At First I was going to do a Freelance Prototypical Layout
which consisted of an oval track and a branch line which would have diverted
off it.
When I moved into my new house, what looked good on paper
failed to meet up with the practicality on where it was going to be placed. One
main reason was the Manhole access to the roof cavity was going to be over the
main part of the layout and I felt that I was not making effective and practical
use of the space of the area that it was going to occupy.
This was a bit of a disappointment, but I went on
researching for another option.
I listed down my favorite layouts (more so the NSWGR themed
layouts) and looked at what I liked about them and what I could use to
formulate a new layout plan.
Interestingly enough, I found that most of the layouts that
I did like where of point to point configuration.
So I decided do a point to point layout featuring a Terminus
station at an end of a NSW branch line.
I set a criteria of a branch line that was built in the early
1920’s era and that it contained a Pre Cast Concrete Station Building such as to the
likes of the Rail Central (or better known as a Casula Hobbies) range of Pre
Cast Concrete station kits.
I found that Tumbarumba fitted all of the criteria that I
was looking for.
I then decided not to use the garage as a place for this
layout, but a spare bedroom as it has air conditioning available so I will not
cook in the summer or freeze in the winter.
I have did a design based from basic line
diagram that I found on the nswrail.net site (the actual link http://www.nswrail.net/locations/show.php?name=NSW:Tumbarumba&line=NSW:tumbarumba:0)
for the outlay of Tumbarumba rail yard.
After doing more research on what could be found about
Tumbarumba rail yard in the way of internet searches, Google Earth, visits to
the NSW ARHS Resources Centre and the NSW State Archives & Records Center. I was able to gather
a collection of photographs, Track and signal diagrams and some well detailed
line side audits of the rail line from Wagga Wagga to Tumbarumba. I also
requested assistance from the Tumba Rail Group who were very helpful in
providing some very useful information on Tumbarumba.
A few months was spent on working out what would be the
ideal the Track plan for Tumbarumba taking in account of some of the line side
structures that I wish to include on my layout.
Here are a few different versions of track plans that I
produced over the last year. The latest version has been designed to include
Glenroy Station. This layout will be designed to fit into a 4 x 3 Meter Room.
Version 1 of Tumbarumba Track Plan
Version 6 of Tumbarumba Track Plan
I was going to use code 75 Peco HO Scale Track but decided later on to use Micro Engineering Code 70 HO Scale Track
Version 12 of Tumbarumba Track Plan
Current version which now includes Glenroy and a Wooden Bridge. A few more line side items to be added to the plan.
Alteration to the current track plan are still possible, but for now I happy with what I have planned already. Baseboards and lift out sections will be presented in a future blog.
