During my resent trip to the snow I took some time at Cooma to take photos of the restored PV22318.
PV22318 was constructed at regents park and was in service from 1926 – 1982. Its body is of timber construction, with four single and two double sized doors. It has a steel underframe and is 6.25 meters in length, 2.59 meters wide, 3.55 meters tall and weighs in at 10 tonnes.
All information sourced from Cooma Monaro Railway.
Cheers
Andrew
Well Ian and I made the trek down to Sydney for the Epping Club Exhibition at Thornleigh again this year but just as spectators this time. It is one of the better exhibitions in my opinion especially for room to move. There are always nice big isle ways so there is no pushing and shoving and the like. It really is growing into a big show and there is something for everyone I think. I especially like Geoff Nott’s clinic for kids, I real winner in my view. I have a real good time and mostly enjoy catching up friends and blogger mates.
There was some inspiration to be found, the truss bridge on Boorowa was nice although the I beams running on it spoiled it and it could have used some weathering.
But I spent nearly all my layout viewing time at Alan Tarrant's (Sorry if I miss spelt that) Bullenbung Creek.
Overall Shot
Spose I better put a shot in with a train…
This layout oozed character for me and it is really why I liked it so much over anything else at the show. It still requires finishing but the base for a well crafted layout is there.
I put some cabbage on the RTR stuff like Austrians' CW’s and CV’s. They look good but will require some detailing. They don't have sprung buffers so may have to source some and add 3 link couplers if I can find some good ones.
I picked up a pack of BCW’s from Eureka but may sell these later if I decide they are a tad late. But the big news was SDS announcing the 1959 BCW. Three packs of those will be ordered and would be expecting them in the new year which is grouse.
Always great to catch up with Andrew and Ian of ANDIAN models and grabbed a BLV. Kit making dead my arse, The RTR guys have lifted the bar, no doubt about that but these guys have gone further with kits. And their brass underframe looks Mickey mouse. Mike McCormacs’ doggies are testament to how good kits can be.
Ian's little diorama, scweeet…
Anyway great to catch up with those who were there and hopefully see those that I didn’t at the Armidale convention where a beer or three can be had.
HooRoo.
Evening viewers,
Been a while since I posted, main reason being I am not doing anything railway related. But Ian and I are off to the Epping Model Railway Club Exhibition at Thornleigh on June 9th. We will do a day trip, 8 hour round trip and hopefully catch up with a few of you fellow bloggers. So if you see us stop for a chat. Frankly its the best part of exhibitions, apart from spending loads of cabbage on bright shinny things that we will make dirty interesting things.
The house has been slow going due to inclement weather but with the last few weeks of sunshine things have really picked up.
The house is further advanced then this as the next level is on and the roof completed, but it is surrounded in scaffold so you can’t see much. As plans develop I will post them up but really there is still much work to do. Obviously Kurrajong has come to a standstill as well but hopefully I will get some inspiration on the long weekend.
Cheers and hope to see you there.
Andrew
Bowen has been neatly packed away since the Epping show 2011 and that won’t change in the near future. The likely hood of Bowen seeing another show is evaporating to the point where I can’t see it happening. When Ian and I started talking about doing an exhibition layout back in 2004 (I think), it was something we wanted to to do because neither of us had done it before, at least not from start to finish.
Exhibiting is long and exhausting, it is weeks in the planning and you are busier then a one armed banjo picker with worms. But I have made many good friends because of it, in particular Tom Rogers and Craig Warton who’s assistance at shows was priceless. Meeting guys like this is worth the effort.
Building Bowen Creek was my highlight though, mainly for the opportunity to work with Ian Millard. Ian is an exceptional modeller and I have him to thank for my growth as a modeller. I would never have gone the P87 path without him, that was a pipe dream in my opinion but he was the driving force to make it a reality, I would have walked away otherwise.
Anyway, enuf with the touchy feely stuff! Where to For Bowen now?
I always thought I would keep BC just for exhibiting. When Ian and I felt like going to a show we could just go but I think BC is too good to leave in a box until we feel like going. So I think I will redevelop it into the home layout and continue with the line. I still need to work out how to fit it into this but it is an area I like and I like having the freedom of freelance modelling. Hopefully this will re-energise this blog and reopen the line. Commencement is likely mid to late 2013 but like many manufacturers will likely be later then that. Hopefully we will be in the new house by July and be settled in by Christmas so I feel mid 2013 should be achievable.
In the meantime there is some exciting things happening to give the layout a last hurrah before redevelopment, check this out….
Cheers
