East Coast Layout tour - Pt4

 Visiting layouts, and Train stations - Part 4

C30T 3075 plinthed in a park at Parkes.  Visible from the Newell Highway.  The C30T is the class of engine that was used extensively on NSW country branch lines.

Day 11. Coffs Harbour to Dorrigo

Another short drive to Dorrigo.  Bill wasn't expecting me to around 11am, so it gave me some time to explore.

I bypassed the dual carriageway of the Pacific Highway, and travelled over the old highway.  This is the roadbridge over the Belligan River. 

And I stopped at Belligan, which has some marvellous old buildings along the main street

The Waterfall Way is a "tourist" route from the coast to Dorrigo, and Armidale.  Scenery was stunning, and we haven't yet got to the waterfalls

I stopped at Dorrigo National Park, at the top of the escarpment.  Looking back towards the coast

I took a short bushwalk whilst at the Nat Park.  If you are modelling  a temperate rainforest, you will need to layer up the vegetation to get the full effect

Dangar Falls, just outside of Dorrigo.  Bielsdown River

Dorrigo is located in the New England district.  Yes, some vistas reminded me of England

I had a bit of time to explore Dorrigo.  Looks like a town that time forgot.  

Commercial Hotel - Dorrigo

Dorrigo Hotel

The Dorrigo collection

Bill had arranged a quick 2 hr visit into the vast NSW railway collection of Keith Jones, normally off limits to anyone except members of Keith's group.  I went a bit mad with the camera.  Here is just a small subset of the pictures taken.

Railway recovery trailer used by Keith to recover many items of rolling stock

The sad remains of 3813.  This loco was dismantled in Sydney awaiting overhaul, when a government decision was made to stop.  Boiler, cab chassis, tender etc are all now at Dorrigo

Transformer transport vehicle ran on 7 bogies each end.  Bill told me it was used just 6 times before "retirement".  I have started some research to find if the delivery of transformers to the SRCC electrical siding on the Tumbarumba branch in 1971 used this carriage

X200 - second design.  These shunting tractors' wheelbase was made from the bogies of the AD60 garratt.  Both the first, and second series X200 shunters worked Wagga

X200-original style.  Not sure why this is numbered X104.  This mystery was solved later, when Ben, fellow Junee resident, said that the number was changed to allow one-man operation

X100 shunting tractors were underpowered

I have an interest in Sugar cane locos, and many mills use 2 foot gauge Clyde locos.  This standard gauge Clyde was a surprise

Most of the remaining SMR 10 class are residing at Dorrigo

Tri-Bo unique 8650,  I first saw this loco at Chullora about 45 years ago, during the Railways 125th anniversary celebrations.  Auscision made a model of 8650

Ex BHP steel works. 

4918

And from the public road

Standard goods

C19 class 1904

AD60 6039

Bill's layout at Dorrigo

I have known Bill since the mid 1980s, when we both lived in Queanbeyan.  Bill had a flair for adding drama into his layouts, which didn't follow any prototype.  Fantastic mountains, impossible ledges,  long runs,  tunnels and bridges everywhere.  Bill moved from Queanbeyan to a farm in the Dorrigo region, and this was the first time I was able to visit.  Recently, Bill had to relocate from his farm into Dorrigo proper, and abandon the layout built at the farm (pictures of that layout can be found on the NMRA AR Website)  I am pleased to report that Bill has once again started a new layout,  following strongly in the tradition of imagination

Entrance to the Train room.  

Big bridges, and deep canyons. Another inspiration from the late John Allen's 'Gorre and Daphetid'

Control panel shows the location of each of the buildings.

Still in the process of being built.  Will be a fascinating shunting district

Bill was including some sections of the late Bruce Block's UK layout.  This is a fine tribute to a life long friendship.

Bruce had built a model of the Chepstow bridge - prototype was designed by  Isambard Kingdom Brunel around 1850  

Christmas Village premade resin structures were arranged on a liftout section to access a hidden helix

Oil generating siding - note the extraction pumpjack (sometimes known as a "grasshopper pump")  Animation of the pump will help draw viewers attention. The crude oil will be forwarded to the refinery as part of the model railroad operation.

Bill used brackets to hold up the shelf benchwork. These have a low profile, and are quite strong

LED lighting strips used to illuminate under the shelves.  Yes, it was a bit blue

I asked about the power requirements for the LED lighting.  Bill said he found these power supplies off a well known auction site - 2 or 3 pages in.  Bill bought a number, but so far, just one has been sufficient

This is an operation card for freight car NADX 6412 from his earlier layout.  The waybill below is held in the car card, and when the car reaches the destination, the waybill is turned around to display the new destination etc.  I liked the colorful writing, and graphics, as it was easy to read

The waybill card is doublesided - so holds 4 destinations

Block diagram of Bill's former farm layout

More fantastic bridges.  Bill stacks multiple tracks to increase the length of the mainline, whilst gaining elevation to the upper deck

A car float is a good way of including multiple industry types in a single destination

Day 12  Dorrigo to Coonabarabran

After overnight at Bill's, the following day started wet.  Just as well I got to see Keith Jones' train collection the day before.  More waterfalls today

Ebor Falls, on the Guy Fawkes River

Woolomombi Falls, on the Chandler River

Armidale railway Station

Armidale Railway station.  Another Whitton station (like Wagga), but with a gothic style

SM residence at Armidale is a close relative to the SM residence at Wagga

Footwarmer stove, and museum next to the station.  The museum was not open, but I will have to try and visit in the future

Gatekeeper cottage on Butler Street remains, despite the level crossing being abandoned

Tamworth Railway Station

Tamworth Railway Station was constructed approximately the same time as Wagga, and shares some of the classical gable triangles

West Tamworth

I didn't get to West Tamworth this trip, but I did in 1992.  There is a big simularity with Bomen station.  I have included this for another reason - Marcus's layout (see Part 2 of this series has a West Tamworth station) (note. The red car is my Ford escort - it got me to a lot of railway stations before they were demolished)

Coonabaribran

I got into Coonabariban too late for pictures of what remains of the railway.  Google street view shows that the station has gone, and other things have changed.  So, another deep dive  into the slide cabinet to locate my 1992 images.

The station has been subsequently removed, but Google shows the goods shed, and the small shed on the platform still exist

Lock lever, and 2 home signals on the ground frame

Freezing works had a siding.  Google street view shows this building has been replaced by a brick structure, and no evidence of the siding remains.  Home signal at "stop"

Goods shed

Day 13.  Coonabarabran to Junee (home)

Back home today. Long drive.   Early start was to remove frost from the car windscreen

Dubbo Railway Station

SM Residence at Dubbo, built in Sandstone, has a slightly different design to the SM residence at Wagga

A surprise was finding a full set of levers in the platform signal box

The signal box also had 2 miniature staff instruments, and a set of metal  staffs

Waiting room

Who said tank cars are extinct?  These cars are carrying diesel for the various private railway operators

QUBE diesels at rest

The bridge over the Macquarie River at Dubbo are 3 x 159' whitton spans

The spans are a lighter design than the Whitton 159' spans used at Wagga Wagga over the Murrumbidgee River  It is interesting that they are now around 140 years old, and still carrying trains.  I wonder how much infrastructure being built today, will last 140 years?

I was needing to get home, and whilst I stopped at Parkes for the C30T, and later at Barmedman (see part 3) , I didn't get to the railway stations at Parkes,  Forbes, West Wyalong, and Temora.   I hope to get back to these later this year in November if I book and attend the Armidale model convention.

I also stopped at the Parkes Radio Telescope 6km detour off the Newell Highway for a short rest at the CSIRO visitor center.  

Lessons

What did I learn - in no specific order.  

1) LED strip lights are a good method of lighting the layout

2) KISS - with turnout throws

3) Paint your benchwork - particularly the underside white

4) double deck layouts work

5) Too many sound locos running simulatenously create noise

6) light your structures

7) operator aisle space is more important that squeezing in another line of track

8) Recycling layouts, or parts there of, can be satisfying

9) Backscenes are a must

10) Radio throttles, or phone throttles are more convenient than corded throttles

11) Shunting districts provide a lot of operational enjoyment in a small area

12) NSW has some great, and varied scenery.

13) Operation waybill cards can be rather elaborate

14) Having a DCC guide to each loco is a great idea

15) A dedicated smock for the operators will give somewhere for things to be put, and not dropped

16) Try to standardise your turnout control system

17) Pull out drawers for the electrical power supply, and other hardware protects it

18) A layout schematic posted in the layout room, will help new operators to familiarise themselves with the layout track design

Overall, there are multiple ways to enjoy your model trains. 

Conclusion

I wish to thank Bill, and his fine wife Carolyn for accomodation, and great meal on Saturday night.  Plus a special mention for Keith Jones for allowing Bill to give me access into Dorrigo museum.

I had a great journey, and renewed and made friends at every stop.

Another angle of the Macquarie River bridge at Dubbo.  Might get this one framed too as a memory of the trip

Until next time, build a model or two