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 I can't believe it has been two months since I have posted, 11th June. So no posting for July. I still can't claim any new work being done on the layout as I am still using the excuses I had in June for not progressing.

The last baseboard has been constructed on my sons layout and we just have the lift out section to go. Still a lot of work to go and although the boards are nearly done there is track to be laid and the wiring up of the control panel and the proving that it all works. At least he has made the right move and has started with DCC and sound equipped locos.

I think I abandoned the HO scale just a little to quick and start my new adventure in On30 narrow gauge. Had DCC and sound locos been available to the same extent as they are today back twenty years ago I may have remained with that scale, but may have also rebuilt the layout by then.

The move over to narrow gauge is one I haven't regretted, I am enjoying the research and the new adventure. You also get to meet a new band of friends. I adopted the Victorian narrow gauge because I had always admired the Puffing Billy locos and the uniqueness of their size. I have always been surrounded with the New South Wales railways and was even employed with them for over forty years. That was the catalyst for modelling NSW trains, you were familiar with the real product, and you had a big pool of contacts built up over the years to enable problems to be resolved. So the NSW trains have been and gone and I am fully immersed with the narrow gauge.

With my modelling of the VR narrow gauge, I was very lucky to make the transition in a period where I was still able to obtain the excellent products of Ian Storrie aka Ian Lindsay models. Unfortunately Ian now is not making any further models but when I got into On30 he was still in production and I

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obtained most of his models on offer. I think Ian has singly done the most for this particular scale and prototype. So now his absence will leave a big hole in VR modelling. We will become a rare breed indeed. Our only hope for the future is that maybe 3d printing will fill the hole that Ian has left.

Once I am able to resume work in the shed I will get back into the construction of my version of the Thomson River bridge. The basics are done. The bridge piers have been made and painted (thanks Roger and Ian), the supporting timber piers are done and most of the bridge superstructure has been made - watch this space.

When I made the decision to change scales there was a ton of work ahead to make the changeover. The first thing was to get rid of all the HO material including reference books etc. I thought what was the use of keeping all the books on the shelf, never to be looked at again when they could be onsold to provide funds for the new build. Having helped in the past with moving on an estate, which was a lot of work, I decided to clean it all out. My equivalent narrow gauge library is now small enough to reside inside the house and at arms reach from my computer in the study. I think I have obtained nearly every book on the VR narrow gauge that has been printed and a collection of dvd's on the subject. Also sad face where the current corona virus situation has resulted in the yearly visit to Victoria being cancelled this year. May have to go twice next year to make up for it!.

Part of the conversion to the new scale was the creation of a trackplan for the new layout. Designing a narrow gauge layout is a different mindset than designing a narrow gauge layout. Before I committed I was studying the various books I had collected to absorb some of the character of the narrow gauge. When you look at all of the Victorian narrow gauge track layouts they are very simple designs. Most are just loops with points at each end to enable shunting to easily take place in either direction. The only 'oddball' in all of the four line was Beech Forest on the Colac to Crowes line. Beech Forest was blessed with a balloon loop at one end, complete with tennis court in the middle and a scissors crossover at the beginning of the yard. I don't know why they built the scissors as there seemed to be plenty of room to build two single crossovers. But it makes for an interesting narrow gauge layout and I know of one modeller who has taken up this challenge.

The shed has been in use for a model railway for over 30 years now. Initially a fibro, corrugated iron roof and uninsulated it was lined, insulated and contained an HO model until 1999 when a 4 x 4 metre square extension was added. (They can never be too big) The old HO was demolished and a new HO South Coast Rail established until around the end of 2015 when I decided to make the change. (There is a link on this blog to a few hundred photos of the old HO layout)

The old layouts last resting place

 

Once I had stripped up all the old track then came the total refurbishment of the shed. The walls needed a repaint, holes where the old baseboards were demolished needed filling. The floor needed repainting so really it was a good chance to refresh the whole shed. So it was a major task to completely rebuild the layout. A new design was needed and the planning had commenced even before the old layout was down.

Demolition well under way

More demolition, the extension was towards the back

Planning underway even before complete demolition

 

Looking at the above photos and the state of demolition I had to be sure I was making the right choice to change. So far so good.

As I don't think I will be making any further progress on the layout on the next post I will put up some track layout design concepts I considered and the final plan that was adopted. See you next posting.