Briefcase Layout Update

Gday All

Here are a couple of pictures of my briefcase layout. As you can see I have put in a few things since the last post! The semaphore signal is scratch built with small pieces of styrene. I used the wrong paint therefore the paint actually was applied a bit heavier than I had wished so I might have to redo this at a later date.
The platforms are made from styrene and topped with fine sandpaper to give a bit of decture to the platform surface. I have started putting in fence posts to keep in the newly added paddocks of cows and sheep. I was in a bit of a rush for the exhibitions to get some buildings completed so the buildings you see (with the exception to the house on the hill) were built and painted merely hours before the exhibition opening. These I hope to replace with much higher detailed buildings at a later date.
For the road I have applied fine sand blasting grit to give that bitumen effect. The lines were also added shortly before the expo and need to be redone.

Its a continuing work in progress but I still enjoy tinkering with it.

Myself (left) and Paul at the Sandown Model Railway Exhibition, March 2009.

If you have any questions please dont hesitate to email me or drop me a line at the T - Gauge forums.

Happy Modelling

Adrian

Update at last

Gday All!! Wow it has been a while since posting here and I do believe its time to get this site up and going again. I have been quite busy during these past 10 months. My house and property in Callignee was destroyed during the Black Saturday bushfires (along with some of my model rail gear and a lot of VR antiques :-( ). We werent in the home at the time and were able to get a small amount of items out.


Directly after the fires, myself and my wife, my 2 children and my parents (who also lost their house) lived in temporary accomodation for 4 months. From there we moved to my parents new purchased home where we lived for 2 months before purchasing a new home of our own. We arent sure whether we will return to Callignee but for the moment we are comfortable and enjoy living in our own space.


Now enough blah blah about sad stuff. MORE ABOUT TRAINS!!!!


I did manage to save all of my N scale models and T Guage with the exception of a small bridge module I was working on. I also saved a lot of my VR memoribilia with the exception of the larger (rarer and expensive!!) items such as the original Leongatha ticket cabinet (complete with tickets and all 81 tubes), VR stretcher (rare red one) crossing signals and of course a moderate variety of signs. I have moved on and have started to collect memeroibilia again.


Along with starting collecting again I have also found time and space to start modelling again. :-) I now have a room in the house dedicated to working on the models and a 12x6metre shed for the larger stuff including a 4x6 metre dedicated layout room!!

I realised I havent posted up any pictures of our completed layouts. Ill start with Pauls.


Completed bridge
Scratchbuilt DERM
Ballast and cutting detail

Whole layout.

If you have any questions please dont hesitate to contact me at:

zomer_1@hotmail.com

Ill post up some pictures of my briefcase layout soon. Cheers.

Adrian

Update on Pauls Layout

Gday all!!

Sorry for not posting sooner. My house was burnt down as a result of the recent Victorian bushfires and have had difficulty getting online. Well enough about me let talk about TRAINS!!! Pauls layout is progressing at an amazing rate. The bridge is almost done and only requires the bridge deck, steel beams to lift and support central beams and the application of paint. Until then I will leave you with some pictures showing what has been done. Enjoy!!

Happy Modelling

Adrian

Briefcase Layout Update

Gday all!!
Just a quick update showing changes to my briefcase layout.

Below is a picture from where the good shed will be located showing the disused branchline heading to the left.
Here is a pic showing the trees placed on the hills just out of town. A country cottage will be located on the top right of the picture. The driveway can just be see branching to the right off the main rd.

This pic shows the completed and painted crossing lights. I still have the "Railway" and "Crossing" barriers to complete. The pub and general store will be located on each corner of the road.

Overal view showing the progress. I now have to source materials to start working on the town buildings.

Take care and Happy Modelling

Adrian

Pauls Layout Progress

Gday everyone!!


Here are some pictures of the progress of Pauls layout. He had captured most of the geographical features that often featured on VR lines:
- Trestle bridge
- Large landfill often followed directly by a steep cutting
- Culverts
- Deep valleys and small creeks
- Dense timbered valleys

He started with a large block of foam and within a week has converted it into a very nicely landscaped valley, based loosely on the Boggy Creek (East Gippsland Vic) trestle bridge.

The layout was shaped and filed to creat the layout shape you see below. The layout consists of 8 separate pieces of foam!!


The layout was then given a light coat of plaster to smooth the foam and culvert pipe added to the landfill at rear.


It was then that colour could be added. Using fine sifted soil followed by Woodland Scenics Fine Turf ('Burnt Grass' and 'Earth'), this was achieved by adding layer at a time then sprayed with a mix of PVA and water. Paul also added broken twigs and sticks to get the effect of fallen trees in the valley. The cuttings are lined with clay gathered from the famous (local) Maffra cutting. The clay was crushed up and added with PVA and water mix.
Trees will soon be added, trestles made for the remainder of the bridge and a small station complex added (back left) to complete the layout.


Now time for drooooooolllling!!!!! View of Pauls layout and a picture of the Boggy Creek trestle bridge.

It is amazing what can be achieved in this tiny scale in the period of just a week. It will be exciting to see what will be achieved by the end of next week!!

Until then.... Happy Modelling

Adrian

My Layout Progress

Gday everyone!! Here are some shots of the progress of my briefcase layout. I have finished the trestle bridge and have scratchbuilt some level crossing lights. I will make a post later on with the methods used to make each of these. After completing the landscape (made from shaped foam covered with thin layer of plaster) I painted the entire layout in acrylic brown. I added different shades of brown to the sides of the cuttings as these would recieve less foilage later. I the attached the track to the base board and taped up the rails. Spraying fine mist of water and PVA glue to the entire layout I then added the grass. For the grass I used Woodland Scenics Fine Turf ('Burnt Grass' and 'Earth'). I added two fine coats of each of these colours.
So now I am up to the stage of making shrubs and trees. I also have to do the buildings for the little town near the road intersection. These will include an 'Aussie' Pub, General Store, a few houses, Railways station and goods shed.
I will edit this post at a later date to add some pictures of the landscape before it was painted and 'grassed'.
Paul has alspo made huuuuge progress on his layout. He has utilised the same steps as I have done and is up to the same stage. I will make a post of his layout when I get pictures of it while 'grassed'!

Until then........Happy Modelling
Adrian

Been working hard on layouts.

Gday All

Paul and I have been working very hard on our layouts. My briefcase layout is coming along quite well and Paul has started on a rural valley layout. We are catching up tonight to work on them a little more. It has been 40+ degrees during the day here so that makes it difficult to work. Layout building time has been pushed into the cooler evenings.

I have pictures but ill keep them to myself until after tonight were I can add some more progress shots. Ill make separate posts for each layout.

Until then.

Take care and Happy Modelling

Adrian

Start of my briefcase layout.

Gday All!! I have started on my T-Gauge briefcase layout. As seen below I have purchased an aluminum case for 'visual appeal' during exhibitions. I was thinking of finding an old case for the layout but I thing I would be portraying the wrong message. I wanted to promote something that is 'new' and 'fresh'. I have (with the assistance of Leo from my local model club :-) ) cut out a piece of plyboard to use as the base. I used temporary pieces of foam (later to be replaced with timber) to elevate the ply. Deciding on an angle I would like the layout to be I traced the track oval onto the board. It is now that I can draw my layout design onto the board and start the landscaping and scenery. I need a few materials before starting the scenery. Particularly since I have to scratchbuild most of the buildings.

I purchased some packets of Hornby 'Wire Foliage Branches' to use as trees. Here is a pic of these.

I will be starting on the landscape in the next few days so stay posted.

I also hope to try and adapt the Eishindo mech and bogies to the scratchbuilt rolling stock that Paul has designed. The progress of this will be posted up here soon too.

Cheers and happy modelling!

Adrian

Im a T-Gauge OWNER!!!

Hooray!!! I am now the proud owner of some very smaaaalll trains!! I dont think I will ever get used to how small this Gauge actually is. As soon as I got home the trains and track were out of there respective boxes. I might say here how very impressed I am with the packaging. Top job Eishindo!! Everything was well packaged with minimal movement and secures with tape.
The first test run went well with no issues to report. The only thing of note is that one powered car travels faster than the other. That is of no issue as I plan to convert it to a Victorian Railways locomotive/railcar and will most likely be running them independantly.
I have also purchased an aluminum case to build the layout in. I will post pictures as soon as possible. With regards to the layout it will be Victorian prototype. I have written down a list of features that I would like to include on the layout that would suit this prototype. These include a trestle bridge (likely to be on the corner), a cutting and embankment plus a small VR station and Goods Shed.
This is where I leave you for now. As mentioned earlier I will post pictures up as soon as possible. Take care.

Adrian