Layout Plan for the NSWGR
A quick rough line drawing in Paint shows the two decks of the layout. One day Garry might do a better one in 3rd Planit.
A revised layout plan due to the car has to stay in the garage and the garage door has to open.
Revised July 07
A HO layout “loosely” modelled on the “real” NSWGR
“Main North” that is north of
I am really keen to use the real names on my layout as this ties me to a place and a time. I model steam to diesel transition period about 1965 67. Only locos that were on the NSWGR at that time will be operated on my layout. No NRs or containers. I have 442 that I most probably will have to EBay
The layout is in a spare 10’ x 12’ down stairs bedroom and adjoining 20’ x 24’ double car garage. The biggest compromise that I have had to make so far, is the BOSS won’t move her car, she INSISTS on parking it IN my layout. The layout is double deck layout with the separation between decks between 250 to 450 mm.
Entrance to the layout is by the train room (previously the spare bedroom) door with two “swing up” bridges at 1,000 mm and 1420 mm spanning this entrance or by the double garage door that hopefully one day, will be locked and sealed, closed.
The layout is an “end to end” double deck layout with
a gradual long climb then a 1 in 40, between the two decks with a slow climb at
the Sydney Staging (lower deck) end. These “grades” roughly replicates the
“real thing” providing either double heading/banking over the
The mainline run length is 210 feet (70 metres).
Along with loco change and double heading/banking operations, an operator will spend 20 to 60 minutes, running a single train on the Main North.
All my locos, irrespective of whether they are passenger or a good locos are “speed limited” to 28 MPH. All locos (decoders) have “straight line” speed curves adjusted so that the loco’s speed in MPH is the same as the Speed Step indicated on my NCE Procab’s display, when using 28 Speed Steps. These “speed tables” are more easily implemented by using Decoder Pro and a Speedometer “S” wagon, I made.
A tour “north” (on a “down” train) along the Main North.
Sydney Staging. The “start” and
“end” of my layout. An 8 track staging area where
Cowan Bank, the climb up to
Gosford. A loco change here for most trains as the electrification of the line going north only went as far as Gosford by 1965 (reached Gosford in 1959). This loco change will make Gosford a busy area.
Fassifern, where
the branch line to
Sulphide Junction. The Sulphide Works smelters are here and the zinc concentrate trains terminated here after the long journey from Broken Hill. The last section from Gosford to Sulphide Junction was operated with double Garratts, after twin 46 Class Electrics operated the train from Lithgow to Gosford through Sydney (Strathfield).
Cockle Creek, where the Cardiff Locomotive Works were located Lots of loads in/out to/from here for a local pick up.
Marcus DCC Workshop workbench. Where I spend “too much” of my hobby time (not building the layout), is the nerve centre of my train operations with a 2.0 metre x 800mm (an old door) workbench with associated storage drawers and shelves. A double Fluorescent Light provides the bench lighting mounted 500 mm above the bench. This is essential for my getting poorer eye sight. Now I have two pairs of glasses, one for reading and the other for close up work. I have to use these all the time for decoder installations, building etc. When the bench is tidy, mostly now as I have become more disciplined, my laptop lives here. This is an ideal arrangement with the bench and laptop together. Important for my website with the continual addition of pages, more so now that I have committed to my “web” book, “DCC for Novices”.
A shelf , 160 mm higher than the bench, is the track from Tickhole Tunnel to the “lift up” bridge into Broadmeadow Yard/Port Waratah and the “sneak track” back to Newstan Mine for continuous loads and empties. This section (shelf) is a convenient storage area of loco and “junk” from my bench.
Broadmeadow Yard, a really condensed version with eventually a 105 foot turntable and a roundhouse and plenty of storage tracks to marshal trains north and south.
Depending on the train, it will head off to:
- Port Waratah
- Werris Creek etc.
Port Waratah, where Newstan coal trains from the south and coal, wheat and general goods trains from the north end up at, for domestic and international destinations by ship.
To Werris Creek via.
Muswellbrook. The home of the OAK Dairy that I built for a presentation at the NSW Tank Cars Clinic in April 07. I was told that I did a good job and it was the first kit bashed building I have done, in fact it was the first completed building I have ever done.
Murrurundi. The “Boss’s” car had to still park in my layout. Murrurundi would have to be at 1470 mm to allow the Honda to fit under Murrurundi. I don’t know what will happen when we get a new car. TOO bad, if it doesnt fit under Murrurundi, it will have to park out side. That’s why the paint cars isnt it, so they can live in the weather. Anyway well cross that bridge when I get there. Too many bridges on my Main North anyway.
Murrurundi was always on my Main North plans as this is one of the reasons I chose NCE DCC, so I could build consists (double heads) on the fly that trains heading over the Liverpool Ranges required. Also banking operations are necessary and it was this reason I did NOT move Murrurundi to over Gosford, so this banking run was a significant length to make it fun.
The one problem I have with Murrurundi’s location on my Main North, is that the climb from Muswellbrook is a real 1 in 44, that Austrains 36s have trouble pulling their Northern Tablelands Expresses to Murrurundi, where they were in real life, double headed if necessary. Goods trains were always banked from the rear going north due to two steam engines in the Ardglen Tunnel being banned due breathing difficulties and if the 2 locos stalled that could have happened and really did, the crew had difficulty breathing. One engine man died from exactly this in the Ardglen Tunnel.
Murrurundi had a Loco Depot that closed in 1967, so this is why I model 1965 to 1967 era. I want the banking the steam banking operations. Will make for fun.
Pangela Loop. Just a signal box here for control of “passing” trains.
Ardglen. The
summit of the
Werris Creek above Broadmeadow, with a reasonable sized Yard, 75 foot Anton’s turntable and in the future a Roundhouse. Many of the train operations start from Werris Creek that end up at Port Waratah or even a Sydney Staging.
Gunnedah: I always wanted to model Gunnedah after seeing the articles in AMRM in 1991. With the Namoi and Buntings Mills both in town with silos, the Water Conservation and Irrigation sidings, 3 or 4 Fuel Depots, stock loading just out of town and the Abattoirs and Black Jack coal mine just a little further out of town, all these industries made for interesting and many varied shunting and marshalling of trains in Gunnedah. It was a busy place.
My Abattoirs are on the opposite side of the Upper Deck at Gunnedah, right at the junction of the Black Jack colliery line and my colliery line after the loop at the junction, winds on behind Gunnedah and back into the train room where Black Jack is located above my work bench.
Industries modelled on the Main North.
Coal: Newstan, Port Waratah, Muswellbrook Werris Creek and Gunnedah (Black Jack mine)
Wheat: Gunnedah, Werris Creek and Port Waratah.
Cattle/Sheep: Gunnedah.
Milk/Dairy: Muswellbrook.
Cement/Limestone: Wyee somewhere I haven’t located it yet and Port Waratah
Abattoirs: Gunnedah and Muswellbrook.
Manufacturing/Materials: Cockle Creek,
General goods: all stations
Steel:
Fuel: Gosford, Broadmeadow, Port Waratah Muswellbrook, Werris Creek and Gunnedah.
Concentrate: Sulphide Junction.