Explanation of Sidings

In one of the photos on the last post, there was a photo showing a curved turnout going back towards Eden. This siding was an afterthought from one of the sessions perched up on the bar stool and looking too long.
The original intention was to place a car repair building between the track and the edge of the baseboard. I had already started to collect any junk I could think of that you might find around such a place. There were the usual 44 gallon drums, a car jack, tools etc. I even purchased an O scale motorbike kit from Kerroby. I suppose if I get lazy I could just paint all the parts and leave them scattered around the front of the works pretending they were being worked on. Yes I know this work would normally take place inside, but you would never see it all.

So while this idea of a workshop was going to work okay, I thought that this could become an industry and a siding built. Now there was no way a siding could be built from Eden yard to serve it, so after a while and twisting some code 75 track into shape I reckoned that I could fit a curved siding into this area. I don't think a workshop would be served by a siding so I will have to think a bit more as to what can go here. Maybe a dairy siding, time will tell.

I worked out that I could fit a siding coming off the main line around the corner opposite Snug Cove platform. Unfortunately Peco don't make a curved turnout so I will have to build one. Many moons ago when I was modelling N scale I had scratchbuilt many turnout using code 55 rail. I had the weathered rail and sleepers sent out from the USA from Railcraft. This was before I had the room for a layout so I just used to build turnouts and more turnouts.

Santa Fe N scale layout early 80's

Other entry into town

I had to assemble the layout on the ground outside as this was the only area large enough to do it. The layout never got finished from this stage and was sold. So I have built a few points in the past I just hope I can remember how to do it., I suppose its just like riding a bike, you never forget.

This is another view of the siding where the buffer stops will be right up against the road so that two wagons can be accomodated on the straight. The white line in the photo is the point rodding which will be hidden under the building.

This view is from inside the operating area for Eden and soon the HO track silhouettes will disappear under some O scale buildings.
Now just around the corner from this siding will be the one for the coal unloading. It might seem a strange commodity for narrow gauge, especially the Victorian system, but having obtained a modelling licence recently its a goer.
I have six Bachmann coal hoppers which will form a service from the coal mine to Eden where they will be unloaded. I am slowly realising how much space O scale takes up over HO. So when structures are put in they will have to fit on a small footprint.

Mock up for coal unloading siding

The above photo shows the main components for the coal unloader, don't worry it will look better later. You can see the workshops has been temporarily recycled. I needed a destination for the coal to go to, preferably the longest distance from the coal mine. I was going to have a wharf in this area with an unloader that would end up on a ship. But lack of space has canned that idea. So I will have an unloader where the coal from the wagons will go up a conveyor to the hopper and into trucks that will go under for loading then proceed out, over the level crossing and then off to a  (coal) power station. Yes this was well and truly before any protesters were born. Thank goodness for that. Anyway to pacify them I have a wind turbine up one end of the layout. Oh hang on no its just what we call a fan!!.
So that's where we are up to at the moment, a few more inside the house jobs and I will get stuck into it.
Any way sorry gotto go, there's a big storm coming over Sydney and I have to get ready and go to the State Theatre to see the Hollies in concert tonight.