Ken’s been back in touch with the latest on his Kato model railroad:
“Hi Al
Update number 3 coming your way.
My layout is loosely themed on the area known as the Short North – the area immediately north of Sydney which is rich in coal fields which fed the steel industry for a century. Quite a bit of coal was also used to fire the local power stations which are now giving way to renewable energy. Thank goodness.
I’ve made only a few changes since my December update, and mostly in wiring (all DC) and making incremental improvements to track and alignments.
I also built a new through station at Macquarie, based on an Australian prototype. I love these laser-cut timber kits. Lighting is currently LED, however I’ve acquired an optic fibre kit to start experiments as the weather warms through spring.
All of the track is Kato, and mostly with No. 6 turnouts. I have a modified No.4 turnout which gives me problems when shunting cars which are a bit too light. More issues to solve!
The video gives a small snapshot of a running session, starting with 3801 hauling an excursion train, with 4836 in 125 Anniversary livery banking. As an aside, 3801 is one of the most celebrated locos in NSW, and has run from Sydney to Perth along with LNER loco Flying Scotsman in 1988 during the bicentennial celebrations.
The coal train is hauled by two Pacific National current era locos, hauling newly-graffitied coal hoppers. The final scene shows a 44 class backing out of Yanderah (terminus) station with a rake of coaches.
For the future I realised I made a huge mistake in the planning stages by not allowing for sufficient storage sidings. I have heaps of gear stored away. So stay tuned for more!
Ken”
Kato model railroad:
A big thanks to Ken for sharing his Kato model railroad.
If you want to see his last missive, it’s here:
And here’s another Kato layout: Kato track N scale.
That’s all for today folks.
Please do keep ’em coming.
And if today is the day you get started on your layout, the Beginner’s Guide is here.
Best
Al
PS Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.
PPS More HO scale train layouts here if that’s your thing.
Need buildings for your layout? Have a look at the Silly Discount bundle.
really nice work. i like it
Very nice layout , very pleasing to watch , you’ve done a great job .
Great model Ken, I love the details including the Fire Risk sign.
Best wishes
Andrew in Oz
Hi Dave. I assume you had permission to remove the original Ayres Rock and place it on your railway. There are 2 huge pieces on your layout which I feel are totally out of scale, place and content. The rest of the layout is excellent. There is nothing wrong with having large rock formations. But those 2 bits of rock look like you picked them up in your garden and decided to dump them on your railway.
If possible try removing the and take time to see what a difference they make being removed. They are too big and completely out of location.
I love the way you blended the foreground with the background. Did you paint the distant background? If so, bravo. Nice. I wish I had a fiddle yard. I have a good amount of sidings, but I don’t think you can have too many. You have a very nice layout. Rob
Very nice layout. However, I agree with Colin that the huge brown rocks are a distraction. I live in the Rocky Mountains and try to duplicate what I see, including elevation changes, erosion and type of rocks (e.g. granite vs. sandstone). I also build water features on a scale that is consistent with the watershed up stream (a very nice waterfall without a source for the water can look out of place). Just suggestions to a very talented model railroader.
Good to see you have managed to achieve an Australian look to the buildings.
Very nice layout, expertly done.
Very nice layout Ken. I don’t think you can beat Kato track for ease and reliability. What scale is the layout? It looks like HO or OO to me, but I know Kato is also very popular with N-scalers. You’ve done a superb job of capturing the look and feel of Australian railroading, especially your structures. I also like the detailed scenes with figures that add life to our tiny imaginary worlds.
I didn’t see any video with this post, so maybe it didn’t make the final cut by Al. Anyway, thanks for sharing and keep us posted. Looks like you’re having lots of fun.