East Coast Layout tour - Pt 3

 Visiting Layouts and Train Stations - Part 3

Late afternoon north bound XPT crosses the Coffs Creek bridge, Friday, June 24, 2024

Day 7.  Mt Kuring-gai to Taree

After overnight at Bob and Deanne's place, Mt Kuring-gai, I continued north on the M1, encountering a traffic snarl just beyond the Hawksbury River bridge - a delay that limited a planned visit to Maitland railway station.  However, I was still able to get to Dennis's place, at Berry Park prior to lunch

Dennis's Layout at Berry Park

Dennis has recently relocated to a new gated community at Berry Park.  I had seen pictures of his former layout "Barmedman" on the NMRA website, and was curious to what changes had been made to accomodate its new home

Barmedman station, as Dennis remembers it from his youth.  Recapturing memories, that involved railmotor travel is a great receipe for prototype modelling

The layout now fits into a 1 car garage space.  Dennis told me that he had to take out a section of the station yard area, to make some space for an access aisle.  Destinations for the trains running through Barmedman, are provided as named staging areas on narrow peninsulars that backed onto the aisle.

We ran a couple of short trains using radio Ezy-DCC, before retiring to the dining room, to enjoy a nice lamb lunch, prepared by Dennis' wife, Robyn.  

*** Note.  On my way back to Junee, I thought I would stop at the real Barmedman, to see what was left in situ. 

 

Site of former platform, and station building.  And just a lonely sign to mark its location

Concrete plinth - location of former crane

The silos are still there, and in-use judging by the shine on the siding rails. An additional bulk storage grain bin is responsible for the conveyor gantry

After leaving Dennis's place, I continued to my booked accomodation at Taree.

Day 8. Taree to Port Macquarie

I started the day exploring the Taree Railway Station

When I crossed the level crossing heading to the station, I saw a waiting freight train.  However, in the time I took to park the car, the train had started to move. So, this was not the picture I wanted

Retention of the former triple doll signal was a nice idea.

Station building is well kept and inviting.  I spent a bit of time taking detail shots.

Looking towards the former roundhouse engine facility in the distance

The Taree Model railway club meets in the Trackfast shed. Unfortunately, I was unable to make contact prior to my visit to Taree.  One of the layouts in there was "Wingham", built by the late Rod James, and I would have liked to have seen it again.

A relic from the steam age still is in-situ.

Greame Skeet posted some pictures from 1987 on the internet

Another image from Graeme showing a portion of the signal diagram. Note the triple doll signal, and the location of the former roundhouse 

After viewing the station, I thought I would explore a small industrial branch that served Dairy Farmers, and Allowrie Butter.

Peter Ware took a picture of the branch in 2003. This image is close to the mainline, north of Taree

The branch curved off the mainline close to the top middle of this map, and curved around to the triangle shaped building on Pitt Street in the bottom right. There is a contour line on the map showing approximately the former branch alignment. (click on the image to enlarge)

The former factory building appears to be abandoned, or at least, not used for anything more than storage.  This is the Pitt Street view - the train tracks on the far side

Double track siding.  There were platforms and doors on both sidings

The 2 track level crossing is now the driveway to the Fish Co-op.    

As I was photographing, a older gentleman on a motorised disability scooter drove up, and wondered what I was doing.  We got to talk, and he related that there would be an engine sent out in the morning, and it would return to Taree around 2 pm with the milk train.  Priceless information

Pete Neve OAM saw my notes on the branch, and has sent me some pictures from an ARHS tour of the branch taken on Sunday 25/9/1966.  I have with permission included these.

5393 on the Manning Creek branch - 25/9/66. Pete Neve photo

Paddlewheeler on the dock on Manning River during the ARHS tour 25/9/66. Pete Neve Photo

The ARHS paid for the paddlewheeler to steam up and down the Manning River for photographs. 25/9/66. Pete Neve photo

Including an industrial branch can add so much to a model layout.  Tom's small example in my previous blog post is not just a fantasy. 

After Taree, I continued to Port Macquarie, passing through Laurieton, site of a former timber tramway,  now carpet bombed with retirement villages.  

There is a reason why people move to the mid north coast to retire.  Beaches such as North Haven Beach are beautiful

Port Macquarie was a town I had never visited.  The reason I went there was to meet up with my sister, and brother-in-law who were holidaying in a time-share unit.  And they offered me accomodation.

Royal Hotel dates from the 1800s, and it is still prominently located on the waterfront

Coastal steamships used to provide freight services to the North Coast community before the railway was constructed around 1920.  Port Macquarie has many of these metal plaques in the footpath beside the inlet

The locals were friendly

Flynn's beach has a great coffee house

Day 9. Port Macquarie to Coffs Harbour

A short drive today - so lots of time to stop

Kempsey Railway Station

A large station, but virtually all the yard tracks had been removed

The staghorns, and other plants added much to the ambience of the platform for waiting passengers

The waiting room was spartan in comparison to the platform

Macksville Railway Station was the next stop.

Waiting room.

I am not the first blogger to document Macksville.  Phil Overton provided pictures and history in 2014.  Based on his blog, I know the station was repainted in a new set of heritage colours.  Thanks Phil

The station building is an AC4 type 12 prefabricated concrete, and original to the line being built around 1920.  It is now fairly rare, but it is the same design as Bombala, which I photographed just a week earlier. 

Modernised, and repainted in Heritage colours, Macksville station continues to serve the community

Bombala - prefabricated station building, in more or less, original condition

Southbound XPT arrives at Macksville

Sawtell railway station

Phil Overton also covered Sawtell in his blog, and he was right, the station was quite a simple affair.  It is possible that an earlier station building may have also been a prefabricated station similar to Macksville, but this is just speculation.

Coffs Harbour

Coffs Harbour was once a bustling train area, with the railways used to construct the breakwaters, and jetties for the Harbour.  That process is covered well in books, so I will only include pictures I have taken myself.  However, some additional notes, and pictures can be found on a blogpost

https://groversshed.blogspot.com

I had previously visited Coffs Harbour in 1993.  The picture I took then shows a yard, an X200 shunting tractor (hiding behind the weighbridgeshed on the left), and a number of cement wagons. Special Note the gauntlet track for the weighbridge. (My slide image scanned for this blogpost, had deteriorated in the 30 years since the picture)

The former yard is now gone.  I understand that the yard closed in 1996

Waiting room.  Shame that there are not pictures showing the former railways at Coffs in here

It was the late afternoon.

Railway jetty. I am contemplating getting this picture framed

No sign of the former railway on the jetty.  The timber planking was more recent.

The demise of the jetty railway is documented on large information plaques on the walkway over the former railway alignment

I met up with Al from the Coffs Harbour model railway club, and he showed me around the clubrooms, and a few of the layouts.

Garry's layout at Coffs Harbour

Garry had purchased a second-hand railway layout, and was making changes to suit his interests

A meatworks is being built on a newly constructed area of benchwork

A stock siding will generate a source of cattle for the forementioned meatworks.  Having an industry where trains can load, and unload is one key to successful operation. 

Col's layout at Coffs Harbour

Col is a retired school principal, and an accomplished artist judging from his paintings in his house.  His train room is quite large, and purpose built.  I was in for a treat.

Col had detailed the interior of many of his structures.  He told me he would invite himself into a store with camera, get permission, and take pictures.  These pictures would then be scaled, and applied to foamboard, which is then placed inside the structures, and lit.  I had my wrong glasses on to really appreciate the interior effect  

Another layout with stockyards.  Great

The central peninsular and large staging yard was built in the last 6 years.  Al decided to remain in the picture - it was his choice

Lighting adds a different dimension to a layout

Small towns are all nicely detailed

Great use of colours

A tribute to John Allen, and John's love of bridges

Roundhouse at the end of the central peninsular. The mainline runs around forming a dog bone with the yard

A massive yard, access from both aisles

The immense pier was constructed with individual planks.  Col had made up his own sawmill, which cut storebought radiata pine to specific sizes.  Had Col used commercial scale stripwood, the pier would have cost a motsa. The barnacles are crushed egg shells.  The freighter is a resin kit, which Col had modified.  The water effect was also quite effective

Col mentioned that he details specific areas to attract the eye, and purposefully leaves other areas devoid of fine detail.  An artist trick.

Col was multi-talented - he was working on detailing a 1:32 scale spitfire engine using lead wire - a technique I had never heard before.   And his Bark Endeavour ship in his house was magnificient

Scratchbuilt, large scale Captain Cook's 'Endeavour' was an unexpected bonus.  Capt Cook also did a tour of the Australian East Coast, albeit before railways.  

Finish of Part 3

This concludes the 3nd part of my East coast layout crawl.  Again, I want to thank Dennis, Garry, Col, and Al for opening up their layouts for me to view, and a special thanks to Dennis and Robyn for the lunch on Tuesday.

Until next installment, build a model or two.