Adding the details

Where has the last few months gone! Fully recovered from my operations and back at work, three months to catch up on, travelling interstate every second week...

We have the Sandown Show coming up in one week, so have been working on the details.

First the van goods needed a platform! Need to paint one handrail white... and weather it a little bit.

While doing that I added some of the new Spirit design point levers (static models only), and we replaced the light heads on the light posts with solid brass versions, rather than white metal... h'mm I need to straighten that pole!

This is how they look at the "Eastern" end of the yard.

At the west end the workers have a dunny... the door is open so it is unoccupied... maybe...

O Wagon cast test sample

Have been working on the O wagon for about 12 months or so. After the usual first stuff up with the test etch we finally have the hopper master done and the first castings out, thanks to the skills of Peter Boorman. Here are some pictures, a couple of modifications to the etch parts and then it will be in production.

This should make a couple of the Victorian N Scale Collective members quite happy :)

Added to the KT and KS wagons we did last week we now have a good collection of the signature wagons that ran through Nowa Nowa in the 1970's and early 1980's.

New Model underway FQX/OCX Container Flat

Aust-N-Rail in partnership with SDS Models would like to announce their next RTR Australian N scale wagon.

It is the FQX/OCX in three different versions. The NSW OCX/NQCX, the Victorian FQX/VQCX with tie down rings and the Victorian FQX/VQCX with side lashing bar. We are also hoping to be able to offer a specific SAR FQX/AQCX version (modified from the Vic version) however this is still under consideration. 12-14 colour/number versions are under consideration.

These models will also feature an N scale version of the XSC bogie, the first of a planned series of Australian specific bogies, with 36in wheels.

The wagon will have a detailed underfloor, a deck with container anchors sized for the Deluxe Innovation containers and body mounted Micro-Trains© couplers.

The combination of the new bogie and the “underslung” Micro-Trains coupler will allow a prototypical ride height for the wagon.

As you can see we have the first drawings already. We’re expecting the first engineering samples in time for the Hobsons Bay MRRC show at Easter, with the final production in time for the Caulfield show in August.

Detailed underfloor. Purple die cast chassis

Container locks will be separete items to place

These will nicely complement the expected Austrains N scale NR, as well as the existing range of N scale RTR models.

As usual we will offer a preproduction order with an appropriately reduced cost.

These models will be available direct and through hobby shops.

Rob Carpenter

Aust-N-Rail

www.aust-n-rail.com.au

KS Timber Wagons

KS Scantling Timber Wagon

The KS wagons are similar to the KT's and were built shortly after. KT 1 was in fact converted from a KT. There were only 7 in the class, built in 3 different ways! The first five though are the same and were built lat 1958 early 1959.

Using the knowledge we have gained from building the first three KT's we have just about come up with the best way to do the timber stakes (apart from etching and then casting them). the next two KT's under constructing have refined the process more.

The decal on the right reads "Scanting Timber Only between Orbost & Graham". It is barley legible, at about 0.3mm high!

So in 3 days we have built 7 wagons... at this rate I need to take a month of work and just build rollingstock!

So two classes of timber wagon done, a third underway... and the forth, the IT will wait for a bit.

BLMA 18" hand grabs on KS wagon

KT Timber Wagons

L-R Original test, Rob's weathered, John's first scratch built wagon

In between several other projects Johna and I have being building some KT wagons. This was Johns first go at scratch building and he has done an excellent job!

Forty five KT wagons were built in 1956/57 using late model IY under frames to carry pulp wood, from g Bairnsdale to Maryvale paper mill. This traffic lasted until the late 1960's/early 1970's.

The wagons were then modified for "scantling timber" (sawn timber) with the two centre partitions removed and the stanchions re-arranged, however they kept the KT classification. In 1972-73 22 wagons were used to make the IS class where the wagons were lengthened by about 2 feet. See photos at Mark Bau's excellent site:
http://www.victorianrailways.net/freight/freight%20pages/kt/kt.html

I drew the wagon up in Corel Draw with the intention of etching it at some stage. I decided to "test" the drawing by making out of 10 thou styrene. That became the original. Here it is almost finished.

First attempt

I found a few things to improve, in particular how the stanchions are attached, which I dutifully changed on the drawing. These also needed to be tested and as we both had a free night John came around for some modelling. We set to work on the second version, and this became John's first scratch built wagon.

Today I painted them both and weathered mine a bit. A timber load was made up from scrap styrene and painted. 

I've found a few things to change again before I do the etched version. I plan to make the drawing and a blow by blow scratch build of these in a future blog/article.

So now the layout has the first of a series of different timber wagons it needs... only about four more versions to go!

L-R first attempt, Rob's, John's

Nowa Nowa Sawmill Module Part 1

I've been doing a bit of work off and on this week on the modules. The key one at the moment being the Nowa Nowa Sawmill module.

Located west of the station, on the other side of Boggy creek this rarely photographed (I have only 1 so far...) location makes an interesting module.

From the Boggy creek the track curved left through a deep cutting, the road bridge to Bruthen passed over the line at this point, it then curved back to the right where there was a siding to the sawmill. These two tracks were very short to take only a couple of I/GY wagons. A timber bank (which I have the plans for from the archives) faced one track where timber was loaded by forklift into the wagons.

Here is the progress so far. The module is 9mm ply deck, a 70x19 Form Ply stringer runs the length of the module, 19mm Form Ply makes the ends and eventually the sides will be made from 6mm ply.

The module is cut to match the end of the Boggy Creek module, to then bring the line back parallel to the Nowa Nowa yard tracks by the end.

I'm using the "Trackrite" foam roadbase, I bought some a while ago and this will be the first time I've used it. It has a nice chamfered shoulder for the ballast. Glued down with White Glue.

Here is the track complete, soldered together, track feeders added and frog powered on the points... just need Phil to come along to make the wiring look good underneath!

As I drilled holes for the wiring I found that while I thought I had left plenty of room for the stringer to go through without getting in the way of the points... I hadn't :( So out with the jigsaw... pictures another time.


Trains from Nowa Nowa itself were allowed to shunt these sidings without having to take a guards van, here is a typical train returning from the sidings (to the left of the picture) heading back to Nowa Nowa station (to the right).

New Modules Begin

Today we (mostly my Dad as I supervised, still not allowed to do much after the operation) reduced an 1800x1200x19mm sheet of "Form Ply" into the end plates and stringers required for the new modules.

Construction will commence tomorrow.

Need to build:
Two 400mmx400mm "filler" modules. One for the area between "Nowa Nowa" and "Boggy Creek Bridge" modules and one for between the two 90 degree corner modules. These will feature a 9mm top, 6mm sides of ply and the "Form Ply" end plates.

Two 90 degree corner modules. These will have two "Form Ply" stringers, 6mm deck, blue foam and 3mm curved fascia's.

Nowa Nowa Sawmill. This is a 1200mm module with a "kink" to bring the alignment back parallel after Boggy Creek Bridge. It will feature a 6mm deck, blue foam, 70mmx19mm "Form Ply" stringers and 6mm fascia's. this module will have two points on it.

Bairnsdale. This will be three 1200mmx400mm modules with either 9mm or 12mm decks (not sure which yet) and 6mm ply sides... hopefully I can get away without any support timber...

Busy week of construction ahead!

Ordered the track last week, it should arrive late next week, however I have enough points to do the ones off the main.

Cheers

Rob