Great Chesterford Junction Part Two

Thanks Guys,

Found something else today that has proved to be useful. I went to a Dolls House exhibition with the little lady and found this scenic sheet / material.

I`ve cut some out of it now , but it was originally about the size of an A4 sheet of paper.



It appears to be made out of some form of steel wool which has then had static grass liberally added and glued to it. I`ve taken irregular pieces off it and added flocking to create bushes as per below. The top of the hill, from the tip of the tunnel to the short tree just before the church steeple on the right is all made from this material as a base. I don`t know what it`s called.



But I`ve got some steel wool........a bloomin` great roll of the stuff.....so I might have a crack at making some myself.

I`ve also done a short video to check my ballasting and scenery. It`s a drivers and guards eye view back and forward along the railway from tunnel to tunnel.

Ballast & Scenery Check on YouTube



More ballasting and gluing has been completed and the glue dries as we speak. The tasks are being completed one by one and the railway is starting to look more like a railway.

Updates will follow as the work proceeds.

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No worries Toto,....

Thanks for dropping in.!!

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G`day Folks,

Well I`ve got as big chunk of the ballasting done now.......just a couple of feet to go.!!!

Here`s a view of the station yard



And from the other end



It still needs the scenic touch to soften it all up and blend it in with the surrounds, but that`s the fun part.



The loco shed is done too. The shed itself needs a makeover sometime down the track, but that won`t happen just yet awhile.





Invariably there will always be minor issues when doing this sort of work. I had a few where either paint or glue had got onto the rail or ballast was sticking to the side of the rail and created dead spots. Easily fixed through running trains over the areas to identify them and then a bit of scraping and cleaning sorts it out.

Below is a video showing a loco running about the station yard in the process of testing.

Track Testing after Ballasting & Painting on YouTube



The next stage is building a road bridge over the top of the station. I want to set it at a slight angle from the edge of the baseboard right across to the back scene. It will use girder plates and brick piers.

Stay tuned.

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G`day Toto,

Well I quite fancy something like this but with variations of course.



Mine will have to span three tracks in the station yard, then two tracks on the Main line and then two tracks on the branch platform. It will be angled across the platforms, rather than set at 90 degrees to them. The bridge won`t look quite as heavy as this one.

This sounds like an unusual thing to do, where a road bridge spans station platforms, but there are examples of it in Britain.

I have had this idea on the burn ever since I started laying track and it`s sole purpose is as a scenic break. I feel it`s best to have a scenic break every six to eight feet along the railway.

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Ahhhh!!!!....now you`re talkin`,

Thanks Ed and Ron.

Ed your example is probably a bit too much of a statement for GCJ, however , what an interesting bridge to model......that would have to be a scratch build job. I don`t think you could just go out and buy that arch.?????.....

Ron that bridge really takes my fancy, although I guess I would do it without the booking hall up the top as the station already has one on the platform. Is it likely that a station would have two entrances and two booking halls....?????.......probably not.????

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That`s a ripper Ron....

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G`day Folks,

The arched bridges sure are impressive, but I don`t think they`ll quite blend in with the scene but more likely dominate it.......I may be wrong there.....so probably the best way is to try some mock ups and see how it shapes up.

I was thinking through this idea way back when I started building this railway. Here`s an example from about three years ago.

Gormo`s Railway Build on YouTube



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Thanks Toto,

Yes I will trust the instincts with the bridge as I do in most things in life.

We took a trip up to the mountains today and on the way back we called into Springwood. There`s is a good St. Vincent De Paul ( Vinnies ) there which we visit occasionally so that the little lady can rummage through the second hand books.

They had this Hornby loco and wagons in the window priced at $60 for the lot. The loco is a Victorian Railways S Class and hasn`t had much running at all. You can tell by the wheels. The wagons are in the same pristine condition.





I bought it thinking that the wagons were worth that alone and the loco may lend itself to a project or I can sell it on. If I sell it on, it should achieve what I paid today for the whole lot and if it sells for less, I`m still way in front.











The loco needs a service......I don`t think it has run for a long time.......and the traction tyres are slipping.......so some Bullfrog Snot will sort that out.......Oh yes of course.....it runs as well.

Victorian Railways S Class Diesel Test Run



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