Comtrain goes H0! H0! H0!: 12/11/13

2013/12/11

2013_12_11

2013_12_11
Just a little update. During the last week I have had some help from Alan Jeeves and Roger Lloyd. And we got heaps of work done.
The first thing to do was for Allan and I to finish of the wiring leading up to Bullarto and cut and fit ply bases in. This took longer than we thought it would, but finally all was fixed down ready for the road base.

We then went on and fitted the backdrop to the lower level, which was good to see finished. Paint is what is needed now :) Then some photographic back drops!
On last Saturday I collected Roger from a late running train at Wangaratta. Chased the Up steel train from Chiltern, even got some video at Springhurst :D

Then we got stuck into laying track up to Bullarto, and then Roger redesigned the cattle race for me.
It now is slightly changed from the original, but still retains the busy look, and will give lots of operational fun as both BG and SG trains can service the stock race. Roger even came up for a way to simulate the two tracks along the stock platform. He did this using a gauntlet point at one end, and a length of gauntlet track. Ok its 4 rails rather than 3, but at least we still have only one place on the whole layout where vehicles can cross from BG to SG and back again. That is the Bogie Exchange

road :D And of course this is a dead section of track, avoiding the problem of someone driving a Loco through it. As in real life vehicles move through the shed with the help of the tractor or can be pushed with a Loco and match truck attached.
Cheers
Rod (pictures coming)

And whilst Roger was preocupied with the Wodonga Cattle Race, I started to do someting I am getting quite used to, Hey Al?

Demolition!!

He He He!!! :D

But of course I did get all the track back in along the rebuilt approach to Bullarto. All the points are ready to mount as soon as I get the track bed right and decide to do about the track itself. Trentham was originally built using hand laid track to very high standards. So much so that most of the points were not fitted check rails (which apparently was a modern invention to help trains negotiate poor track work) Anyway the layout is now very old and the track work is now requiring an upgrade. So I have decided to replace all points and at least the track work in the platform, and the through road.

We will have to see if that is enough. Perhaps I can use recovered track to bridge the old joins where the modules came together, which is still a major problem :D

(Originally the rail used was older profile N scale rail, which does not match up with code 70 or Peco N scale rail)

Cheers

Rod

About my Railway

The Australian National Railways was established by the Whitlam Federal Government following a commitment made in the 1972 election to invite the states to hand over their railway systems to the federal government. In July 1975 Australian National Railways was formed taking over the operations of the federal government owned Commonwealth Railways.

The state governments of South Australia and Tasmania whose railway systems were deeply in debt, accepted. During the next two years discussions between these two states and the federal government resulted in a number of staffing and operating agreements being made that resulted in all South Australian Railways services (except for the Adelaide metropolitan passenger network) and all Tasmanian Government Railways services transferring to Australian National Railway in March 1978, the latter being re-branded AN Tasrail.

At first Victoria declined to hand over its Railways, however a change of Government after Bolte retired meant Victoria could be absorbed into AN as well.
Despite doing everything they could to tarnish ALP leader Clyde Holding, The ALP were able to defeat Hamer who was seen to be just another Bolte, doing more of the same into the future.

Clyde Holding handed over Victorian Railways to the Commonwealth where it prospered as a division of AN retaining its VR colours until later when AN decided to re-brand it as V/Line.

My Railway thus reflects what could have been ;)
And of course National Rail (Pacific National) has no place in my little scenario. Australian National was never privatised and has continually taken East Coast loads off the Highways. As well many branch lines were upgraded and Whitlam's policy of decentralisation actually moved employment to towns with a ready pool of workers, which of course took the pressure of Melbourne which was starting to expand as bush kids moved away from the Country in search of education and employment ( just as Gough Whitlam envisaged it would do)
Rod Young

Comtrain goes H0! H0! H0!

2013/12/11

2013_12_11

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