22/05/2013

Augusta

Augusta upgrade

     I was forever wondering how to scratch build the station at Augusta. I had the photos that were taken during our road trip but it looked like a lot of work so it was put on the back burner. To my surprise Walthers came out with the station kit, with the station and freight house and a stand alone freight house. Boy was I a happy man as these kits would do a very credible job of replicating the Augusta station that I was looking at building. The order went out and the kits arrived. I chose to build the station with a freight house on each end as is the prototype so a bit of kit bashing needed to be done on the left hand end of the station building and to the freight house. I painted the brickwork brick red, let that dry and then applied a wash of very light grey for the mortar lines. A light green for the roof tiles along with a dab of weathering. The concrete areas around the widows and doors of the walls were brush painted with Polly Scale aged concrete.

This is the main Augusta yard with the station at the back and the interchange tracks at the front. You can just make out the loco servicing area way off to the left. This yard is 14 feet long and handles a lot of traffic during an operating session.

The grain elevator is located at the Right hand end of Augusta and is served by a small side track. The grain elevator shed on the left was made by Ron one of my good mates. This is one of two locomotive servicing facilities the other is at Flynn.

The two small farm houses are from Model Power painted and weathered. The subway was made by Vic. This sits between Augusta and Udall.
5192 SD40-2 repaint heading to Augusta after just passing behind the elevators at Udall.

That's it for today.
Rod.

13/05/2013

Augusta East Scenery

 Augusta East

     When I was working on the track plan for Augusta East I wanted to include some industries that would help link others through out the railroad. Scrap metal was one and a small fuel distributor was another. This would allow me to have a crew member operate this area and allow the movement of cars between other industries from various locations.
     I also needed some storage tracks for my directors special coaches which run only occasionally depending on the number of operators on the night at operating sessions.
     The Augusta East Scrap is scratch built to fit against the wall and help camouflage the hole in the wall that leads to the Augusta main yards. The crane is from GHQ with the black tractor and trailer being a scratch built and kit bash done by my good friend Vic. The chassis on both are brass etched.




 




     The idea for the Phillips 66 building was taken from an image of a distributor we saw in the town of Guthrie when 4 of us did a trip following the Santa Fe from Milwaukee to Oklahoma back in 2000.
     This trip was a once in a lifetime event pity I didn't do it before I started the layout as some of the industries and buildings would have been different.

I downloaded the Phillips 66 sign from Flicker and printed it to a good quality copy paper about 190 GSM if I recall.



 







     Well that just about does it for today so until the next post thanks for stopping by.
Rod.



05/05/2013

New bits

Work continues on the new bits

     The time of year that the extension was started can be very hot in Melbourne, however when it is in the mid twenties it is good modeling weather. So while this weather was so good it was good to keep up the momentum and get as much work on the new bits and get them completed ready to get the gang over for an ops session.

Road bed installed at Augusta East
This is the new grain elevator complex at the L/H end of Guthrie

The small Dolese sand and gravel siding in front of the elevator.
The new Guthrie station with Guthrie feed in the background
A BLMA bridge sits nicely on the new track between Perry and Guthrie. This is only 6 inches wide.
     The next post should include the buildings at Augusta East if I can find them.
That's it for today. Thanks again for stopping by.
Rod.