Friday Film Club ~ Chelmer

This week's Friday Film Club is off to Chelmer, a glorious non-descript station in Brisbane's west for a spot of train watching!

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Weathered by Philden Showcase 27

My Pacific National era sugar hopper fleet recently received some attention.

I finally managed to catch up on some weathering that had been waiting for me to complete for my own layout. In this case, the Auscision Models HO scale NSW NGGF sugar hoppers that will typify operations on my NSW North Coast layout.

Having had some of my own photos to work from that I had snapped on a visit to Grafton where the Sunshine Sugar silo stands on the southern banks of the Clarence River, I could carefully copy some of the weathering patterns on these great looking hoppers.

My results were a combination of masking and painting various shaped patches to replicate efforts to paint-over graffiti tags, airbrushing some light rusting to the lid hatches on the top of the wagon, painting the axle journal box covers in appropriate colours, weathering the model in two different shades of grime, adding some burnt black sugar stains just below the walkways and clear coating the model in matte acrylic before finally hitting the completed model with some rub-on dry transfer graffiti made by Busch, followed by an additional coat of clear matte spray. Basically a combination of everything I had outlined in my book Model Railway Weathered Wonders.

I'll write a follow-up post on how I plan to incorporate running these NGGF hoppers in operations on Philden Beach at a later date. Including some prototype snaps I took at Grafton back in the day. For now, here's a look at my NGGF hopper wagons along with some N scale coal hoppers I have listed for sale on eBay, (links below).

The other side of NGGF 35701. Note the painted and weathered axle box journal caps.

The heavily tagged sugar hopper NGGF 35702.

While the rear of NGGF 35702 has had the graffiti patched out.

NGGF 35719 is fighting a losing battle with having the graffiti patched over.

But at least the rear of NGGF 35719 has stayed tag-free.

The same can't be said for NGGF 35763. This is the good side!

This is the other side of NGGF 35763. It was the only hopper I painted the axle journal caps orange.

With the sugar hoppers out of the way, I next turned my attention to the remaining N scale coal hoppers that I had sitting in my study. When Auscision announced that these were available along with teasing us with samples of the NSW 80 Class locomotives, I spirited enough aside to be able to make up a short train. Hoping of course, that I could one day build a small N scale roundy-round layout to run them on. But after having to admit that all of my combined modelling projects had far exceeded my hobby budget, they too became surplus rollingstock in search of a new home. I've now listed them all up on eBay as pairs.

These are N scale NGKF coal hoppers. I have listed them in pairs for sale on eBay.

While this is the NHFF coal hopper variant. Again, I have listed them for sale on eBay in pairs.

Click to view my remaining model train listings.

I've now signed well over 200 of these tiny certificates to go with each model I have sold.

I now have an empty work bench again, and only my small fleet of model locomotives are awaiting a date with the airbrush. It seems that I'm finally caught-up with everything. Until next time...

For my own record...

Models sold 239/263

Friday Film Club ~ Northgate

This week's Friday Film Club takes a look at Brisbane's Northgate Station, where there's plenty of train action at the junction of the Shorncliffe and North Coast lines.

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Layout Revamp Video Review

My book review in the March 2024 Australian Model Railway News!

How the year has flown. We're in April already, but it still only feels like the beginning of the year! From the excitement of knowing my book Revamp An Existing Layout was queued for printing with my publisher as I rang in New Year's Eve for 24', to rolling-out the book to hobby shops across Australia, and finally organising some form of promotion on a shoestring budget, you know your book has finally arrived in front of the eyes of potential model railway readers once it is featured on Australian Model Railway News, (link to the YouTube feature above).

A huge shout-out to Will James, who produces the Australian Model Railway News each month on his popular YouTube channel Will James Railways. At last glance his channel had 9.67K subscribers. Will first reached out to me in late 2021, asking if I would consider allowing him to feature my Build A Bookshelf Layout book on his YouTube channel's monthly news feature. Back then he was still growing his YouTube presence and the 1st episode of the now popular Australian Model Railway News had only aired in April of 2021. Throughout my journey of self-producing a set of 6 Australian model railway how-to books I feel as though I have had Will in my corner all of the way.

If you haven't watched the March edition already, be sure to do so for your chance to win a copy of Revamp. For entry details, go to his website at willjamesrailways.com 

The book is now available instore at a number of hobby shops around the country, and online through the links on my Bookshop page.

To look back through my set of books is to time travel through my Australian HO scale modelling journey which began with this blog back in 2015. Selling-off my American N scale collection was something that I look back on now and wish I didn't have to do. However, following the sale of our house and a shift into an apartment back in 2010, the 3 metre long pine cupboard monstrosity just couldn't make the journey up the stairs or elevator into the new complex, so a small Alaskan N scale coffee table layout followed. I find myself wishing I could have kept that layout too. Instead, I sold the lovely piece of furniture to help fund my switch to modelling Australian HO scale in 2015.

Then along came Philden...

My first Australian HO scale bookshelf layout, Philden. Photo taken in 2017.

Philden was a great little bookshelf layout, the smallest HO scale track plan that I could design to run some relatively modern Australian diesels. It featured at 8 model train shows here in southeast Queensland and on the cover of the Australian Modl Railway Magazine in August 2018. But then, like many modellers before me, I found myself wanting something that little bit bigger!

Philden Street Yard, complete with Puff'n Bill the puppet, prior to the layout revamp...

...and the same layout today after a complete budget-savvy revamp!

Now here I am in April 2024. Philden Beach is now complete. It's the layout I dreamt of building as a young lad. Big enough to handle some serious switching, yet small enough that I don't need to spend an entire weekend vacuuming the layout and cleaning track before a friend drops by to run some trains.

Given that my wife and I are now empty-nesters and enjoying the apartment life in Brisbane, a shift back to a larger house to expand on this layout is now firmly out of reach for a number of reasons. An over-inflated real estate market in Brisbane will only buy you a house that will bleed you dry of time and money in renovations. The crime rate and number of break-ins you hear about only leaves us feeling safe living more than 3 stories off the ground. And finally, like many people in our position, everything these days costs more money than it should. Insurance, electricity, rent, food, even a humble cup of coffee when you're out, all leaves you with no change to put into the model train jar, (yes, there was such a thing on top of our fridge that I would take from every time there was a model train buy-and-sell).

That is why I thought my latest book was necessary. I still want to be able to enjoy my hobby for years to come, but I couldn't afford to start over on any new layout project. This book firmly puts the punctuation mark on my Australian HO scale journey, by scaling-back, ironing out any operational flaws on the layout and giving it an impressive make-over that would leave even the cast of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy feeling proud. To that extent I'm damn proud to finish my book series with Revamp An Existing Layout. If you want to take an honest, thought-provoking, self-analytical look at what's not right with your layout, then this is the book for you!

I can honestly admit that I took this series of books as far as was possible, given the time, space and budget that I afforded it. Along the way I've had to battle against self-doubt and the negative noise that comes as a result of putting your name to something. It's the horrible Aussie 'tall-poppy syndrome'.

I just don't get it. If I publicly voice an opinion on something, in my case choosing not to exhibit a layout due to the costs of travel, accommodation, meals and public liability insurance, I get viewed as not giving anything back to the hobby. But when I write and self-fund a book about model railways, then try to promote it and sell some of my own personal models amongst various Facebook groups to finance the project, I get called-out for trying to make money off my fellow hobbyists.

Go figure.

Despite what people might think, I've not become rich at the expense of fellow modellers by producing another book. Instead, I'm still recouping the combined expenses from producing 6 model railway books over these past 2 years. It will be years before there's any money to be found in the proverbial model train jar for me to afford the cost of exhibiting Philden Beach at a model train show.

Through it all, it's been nice to feel supported by those who are championing my books, stocking them on their hobby store shelves and even taking the time to message or email their personal thanks and congratulations. They are the encouragement I need to keep this blog going.

So, with book sales finally starting to come through, I can now take a break from all of the above-mentioned stress, and simply return my layout to being a hobby once more. Philden Beach can go back to being a YouTube layout rather than one you will likely see at an exhibition. After all, it costs nothing for me to produce my own YouTube content in my spare time. I've revamped my layout and have now moved onto revamping me. I'm keen to see where my next creative ideas will lead me.

Links on where to buy my latest book can be found on the Bookshop page.

Happy modelling!

Friday Film Club ~ TRAINS GONE TROPPO - Hot Summer Nights

Summer might be officially over, but here's some Trains Gone Troppo on a Hot Summer's night for your Friday Film Club.

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The sweet new addition

My layout is once more feeling 'sweet-as' following the arrival of my new Auscision Models C44ACI locomotive in the attractive Aurizon 'pineapple' livery, (pineapple field added for effect). Although you would be forgiven for describing the yellow locomotive as a banana given that my layout is set in a town where the Big Banana reigns supreme!

While revamping Philden Beach over these past 12 months has seen my layout's setting become more modern, finding any suitable small locomotives to act as the yard shunter has proven to be a prickly-sweet affair. However, the sweet new addition of loco no. 6025 will only enhance operations on Philden Beach, and it seems I have made a great choice in selecting the Aurizon livered 6020 Class locomotive to join my roster. As was the case with last year's release of the C and BL Class locomotives, the model again comes in the simplified black foam inside liner, making it a lot easier to remove the model from the box given that the model is dripping with details that you would once only dream about on a brass locomotive.

The bright yellow livery already looks right at home on my Philden Beach shelf layout.

I've liked this locomotive livery ever since photographing a similar 5020 Class coal variant at Chilcotts Creek on a trip back from the Hunter Valley back in May 2016. Of course, my wife now refers to my model of 6025 as the 'lollipop man train', as she shot the image shown here of 5042 from the passenger window of our car as we slowed for roadworks after chasing the banker units off a coal train from Ardglen along the New England Highway.

The lollipop man gave the obligatory smile once he realised he was going to end up in someone's photo, and eight years on we have a funny story to go with one of the model locomotives on my shelf layout.

This was the same case with the Auscision Models C Class locomotive that I added to Philden Beach last year. I'd stopped to photograph an SSR grain train at the Moree Bulk Grain Silos back in 2018 whilst driving south to Victoria along the Newell Highway, and amongst the 6 loco lash-up were 3 x C Class diesels idling away, (C504 + C505 + C509).

After walking the cotton prickle infested grass corridor alongside the railway line to photograph them all, I knew I was going to want a model of one for my own layout. Even if I was complaining while removing cotton spikes from the soles of my sneakers for the next couple of hours from the comfort of the passenger seat. I ended up ordering the model of C509 in the Cootes Industrial livery as it was the only number produced of any of the locomotives I photographed that day. Although I still get tempted by the thought of adding the SSR pair of C510 in the SSR green & yellow, and C507 in the 40 Year Anniversary SSR blue and yellow livery!

Memories. They're prickly-sweet even at the best of times!

My models of a C44ACI locomotive 6025 alongside ex-Victorian C Class unit C509.

I like the flared radiator fins on the no. 2 end of the Aurizon 6025 as much as I do the North American comfort cab on the nose of the C Class.

Which brings me to the prickly end of the pineapple. After farewelling my Noughties-era locomotives and rolling the time period forward on my layout, it's a case of big or nothing at all on the new release front for the foreseeable future.

For a 2013+ era layout that is set on the NSW North Coast line, right now we have the NR Class locos available from both Auscision Models and SDS Models, along with Auscision's C43/44ACI, C, G and BL Class locomotives. Of these, I already have the Pacific National NR22 + BL28, the Cootes Industrial C509 and now Aurizon's 6025 plying the rails on Philden Beach.

Coming soon, or currently available to pre-order are the SDS Models 81 Class and Auscision's GT46-ACe, CLP, CLF and 90 Class locomotives. Of these, perhaps the QR National LDP Class GT46-ACe is the logical choice to pair up with my new Aurizon 6025, given that Aurizon never repainted the LDP's from their QR National colours, and kept them running right up until their lease expired and they ceased intermodal operations at the end of 2017.

A small shelf layout that really only operates single loco transfer runs and switching operations doesn't require a big fleet. But even on a fictional layout, I'm mindful to keep everything era appropriate.

However, given that 4 locos are providing enough ample power to operate my shelf layout, perhaps doing nothing for the time being and holding out for some smaller locomotive models to serve as yard shunters might be the more sensible approach. Auscision Models recently updated their website to show that they are planning to produce the 42 Class, S Class, GM Class and A Class Bulldogs, the NSW Mk II & III 44 Class and the NSW 49 Class locomotives. Of these, a 49 Class diesel in either the Greentrains/Cootes Industrial or SSR liveries would be ideal to complement my C Class.

As they have now also archived all of their sold-out models, I'm not expecting an announcement regarding a NSW 48 Class re-run anytime soon either. So it remains a case of go big or go home...

Given that I made the switch to DCC sound equipped models in the early days of building Philden Street Yard and have since revamped the layout as part of my series of books, I can't complain about keeping a frugal layout roster when the models I have are all of the highest quality available. With DCC sound models here locally in Australia pushing the $500 mark, right now would be a daunting prospect for any modeller thinking of changing from DC to DCC operation. However, the quality of models available on the market right now is also the best it has ever been. I guess that is the reason why the thought of adding an extra C Class or another C43/44ACI model in a different livery is so appealing.

Until next time...

Friday Film Club ~ Maydena Railriding

Something different for Friday Film Club this week, with a visit to Maydena Railtrack Riders, for a rail bike ride deep into the heart of Tasmania's wilderness!

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Friday Film Club ~ TRAINS GONE TROPPO - Dirty Diesel Daze

This week's Friday Film Club presents the musical genius of Quincas Moreira in the premiere of TRAINS GONE TROPPO - Dirty Diesel Daze.

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