Great Chesterford Junction Part Two

G`day Toto,

Yes, eventually mate.......it will take the small Bachmanns easy enough and I agree, it`s a bit too clean at the moment. The detail moulding on the wagon itself, is actually quite good, so once it`s had it`s little mods it should shape up nearly as good as a new wagon.

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G`day Folks,

A bit more done today......onwards and upwards.....moving forward and all that stuff.!!!!!

I`ve started fitting the panels to the piers. Only two piers are done at this stage and also the underneath of the road bed has been painted black using blackboard paint. There are still girders to go under the road bed as well, but they`ll have to wait until all the panels are fitted.

So here`s one of the platform piers. Still needs a brick paper wrap around the ends.



And here`s the opposite side of the tracks main supporting pier, again still needing wrap arounds on the corners.



A better view with the bridge on it`s back.



A cruel close up of the work. Most likely I will place some advertising posters in these panels.????



So there we are folks......work has ceased for the day......brick paper has been sealed and will dry overnight ready for another go tomorrow......so we`ll see what happens.???

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Good Morning Train Buffs,

Yes thanks for your comments.

The bridge is really a scenic break on GCJ. I felt there was too much space between the end of the platform and the bridge at the far end in the cutting.

I read somewhere some time ago that you should have a scenic break at about every six feet or so. Supposedly it concentrates the eye on a section at a time a bit like viewing a stage performance.

I wasn`t sure at first about putting in the bridge, however once it was done, I could see the logic behind what I`d read a long time ago........so there you go.??

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Thanks for the input Reidy and Chris,

I had already considered the soot idea. I intend to blow it on with the airbrush once the bridge is complete, however the peace sign and the ban the bomb idea is a beauty.....wouldn`t go amiss I reckon..........I have a white water colour pencil that might just be the right tool for that job???

Of course I suppose there would be some images on the net that I could superimpose over a sheet of brick paper and just glue it on......sounds like a plan!!!!

Thanks guys.

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Folks,

Got a bit more done this arvo after I took the little car out for a charge up run.

I finished up taking the M4 west out to Penrith ( about 1/2 an hour from my joint ) for a good fast constant run. All was good until I was coming back. Got to the big intersection with all the fly overs near the Blacktown service center and the traffic practically stopped. I could see black smoke up ahead which turned out to be a car completely engulfed in flames on the side of the motorway. I went past as quickly as I could for fear of it blowing up. Anyway that was my bit of drama for the day. I don`t know what happened but the cops were there just setting up as I went past. Hopefully nobody was seriously hurt or killed for that matter.??

So this arvo I got this side of the bridge papered and added some horizontal brick strips as well.







So there we are.......slow progress but that`s the problem with scratch built....everything has to be made.

The other night I ran some trains under the bridge just to get a feel for what was to come. I filmed some of it which is below.

Time Out to Run Some Trains



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Thanks Guys,

One thing I realized over there in the UK, is that expresses do come through stations full tilt ( well I already knew that but???), so why don`t we do that on model railways.???

I mean...some folks do....but most of us gain pleasure from those long slow trains. There`s nothing wrong with that, but there`s nothing like an express scaring the pants off you when you`re standing on the platform. Imagine the Flying Scotsman under steam pelting through the station with it`s whistle screaming......now that would be something...

I suppose if you were exhibiting and running expresses, it wouldn`t be much to look at as far as entertainment value went.?????........plus a good chance of more pile ups in the fiddle yard.!!!

So there you are.........now what was the question?????

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Folks,

Nothing more to report on the bridge build, however you may remember some time back I acquired a Hornby Victorian Railways S Class Diesel Loco.



Well on Friday it sold on Ebay for a good realistic price and the funds from that have just about paid for the whole package, which included five wagons. It was really the wagons I was after in the first place, so a good result there and I hope the buyer is happy with it.

I saw another one on Ebay, at the same time mine was selling, for approximately four times the price that mine went for. It was listed by a local hobby shop at a buy it now price. Honestly?????.....people these days do their research, so good luck with selling that one.????

Back to the shed........maybe??????

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Absolutely true me lads !!!

Well I did get back out into the shed, mind you it was a bit parky out there in the workshop. The train room has the heat, but the work is done in the workshop and the heat does not readily transfer from one room to the other.

Ok....here`s where we are at the moment. Both sides of the piers are now papered and ready for the next stage.



The road bed has been covered with Scalescenes platform tarmac sheets. Gary gave me these sheets a fair while back when I was doing my platforms. I knew they would come in handy some day. Thanks Gary..



The next stage I think will be the inner brick pier sections which in effect will divide the girder plates. It will make more sense when I post some pics.



I have to get some line markings on the roadway as well, plus there is paving to go down and girders under the bridge......still a fair bit to do.....not forgetting painting the girders as well.



When the bridge is finally finished, the landscape on the left will have to be built up. I use polystyrene sheet as a base and then cover that with a skin of plaster. The polystyrene always makes a mess because I have been cutting it with a saw. I`ve had enough of the mess so over the weekend I`ve made myself a rather crude hot wire cutter. Doesn`t look too pretty, but it does the job rather well.



I`ve made it a good length to allow me to cut a good width of polystyrene. It`s made from a piece of 40mm x 20mm timber, two lengths of wire coat hanger wire, some fittings from choc blocks and an E string from a guitar.



I wrapped it up with electrical tape so I don`t zap myself because it is powered from a controllable 12 volt transformer. It works well enough from about 6 volts.



It can also be mounted in my workmate and I can clamp a wooden fence to the table and consequently do accurate straight cuts.

The Woodland Scenics version of this little tool is about 60 bucks in Australia. This one cost about 60 cents.

I`m going off to Jaycar tomorrow to get some Nichrome wire to make some smaller versions.

Well the TV beckons and it`s cold outside......I shall retire forthwith.

More as it happens

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