Bathurst to Lithgow Route

[Alikiwi]

It must be a year now since I started this route as a continuation of the "Great Zig-Zag" which was my first route, from Mt. Victoria to Lithgow. In the mean-time I've learnt a lot, and the Zig-Zag now needs serious rebuilding....

I've also, after doing nearly 2/3rds of this route, learnt to use TransDem and Google Earth to do the hard work of laying out the contours. Prtobably just as well, as once you get past Tarana on this the main western line from Sydney to Perth, the terrain flattens out considerable, gets drier and you really need baseboards further away or the edges become far oo noticeable.

I estimate that even though I'm no-longer working (arthritis), it will still take me a month or two to complete it. Bathurst is a decent sized town, even back in the 1920's. Thanks to Colorado71 I now have access to a lot more suitable period buildings, and I'm sure many others appreciate his work which is on the DLS. I shall post a couple of screen shots, but remember this is very much still a W.I.P.

Just west of Tarana with Fish River below.

 

[Alikiwi]

Fish River below Locksley Station.

 

[Alikiwi]

Locksley Station, now corrected with platform both sides.

 

[FootplatePhil]

... once you get past Tarana on this the main western line from Sydney to Perth, the terrain flattens out considerable, gets drier and you really need baseboards further away or the edges become far oo noticeable.

Backdrops? If you have a camera, or a phone, and access to the area your modelling they are not hard to set up. You only need a few generic shots.

 

[Alikiwi]

Backdrops? If you have a camera, or a phone, and access to the area your modelling they are not hard to set up. You only need a few generic shots.

Interesting thought. I live in the area, and have already used a variety of backdrops. How I'd make a new one I have no idea, but sounds feasible.

 

[ray_whiley]

Look at [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Tahoma,Calibri,Geneva,sans-serif]

http://ianztrainz.com/oldsite/tutorial3.htm​

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This will tell you all you need to know - it's what I used when I made my backdrops with my own photos.

Ray

 

[Alikiwi]

Sadly that link does not work.
Err, but if I delete "old" I got it, and then it shows the address you provided!!?!!

 

[Alikiwi]

Just another screenshot. Bathurst will be a lot of work, although the grades are not working out correctly now for some reason.

 

[Alikiwi]

This time Raglan Station.

 

[JCitron]

Nice route, good job!

Building a route like this will take sometime so don't rush it and do what you can when you're inspired without a deadline. There's a local area I've been doing nearby me which has been in progress for 4 years now. Periodically I pick it up and work on parts then it goes back in the draw for another day.

I will say this about cities and towns. Put in buildings that are detailed, such as those awesome Colorado-71 town buildings, up close and put lesser detailed buildings further away as filler. Make the town a decent size, but there's no need to go nuts with every fire hydrant, manhole cover, etc. If you want to use those, put those in the foreground as well, but away from the tracks a few blocks, they're not necessary.

 

[Alikiwi]

Only been working on it for a year. A few more months work at least. But interesting you mention Colorado 71, I've found and downloaded a heap of his buildings. Anyway, back to it

 

[JCitron]

Only been working on it for a year. A few more months work at least. But interesting you mention Colorado 71, I've found and downloaded a heap of his buildings. Anyway, back to it

Keep at it, but plan breaks in between. It helps refresh the brain and also helps find things you may have missed during the building process.

I downloaded his bridges ages ago from his website then grabbed all the buildings when they're on the DLS. I use them all over my routes now because they work well with their deep basements on the uneven terrain generated by real world landscapes.

We need to setup a kudos page for him for his great job at these models.

 

[Alikiwi]

Keep at it, but plan breaks in between. ----

We need to setup a kudos page for him for his great job at these models.

Yes and yes! I've been working on a huge session for the East Kentucky Route, but it's been huge and slightly frustrating. However having invest most of the last week working on it, I am perservering (and too tired to spell...) and I will finish this 4/6 hour dual choice session (fingers crossed). This is a break from this route but I also want to finish it, and hope maybe by Xmas??? Tall order frankly. Meanwhile a couple of extra shots.

Locklsey, or just slightly south of it on the Fish River below.

 

[Alikiwi]

Brewongle Station circa 1920 of which nothing now exists.

 

[Alikiwi]

Now the question is, can I link to my own video on youtube... If so it's a short take leaving Locksley and heading towards Bathurst, showing a section where the track was being re-aligned and double tracked.

https://youtu.be/VdhoqOMf_Lw

 

[JCitron]

Now the question is, can I link to my own video on youtube... If so it's a short take leaving Locksley and heading towards Bathurst, showing a section where the track was being re-aligned and double tracked.

https://youtu.be/VdhoqOMf_Lw

Nicely done. Keep up the great work on this route.

 

[Alikiwi]

Thanks. I've just got to the outskirts of Bathurst and am pleased with the way it's going. However I've just discovered the bridge over the MacQuarie River is single tracked and only replaced about 1999 having been built about 1870. It is of such unique design that nothing I've found on the DLS even comes close. I shall keep looking.

 

[Roy3b3]

Thanks. I've just got to the outskirts of Bathurst and am pleased with the way it's going. However I've just discovered the bridge over the MacQuarie River is single tracked and only replaced about 1999 having been built about 1870. It is of such unique design that nothing I've found on the DLS even comes close. I shall keep looking.

From memory, the Bathurst railway bridge was similar in design to the Como bridge which was a single track.

Google maps (not Google Earth) showed me these images of Bathurst bridge.

I'll see what I can find.


Cheers,
Roy

 

[Roy3b3]

Here's one of 3801 crossing the Como bridge. The bridge design is similar.

I haven't been able to find one on the DLS, so you may have to improvise with a bridge kit support spline or rail attachment.

Good luck, cheers,
Roy
PS: The closest I could find was .... <kuid2:63290:38069:2> Bridge Howe Pony Truss std and you'd need to add support pylons such as <kuid:387564:1685> Saligny truss pylon 1

 

[Alikiwi]

You got it! I'm told (by a train driver) that there is a similar bridge at MeadowBanks and somewhere else, Como? How very short sighted of State Rail (?) to replace that bridge with another that was only single track as well!? Thanks for the info I seriously appreciate the help.