Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2024 i Australian Model Railway Magazine

On the 10th of August 1974 the Bundaberg Model Railway Club Inc. was established after an advertisement in the local newspaper was answered by five model railway enthusiasts. On the 10th of August 2024 our club celebrates its 50th anniversary, a big achievement for a social club in a regional town! The original five members built a cane tramway layout that was displayed at the 1974 Harvest Festival. It was a great success, and the club was formed. Over the years the club meetings were held at various locations – Bundaberg Development Board, residential garages, even an old butcher shop! In November 1985 the club moved to an old bar area in the main pavilion of the Bundaberg showgrounds, and this location remained the club's home for the next 19…

A LOCATION TO MODEL In recent times, most of the ‘locations to model’ presented in the AMRM are of a single location. ‘Narrabri and beyond’ is a ‘route’ to model, or in this case a route focusing on five locations with operating potential for ultra-modern era modellers. The Region Narrabri is located at the northern edge of the ‘Hunter Valley’ coal region. The main yard is Narrabri West, from Narrabri West the line continues to Burren Junction and Walgett as well as a branch line from Burren Junction to Merrywinebone. All of this trackage is controlled by UGL Regional Linx utilising Train Orders as the method of safe working. Due to axle load limitations, the branch to Merrywinebone is the sole domain of light locomotives such as 48, 49 and…

Traditionally, almost all Australian railways convert their redundant open wagons and flat wagons for steel traffic. National Rail took a different approach and invested in new steel wagons, as at the time around 950,000 tonnes of steel billet - feedstock per annum was transported from Whyalla to Newcastle. These new billet – feedstock wagons were designed by Williams - Worley as three semi-permanently coupled platforms connected with drawbars of the slackless type, with the resulting design having low tare mass (51t) and a high gross to tare ratio. During the design phase there was a concern regarding the brittleness of the billets and if they might fracture in transit. A detailed study was commissioned to estimate billet failure conditions, and the result confirmed the best locations of the billet supports.…

As a six-year-old my father took me to the Lower Melbourne Town Hall in 1954 to see a display put on by the Victorian Model Railway Society (VMRS) to mark the centenary of the Victorian Railways (VR). The room was dimly lit, and the display must have been surrounded with black curtains with the diorama brilliantly lit. This produced a very theatrical effect, which focused all my attention on the trains (modelled in O scale) which entered from the side and travelled through the scene to disappear on the other side. That occasion had a profound effect, as it has been firmly fixed in my memory ever since. About ten years later, every time I attended the Royal Melbourne Show, the Victorian Railways Pavilion was the first stop. The TT…

Crossing the Glenelg When I started this project, the first item constructed was the Glenelg river bridge, a timber trestle of 50, 15ft (4.5m) openings. When the line closed, the structure (since demolished) had 87 15ft openings, or around 8.4m in 1:48 O-scale. The original contract drawings called for 12 30ft (9m) and 63 15ft openings, a fact that was faithfully reported by the press when the line opened in 1884. However, it is unclear when the bridge was modified. The earliest photograph I have of the bridge, from 1902, shows at least two 30-foot spans on the eastern bank of the river. A later photograph, from 1920, shows the bridge with 15-ft spacing throughout. Perhaps this was done after flood damage or to strengthen the structure to allow for…

Badger Models and Hobbies Australia- N Scale The New South Wales Government Railways (NSWGR) r-t-r C38 class 4-6-2 steam locomotive is due for delivery in September 2024. The following road numbers will be produced in two configurations: Streamlined – 3801, 3802, 3803, 3804 and 3805 Standard – 3806, 3810, 3813, 3815, 3827 and 3830 These models can be pre-ordered directly from participating hobby shops ahead of the release date. IDR Models - HO Scale Are expecting imminent arrival of their r-t-r Queensland Railways SX coaches in HO and HOn3½. Ixion Model Railways - HO scale Has approved the CAD drawings for their r-t-r VR A2 class 4-6-0 steam locomotive and tooling commenced in July 2024. The model production run and delivery are expected to be around the first half of…

Signal Automation Automation of model railways has always been a bit of a ‘holy grail’ of operations. We have all seen those layouts, mostly at exhibitions, that have trains slowing, stopping, changing routes. At the same time, you would see signals operating automatically, and the trains obeying the directions of those signals. Some of us look at this in awe and wish we could achieve the same outcome. I know I did. The aim of this article is to inform and educate, such that some modellers may be inspired to give it a go and achieve some level of automation. The main aspects of this article are signal automation, and train automation. Two things, you can do one or the other, or both. My layout ‘Casino’ featured in AMRM issue…

Reader's Gallery No. 6 Shay has just arrived at the sawmill with the weekly fuel delivery for the local fuel merchant. The buildings are a mix of scratchbuilt and modified American kits.…

Dogspike Nscale Trains - N Scale Has released several South Australian Railways (SAR) or State Transport Authority (STA) railcar kits in N scale. Including: • Brill 55 railcar with and without long nose. • Brill 75 railcar with or without rooftop radiator or ‘Milkbar’ window configuration. • Brill 75 trailers as built, horse box conversion and ESV conversion. • Redhen 300 class with (unpowered) or without open doors (powered). • Redhen 400 class and 860 class trailer. • 2000 class ‘Jumbo’ two car set. All kits contain a 3D-printed main body with detailed pilots attached for Redhens or 2000 ‘Jumbo’ set. The cowcatchers on Brills kits are a separate fret. Floor assembly, 3D printed bogies, decal sheet and Micro-Trains 1015 couplers and wheel sets. These kits are designed to be…