Gundah Junction

The value of playing with the layout.
Before applying the ballast I figured I wanted to make absolutely sure everything was correct. Had played a lot with the Hornby Sentinel and all was fine, along with Harry, a J94 Hornby and Thomas without any problems.
Then tested with a Pug and it kept getting stuck at one set of points, coming through the facing end on the straight. After some investigation found that the push rods from the point switch to that set of points was just a fraction too long and it was pushing the blades so hard against the opposite rail face that the blade tip was just bending outwards a fraction. The size of the flanges of the Pug were just enough to get caught in it and jam. It was a Peco large radius electrophori. I hadn't really built any adjustment into the switches, and the rod, being made of piano wire, work hardens when bend through 90 degrees to such an extent as any further adjustment is not possible to it.
Instead I had to move the points away from the switch just ever so slightly, and the problem was solved.
Had a few more testing sessions and everything is fine. Just have to find a reasonable block of time to do the ballasting now. Dirt is now over the whole of the flat area of the layout and half of the buildings are built. Once they are all built I will have a better idea of where to put them and how to snake a road in.
Here is a picture of further testing, the Americans have been invited, and they brought and RS3 with a very odd heavy flat wagon with 16 wheels, this went through perfectly as well.

Cheers
Tony

 

I don't normally follow the box for all the building builds, especially when it comes to the paint jobs, but this one caught my eye. Not sure how accurate it is, but as I'm not really modelling a location (is there a real timesaver in the real world?) I can choose what I like.
Pretty happy with how it turned out.

Most of the parts for this kit came as a dull green, with the roof a sort of grey and the wall plank panels a yellow that was vaguely like the box. Well, I don't like raw plastic, it must be painted. At the moment I am trying to get most buildings simply built so I can work out the layout sooner, then paint the buildings at a later stage, but this one seemed to need completion first.
First thing to to was to remove the unsightly circled dimples on the front of the main wall panels (why couldn't they have been on the back) these had to all be filled and sanded back. That took quite a while. The windows were then painted white, quite fine work. Then the green was painted, Tamiya XF70 Dark Green 2. The panels were painted Lifecolor Italian Mimeli Yellow 3, the roof slates were Tamiya XF19 Sky Grey, with the downpipes and guttering Tamiya XF84 Dark Iron.
Inside walls were painted white, floor on top level a tan colour and the signal control equipment housings a light green like I remember various railway electrical equipment to be. Have installed a cool white LED on the top floor, will put a warm white on the lower level. Still have to find some staff to put in there and maybe make some sort of control panel, as it is rather blank. The lack of these two is really obvious with the light on.
Now I'm on to building a house, then the pub.
Cheers
Tony

 

Thanks Richard,
I intend putting up a sign, will have to make one as the kit came with Fordhampton signal box, which is not going up there.
For my future Aussie layout I'm waiting for one to be made on either Hornsby or Strathfield boxes. Hopefully someone will have one by then andi won't have to scan one and scratch build it.
Bought a few things, got some ez line for wires, and the SDS stall is always good for bargains, 3 fuel tankers cars for $90 is cheaper than kits, and they have awesome detail
Did make one folly purchase, Australians still hada couple of 41 class locos, so I got one in red without the extra top radiators, at $130 hard to say no.
Also, as my next (or second next) layout is going to be the Aussie layout in the 1980s I got one of the Auscision Holden Commodore models, they have got it mostly right, except around the roof I think. It does have screws holding it together, so I can pull it apart and change the colour of the interior. They have done a nice job on the seats, they are spot on. Not sure I want too many of them though at $17 each, the Oxford ones for my OO layout are much better priced.
Cheers
Tony

 

Thanks for your kind words Gary and suggestion. I did not know such kits for the interiors existed. I guess I was more thinking of something i could print out and put on the existing furniture in the signal box, but that kit warrants further investigation. The box has a lot of windows, so it is easy to see in, the light made it look quite bare inside. Without the light you could get away with it as per the instructions.
Don't worry, I am a long way from the Aussie layout yet. An opportunity is about to be made at the monthly markets here in Berowra for me to host probably a couple of layouts in the months that my wife doesn't want to run her craft market stall. I would be taking Gundah Junction for the adults, and i will make a kid friendly U drive one for the kids. Just been designing that on the train this morning, along with new shelving to store it all.
The Aussie layout will have to come after that, but I will have the space, which has been the hard part in the thinking process.
Cheers
Tony

 

Thanks for those links. I did start this whole project for this layout to be a fairly lost cost one, spending this sort of money on the interior kind of breaks that idea, but that's OK as this layout has morphed a bit from that anyway. Am probably going to make it a more modern themed box, with paddle control rather than lever, it already has the equipment cabinet and desk in there. Making a map of the layout to be the diagram will also work. Will have to make some paddles and set them up in some sort of believable way.
It is interesting to note the older themed set ups with the armchairs for the signalman, such a thing of the past, could't have anyone sitting around in armchairs these days!
Cheers
Tony

 

Seeing Richard's layout on the weekend inspired me to get on with mine, (really want to get a start on an Aussie layout, but have to finish this one first, and then do a kid's racing layout too!).
Saved this a while ago, thought it would be a good cheap help with ballasting, and it is

Just put the ballast into it after the salt is used up, then pour through the tiny hole, simply adjust the result with the paint brush, the spoon and an old Tri-ang carriage with huge flanges to act as a sort of ballast plow, making sure the ballast is well away from the inside rail faces.
This is starting to look like a layout now, it always amazes me how much scenery can lift a layout. The blotchy colour is because the glue has not dried yet.

Cheers
Tony

 

The ballasting is now complete. I used an Aussie product from Matt's Ballast, from the Martin's Creek quarry. This stuff is real rock, sized correctly.
Now I am back to the much slower part of the build, making buildings. Most buildings did not come coloured at all, and those that do I am never happy with the moulded colours. Each building generally has at least 10 different colours for all items, so things tend to take a while. Whenever I take photos of the layout I'm reminded of 2 things, one to stop using the phone camera, secondly, to actually make a backdrop, even just a temporary one for photos, rather than having the rest of the garage in shot.
Here we are looking down the main street with the buildings pretty much in the places they will stay in, (road surface yet to be added) with the church, the pub, two shops and a house. The house is magneted in so it is now fixed. Have to work out what to do with the footpath outside the shops. Lots of things got painted tonight and the pub got glass in the windows (not that that shows in photos) Finally found the crosses for the church. Got to find my list of names for the pub, not going with what came in the packet, likewise the church needs a name. No, I am not calling it St Boniface!
Will be applying static grass very soon in the areas around the tracks, when I get the courage to, and a nice block of time to get it done.
Cheers
Tony

 

Before I am to put grass down it was time to put in the roads. Over the years I have tried various different materials with varying success. I have also learnt by following other peoples' ideas. I wanted to make a road that would go in a small village, I decided a gravel sort of road would be the best here. I used some N scale grey ballast, from the Aussie supplier, Matt's Ballast, like all his ballast, this is made of real rock, rather than nut husks or something else. It is probably really unlikely, but if kids with a nut allergy are close to the layout, I don't know, but I don't want to be asked the question, some people might ask me to leave, just in case!!
My main concern was getting a reasonably straight edge, turns out this was quite easy. I used my salt shaker again, with the finer material now in it, a bit of practice led to the right amount being roughly spread in they manner. Then to keep the edges really neat I simply used either a short metal ruler or a hacksaw blade, this worked quite well. I then spread the material out dry. I found the best way was to use a piece of square aluminium tube about the width of a lane. This worked in many ways, by having the long end flat to the surface I was able to use it as a dozer, scraper and roller. Excess material simply collected in the hollow part of the tube, and was able to be re-distributed elsewhere.

Once it was all spread and levelled to my satisfying I sprayed it all with iso-propyl, then using the eye dropper method I applied a glue mixture of 50:50 water and Mod Podge matt glue, with a little detergent. Any imperfections at this point were able to be removed while it was still wet. I was able to make use of my new found skill in re-grouting and re-water-proofing my two showers in the house to great effect.

As it dries it becomes lighter again.

The pink tape it so the material butts up to the building, but does not stick to it.
Cheers
Tony

 

I did try putting the glue down first, but it was a lot harder to work with. This way, being dry, proved substantially easier. When wet it would all clump and stick to the tools as well.
Cheers
Tony