I figure I should pop up a post because sometimes things work out better than one plans - and faster too. A couple of posts ago I wrapped 2020 as being a year of great achievement as I had managed to establish my version of the Coonamble branch (everything is relative - but the previous decade had been a zero achievement zone).
I am not ashamed to claim that you can have a whole ball of fun with a 3 station branch line. Just running a wheatie out and back, plus a railmotor can soak up an hour. And until I get a couple of back boards in, I always have the thrill of possibly running right through the terminus and dropping 4 feet to the concrete floor. This fact alone makes the crew stay attentive.
Here is CPH 3 arriving at Pilliga, otherwise known to the locals as Central Plywood. The photographer is about to derail the railmotor if necessary to stop its plunge.
In the recent Easter holiday period, 4910 has been deputising for the the railmotor - captured at Coalbaggie Creek on 27 March. Control wishes to advise that the use of a diesel and passenger carriages is only due to the expected increase in patronage, and not because the CPH is out of service being fitted with a bungee cord.
Running the branch is turning out to be quite a time chewer. However, I had promised myself not to let another year slide by. So I had set the goal of laying our Macquarie (Dubbo) and getting a little loop going for the days/times when I am feeling less energetic.
The little loop arrived first. It links Troy Junction (actually the mirror reverse of Troy) with the line which heads west from Macquarie. I hope you can follow this! Anyway, it means that a train heading west from Macquarie circles back and ends up being a train coming off the Dubbo-Merrygoen cross country line. The main track of this loop line is laid, but I will wait to procure sufficient Peco points to finish it before I post more about Balliminore (yes, a clever combination of Minore on the GWR and Ballimore on the cross country line - thank you, no applause for the genius of working that one up).
The following non-drone shot was taken from high above West Macquarie, which is just as flat and featureless as West Dubbo in real life. It shows a half laid Macquarie yard and the loop to the left.
Anyway, the yard works. I can shunt to my heart's content. The basic structures which scream 'Dubbo' to me - the station, the Harman coal stage, the 3 road loco shed and the carriage shed - all fit. The bit of paper you can see in the middle of the next photo is a HO scale 60 foot Sellars turntable. Lots more has to happen but at last my modelling to blogging balance is where I would like it to be.
I suspect not much more observable progress will happen this year. A few buildings may emerge but the next phase is under the layout - my electrician needs to spend some quality time under the boards! But, more importantly, I just need to run the layout lots to see if I can break what I have done. This is almost certain to be achieved!
If you will indulge me one final photo, it comes from the late 1950s at Macquarie. The west end of the loco shed suggests that it must be a weekend, with 1221 squeezed between 3016T, 3298 and another 30T. In the background an infidel diesel lurks - a Lima 44 has made an appearance and is skulking into the east end of the shed.
Don
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