Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2021 i Australian Model Railway Magazine

The thin edge of the narrow-gauge wedge? Modelling Queensland Railways (QR) in HO or HOn3½ has been building up for a number of years. More and more manufacturers have dipped their toe into the market. This has resulted in a steady stream of ready-to-run rolling stock. With the appearance of rolling stock, other manufacturers have stepped in to fill the infrastructure void, releasing kits for station buildings, signals etc. and even — recently — prototype track. All this availability has a ‘times 2’ effect. Time-poor modellers can now effectively recreate a QR scene with relative ease. So, does the proposed release of a plastic injection-moulded ready-to-run Tasmanian Y class and Midland Railway of Western Australia F class diesels in HO scale represent the thin edge of the wedge for Tasmanian…

Background Over the years I have noted that few exhibition or home layouts display signals as part of their presentation, particularly the distinctive semaphores seen on railways in Victoria. My home layout is no exception, although I am working on it! The task of constructing Victorian Railways’ (VR) lattice post signals always seems to end up in the ‘too hard’ basket. Until Broad Gauge Models (later Heritage Models and now San Mateo Line) produced an etched brass kit in HO scale, not a lot was on offer for the Victorian modeller. Today the situation is still much the same, although the scene is slowly changing as some manufacturers are now producing these signals. I have always been drawn to the English OO (4 mm) scale lattice signal kits from Ratio…

What is superelevation and why bother with it? I have come to the stage in my layout construction where my mainline track has been pinned in place and wiring completed. Before I contemplate ballasting the track, I considered superelevating the track curves. Superelevation (also known as ‘cant’) on mainline curves is where the outside rail is higher than the inside rail. On the prototype, the amount of height difference depends on the tightness of the curve and the speed of the trains using it. For practical reasons, the latter can be ignored on the common scales of model railways but curve radii is a factor, particularly at the transition area between ‘flat’ track and superelevated track. I like the visual effect superelevation provides, especially when viewing trains head-on. The sight…

Shuttle Principles/Theory There are several electronic train shuttle circuits on the market. The last time I looked, I was put off by the price of a few hundred dollars and, in my view, the electronics were over-engineered and over-specified. I was put off by the need for external detectors such as magnetic reed switches or infrared detectors. These are unnecessary complications in my view. A number of the products also had the option of trains slowing down as they entered the station (more detectors!). I recall branch-line trains and little engines would come thundering into the platform and almost screech to a halt just short of the buffer stops. In my opinion, on a model branch line shuttle speeds do not have to be great and the train can stop…

Modelling Background My first foray into model trains was receiving a HO scale Lima train set one Christmas in the early 1970s. It was the classic circle of track, and a little 0-4-0 and four wagons. A neighbourhood friend of mine had an N scale English layout of which I saw great potential for space vs scenery. After convincing my father that I needed to change scales, I began making N scale bridges out of matchsticks. I started out on my N scale journey with some American passenger cars from Rivarossi painted red and a Baltimore and Ohio E8 painted in Victorian Railways (VR) blue and gold livery. As my modelling skills improved, I managed to ‘cut and shut’ the E8 to the correct length for a VR S class.…

Materials Required • medium grey spray paint; • brown spray paint; • dark grey and brown artists’ acrylic paints; • grey, black and brown tile grout powder; • washed, dried and finely sifted bricklayers’ or paving sand; • matt white glue (for example, Mod Podge); • isopropyl alcohol; • a spray bottle; • an eye dropper; • spare take-away food containers (for mixing and storage); and • weathering powder (for final details). Try as I might, modelling the ground cover in a railway yard has eluded me for some time. Specifically, how should I represent the ‘flat sleepers-embedded-in-dirt’ look, with their well-worn paths either side of the track, found in so many railway yards regardless of era or prototype modelled? After testing the patience of many, many exhibitors and fellow…

The Australian Model Railway Association Queensland Inc. held their first Brisbane exhibition in two years on 1–2 May 2021 at the Exhibition Building in Bowen Hills. The modelling public came out in force and there was a half-hour wait to enter the exhibition on Saturday morning (including COVID-19 check-in processing). The exhibition had 23 trade stands that included Black Diamond Models, Casula Hobbies, CGL Models, Eureka Models, Modellers Warehouse, PGC Scale Models, Queensland Scale Models, SDS Models, Southern Rail Models, Train World and Wuiske Models. There were 51 display stands including: • Around the World in 80 Brick Scenes (LEGO), • Moxon Road (QR Sn3½ scale), • Logan District Model Railway Club’s Walloon (QR HOn3½ scale), • Queensland Rail, and • the Australian Railway Historical Society. Additionally, SDS Models had…

The State Rail Authority of New South Wales (SRA of NSW) mail trains were an eclectic mix of consists. From a modelling perspective, these trains were short and served far-flung parts of the system. The consists were a ‘grab-bag’ of both passenger and freight rolling stock, some of which included containerised parcels. Mail trains were effectively mixed trains, with lots of shunting en route and at terminal stations. Things to consider when adding a mail train service to your layout are: • A mail train would bring additional operational complexity to a small or medium-sized branch line. For example, shunting the freight wagons to the loading platform or goods roads for unloading and back loading, then shuffling the freight wagons and passenger coaches for the return journey. • Given a…

Like other exhibition organisers around the country, it has been two years ‘between drinks’! The show was held over the Queen’s Birthday weekend in Adelaide 12–14 June 2021. After the cancellation of the 2020 show due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s show was put on with enthusiasm and gusto. A great deal of work behind the scenes was done to ensure the best possible three-day weekend by seven of Adelaide’s model railway clubs. COVID-19 requirements attracted fewer exhibitors, but that didn’t detract from the show at all, with a number of new local layouts making their first appearance. There were 35 displays, including a huge second-hand stall, trade and kindred stands on two floors. For the first time, tickets to the show were sold on line. Attendees had to…

QSM-RBS2, Queensland Railways (QR) standard rail type buffer stop — kinked type. HOn3½ scale — code 75 rail by Queensland Scale Models Pty Ltd, PO Box 7154, Bundaberg North, Qld, 4670. Phone 0407 559 086. www. queenslandscalemodels.com.au.Price $20.00 each (pack of three $54.00). Prototype Background When purchasing rail from manufacturers, contracts required the railways to accept ‘shorts’ as part of the deal. During the 1960s, Queensland Railways commenced using these shorts to make turnout components and buffer blocks. These could be manufactured at a workshop, transported to site then installed. Minimal earth works were required and standard fish plates fixed the stop block to the running rails. At first, buffer stops were made at the Northgate workshops; over time, private manufacturers took over the role. The method of construction varied…

Auscision Models Auscision has received painted pilot models of their NDCH and NDMX spoil wagons, NDMX infrastructure wagon (with concrete sleepers load) and NQJX container flat wagon (with and without spoil containers). Auscision has also received unpainted pilot models of the Australian National CLP class diesel locomotive and the New South Wales Government Railways (NSWGR) DEB sets. The Victorian Railways (VR) Tait cars are due to arrive in July 2021. Bergs Hobbies Bergs Hobbies is expecting to receive its Commonwealth Engineering 1955 Sputnik sets in time for the Rosehill Exhibition in October 2021. Bergs is also expecting a shipment of the hard-to-find Shinohara track in code 83 and code 70. Casula Hobbies The NSWGR Z19 steam locomotive final pilot models have been approved for production. Casula Hobbies is hoping for…