Hotham Street Inprovements

On Friday I went to the kids school to cook the BBQ at the School cross country carnival. After cooking 28kgs of snags, about 10 dozen hamburger paddies, 7 dozen eggs, multiple kgs of bacon, a few packets of water logged onions, the other 4 guys and I called it a day. So I went home mid afternoon and went to the shed. The wife was still working in the tuckshop, so what else was there to do?

I decided to try and mix up some plaster rocks and attach it to the walls of the rock mountain outside my helix, just north of Cassino Meatworks Siding. Eventually this was complete. I certainly suffered some truial and tribulations undertaking this task.  But I eventually got there.  I then decided to hit the rather large rock wall with some colouring. I used my 4 standard colours and a small paint brush to smear it on. I few hits with the water spray to make it run and voila.  I then got tired of doing such a large area with a paint brish, so I got out my pippet and suck the paint out of the bottles and squeezed onto the rocks and let it run down the rack face.

The rock face around the helix.   

On Saturday I spent some time doing the scenery around Hotham Street and on the outside of Cassino Meatworks. I then decided to spread some greenery around Nammoona Ballast Siding. My next task was to spread some dirt around where the building will go for the Meatworks, and of course some cattle pens. Kyle came down to the shed and he helped me with the water spraying, the glue spraying and some sprinkling to various greens around the meatworks area. I think he was suitably impressed.

The area on the outside of the mainline has been given a basic green over.

I then decided that the next major task was to head towards Cassino with my plastering. but first I needed to put the first layer of styrofoam down. So I worked in the area between the main line and the loco area. The locos area is much lower than the mainline and I needed to have some sloped styrofoam there so I can then just add some plaster over this and smooth it all out.

The base styrofoam installed.  Plaster will be added in a few weeks.

Today I got out a few sheets of A4 paper and suck them together, so I could make a plan for the meatworks area.  I was also looking at various photos that I had of this area to help me plan what I would include in my scene.  I think there has to be a car park for some visitors to the facility to park and of course a loading platform next to the siding for the various louvre vans to unload or load their cargo.  I will also have some stock unloading ramps at the northern end of the siding for two BCW’s to unload simultaneously. Not long now until Ron’s BCW’s hit the post box! I will then sell off my Mini-Models BCW’s – anyone want some? The car park is modeller’s license but who cares.

This carpark for visitors only caters for 8 cars.  It seems that they are getting their postal delivery at this moment in time.

This view shows off where the meatworks facility will go as well as the scenery back towards Hotham Street.

I have some photos that a friend took a few years back of some scenery around the meatworks. It does help that he was a Pac Nat loco driver.

Coming up on the Meatworks Siding while heading south.  Photo by Brett Thomas.

As you can see the Meatworks is out of use. Photo by Brett Thomas.

Today I decided to add some road markings to the Hotham Street level crossing. However, I then ran out of styrene of the particular size. I weld the styrene to the stained balsa road with styrene glue. I might have to buy some more styrene at next week’s Brisbane Train Show, but I’d bet no one will be selling styrene there.  I still need to add the road through the middle of the crossing, but that is a task for another week.  A lot of detail also has to be added to the scene as well.

The road markings are in on one side of the road.  I've just used paper for the moment to simulate concrete footpaths for pedestrians.

I was then looking under my layout and I came across a section of baseboard from my old version of Cassino. It just happened to be of the Hotham Street level crossing.   So here are some photos.

A modeule from my old layout.  This shows Hotham Street.  This was a bit too wide.  Someone put their hand through the road!

It's amazing what I have around in my shed.

A reminder that I will be at the Brisbane Model Railway Exhibition next Saturday and Monday working on the Structure Building Stand with Jim Hutchinson. Jim will be there on Saturday and Sunday. I will be assisted on the Monday by Geoff from Splitters Swamp Creek fame. I’m pretty sure I will be working on various models for Cassino. So please come by and introduce yourself. I really don’t want to do any work, just sit back and talk.