Stockyards at Coolamine

My project for this past summer has been trying to get the Coolamine area completed. The last major build I needed to do, was the stockyards. It was a more complex build than it looks as I made working gates and there seemed to be a zillion nbw castings to install. 

With it now bedded in and the grass growing like it should, I am pleased how the scene has finished up. A few more small details to add, this section of the layout will be complete.

A new Garratt at Puffing Billy

I was in Melbourne this past weekend and heard that the newly restored Garratt locomotive NGG16 129 was running in regular service. I didn't need another reason to head up to Belgrave to ride behind it.

It sounded terrific and looks magnificent.

August update

I know it has been awhile since I have posted an update on the blog, but progress is continuing on the layout. The farm scene is coming closer to completion. I have added more garden to the house and it is now fenced. I still need to add the gates to keep the livestock from wandering in. I am happy with how the garden has come together

A large amount of time was taken up by scratch building a garage based on one that existed in a local town when I was a kid. I hand carved the brickwork which was far more time consuming than I expected. The figures are 3d printed by Modelu and I find them to be very realistic and take scale figures to a new level. 

The garage will be in the village of Buckland, which is slowly coming together.

Buckland is also the first place on the layout to receive working signals. These were put together for me by Bernard Snoodyk and will add a lot to operations.

Elsewhere on the layout vegetation continues to sprout as the forests slowly cover the hills

For those of you who are on Facebook the layout now has it's own page facebook.com/bogongandgeehi/ which I do update a little more often than this blog.

It's been awhile...

While it has been quite some time since I have posted on the blog, things are still happening on the BGR.

Just at the moment life seems to be getting in the way of modelling, and there is even less time for blogging, but I am slowly getting a bit done on the layout. The peninsula that you first see when visitors walk into the shed is slowly growing some vegetation I haven't been 100% happy with the blending of the shrubs and grass. I have been trialing better ways to do long grass and when I'm happy I will cover the rest of the hill.

The front gate of the farm has been installed, and the garden around the house is slowly filling in. I need to make a mailbox and farm sign to finish the scene.

Hopefully the next update will be more timely than this one!

Installing the farmhouse

I have started to install the farmhouse on the layout. I still have lots to do but I am very happy with how it fits into the landscape

 I have added a brick outhouse that is a kit from Rich White models

Just need to finish the garden, make the front gate and the farm area of the layout will be close to complete

The Buckland store

There is a new business opened in the village of Buckland. Hunter & Green is the place all self respecting inhabitants of Buckland & surrounds come to for their grocery & hardware needs.

The store is a kit from Chooch enterprises that I bought second hand off the internet. I modified it to look more Australian by building a new store front with a tiled frontage & a verandah. The business is named after two friends, Laurie Green & John Hunter who together own Outback Models. I still have to add an interior and more external details before it is permanently installed on the layout.

Despite the lack of posts the layout is still progressing. I have been tweaking track to try & minimize the number of derailments. I have also been wiring and installing switch machines as well as putting some rolling stock kits together.  

Narrow Gauge convention part two

Every narrow gauge convention I go to, I try and build something for the contest room. I have a couple of reasons for doing this.The first reason being that their is nothing like a deadline to get a project finished. I often find that when I am building a model and I hit an issue, progress can stall.If I have a deadline the model will get finished and I have built quite a few of the major structures on the layout to take to conventions.

The second reason why I like contests is that it encourages me to strive to build a higher quality model and improve both my skills and my standards of modelling. For me the competition is against myself. Can I build a nicer, neater, more detailed and more realistic model than last time. Competitions are also good to compare at what level my modelling is at, something that can be difficult when I am mostly a "lone wolf" modeller.

This year I wanted to build a farm house to finish my model farm and the long valley scene. I had many options on what the house could be, but I decided I wanted to build an Edwardian weatherboard house that was similar to the original house on the farm that we live on. I took inspiration from a number of other farmhouses. The colour scheme came from the house I grew up in.  The laundry and dairy on the back was inspired by my grandparents house. The  wisteria came from my own house

The building is fully scratchbuilt, with board on board construction. I used Mt Albert 12"x 1" S scale wood for the weatherboards which works out at 9"x 3/4" in O scale. Doors and windows came from Grandt Line and I fitted them with real glass. The corrugated iron is from Model O kits and it is all weathered with oil washes from AK interactive.

I added a detail interior in the kitchen, lounge room and the main bedroom. Furniture is mostly laser cut kits from Outback models, SDK miniatures and Karen Cary miniatures who all provide terrific service. Lighting is from some warm white LED's.

When I entered my model in the structures competition I was not expecting a prize. The quality of the modelling was excellent so I was both honored and surprised to receive second place. I am yet to install the house on the layout as it is currently on display in our living room.

Part of what makes conventions great, are the clinics. This year I gave a clinic on static grass.

Myself in full flight! Photo by Dan Pickard

I hope those who attended enjoyed the clinic as I enjoyed being able to give a little bit back to our great hobby.