The Main North layout – March 09.

My “Main North” layout is located in a 22’ x 20’ double car garage plus a 12’ x 10’ spare room (Train Room) where the work bench is located with plenty of lighting (Double 40 Watt  fluorescent tubes, 15” above the bench) that is essential for installing decoders and working on locos etc.

The layout is a “point to point” approximately 300 feet long (about 100 meres) plus the 30 foot (10 metres) Black Jack Mine branch, double deck layout, with a short loop on the Upper Deck enabling continuous running on the Upper Deck to test locos etc. Eventually it will have a “return” loop (Armadale Staging) at the Werris Creek (Upper Deck) end. This will allow trains to be easily turned for those that want a “continual” out and back “run” but for my “card” operating session, I won’t use it.

Progress on the Main North is very slow with no scenery and only a couple of buildings. The “general” track plan is finalised with some sidings, some of the second line on a dual mainline and a couple of towns/locations missing. At this stage (Mar 09), operation across the whole layout is happening and is a lot of fun.

A few photos with details, obviously without scenery and buildings, provides a general overview of the layout.    

	1. Sydney Staging – Lower, (Plan - Lower Left) with Newcastle Station on the upper tracks.  Sydney Staging is located at the summit of “Cowan Bank”. This is the start or end of my “Point to Point” layout. Many of the “staged” trains will start or finish here. When the 46 Class Electrics arrive, most trains will start or finish with these 46s, as the line from Sydney to Gosford was electrified in 1959, where there will be a change of engine. Maybe I’ll fit catenary but the removable section of the Cowan Bank and across the garage door will make it slightly difficult.
2. Cowan Bank. From Sydney Staging down my 1 in 75 grade, Cowan Bank to Hawkesbury River. This section of track can be removed for the parking of the “Boss’s” car. On the floor is a 4.0 metre layout I bought that I hoped I could use The buildings t/table point motors etc I can use	3. Gosford. At the moment this is an undeveloped shelf across the back of my Workshop bench. Many trains from/to Sydney will have change of loco to a 46 Class Electrics, as the line from Gosford is electrified, making Gosford a very busy location – more “operation”.
4. Fassifern. Passenger trains from Newcastle to Toronto are terminated on the Fassifern branch platform. The Newstan Mine branch leaves the main here (left).	5. Newstan Mine. Double AD60 Garratts “push” 22 loaded BCHs from under the Bin, onto the main at Fassifern. The loaded train from a standstill labours up the 1 in 40 ”DOWN” Main up the Fassifern Bank (front).
6. Newstan Mine. A close up of the Loading Bin & Prep Plant. Loaded coal trains return from Port Waratah via the “sneak track” from under the Admin Block, providing a “loads in” and “empties out”, “one way” continual running.	7. Sulphide Works at Sulphide Junction. The AD60 + 50 W44 Zinc Concentrate Train from Broken Hill (Syd Stag) terminates here. Super phosphate a by product is loaded into S wagons & distributed around the N/W (Werris Ck).
8. Into Broadmeadow Yard. In the foreground is the Lift Up bridge across the entrance to the train room. The L/H track is Main DOWN into the Yard. (UP to add one day). The R/H track is the Newstan Mine “Sneak Track” from Port Waratah that is located in the background, providing a continuous run of “Empties In” & “Loads Out”	9. Broadmeadow Yard with the Elevated Coal Stage, an interim 7 bay Roundhouse (a freebie from a mate) & a 90” Flieshmann Turntable that has indexing and WORKS, (my kit 105’ will be made one day??). The “DC” (Dual Control) AD60s are the only Main North locos that cannot be turned, but they can be operated in both directions.
10. Broadmeadow Station. With the DOWN (front), UP & one Loop. The Double AD60 Coal Train arrives on the Loop, the AD60s run around the train using the UP Main (centre). One AD60 pushes the train past the entrance to Port Waratah (Rear L/H), then into PRT WTH. Through Goods train use loop. Pass use DOWN & UP Main	11.  Port Waratah  located at the rear of the BMW Yard entrance. The RU Wheat Sidings (left) & BCH empties Siding (right). Full BCH coal trains “run through PRT WRH to Newstan via “Sneak Track” while “empties” from Newstan via “Sneak Track” are marshalled into Siding or “run through” to Newstan via BMW.
12. To Newcastle or Muswellbrook. Passenger train through to Newcastle Station “straight ahead” at points exiting Broadmeadow. Goods & Passenger trains “up” to Werris Ck via MWK take the rear “road” behind NLE Stn.	13. Newcastle Station. (Upper rear tracks). The Newcastle Flyer, the Newcastle Suburban Railmotor, The Toronto Passenger etc passenger trains all start or finish here at Newcastle.
	14. Muswellbrook A fully built Walther’s New River Mine kit is the mine at Muswellbrook. One day I will scratch build a mine closer to what was there in 1965. For the time being this mine allow plenty of operation.  Muswellbrook was supposed to be flat but to reduce the grade into Murrurundi, I had to increase the height of the layout at the northern end (The Oak) so I could have single engine trains to Murrurundi, where they’re D/Head.
15. Muswellbrook – The “Oak” Dairy. I kit bashed a Walthers REA kit to make my Dairy. My first attempt at kit bashing and I did it for a clinic I did for the 2007 SCRMA on Tank Cars of the NSWGR.  Slow progress for MN structures	16 Murrurundi Station. The height of Murrurundi to clear the Boss’ car, made the grades from Broadmeadow a real challenge for single engine trains. A new car will see it parked outside, cause it won’t fit under Murrurundi.
17. Murrurundi Yard. Murrurundi is one of the most important locations on my layout as in the “real thing” most trains were double headed or banked up the Range & bankers/double headers removed at Murrurundi. DCC makes all of this a lot of fun with lots of “operation” here.	18. Layout across the Garage Door. Both the Upper & Lower Deck trackage needed to go across the garage opening, as the Boss still parks her car “in” my layout. I did not want to keep making up & dismantling these tracks, so I permanently attached them to door and they
go up & down with the door. To “play trains” I add 4 pieces of track that straddle the 4 gaps. Remove them prior to operating the door. The interlock so the door doesn’t open with the tracks down, is to pull the plug out of the door motor. I’ll make something automatic, one day.	The Door fully Open. While this looks a little bit of a squeeze, it is. The Lower Deck “Cowan Bank” along with it’s facia, is removed when I need to park the car in the garage. Adding “Cowan Bank” with its joiners and the 4 tracks takes 5 minutes to do.
19. Pangela Loop Trains on the ‘real” Main North only stopped at Pangela to exchange the staff & waited in the Loop for “crossing” trains, if necessary. At “my” Pangela there will be a water tank where steam engines will “take on water”, to extend the “operating experience”.	20. Up the Range into to Ardglen Tunnel. The layout height at Ardglen was lowered by 4 inches when I extended the layout by adding the Lower Deck in the Garage. The grade here was reduced to 1 in 80, whereas the “real” MN it is 1 in 40. The “overriding” layout height of the Upper Deck was controlled by height at Murrurundi to allow the Honda to be parked underneath Murrurundi.
21. Ardglen. A passing loop & station. Ardglen “Ballast” Quarry will be located at the rear with ballast wagon storage in front of the loop & station. Depending on the day, some “bankers” “disconnected at Ardglen while others went through to Willow Tree for “down” trains and Murrurundi for “up” trains to be ready for the next “push up	22. Willow Tree. Due to rising grade to Ardglen, many “up” trains will need banking from Willow Tree. Like Murrurundi, these operating requirements on the “real thing” providing extra operation, made all the easier with DCC. “Down” banker/double headers are removed here. Located at Willow Tree is a turntable and a large Silo.
23. Werris Creek Yard. An Antons 75’ Turntable, an Elevated Coal Stage are a part of a large “Loco” here. Many goods trains terminated here and “broken up” for outlying towns A Large wheat Silo is located on the other side of the railway station.	24. Werris Creek Station. This small NSW Suburban station is a poor model of the magnificent building at the station but a scratch built version will be a “long time” coming. Trains to Narrabri & Armadale will go through the front road while the rear platform is a dead end.
25. Layout Room Entrance. Access to the Main North layout is via this doorway (except when the garage door is open), where there are 2 “temporary” (3 & 6 years) Lift Up bridges across the doorway. The Lower one cannot be lowered while the Upper one is down. A minor irritation.	26. The Gunnedah Mill.  Purchased from one of my mates, the location of the Mill had to be in the train room. Its beauty was wasted in the “proper” location in Gunnedah Yard, a little modeller’s licence now makes this the focal point of the layout in the Train Room.
27. Gunnedah.  Gunnedah with all it’s “operation” with the “industries” (2 mills, Silo, Loading Ramp, Oil depots etc) was the “basis” of my layout after reading the article in a 1990 issue of the local AMRM magazine.	28. Operating Willow Tree, Gunnedah & Mine Loop. Due to the 1850 mm height from the floor in the garage of this “aisle way”, a moveable floor, 300 mm high is located on the L/H side. This allows for easy walk through to the garage & Lower Deck but slightly “precarious” position, operating Willow Tree & Gunnedah, especially as it is narrow & not so solid. A must fix job.
29. Gunnedah Mine Loop. Gunnedah’s Black Jack Mine was on the outskirts of town with a branch line to the mine complete with the Loop located 100 mm above Willow Tree. Due to my “limited” space and accessibility, the Loop is shorter than the train, making shunting of the load onto/from the mainline including swapping ends for the Van/s, a great 20 minute operation.	30. Black Jack coal mine branch. The branch line from the Loop winds up a grade behind Gunnedah and up behind Ardglen Ballast Quarry and at 1920 mm from the floor, following the train as it negotiates this branch a little difficult for those “shorties” like me. I’ll place a couple of “viewing” boxes to stand on.
31. Black Jack Mine. Located back “inside” the train room and above my work bench, not far from the Gunnedah Mill, see before.	32. The Work Bench. A relatively tidy work bench (you wouldn’t think so by this photo) with the laptop where I spend far too much time instead of working on the layout, in the centre. The Lower Deck, just visible the double mainline from Sulphide Junction/Cockle Creek & Tickhole Tunnel (in the garage) comes through a hole in the wall behind the bench, just before it crosses the doorway. Above the bench (Upper Deck) the Black Jack Coal Mine and the Gunnedah Mill can be seen.

As can be seen there is a an awful lot of work to be done on the Main North but for the moment operating sessions with 4 to 5 operators are a lot of fun. As with a lot of layouts, it is “Work in Progress”.

I belong to many model railway related Yahoo groups that I like to participate in the “chatter”. Also maintaining this web site and my DCC for Novices consumes a lot of my hobby time as I bash away at the keyboard and being a one fingered typist does makes it worse. I install decoders (mostly sound) for a few modeller, all of which keeps me away from my layout. In any case, all of this is fun and I have the rest of my life to complete it. 

One of the best things about all of this “communicating” is that I have met many new friends from all over Australia and from the U.S.

Model railways and DCC has “consumed” me, much to the disappointment of my best friend, Elley but hopefully there will be some benefit for her soon.