Date Has Been Set and Time is Running Out

So with Cricket season now officially over, I have a few weeks break before Soccer kicks off – so to speak.  With this as an incentive, I have nominated next Monday as an Operating Session Day on Cassino.  I have been promising one for two months.  Well it is now scheduled and the first round of invitations sent out.

 

This morning I did a bit of a clean up of North Coast Control’s desk, as this has collected a bit of junk since the last Operating Session, as I have dabbled with a number of things.  I have put a few things away and I think all the trains are currently in good operating order.  While sitting at the NCC's desk and watching the Formula 1 Grand Prix on the TV in between tasks today, I realised that a few of the magnets on the NCC's train board were not in their correct position.  So I spent some time positioning these in readiness for next Monday’s session.  Today I also realised that I had some wagons sitting in Cassino Yard that should have been around at the Cassino Meatworks.  So I also positioned them ready for next week.

 

I spent some time this arvo mixing up a few batches of plaster and deposited a couple of these around the Lismore Oil Siding near the road that leads into this location.  I also tried to again glue down the road, which leads from the Oil Siding towards Lismore Station.  I tried last week to glue this road down, but it did not take.  Who knows, over the long weekend next week, I may actually paint the baseboard around this area and also stain my balsawood roads.

The Shell oil train is locked away in the Lismore Shell Siding.  The road that leads passed the Industry head towards Lismore on the right.  Eventually a fence will be installed around the industry.

While I had the plaster out, I decided to install the walls of a road underpass at Kyogle.  I plastered over the foam at this location and also installed a cement path for pedestrians next to the roadway.  Again the road will be ‘bitumened’ next week before the Operating Session.

The Summarland Way in the road heading under the North Coast Mainline as the road and railway head into Kyogle.

This shot shows the first upgrade of the area with plaster added.  The road eventually runs around to the right behind the railway line and on the right is the bridge over the Upper Richmond River.  This river also needs to have some time spent on it to get formed.

 

Tuesday quite a few guys from our Tuesday Nighters Group went to a local Buy and Sell and then we all popped over to Peter’s place.  He is one of the closest to the sale so it was pretty natural to go that way.  I did not buy anything at the Sale as there was not much that suited.  When we got to Peter’s we saw the work that he and his work crew had done to a new HOn3.5 layout that will be displayed at this year’s Brisbane Model Railway Exhibition.  This is an excellent layout.  They had fitted some Wuiske/Haskell backscenes and they look a million bucks.  Particularly on one module of the layout that contains a stock race and the fantastic scratch built metal fencing around the stock yards in low relief.  It is just exceptional!  This presentation inspired me and I plan to do something similar to my Nammoona Ballast Siding scene.  I will install a sort of backscene from the Wuiske/Haskell range and I may try and add some photos from the actual prototype location into the scene as well.  I will also add some 3D to the area by having stock loading races, fencing and ballast heaps blend into the very narrow space between the tracks and the backdrop - all in about 30 - 60mm.  So I will be on the lookout for the correct backscenes at this year’s May Show for some gear.

I see that the list of topics for this year's Modelling the Railways of NSW is out.  I plan to try and convince the boss that I need to attend and see if she will pick up the tab for travel and accommodation.  Who knows your luck in the big city - also there are two huge lotto draws this week that might help pay for attendance costs.  I can but dream.