Sutton Grange

And so it begins.

Attached are some pictures of my burgeoning layout, Sutton Grange. Located in central Victoria, just outside of Castlemaine, Sutton Grange is a small farming town. While the VR never actually laid a branch line to the location, I am modelling the ‘branch that may have been’ and placing it very much in its final days in the late 1960’s to early 1970’s. The primary commodity of the line is dwindling tonnages of livestock. Minor quantities of grain are loaded into GY’s with the assistance of a mobile auger - the low harvest tonnages did not warrant the construction of a permanent loading infrastructure.   

The layout will be a point to point operation and constructed in broad gauge (ie 18.2mm track gauge). While fictional, the branch line terminus will be run using ‘typical VR’ designs and practice. 

I have decided on a track plan, using actual VR track designs that have been reduced on a photocopier. Given the use of prototype point templates (around 7.5 size) the very simple yard will be over 4m in length (the overall layout being constructed of six 1.2m by 0.6m modules). Track laying will commence soon.

Stay tuned.

Jules

MC Cattle Container

I recently purchased several MC containers from SDS Models. According to their web site “In 1974 the Victorian Railways trialled several WAGR 20' cattle containers, this trial was deemed successful and the railways placed an order for 50 MC Cattle containers with Loadmaster at Woodend. The versatility of this design meant the cattle containers could be loaded individually onto four wheeled flat wagons like KQ and KMQ or loaded in threes on longer FQF bogie flat wagons.”

The MC featured in the photo above has received a light weathering, courtesy of some ‘US Army Field Grime’ and ‘Sepia Ink’. They should go well with the KMQ kits from Model Etch that I’m currently constructing.