Casula Sidings

Discussion in 'Planks, Switching and Shelf Layouts' started by Gary, Apr 11, 2020.

  1. Gary

    Gary Wants more time for modelling.... Staff Member Administrator

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    As some of you may know from looking in on our facebook page, I have made a start on the small milk depot layout that I had hinted to previously.

    see here : https://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/possible-new-layout.4765/

    Well after seeing exactly what I had in stock, I decided to step it up a little and make this real. As you can see in the link (above), the layout is made up of all second hand items, track, base board, wiring. I have had to purchase a few new DPDT and DPST switches.


    As usual like most of my layouts, point control is via wire in tube. The points are all Peco insulfrog code 100.


    This series if switches isolate different sections of track so I can run the layout on DC.


    I have included this DPDT switch so I can choose either DC or DCC. At the moment, I'll be running DC as I haven't any decoders for the locos I intend to use, also I need to purchase a Power Cab Panel.


    After laying all the track, I had an issue with one set of points (far left set), as they were causing electrical issues, so it came out and I replaced it with a dodgier looking point !

    The problem with this point is that it did not have the locking spring as part of the sleeper were missing, the part that retains the spring !


    I came up with a solution on the underside of the baseboard. Here I opened up one terminal connector and cut it in half, producing two metal clamps. These clamps were fed onto the wire, after removing small sections of the protective styrene tube. The screws on these clamps happen to be magnetic which I tested for first. The clamps were placed apart in two locations and whilst holding the points in one direction, I marked a spot, drilled a shallow hole and inserted a 3mm x 10mm cylindrical neodymium magnet. This was done at the opposite end with the points thrown in the opposite direction.



    Now this being a 'milk depot' layout, I needed a couple of milk vans as used on the New South Wales Government Railways. So off I went to visit Joe at Casula Hobbies to pick up a few MLK van kits...


    Whilst speaking about my new little layout, Joe asked if I was going to have a small station/halt on the layout. I must admit it wasn't something I had intended, but when Joe gave me a small station building kit, I couldn't resist !


    Now, there was one catch to the freebie that Joe threw at me... :scratchchin:

    That catch was that he could use the layout at upcoming exhibitions to display his stock and upcoming new stock on ! :D

    No you also know why I have named the layout Casula Sidings....

    Cheers, Gary.
     
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  2. Vinylelpea

    Vinylelpea Full Member

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    Thanks Gary, just spent the last hour looking at the Casula hobbies web site. I was wondering who sold those wagon kits.

    Phil from Australia
     
  3. Gary

    Gary Wants more time for modelling.... Staff Member Administrator

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    Casula also have the RTR models, but two models for $180.00.... That is why |I chose the kits at $60.00 each. There is a lot to put together, handrails, grab irons, undercarriage detail....

    Cheers, Gary.
     
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  4. Wolseley

    Wolseley Full Member

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    I remember buying kits (mostly those dreadful Friedmont and MRC resin kits) and other odds and ends from Joe in the late 1970s, when he ran the business out of the back of a newsagency in Casula.

    Jim
     
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  5. Gary

    Gary Wants more time for modelling.... Staff Member Administrator

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    I knew he did start in his old newsagency, but that was before my time. I started going there when he was in Northumberland Street, Liverpool. I still can't believe I have been a customer for 30-32 years now...

    Cheers, Gary.
     
  6. Chatty

    Chatty Full Member

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    I am following this with interest.
     
  7. Gary

    Gary Wants more time for modelling.... Staff Member Administrator

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    So, before any scenery can begin, I need the main structure in place. Today I started on scratch building the milk depot from card and Scalescenes papers. Windows for the build will come courtesy of the spares box, windows left over from kit bashing my Walthers kits for the JSRR layout.

    Back in 2013, I traveled up to Brisbane and on the way I stopped at Taree on the mid north coast. Here I discovered the milk depot, to which I took several photographs as I could without trespassing. This milk depot will be the basis, or at least a key in designing and building the milk depot for my layout.

    Here are a couple of pics and I'm sure you'll recognise where I took my ideas from...



    I was going to build the structure from 3mm foam core, but that was going to be far too deep to recess the doors and windows, so I decided on laminating 1mm thick card to give the building some brick relief.

    Below is the main walls and the buttress sections


    ..and here we see them overlaid


    The Scalescenes paper has been printed out at 87% to represent HO scale brick. At 100%, it prints to OO/4mm scale, so reducing it down, I get what I need. Even the doors are Scalescenes from the Factory kit TO26.



    A couple of close ups of the two main buildings, first the tanker receiving dock...


    and secondly, the dispatch dock...


    Well, that's as far as I have got at the moment and more will follow come tomorrow evening.

    Cheers, Gary.
     
  8. Gary

    Gary Wants more time for modelling.... Staff Member Administrator

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    A little more was done on the milk depot today. Painted the windows and inserted them, followed by glazing. I added a back wall and some roof bearers to support the wider dispatch building roof.


    Had to make up a awning support bracket for the far right hand end of the receiving dock. This was made up from Evergreen Styrene L section and some 0.75mm x 0.75mm square strip. The other five canopy brackets are 1mm thick card, as these will not be seen.


    The roof panels were measured up and cut from 1mm thick card. The awning roof was cut from 0.5mm styrene sheet. Corrugated card was measured out and scribed to look like individual sheets. This was then glued to the card roof.




    With the 3' rule in mind, I don't think the air vent in the apex of the roof would be that noticeable as a printed item...


    I still have to paint and weather the corrugated iron, make up some barge boards for the roof and make gutters and down pipes.

    Cheers. Gary.
     
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  9. SMR CHRIS

    SMR CHRIS Staff Member Moderator

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    That’s come up a treat a Gary
    I like the name for the new layout layout as well
     
  10. Gary

    Gary Wants more time for modelling.... Staff Member Administrator

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    Thanks Chris.

    The milk depot looks a lot better now it is finished. The roof is secured, the awning on, gutters and down pipes added, plus some weathering. I'll possibly give it another light weathering once it is in position on the layout. Now I can move onto the scenery, ballasting etc Although I still need to finish the little Pc1 station building off, knock up a platform face and today I found a fettlers shed that may go onto the layout as well...





    Well, first up I need to clean up my mess....

    Cheers, Gary.
     
  11. Gary

    Gary Wants more time for modelling.... Staff Member Administrator

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    Today I got onto finishing off the bridge - slash - scenic break. AS I went along, I adopted a few ideas from the prototypes.


    The prototype...


    This is how it will look in place.


    The foam land forms have been cut and glued into position. They will require more finessing to get the right look.



    All the sleepers have received a new covering of paint too in various colours.

    Next up will be covering the foam in the toilet paper/PVA mix and where the foam needs leveling and/or some edges smoothed out, I'll use my home made sculptamold mix.

    Cheers, Gary.
     
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  12. Gary

    Gary Wants more time for modelling.... Staff Member Administrator

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    Today I moved onto the plaster/toilet papering the foam land formations and once it dried, gave it a wash of raw sienna, followed by highlights of raw umber and burnt sienna.




    The little Pc1 station building that Joe (casula Hobbies) gave me has had a platform wall made up from balsa wood, painted and weathered. This was glued into place (held here with pins) and a platform foundation built up behind the wall, so that I could site the building. At first I positioned the platform too close to the points and the UHG guards van steps were hitting the side of the timber wall. This platform face was pulled out and moved a good scale 6 feet from the point. The platform here is a scale 60' long, big enough for a standard branch line coach to pull up to for passengers or goods to be unloaded.


    Tomorrow the platform will be finished off and hopefully start on the scenic textures, soils, ballast, gravel, grass, weeds and any other vegetation....

    Cheers, Gary.
     
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  13. Gary

    Gary Wants more time for modelling.... Staff Member Administrator

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    Well, to think that 13 days ago, I just had some second hand track glued to a base board and now it is 95% complete, barring a few little additional details...

    The first photo in this thread was taken on the 5th of this month and this is how the layout looks tonight.

    A view along the length of the layout...


    The back of the little Pc1 station building...


    The station building and platform...


    Station area looking back towards the milk depot...


    From under the road bridge...


    And now some with a train...

    4840 brings a train into the sidings...


    The GLV louvre van and guards van is left in the loop whilst the loco moves forward and reverses the milk tankers into the depot siding...


    The loco and 4 wheel K wagon moves back onto its train, getting ready for departure...


    The short train passes the station on its way to...??


    I have a few household chores to get onto tomorrow, but after that, I'll start with making a few line side fences, a couple of trees, maybe some railway junk and a few other little details... ;)

    Cheers, Gary.
     
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  14. Dr Tony

    Dr Tony Full Member

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    I'm just astounded by the speed and the quality of the work here. But then again, I shouldn't be too surprised. :worship: At about the same time that Gary started this I started up drawing my own plans for something of a similar scale and size, but that's all I have done with it, a set of plans on RailModeller.
    The only tangible thing to railways in all this time that I have managed is to clean up my work bench and fix a section of track that went wrong somehow on my new layout, Hamley Circuit.
    Would really love to do something like this.
    Cheers
    Tony
     
  15. jakesdad13

    jakesdad13 Staff Member Moderator

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    Fantastic Gary!! Well done mate :tophat::tophat::tophat:. Like Dr Tony, I need to get my finger out and get some more work done on Whimsy, I just need to dig my way through the shed to get to it :facepalm:.

    Cheers, Pete.
     
  16. Gary

    Gary Wants more time for modelling.... Staff Member Administrator

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    Thank you Tony and Pete.

    Since I have been unemployed, I have had ample hours to play and/or model. Especially in this time of lock down. I have one more week to go before I start my new job. Kind of looking forward to it, but it means less time playing trains !

    Cheers, Gary.
     
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  17. Gary

    Gary Wants more time for modelling.... Staff Member Administrator

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    A few new items arrived at Casula Sidings today...

    First up si a BHG Guards Van, was $99.00, discounted to $80.00 ! :D


    Second arrival was a SKB Parcel Van. Once again, another bargain. These were $110.00, discounted to $85.00 ! :D

    ...and a few other bits and bobs, Evergreen Styrene to make the star pickets for the fence line, a few point levers, two guards and some wagon buffers which I'll build these into some stationary buffers like the pic at the bottom of the page, although these are missing the cross timber and wagon buffers...



    So, this is what they should look like... (Photo courtesy of Uneek Model Railway Accessories)...


    Cheers, Gary.
     
  18. BR Blue

    BR Blue Guest

    Gary with me being new to the forum I am slowly looking through the different build threads. The baseboard structure, laying of the the track and points wires look really good.
    As I looked further into your build thread the main buildings and landscaping throughout are all nicely done.
     
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  19. Gary

    Gary Wants more time for modelling.... Staff Member Administrator

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    G'day Kev,

    Thanks for the kind words. :thumbs: Not bad for a two week build either !! Back to work on Monday so I am using what time I have to do some detailing work.

    Here is a few more pics of a passenger train running through Casula Sidings...





    Cheers, Gary.
     
  20. BR Blue

    BR Blue Guest

    Great pictures Gary, thanks for sharing.
     

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