Sandown
too much talking :( However I did get a picture of my favorite layout Gordon
Family and good friends
I traveled to Sandown with my friends after we met up at Bundoora.
An interesting side line was learned by us all when I visited my elderly Father, Bob Young who retired from working most of his working life with the Victorian Railways, in 1985.
My friends, Graeme Hawken and Henk Meirs also retired drivers like me.
So we agreed to go out to Narre Warren and surprise Dad with three Drivers something that probably has not happened for many years.
We talked about our times on the job, but somehow we got onto Sandown Race Course.
We learned that Dad's Grand Father and his many brothers came, from Scotland, to Australia chasing gold in the 1850's and in fact made their fortunes in a mine that was taken off them, mainly because it had such higher potential, and they were not cashed up enough to take it further. They took their new found riches and moved to Melbourne, and then on to Dandenong district, where they staked out the maximum land they could. The Government set guide lines and all you had to do was stake it out and improve it.
They each started a new farm, once the Government "negotiated with the Aborigines" I gather this meant, moving them on?
Dad's Uncle Harry (Great Uncle?) fenced off and improved Sandown and actually in the early 1900's built a horse race track, where horses were trained, and operated it for a few years. Unfortunately the Melbourne "elite" were not happy about this and outlawed the track. So Harry built a dirt car racing track. During the depression the Elites taxed the land and finally took it over. Now it was to become a "proper" race track, eventually a Motor Car track as Harry had envisaged.
My great great grand father was the third family to live in Springvale, and two dog racing tracks finished up on his land.
Another great Uncle ran the Blacksmiths shop in Springvale road, which was there till Rockmans built their departmental store, which is Safeway today
None of this history appears today, as Dandenong, And Springvale council recorded a completely different history involving Councillors, Lawyers and Judges, Newsagents Pharmacists who never did much apart from looking important and ripping off the rate payers.
A very interesting day.
Robert Young 93, Graeme Hawken 71, Myself Rod Young 71 and Henk Meyers 71 also I believe.
A million other jobs, but this one occupied me before I left for Sandown, and this is one I am working with Graeme Schulz to get sceniced. Really nice box!
clean and well planned kit that lends itself to wide or shorter cuttings, simply by reducing the brick wall lining.
However the instructions are woeful. I have seen "Chinglesh" instructions better written. So I know how the Chinese learned to write instructions? The English taught them?
So this is what I need to do. This US culvert type bridge allows the dirt and ballast to maintain its climb whilst the bridge deck can be flat. (Also helps that I can leave the five ply in place :D
Ok its almost together. I will sink it into the baseboard, allow the road surface to lower itself to gain clearance.
Their are wing walls among the bits in picture several above? and it should be heavily dusted and weathered and might look ok?
Cheers
Rod Young
