Operating the Main North – Marcus’ idea of operation.

While I research more and more and talk to many of my new railway friends, I am changing the operation on the Main North constantly, but most importantly, what I have put together may not be 100% prototypically correct, but it will allow for a lot of fun while operating. The layout mainline, from Gosford to Werris Creek is approximately 200 feet, (not including staging and the branch line to Gunnedah), some of it dual (Gosford to Broadmeadow), will provide a “long run” for a lot of trains.

Due to the NSWGR practices in the mid 60s, trains operated with single engines till they required assistance to ascend a hill (the Liverpool Ranges or the Cowan Bank). This in a lot of cases will necessitate extra “operations” of setting up double headed or banking operations (Murrurundi, Ardglen and Willow Tree) and engine changes (Gosford), that will require operators to do more than just running a train. Using DCC this is much easier.

It will be fun.

Stations on the Main North.

There are quite a few.  I am modelling a particular prototype and era, I will attempt to model these stations to something that is similar to the real thing but there are many constraints in building a model railway, these locations will have to fit in with the physical limitations of the layout. Structures may have to be located in different positions to utilize the layout better and certainly the track plan will not be accurate.

My aim is to get the general feeling of the Main North with place names and the type of trains that ran in the mid 60s.   

Starting from the Sydney end (staging).

1. Gosford – with a small yard. As electrification of the Main North from Sydney to G osford was completed in 1960, almost all trains that operated over this section of track including up the Cowan Bank from the picturesque Hawkesbury River, used 46 class electrics. A change of engine was done at Gosford in both directions. This “change of engine” makes for another great operation on the Main North and it was this change of engine that made me choose to include Gosford on my Main North. The Sydney section is a staging reverse loop.
2. Fassifern – Where the Newstan Coal mine joins the Main North. An interesting shunting operation with Garratts and 59s and then double Garratts up the 1 in 40 Fassifern Bank. Also a platform for the Toronto Branch line. No Toronto station but passenger trains from Newcastle will “terminate” on the curved Platform 3 here.
3. Sulphide Junction – a locality that may not have a station. – Heavy industries with the Sulphide Corporation Smelters, Cardiff Locomotive and Car Works and a few other small sidings.
4. Broadmeadow Station with a large Goods Yard that is bisected by the “hole in the wall” in the middle of my 16 ft/4.3 metres long Broadmeadow complex, where many trains were built up or broken down for their respective trips. A large “Loco” with two turntables and roundhouses and an Elevated Coal Stage in real life but only one of each on my Broadmeadow. For now a 90 foot turntable will have to do as I have a Fleischmann model courtesy of Jack R’s old broken units that I just fitted a set of brushes to. There were many steam engines allocated to Broadmeadow in 1965 and the AD60 Garratts were included, so I need a 105. The 105 from the U.S. are looking good.
5. Port Waratah – The destination of the Double Garratt coal trains from Newstan and many coal, wheat and general goods trains from Werris Creek/Gunnedah in the north. Port Waratah had its own loco with a roundhouse, turntable and an elevated coal stage. All locos on my Main North will be turned and serviced at the nearby Broadmeadow complex.
6. Newcastle Station - I have found its location now. I have sorted out Broadmeadow/Port Waratah without an 18 inch radius loop into Port Waratah. Newcastle will be located on the track plan at East Greta and East Greta only a branch line connection to Cessnock and South Maitland Railways, will be deleted  As I love coal trains and wanted the SMR branch line, I’ll have to add it somewhere else, maybe off Muswellbrook – oops, not prototypical, that the beauty of modellers license. Newcastle will be north of Broadmeadow, that’s o.k, but Down/Up trains to/from Werris Creek will not pass through Newcastle, but “behind it. Really now Muswellbrook and Murrurundi have to moved “one location” north of their present position and place East Greta and the Exchange sidings at Muswellbrook, and Muswellbrook at Murrurundi and Murrurundi at Pangela. The right idea, but this would mean, where all the double heading/banking at Murrurundi, the bench work would be high and over the workshop bench – a little difficult at the moment. Will think about this. I can see another change in the “pipeline”. 
7. Muswellbrook – Coal mine, the Oak Dairy, and general goods and the branch line to Merriwa (not included on the Main North, yet) – a busy railway town. Muswellbrook was the generally the northerly limit of the Broadmeadow AD60s with the occasional AD60 going through to Murrurundi.
8. Murrurundi – A “loco” with a 60 foot turntable where all double headers/bankers were added for down trains and removed for up trains for the trip over the Liverpool Ranges. As Garratts were not permitted through the Ardglen Tunnel in either direction, this was as far as they came. Murrurundi closed as a Depot in 1967 and hence why I model the mid 60s. This location with the assembling of steam double headers and bankers is paramount to my layout “operations”.
9. Ardglen – The Liverpool Ranges railway summit where some bankers/double headed loco were removed for down and up trains. A ballast mine is located here. On the Main North, a difficult location, being 1800 mm off the floor. I will provide a “fruit box” for operations here. Just another less than desirable alternative, but this is what building a layout is all about. All this stems from two different floor levels (garage 300 mm lower than the train room) and the fact that I have to have a 1 to 1 size Honda Civic motor car in my “layout room”. Another compromise.
10. Willow Tree with a small 60 foot turntable – Similar operation to Murrurundi where the double headers/banker was added or deleted. A large wheat Silo complex.
11. Werris Creek with its very large Yard, loco, turntable and Elevated Coal stage - the destination for down trains and the build up of up trains from areas north and around the wheat and coal areas around Werris Creek. Werris Creek has a coal mine just to the south and a large wheat silo complex. The Main North continues north, on to Tamworth that will be a staging loop on my Main North and the Mungindi Branch goes north west.   
12. Gunnedah on the Mungindi Branch line to Narrabri has coal, wheat, stock, fuel etc. A source of many trains on the Main North. My first NSW layout started with Gunnedah, after reading the articles about wheat silos at Gunnedah and a great track plan of Gunnedah and the surroundings, in AMRM in the early 90s by Bob Gallagher.
13. I may “delete” the branch to Gunnedah, or at least moving it, as I want to bring trains into Werris Creek the “other way”, through where Gunnedah is now. This will require building a peninsular similar to the Lower Deck. This will also give me a longer shunting neck at Werris Creek (where Willow Tree is now) and most importantly, will remove the 1800 mm “duck under” that I and especially my taller “running mates” will appreciate. But for now, I have Gunnedah because that’s what’s there NOW. A change, much later obviously after the “road test” has been done.

Mark Laidley has suggested a “signalmen” at each station/location. I had not contemplated these “extras”. I feel each operator will be able to look after his train and set whatever points to run his train. Maybe later on, but for now – no need.

A typical DOWN steam goods train originating from Sydney Staging, to Werris Creek, the operator would:

1. Select the required loco and operate the train being powered by a 46 class electric from Sydney Staging into Gosford.
2. Change over to a 32, 35, 36, 50, 53, 55, 59 or 60 to operate to Broadmeadow.
3. May pick up/drop off wagons at Sulphide Junction if required.
4. In Broadmeadow the train may be broken up and may have an engine change, depending on destination and load.
5. For DOWN trains to Werris Creek etc the train progressed to Murrurundi, possibly picking up or dropping off wagons at Muswellbrook.
6. At Murrurundi the single engine train would get a helper/banker to get over the Range. A double headed combination would be built up by the same operator of an available loco at Murrurundi. No timetable yet. If a banker was the desired operation, a second operator would drive the banker with his own DCC throttle.
7. At Ardglen or Willow Tree, the double header or banker would be removed, determine by operators. Sometime in the future a timetable will be set up to determine the operation.
8. The DOWN train would then continue into Werris Creek, where depending on the load as per future timetable.

Passenger trains like the Northern Tablelands Express and the North West Mail will operate the same route with an engine change at Gosford but depending on the composition no double head/banker operation will be necessary at Murrurundi.

For the present, prior to timetable running that most probably will be sequential running, running a train with as much operation over the whole layout is paramount to see if I like the layout as I have made it. Really a “test drive” of the present Main North plan. Depending on how others and myself find the Main North operating will determine if I stay with this design and then “fine tune” then add some ballast, scenery etc, but most importantly I have to see if it works for me.

This may not prototypically correct, the way I am doing it, but it seems interesting in concept. Having an actual location with real stations/locations with trains that ran during the mid 60s, is my concept of playing trains. Researching all these trains, operations and locations has added a new dimension to my model railway. Trying to replicate in some way, the real thing, is what I want. I cannot aim for the 100% prototypically correct operation. There are too many restrictions. To mention a few, space, time and money, so the main thing is to have fun for a few operators. 

When I can get this above operation running, I will add, delete or change whatever is necessary to get the desired fun I want.

Once I get the operation I want, then I can concentrate on adding scenery and structures that will keep me and others interested for the next 15 to 20 years. That will make me 77 after 20 years, if I’m still here. It will take me this long to add scenery and build the necessary structures at the rate I get things done. I have to get something started.

Much to contemplate on building a layout.