth which would mean I
ferences between the ones pro- should have approximately six S
duced in the early and later 1950s. trucks. I have four and after build-
The model appears to be based ing the Waratah Model Railway Co
on the vehicles that entered service kit for this review I now have five. I
in the years just prior to 1953 (it have a sneaking suspicion I’m not
has the original type of underframe alone in having too few S trucks on
and the modified version of the my layout…
second type of door without the Kits for the S truck have been
centre strip), except that the W available to fine-scale 7mm
irons are the flat sheet (with round- (1:43.5) modellers for approxi-
ed cut out openings) style intro- mately 25 years from at least three
duced some time in the mid- different suppliers. However, up
1950s. Interestingly, the photos on until the recent introduction of the
the ModelOKits web site show the Waratah/ModelOKits S truck kit, The almost complete model prior to painting, showing the mixed injection-
original ‘fabricated’ type of W iron these have all been supplied with moulded plastic and metal detail parts construction.
fitted to the sample model photo- cast urethane bodies. This new kit
graphed. However, it appears that utilises the same detail castings
the types of W iron fitted were free- and construction methods as the
ly mixed during overhauls in the earlier version of the kit. However,
1960s, so it is not impossible that in something of a first for this
an early S truck could have been scale, the body is supplied as a
fitted with the later type of W irons high pressure, injection-moulded
during its lifespan. ModelOKits can styrene sprue of parts which need
supply the S truck kits with either to be assembled before the details
type of W iron, though the modeller are attached.
does need to specify which type is I removed the parts for the kit
required at the time of purchase. from the flat ModelOKits box and The model painted and ready for weathering and addition of couplers.

have its downsides for affixing the W irons to a Railway Portraits Volume Five by Robert and
wagon. If you wish to use the full-strength glue Bruce Wheatley. Published by WriteLight.
then you have to wait at least eight hours for the Available direct from the authors. Email: rob-
glue to set and I have had components move in ertwheatley@aapt.net.au. Ph: (02) 4757
the past. The five-minute variety works better in 3570. Price: $55.00 (plus $20.00 P&P).
this regard, however it’s still very slippery and I This magnificent series of photographic
seem to have a great deal of difficulty applying it books is now up to volume five (six, if you count
just to the surface I want it to be applied to. the Wheatley brothers’ original volume The Last
For this build I have been using a fresh bottle Days of Steam, published in 1971) and they
of green Zap-A-Gap (also supplied by show no sign whatsoever of declining in quality.
ModelOKits) and have found this to have excel- This 112 page volume keeps to the now
lent adhesion (not always the case with the super well-established format of mostly full-page b&w
glues I’ve come to rely on) so I used it to glue the images, accompanied by informative and read-
W irons in place after checking the spin of the able captions, interspersed with longer passag-
wheels and that the axles looked level in all es expanding on the images revealed. The
planes. Wheatleys must have a huge collection of great
After the fitting of the wheels it was a fairly images, as there has been no ‘drop off’ in quali-
simple process of walking through the instruc- ty of the images as the series has progressed. If arresting manner, as well as providing lots of
tions step-by-step and applying the body and anything, the images have become even more modelling inspiration.
underbody detail castings and folding and gluing interesting as the authors move further away The text is very well written, describing the
in place a range of different types of brass wire from ‘standard three-quarter’ shots of trains to circumstances around the capture of the various
for steps and hand rails. After washing the wagon offer more ‘artistic’ viewpoints and to concen- images in an informative and often humorous
again and masking off the wheel faces I sprayed trate even more on the activities of the people way, especially when describing escapades that
the body with a coat of Dulux self-etch primer who actually ran the system. would probably get one arrested today!
and then applied a coat of Tamiya German Grey Among the many highlights of this volume This volume (along with the other four in the
from one of their small spray cans. This colour is were the two photos on pages 12 and 13, cap- ‘modern’ series) is available direct from the
a little lighter than I’d prefer but I can’t get my turing locomotive crew taking water; images authors, via the contact details above, and from
favourite Floquil colour any longer so this colour that take the viewer right ‘into the scene’. In fact, specialist outlets, such as Train World (Brighton
will have to serve as a stand in until I come up the many images that include railwaymen are Vic), Gwydir Valley Models (Glen Innes NSW),
with something better. The Tamiya paint provides definitely the ‘standout’ images in this work, Berg’s Hobbies (Parramatta NSW), Transport
a semi gloss surface perfect for the application of presenting an insight into a very hard and dirty Heritage NSW (Thirlmere NSW) and the ARHS
the decals. way of life and providing the modeller with plen- (NSW) bookshop.
I purchased my first Century Models wagon ty of inspiration for detailing models. This volume, as with all the previous ones,
kit approximately 25 years ago and at the time I A par ticularly fine example of this is the should appeal to all, catering as it does to the
paid $99.00 for it. After 25 years and with the image on p.82 showing the Moss Vale fuelman full-size railway aficionado, the modeller and to
significant improvement of an injection-moulded shovelling out an ashpit. Another aspect I much all those whose appreciation of railway photog-
wagon body this S truck kit retails for $85.00. enjoyed was the views back (and forward) raphy goes beyond the practical and delves into
The proprietor of ModelOKits, Glenn Scott, has along trains, such as those on pp.106-107. the realm of art that is, at the least, well the
been known to offer ‘show’ discounts at the exhi- There are many, many other images that stood equal of the more famous overseas railway pho-
bitions he attends and at the Aus7 Modellers out for me, showing interesting insights into a tographers.
Group’s regular six-monthly Forum, so it might time long past in a visually interesting and James McInerney
be possible to get them for an even lower price if
you’re in the right place at the right time. This kit
R
makes up into a highly detailed, very accurate
model of this workhorse of a wagon and would ECENT
look at home on any O scale NSWGR layout or
diorama. After the fitting of couplers and the ELEASES
application of some weathering, my wagon will
be put to work on Morpeth.
Modelling the Railways of South Australia Convention has released a DVD of information on
Trevor Hodges
South Australian
passenger carriages,
created from infor-
mation supplied at
REVIEWS the past conventions
The products covered in the Review pages have and augmented with
been supplied or made available by the manufacturer, further useful infor-
producer, importer or retailer listed in each product mation, such as lists
heading. AMRM welcomes access to new product of all broad and nar-
lines for inclusion in the Review pages and requests row gauge carriages
items be addressed to the Editor at Australian Model and copies of SAR
Railway Magazine, PO Box 345, Matraville 2036.
Readers are reminded that the prices quoted in the historical records,
reviews are those applicable at the time of going to such as line draw-
press. Those using the prices as a guide to purchas- ings of vehicles. The
ing products by mail order should always add extra DVD is available from
for postage, or contact the supplier for the additional selected SA hobby
cost for mail order. shops.
Editor
Australian MODEL RAILW

WAY Magazine
R ecent
eleases
Auscision released, back in October, their full range of

r-t-r HO scale NSW BDX/NOBX/RCFX bogie open wag-
ons, based on the batch of 280 constructed in
1968/1970 by Commonwealth Engineering, as briefly
mentioned in last issue. Here are some more examples
of the wide range of variations available. The basic
bogie open wagon is available coloured gunmetal grey,
as originally introduced, as well as the 1970s/1980s
PTC teal blue colours and 1980s-introduced SRA
maroon, all available coded as either BDX (pre-early
1980s) or NOBX (early 1980s on). The open wagon is
also available in ‘grime’ colour, coded NOBX or RCFX
for the post 1990 era. The model is also available in
the modified form adopted for steel traffic, with doors
removed, painted either gunmetal grey, PTC blue or
SRA maroon, all coded NOBX, as is appropriate for the
period in which they operated. The unannounced ‘one-
pack’, PTC blue BDX33663 with ‘Lysaght Steel’ brand-
ing (illustrated in the last issue), has already sold out.
Latitude 32 Models have released an HO scale 3D printed body for the

WAGR ADH/ADX railcars. The kit has a one-piece body which fits over a
floor casting which is also part of the print. The purchaser will need to pro-
vide their own drive mechanism and bogies. A 3D printed ADA trailer car is
also available.
Latitude 32 Models
have also released an HO
scale 3D printed body for the
WAGR/Westrail RA/KA class diesel locomotive.
The model is complete with bogie side frames,
but a mechanism to power it must be provided by the
purchaser. Also released are 3D printed body kits for the WAGR/Westrail Y Signals Branch now have available, via their shop on the Shapeways 3D
class Bo-Bo shunting locomotive, as well as the N/NA and C class Co-Co printing site, a set of HO scale NSWGR air tanks and tool box in Fine Detail
main line diesel locomotives. All kits are available via the Latitude 32 Plastic for placing on the rear deck of those 3650 gallon bogie tenders
Models Facebook page. coupled to C30T class 4-6-0 locomotives.
AMRM News
Retirement Beckons…
If you have ever had the yen to
helm Australia’s premier model rail-
way magazine, this is your chance!
After thirteen years as Production
Manager/Editor, I (James) am well
and truly ready to retire, as is our
General Manager (Bob, after nearly
50 years). If guiding AMRM
through the next stage of its devel-
opment is something you might like
to do, have a look at the invitation
for Expressions of Interest on p.64.
If you want more information on
what the job of Production
Ma n a ger /Edit or entai ls , s e e
Producing AMRM Today on pgs.
24/25 of AMRM Issue 301 (August
2013). Things are pretty much the
same today, only the names of
some of the volunteer assistants
have changed!
Bathurst Railway Museum

Opening
Construction of the Bathurst
Rail Museum, housed in the histor-
ic Railway Institute building in
Havannah Street, next to the rail-
way station, is almost complete
and the formal opening is expected
to occur in February 2020. Along
with the full-sized exhibits, such as
preserved ‘American’ end-platform
carriage, CBA547, and various
small exhibits exploring the stories
of Bathurst’s community and its
historical connection to the railway
system, the museum will also fea-
ture the quite impressive, locally-
built, 20m x 9m, HO scale layout
depicting that section of the Main Auscision received factory-painted samples of their HO scale, r-t-r VR ‘Tait’ suburban EMU vehicles just as we
West between Tarana and Bathurst. went to press, some of which are shown here. They also advise that the number of models to be produced has
There will even be a wooden Brio been finalised with the factory. See the Auscision website for the full range to be produced. The production run
setup (claimed to be the largest in should be available in Australia in early 2020.
the Southern Hemisphere!) to keep
the kids (and grandkids) amused
so the exhibits can be perused in
peace!
Gosford Hobbies Closes

Gosford Hobbies, a long time
feature of the NSW Central Coast,
closed unexpectedly under some-
what dubious circumstances in
November 2019. It is alleged that
some have been left out of pocket
by the closure, though the full
extent could not be confirmed at
the time this issue went to print.
New Products
HO scale
IDR Models advised that delays at
the factory have caused production Surprise factory samples of Auscision’s hitherto unannounced HO scale r-t-r models
of their r-t-r, VR W class/NSW of the NSW CDY/NOCY/ROCY open wagons and NQKY container wagon. If the
7101 0-6-0 diesel locomotive to be production run follows the usual schedule, they should arrive late 2020/early 2021.
Australian MOD
DEL RAILWAY Magazine Febru
uary 2020
0. Page 57
AMRM News
The paint approval sample of Auscision’s r-t-r HO scale model of NR52 ‘Kungara Mankurpa’, as painted in the ‘Indigenous’ paint scheme.Release of the
production run of the ‘Indigenous’ NR locomotives (NR52 and NR30 ‘Warmi’) is still slated for an early 2020 release.
slightly delayed. At the time of writ-

ing it was hoped that the models
would be despatched from China in
time for delivery by the end of
January 2020.
Ixion Models have been advised by
their factory that delivery of their
HO scale, r-t-r, VR J class 2-8-0
steam locomotive is still on sched-
ule for an end of March 2020 deliv-
ery date, subject to the usual
Chinese New Year uncertainty. The
first running sample has been
received and evaluated and then
sent back to China for a few
‘tweaks’ to the drivetrain. Painted
samples had been promised
towards the end of 2019 so, by the
time you read this, it should be
known if they arrived or not. Ixion
have released quite a detailed
breakdown of the composition of
the first production run. There will
be 600 coal burners produced
(standard black and red: J506,
J507, J519; with red footplate edge
as well: J500, J515, J525), 700 oil
burners (standard black and red:
J535, J554, J556; with red foot-
plate edge as well: J541, J544,
J549), 200 un-numbered (100
coal/100 oil). It is hoped that it will
be possible to include a decal sheet
of J class numbers with the un-
numbered versions.
Publications
Data Sheets have announced that
following on from Greg’s prepara-
tion of coloured renderings of
NSWGR rolling stock for the
recently publishe New South Wales
Some of the factory-painted samples of Auscision’s r-t-r, HO scale, South Australian 600 class that are now on Railways in Colour book, he is
display at the ‘Australian Modeller’, Auscision’s factory shop in Seven Hills NSW. The production run is expected to reworking some of the drawings of
arrive in 2020. As is now standard with Auscision locomotives, the model will be available in either plain DC con- iconic NSW locomotives and rolling
figuration, or factory-fitted with ESU LokSound V5 sound-equipped DCC decoders and Vandersound speakers. stock into large colour plates that

Diagrams of some of the 3D print-
ed, cast brass, HO scale NSWGR
lower quadrant signals in develop-
ment by Signals Branch. Expected
to be available via the Signals
Branch blog page once develop-
ment is completed are: timber post
distant signal, two-arm 23' timber
post, 23' round steel post, 27'
round steel post (illustrated), left
(illustrated) and right hand round
steel post bracket signals, as well
as a selection of small signal arms
covering wrong road, shunt ahead,
calling on and siding aspects. Also
in development is the somewhat
more complicated left and right
(illustrated) hand steel slat bracket
signals, which will be available with
the choice of a variety of different
heights of round steel ‘dolly’ posts.
Looking further ahead, an upgrade
pack for the previously released,
via the Shapeways site, Versatile
Plastic (old WSF) and Fine Detail
Plastic (old FUD) signals, which
will consist of a cast brass signal
arm (type as required), counter-
weight lever and rear signal lamp
blind. Cast brass ladders will also
be available locally by mail order
via the Signals Branch blog page.
Factory samples of two of the 1:32

scale (45mm gauge) NSWGR HUB
set carriages currently in produc-
tion at the Accucraft factory for
Argyle Loco Works. The carriages
will be available either as full sev-
en-car sets, or as individual car-
riages and, along with the electri-
cally powered version of the
NSWGR 38 class 4-6-2 steam
locomotive, should arrive in
Australia in the first part of 2020.
Factory-painted samples of some of the colour

schemes that will be available for the SDS
Models ‘Indian Pacific’, ‘The Ghan’ and
‘Southern Spirit’ versions of their HO scale,
r-t-r NR class locomotives. Some of the run of
the two ’Indigenous’ NR locomotives (NR30
‘Warmi’ and NR 52 ‘Kungara Mankurpa’)
arrived in November 2019, with some of the
‘Indian Pacific’, ‘The Ghan’ and ‘Southern
Spirit’ models (as well as more ‘Indigenous’ models) arrived in early December 2019, shortly before we went to press with this issue. By the time you
read this all the DC-powered versions of the locomotives mentioned above (as well as the non-powered models) should be available from SDS. The DCC
versions are expected to arrive from March 2020. The rest of the ‘freight’ versions of the NR should arrive in 2020.

AMRM News
Vale
Warren McLean
30 June 1946 –
15 October 2019
It is with great sadness that I have to inform the readers of AMRM

that Warren McLean, well-known modeller and one of the original
members of the Australian branch of the NMRA, has passed on after
suffering a heart attack on 15 October last.
Many would remember Warren as the principal of Quality Scale
Model Distributors and for his amazing US-style HO, HOn3 and On3
A manufacturer’s sample of the HO scale kit for a 10t four-wheel hopper, exhibition layouts seen at many east coast exhibitions back in the
as used on the NSW South Coast during the 20th century, to be produced 1980s and 1990s. Warren was also the Convener of the Newcastle
by Redfern Works (see entry in the Hobby Services Directory for contact Model Railway Exhibition for several years.
details). Based on the hoppers built for the Bellambi mine circa 1906, the He attended the very first Model Railway Exhibition at Copeton Dam,
model reproduces the unique hopper style used on the South Coast, which near Glen Innis in northern NSW, which was the catalyst that started off
had a fixed hopper, rather than the more familiar removable type, as used the New England Model Railway Club. Warren was also guest speaker
in the Newcastle area. The kit will feature a 3D printed underframe and at special events and always highlighted the humorous side to the
bucket with cast brass axle boxes, buffers and brake shoes, with brass- hobby.
etched dump door levers and hand brake wheels, as well as appropriate Our condolences are extended to his family and friends.
decals. Release of the model is expected to occur in early March 2020. Warren Herbert
will be suitable for framing, includ- The first sheets to be released Ashbury composite carriage as The standard drawings will be
ing additional detail not present in (which should be available by the delivered in 1879 and T class printed in A3 format, but larger for-
the original book illustrations, time you read this) will include: 2-8-0 No.756, circa 1914, as it mats will be available to special
recomposing the sheets and, in 3801 as r unning circa 1947; was when the locomotive was order.
some cases, the preparation of No.16N of the 23 class, as deliv- being driven by Ben Chifley, later Compiled by James McInerney
additional views. ered to the GNR in 1865; the Prime Minister of Australia.
Diary
CANBERRA – ACT. March 28-29, 2020. Mirambeena Community Centre, 19 Martha
SCMRA ACTIVITIES
Canberra Model Railway Expo. Canberra Mews, Lavington NSW 2641. 9am-5pm
For all activities contact Eastern Division representative Model Railway Club, UC High School Kaleen, (Sat), 10am-4pm (Sun). Grant 0417 538
Graham Windmill on (02) 9626 0351. Baldwin Drive. 9am-5pm (Sat) & 9am-4pm 700. galamy@bigpond.com
8 February Meeting at the home of Marcus Ammann, Pymble. (Sun). Chris 0400 116 016 or Andrew (02) GLEN WAVERLEY – VIC. June 6-8, 2020.
21 March SCMRA Seminar on NSW Rail Operations – Modelling the Prototype. 6231 9799. cmrcisec@cmrci.info Waverley Model Railway Club Annual
DIAMOND CREEK – VIC. April 11-12, 2020. Exhibition, Brandon Park Community Centre,
18 April Running session on DCC layout of Mudgee at home of Tim Stewart, Yarra Valley Model Railway Club model train 649 Ferntree Gully Road, Glen Waverley.
2.00pm to 5.00pm. exhibition, Community Bank Stadium 129- 10am-6pm (Sat) 10am-5pm (Sun) 10am-
9 May To be confirmed. 163 Main Hurstbridge Rd, Diamond Creek. 4pm (Mon). Adults $12, Children $6, Family
6-8 June Great Train Show, Rosehill Gardens. 9.30am-5pm (Sat), 10am-4pm (Sun). Adults $30. exhibitions@waverleymrc.org.au
11 July SCMRA and EMRCI Open Day. Trevor (02) 9876 3522. $15 Child $5 Family $30. ROSEHILL – NSW. June 6-8, 2020. Great
ptktray@bigpond.com Train Show, Rosehill Gardens Grand Pavilion,
GILLES PLAINS – SA. April 16-19, 2020. off Grand Avenue, Rosehill. 9am-5pm (Sat &
EXHIBITIONS & EXPOS $6, Family $32. Andrew King 0412 447 743 South Australian N Gauge Society display. Sun), 9am-4pm (Mon). Adults $16, Seniors
UNLEY – SA. January 17-19, 2020. South exhibition@nsrma.com.au Gilles Plains Shopping Centre, 575 North East $12, Child $9, Family $45. Mike 0408 817
Australian N Gauge Society display. Unley KYNETON – VIC. March 7-9, 2020. Macedon Road, Gilles Plains. 10am-9pm (Thu), 9am- 554. www.eppingmodelrailway.org.au
Civic Library, 181 Unley Road, Unley. 10am- Ranges Model Railway Club. Annual 5pm (Fri & Sat), 11am-3pm (Sun). SEAFORD – SA. July 9-12, 2020. South
4pm (Fri & Sat), 1pm-4pm (Sun). Exhibition 2020. 10am-5pm (Sat & Sun), secretary2@sangs.asn.au Australian N Gauge Society display. Seaford
secretary2@sangs.asn.au 10am-4pm (Mon). Sacred Heart Collage, Cnr http://www.sangs.asn.au/ Central Shopping Centre, 108 Commercial
http://www.sangs.asn.au/ Begg and New Streets, Kyneton. Brian 0427 BOWEN HILLS – QLD. May 2-3, 2020. Road, Seaford. 10am-9pm (Thu), 9am-5pm
NORLANE – VIC. January 25-26, 2020. Corio 047 411. AMRA Qld Inc, Brisbane Model Train Show. (Fri & Sat), 11am-3pm (Sun).
Model Railway Club Inc. New Venue: HALLETT COVE – SA. March 14-15, 2020. The Exhibition Building, 601 Gregory Terrace Secretary: secretary2@sangs.asn.au
Centenary Hall, Corner Princes Highway and South Australian N Gauge Society display, (cnr. Costin Street) RNA Exhibition grounds. http://www.sangs.asn.au/
Cox Road, Norlane. 10am-5pm (Sat) & workshop and talk. Cove Civic Centre, 1 9am-5pm (Sat), 9am-4pm (Sun). Adults $15, STAWELL – VIC. July 11-12, 2020.
10am-4pm (Sun). Adults $10, Child $5, Ragamuffin Drive, Hallett Cove. 10am-4pm Concessions $10, Child (if accompanied by Grampian Model Railroaders Inc. SES Hall
Family $20. Ray Jazyna 0419 329 793. (Sat), 1pm-4pm (Sun). an adult) free. amraqld1@gmail.com Sloane St, Stawell Victoria 9am-5.00pm (Sat)
ARARAT – VIC. February 15-16 2020. secretary2@sangs.asn.au STANHOPE GARDENS – NSW. May 2-3, & 10am-4pm (Sun). Stuart 0438 545 233.
Grampian Model Railroaders Inc. Alexandra http://www.sangs.asn.au/ 2020. Hills Model Railway Society (HMRS). www.gmrinc.org.au
Oval Community Centre. Waratah Ave, Ararat BUNDABERG WEST – QLD. March 21-22, Blacktown Leisure Centre, Stanhope. Cnr
10am-5pm (Sat) & 10am-4pm (Sun). Stuart 2020. 2020 Bundaberg Model Train & Hobby Sentr y Drive and Stanhope Parkway, SEMINARS & CONVENTIONS
0438 545 233. www.gmrinc.org.au Expo, Bundaberg Multiplex Spor ts & Stanhope Gardens. 9am-5pm (Sat), 9am- EPPING – NSW. March 21, 2020. SCMRA
FORESTVILLE – NSW. March 7–8, 2020. Convention Centre, Civic Avenue, Bundaberg 4pm (Sun). Adults $15, Child $8, Senior $10, Seminar on NSW Rail Operations covering
NSRMA Forestville Exhibition Forestville West. 9am-5pm (Sat), 9am-4pm (Sun). Family $30. Secretary 0421 603 240. Modelling and the Prototype. 9am-5pm.
Memorial Halls, Cnr. Warringah Rd & Starkey Adults $12.00, Children 8-16 $5.00, Family info@hmrs.org.au. www.hmrs.org.au Registration essential by 6 March to SCMRA,
St, Forestville, NSW 9am 5pm (Sat), 9am- Pass $30.00 (Children under 8 free). Graham ALBURY – NSW. May 23-24, 2020. Murray PO Box 345, Matraville, 2036. Cost is $45.
4pm (Sun). Adult $13, Concession $10, Child 0407 559 086. Railway Modellers, Model Train Show. ROSEHILL – NSW. June 5-9, 2020. NMRA

0
Mailbag
A Finished Model!
I was very pleasantly surprised
and pleased to see photos of my
VR bogie sheep and cattle wagons
featured on p.42 in the Gallery
section of AMRM Issue 339
(Decem ber 2019). The cattle
wagon is now finished and weath-
ered as MF1, using photographs of
the prototype.
Alan Greenhill The photo of the completed HO scale model of VR bogie cattle wagon MF1 MAILBAG
Wheelers Hill 3150 referred to in Alan Greenhill’s adjacent letter. Australian MODEL RAILWAY
Magazine welcomes letters on
Standard Gauge W Class
any pertinent model railway sub-
I have just read the December (ARHS Victoria 1977) of both I can be contacted by mob on: ject for inclusion in Mailbag.
2019 issue of AMRM (another W267 and W266 hauling the empty 0428 894 046 or by email at: Letters should be sent to Mailbag,
excellent issue). I particularly liked Southern Aurora cars into Spencer garysmail24@bigpond.com. SCR Publications, PO Box 345,
the feature layout The Top End Street from the South Dynon Gary Gentle Matraville 2036, emailed to amr-
1942. carriage sheds. The photo is Berkeley Vale 2261 magzn@tpg.com.au or faxed to
In the item in the News section credited to Ted Payne and is dated (02) 9661 4323. All Mailbag con-
regarding the upcoming IDR January 1967. Not only were there tributions must include the writ-
Models W class, it is mentioned two W class on the standard er’s name, address and phone
that W266 (ex-NSWGR 7101) was gauge, you can also have them number to permit verification.
the only standard gauge member of double-heading your model of the Contributions without this infor-
the class. W267 was also on the Snora! mation will not be considered for
standard gauge and there is a Mark Hardacre publication.
classic photo on P.34 of John Picton 2571 Editor
Dare’s publication Diesel Pictorial
Electromagnetic Uncoupler
Are there any readers of
AMRM who understand the work-
ing of the electromagnetic uncou-
pling system for Kadee couplers
produced by the late Graham
Convention. Clinics on 6th and 7th. Layout Walker, 25 or 30 years ago? I
tours on 5th and 8th. Complete details and have such a system and it worked
registration at http://www.nmra.org.au/
conventions/index.html
beautifully for many years, but
EPPING – NSW. July 25, 2020. Modelling the now the fuses blow when I turn it
Early Days of the NSW Railways Workshop. on. I suspect a problem with the
Dence Park Creative Centre, 26 Stanley Road, timer/rectifier unit, but as I have
Epping. Registration essential. Regular attend-
ees will be notified by post. zero knowledge of electronics I
amrmagzn@tpg.com.au cannot fix it. Any suggestions or
advice from fellow readers of
OPEN DAYS
EPPING – NSW. July 11, 2020. SCMRA and
AMRM would be greatly appreci-
EMRCI with Operating layout and clinic on ated. My email address is: ϱ͕ ϲ͕ ϳ͕ ϴ Θ ϵ :ƵŶĞ ϮϬϮϬ
Getting Started in Model Railways at 11am. nancyalant@bipgond.com.
Free BBQ sausage sizzle. Trevor 02 9876 Alan Templeman
For All Modellers - All Scales—ƵƐƚƌĂůŝĂŶ͕ h^ ͕ ƌŝƟƐŚ
3522 for further details.
MORTDALE – NSW. April 4, 2020. AMRA Wyoming 2250 ůŝŶŝĐƐ͕ >ĂǇŽƵƚ ƚŽƵƌƐ͕ KƉĞƌĂƟŶŐ ^ĞƐƐŝŽŶƐ͕
NSW Clubrooms, 48 Barry Avenue, Mortdale
NSW. 10am-4pm. Gold coin donation. (02) Lost Contact
9153 5901. Australian Model Railway
WƌŽƚŽƚǇƉĞ dŽƵƌƐ Θ ŽŶǀĞŶƟŽŶ ĚŝŶŶĞƌ͘
Association, NSW Branch Inc.
I’m trying to find Grant Tailor (or
www.amransw.asn.au Taylor) of the ACT to return a (now ĐĐŽŵŵŽĚĂƟŽŶ WĂĐŬĂŐĞƐ
completed) model he had commis-
SALE DAYS
sioned, but I have been unable to ZĞŐŝƐƚƌĂƟŽŶ ŝŶĐůƵĚĞƐ Ϯ ĞŶƚƌŝĞƐ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ
HELENSVALE – QLD. February 29, 2020. The
Miniature Train Club Gold Coast Inc Buy and contact him recently (telephone
Sell at the Helensvale Community Hall, 31 calls have not been answered). I ƉƉŝŶŐ DŽĚĞů ZĂŝůǁĂǇƐ ůƵď͛s
Discovery Drive, Helensvale Qld (Sat). Table believe he has been ill recently,
set up 9am. Free public entry from 10am.
which may explain the silence. If
͞'ƌĞĂƚ dƌĂŝŶ ^ŚŽǁ͟
Close at 1.30pm. Charles 0414 449 463.
ZILLMERE – QLD. April 18, 2020. Sales any AMRM reader could help me
tables at AMRA Qld. Inc. 20a Murphy Road with his current whereabouts, or let
(Dunsford Street lights) Zillmere 9am-1pm. ZǇĚŐĞƐ WĂƌƌĂŵĂƩĂ ϭϭϲΕϭϭϴ :ĂŵĞƐ ZƵƐĞ ƌŝǀĞ ZŽƐĞŚŝůů E^t
Layouts running. Enquiries and table book-
him know that his model is ready to
ings President Bruce Meiklejohn 0433 440 be collected, that would be greatly ŚƩƉ͗ͬͬǁǁǁ͘ŶŵƌĂ͘ŽƌŐ͘ĂƵͬĐŽŶǀĞŶƟŽŶƐ
031. amraqld1@gmail.com appreciated.
Australian MODEL
L RAILWAY
Y Magazine February 2020. Page 61
EVELEIGH PRESS
is proud to present a new standard in railway Are You Missing
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New South Volumes 1 to 20 of AMRM
are now available on DVD
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Wales Railways Each issue is searchable and the
disk contains an index to Articles and
VOLU
in Colour
Authors. ME 20
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reading.
by Garry Saunders
with drawings by Greg Edwards A copy of Adobe Reader is also provided on the DVD.
This book will take you on a
journey through 100 years of the UP TO 2 DVDs ORDERED TOGETHER $25.00 EACH
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As far as possible this journey will be brought to you in colour.
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Following many years of research and analysis, the history that we MODEL RAILWAY CLUB INC.
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32 CANBERRA
MODEL RAILWAY EXPO
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The results of this research have been used to create images of
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Illustrator for this book, Greg Edwards, has interpreted the data KALEEN ACT
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Expressions of Interest Invited

The Publications Committee of the Southern Cross Model Railway Association welcomes
expressions of interest to cover the renewal of the management/production staff of SCR Pub-
lications, the publisher of this magazine and Eveleigh Press.
Currently, the General Manager oversees the day to day running of the organisation, guiding
the office staff and reporting to the Publication Committee. The organisation publishes six is-
sues of Australian Model Railway Magazine a year as well as numerous rail history orientated
books and a few social events. It is essential for this position to have a working understand-
ing of bookkeeping (Attaché), Word and Excel as well as understanding employment and tax
issues and current day hi-res pdf file preparation. It is important for the position to be filled,
on a part time basis, by someone with model railway understanding, experience in work-
ing with volunteers and to be computer literate. With the need to attend the Hillsdale (NSW)
office regularly, see this as a Sydney based position.
Currently, the Production Manager/Editor prepares the material for the Australian Model
Railway Magazine and oversees the preparation of the desktop publishing and final pdf
files. The position requires good English and photography skills as well as the ability to work
with people face to face and digitally and have a work routine to meet precise publication
deadlines. The position needs to be able to assemble and work with a volunteer team and
ideally will have the skills to either train for or use InDesign and Photoshop computer pro-
grams. Apart from checking the final print files, this task, be it a team or individual, need not
be Sydney based.
Expressions of Interest must be emailed to
amrmagzn@tpg.com.au
and include the CV and contact details for the individual/team and be received by
17 February, 2020.

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Lambing Flat
QR/QRN ‘Sweeper’ Train Nos 243/752 Issue 340 Vol 29 No 7

Billabong Marina 7: Moving the Traffic ISSN 0045 009X
The digital version using Zinio Reader can In the Loop: Exhibitions
9 770045 009009
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HOBBY SHOP DIRECTORY
N.S.W – SEVEN HILLS N.S.W. – NEWCASTLE
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For the largest & best world wide selection of quality MAIL ORDER
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3K
MODEL RAILWAYS Suppliers of Fine Model Railway and Constructive Hobby Equipment
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6KRS RQOLQH ZZZDOODERDUGH[FOXVLYHFRPDX

Shop 8/7 Joyce Street, PENDLE HILL 2145 Ph: (03) 9723 1211
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SOUTH AUSTRALIA – UNLEY QUEENSLAND – TINGALPA QUEENSLAND – HERVEY BAY

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April 2020 Issue
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PRIVATE WANTED AMRM INDEXES

HO SCALE Loco Kit. Ezi Kits Z19 class with AUSTRALIAN TRAINS series Indian Pacific
Baldwin tender. New, $300. Call Phil 0428 428 and Spirit of Progress. Phone Ian 0411 407 779.
Indexes for Volumes 13-28 are available at a
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HOBBY SERVICES DIRECTORY
DATA SHEETS SAN MATEO LINE
Searchlight Signals for VR and SAR in HO and N.
Highly detailed drawings to HO scale with photographs
and information describing NSWGR locomotives and Colour Light Signals for QR and NSW in HO.
Lineside Data Sheets, drawings and information Upper Quadrants for VR and SAR in HO.
describing NSWGR buildings and structures. New VR Somersault Lattice Mast Semaphores. RTP
sheets produced regularly. Etched brass kits with LEDs or fully assembled and painted
12 WHALAN PLACE, KALEEN, ACT 2617 models, made to order .
Email: datashet@grapevine.com.au Available from hobby shops or
San Mateo Line, PO Box 2205, Mildura 3502
Website: www.sanmateoline.com.au
http://members.iinet.net.au/~datashet_vdsl/ sales@sanmateoline .com.au Ph. 0428 236 055
A Layout Design service ... With your needs in mind!
We create rail designs: freelance or specific regions in all States
REDFERN WORKS Plans and Lists of Materials for All Gauges
HO scale kits for pre-1900 NSWR www.trackplannin services.com.au

using 3D print, urethane & brass castings/etches info@trackplanningservices.com.au
0427 400 755
1855 A, 1858 D (10) & 1878 Gun Powder goods wagons
1st & 3rd 1855 Sydney Railway Company Cars
16 Green St., Kogarah, 2217 0432 882 593
https://redfernworks.com.au/ Plans for the finest layouts
EZI KITS
Now producing quality NSWGR “early days”
X EasyDCC Command Control
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y
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Ph: 02 6732 5711 (PDLOEM#JUDSHYLQHFRPDX
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V
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R Q RU '&& &7 VHSDUDWLRQ
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Your customers can’t buy your

product if they don’t know it exists...
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THE 2020 WORKSHOP ON

BRASSTIC KITS MODELLING THE EARLY DAYS
By popular demand, the Australian OF THE NSW RAILWAYS
Model Railway Magazine is once again will be held on
stocking the brass castings for the
BRASSTIC NSWR 45 class, SAR 600 Saturday, 25 July 2020
class and NSWR 48 class modifications, at Dence Park Creative Centre
as described in articles in AMRM. 26 Stanley Road, Epping
Cost is:
45 Class $30.00 :ULWH IRU GHWDLOV 5HJXODU DWWHQGHHV ZLOO EH QRWL¿HG E\ SRVW RU HPDLO
48 Class $30.00
600 Class $30.00
posted in Australia Details of the programme to follow.
Orders to:
SCR PUBLICATIONS SCR PUBLICATIONS
PO Box 345, Matraville 2036 32 %R[ 0DWUDYLOOH
Telephone: (02) 9311 2036.
Fax: (02) 9661 4323 3KRQH )D[
www.australianmodelrailways.com (PDLO DPUPDJ]Q#WSJFRPDX

BGM, SETTING
YOU THE
CHALLENGE TO
BUILD YOUR
LOCOMOTIVES
Phone
(03) 5422 6127
Mobile
0427 047 411
VR D1, D2, D3 Kit

All brass and white metal kit. 4 Versions.
Dd, D1, D2 or D3.
New tooling masters are in manufacture
to bring you all of the variations of the
D class
Wanting a D3 or D1, D2? D1 will come with a flared

tender, D2 and D3 with conventional tenders.
Taking order now.
N/750. TAKING ORDERS FOR THIS MODEL
LOCO NOW.
NO DEPOSITS JUST NEED YOUR ORDER.
On30 Little Yarra in production.
BGM VR Departmental Residence. See News
section for further details. Release imminent.
BGM have two low melt solders available. 70 and 130
degree.
BGM Flux is now available from us or Casula Hobbies,
Kerroby Models or Ian McIntyre in Wagga Wagga.
Ind design SAR 620 due 2020
Email:b_chester@bigpond.com Also on Facebook
Two Calendars in One – Twice the Value

The 2020 AMRM Calendar
AUSTRALIAN MODEL RAILWAY MAGAZINE
26 Colour Photos AUSTRALIAN MODEL RAILWAY MAGAZINE
Simply flip for

your favourite
$20.00
2020 From your local hobby shop or
usual supplier or $25.00 posted 2020
The cover of the diesel calendar features 8128 and 8131 climb-
ing the Liverpool Range near Pangela. Inside FreightLink service direct from The cover of the steam calendar features WA engine S542
Bakewell standing beside the coaling tower at Collie. Inside
from Adelaide to Darwin hauled by FQ04/ALF18; El Zorro grain 3001T on the Mudgee Mail at Binnaway; VR J539 at Glenorchy
train at Llanelly hauled by S303/B47/T357/Y415; SAR 846/844
on the Victor Harbor line; QR 2600 class locomotives 2601, 2609,
2177 and 2612 on Collinsville coal train; VR diesel T367 and Hud-
SCR PUBLICATIONS on a goods; QR C17-817 at Esk; SAR Mikado 700 approach-
ing Victor Harbor; NSW 3229 on a mixed to Crookwell; WA
V1209 Mikado on the turntable at Collie; VR Hudson R748 at
son steam engine R706 emerging from the Elphinstone tunnel; PO Box 345 Matraville NSW 2036 Cressy; SAR Garratt 400 at Gladstone; 3658 on Brisbane Ex-
TGR Y3 departing Hobart with the Tasman Limited; WAGR A1512 press crossing the Hunter River at Singleton; QR B18¼ 915
hauls the Australind through Claisebrook; Austrac Redy Power Telephone 9311 2036. Fax 9661 4323 approaching Ipswich; TGR H2 on the turntable at Hobart de-
4814/4836 hauling a freight through Gunning; ANR 900 class
907/906 through North Adelaide; NSW 40 class between Gosford www.australianmodelrailways.com pot; 3532 and 5912 double-head a goods train between Dora
Creek and Awaba.
and Narara; NT73 stands in the yard at Boolaroo; Hammersley Iron TRADE ENQUIRIES WELCOME
coal train hauled by 4044/4049/4036 between Galah and Gecko.

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COMPETITION AND
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All Aboard Modellbahn 6 Eveleigh Press 10, 16, 62, 63, 70 Pamak 8 for this company to ensure that
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Auscision 7, 13 Ixion Model Railways 16 Roving Wolf 63 in this magazine comply with the Act
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Australian Model Engineer 8 Models ‘N More 63 SCR Publications 64, 65, 68 be on the person, company or adver-
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Broad Gauge Models 68 Morley Controllers 12 tisement for publication. In case of
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If your local hobby shop does not stock Eveleigh Press books, then order direct from SCR Publications.
Unless specifically stated in the price, items posted incur a packaging and postage rate of $11 plus $1 for each additional item up to a maximum of $15.00 and must
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2020 AMRM Calendar ($25.00 including postage) $ . Byways of Steam: 24 ($40.00 plus postage) $ .
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AMRM on DVD, Volume 17 ($25.00 including postage) $ . New South Wales Railways in Colour
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VR blue & yellow-Broad Gauge $160.00 each
Art Deco (BG)-Build date 1940.
PC-403A 6 AS FIRST 1953-after 1966
PC-403B 7 AS FIRST 1953-after 1966
PC-403C 8 AS FIRST 1953-after 1966
Art Deco (BG)-Build date 1948-1952
PC-408A 9 AS FIRST 1948-56 & 1963-1968
PC-408E 15 AS FIRST 1952-after 1966
PC-408F 16 AS FIRST 1952-after1966
Art Deco (BG)-Build date 1940
PC-404A 5 BS SECOND 1952-1962
PC-404B 6 BS SECOND 1952-1962
PC-404C 7 BS SECOND1953-after 1966
Art Deco (BG)-Build date 1955-1956
PC-406A 8 BS SECOND 1955- lates 1960s
PC-406B 9 BS SECOND 1955-1962
PC-406C 10 BS SECOND 1955-1962
PC-406D 11 BS SECOND 1955-1962
PC-406E 12 BS SECOND 1955-1962
Sans Serif (BG)-Build dates 1948-1950
PC-420D 10 AS FIRST 1966-1981
PC-420E 11 AS FIRST 1966-191
PC-420F 14 AS FIRST 1966-1981
Sans Serif (BG)-Build dates 1940 & 1955
PC-421D 7 BS SECOND 1966-1970s
PC-421E 8 BS SECOND 1966-1970s
Sans Serif (BG)-Build date 1949**
PC-421C 15 BS ECONOMY 1974-1981
VR T-Class Series 3. $335 DC or $435 DCC & Sound

PT3-1-370 VR T370 DC (DCC & Sound Ready)
DCCSOUNDS
PTD3-1-370 T370 DCC & Sound Fitted

Updates include; MTC21 21pin PCB, speaker fitted, blackened RP25 wheel, metal knuckle couplers,
improved power pick ups, golden white LED headlights and marker lights. Accepts ESU V5 Loksound
Payments via Credit Card, Direct Deposit, Cheque or Money Order. Shi in at cost. Phone or Email for details
290 Bay St, Brighton, Victoria, 3186. Ph: (03) 9596-6342 Email: internetsales.tw@trainworld.com.au

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QR/QRN ‘Sweeper’ Train Nos 243/752 Issue 340 Vol. 29 No.7

In the Loop: Exhibitions 0 1

The first was launched in Sydney by Cathy Freeman in November 1997,

NR 30 © Bessie Liddle / Copyright Agency

NR 52 © Bessie Liddle / Copyright Agency

SDS Models (Australia) Pty Ltd. - ABN 86 628 053 529

18 Lambing Flat (Beecroft version) 30 Practical Track Planning for

36 Backdate an Auscision MLV

40 QR/QRN ‘Sweeper’ Freight Train

MODEL RAII 37 In the Loop: 54 Reviews

p.18. Photo by James McInerney. Facebook

Australian MODEL RAILWAY Magazine February 2020. Page 5

Sputnik Power Car with Tulloch Double Deck Trailer Car

Single Deck Trailers (2-car sets)

Tulloch Double Deck Trailer (2-car set)

Sputnik Power Cars (2-car; 1 x Motorised & 1 x

r 60 Turnout decoder, DCC,

New Z21 App now available for download! allaboardexclusive.com.au

Page 6. February 2020

Registration Essential by 6 March

NSWGR RUB CARS G Minerva Manning Wardle K Class

Page 8. February 2020

Still the place for models of Australian Railways

Z19 Class 0-6-0 Steam Locomotive

AMOUNT ENCLOSED:  Cheque  Money order

Australian MODEL RAILWAY Magazine February 2020. Page 9

The VR W Class & NSWGR 7101 Class Diesel Hydraulic Locomotive

Avaliable now in HO scale

PO BOX 39, Galston, NSW, 2159

ABN: 64 123 138 661

eveleigh press proudly presents

$85.00 plus postage

Page 10. February 2020

Victorian Z-Cars. AZ, BZ, ACZ. BCZ, BTN & BZN.

Powerline Models Pt Ltd

VANGUARD ZERO ONE VESTA ZERO TWO

VECTOR ZERO THREE VORTRAK ZERO TEN

Mail Order: please make money orders payable to E J Baybutt

Page 12. February 2020

NSWGR CPH/CTH RaIl

THE CHG 4-WHEEl

THE NSWGR bCW bOGIE CaTTlE WaGON

THE RH FOUR WHEEl CEMENT

THE PRIVaTE OWNER

Page 14. February 2020

NSWGR DEB SET

NSWGR 600/700 2-CAR DIESEL SET

THE VICTORIAN RAILWAYS K CLASS

THE NSWGR 38 CLASS RE-RUN

Price per pack $165.00

Australian MODEL RAILWAY Magazine February 2020. Page 15

FINESCALE MODEL LOCOMOTIVES,

Available 1st Quarter 2020 - The VR J Class

Also still available: The NSW 32 Class -

J Class photos courtesy of AMRM

Magnorail-Oz, Australian resellers of the unique

Visit our website for FAQ’s, Videos, downloadable

Page 16. February 2020

SAR, AN, ANR BOGIE SHEEP VAN²S, SBS, ASAY, ASAA

Brass shunter steps, Kadee

LARGE SELECTION OF NEW AND USED PRODUCTS…

HUGE RANGE OF SUPPLIERS!

AMOUNT ENCLOSED: Cheque Money order

Lambing Flat ² DSSUR[ P [ P P JULG