As part of the Wirrandra extensions, some work
needs to be done to link the Saltpan module with the terminus
of Anunaka.
As part of the Wirrandra extensions, some work
needs to be done to link the Saltpan module with the terminus
of Anunaka.
The new connection section will be called River Dutton and will feature a bridge over a watercourse of that name. In addition to the new section, work will be done on Anunaka, as the station will now be approached from the opposite direction - the previous dead-end.
This page will provide details of the work in progress - click here to go to the bottom of the page for the latest news
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The framework was knocked up in basically one evening's work. It's
nothing special - crossed pieces if 3x1 pine solidly cleated at the joins,
with the two mating boards also firmly attached to cleats.
Notches were then cut for the riverbed, which was cut from the same
MDF used for the roadbed, in order to provide a good, solid flat
surface for the river. The roadbed has been joined where the bridge
will be located, and the next step will be to remove that section Below we see views in other directions. Note the remnants of the buffer stop on what will become the new mainline out of Anunaka. |
 Right: oops. Looks like the river bed has some superelevation... |
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 | The bridge is now heading towards completion. This was the first "test fit" across the opening for the river. Nothing is attached - everything is simply held in place by gravity. Fortunately, for the sake of loco 43, the laws of gravity held firm! |
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 These photos show the bridge having another "test fit" - the flex-track has been curved and the sleepers adjusted to represent "bridge ties" across the open deck. Note the piers are slimmer then those shown above - I wasn't happy with the chunky look of the earlier version. |
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| The first train travelled over the length of the layout on this date. In deference to the fact that much of the track remains unballasted, it was operated by the rail tractor. It is seen here crossing the River Dutton Bridge - more photos of this historic occasion can be seen on the First Train page. These photos show the completed bridge fairly clearly, and also the check rail necessary to protect trains from the abyss. | |
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| Work is now progressing on adding the scenery, or at least the basic landscape, to the River Dutton section. In the first picture (above left) we see some rough formed foam sitting on the framework. The second picture (above right) shows the section after the styrofoam has been shaped, and also shows work in progress to "fill the gaps" between the river surface and the bottom edge of the foam, the river being inset into the framework. | |
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The basic landscape has now been shaped, although it is hard to see with the blue foam. Gaps in the foam have been covered with PVA-soaked newspaper prior to adding ground cover over the next few days. The river was also given some colour. Four different shades were used, so the river is very sandy over on the left, and is darker in colour in the deeper sections. The next step, after some "touching up" is done, will be to add a number of coats of clear gloss to the surface. |
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The first section of the River Dutton board has had initial ground cover added.
Rather than sprinkling sieved dirt onto a coat of paint, which has proven to
give an apprearance not unlike sandpaper, I tried a totally different approach First step was to apply beads of coloured caulk (I used Mocca as being close to the dirt colour on other modules) a couple of inches apart. Then with a paint brush and some water, the beads are spread so the area is covered. We planned to work in areas of about 1-foot square. Fine dirt was then added as the basic ground cover, followed by small stones (larger bits of "dirt" previously sieved out), woodlands fine turf in three different colours, and then woodlands coarse turf for "weeds". The whole lot was then well sprayed with dilute aquadhere. The fine turf disappears when wet, so it is very hard to tell what it's going to look like. So, it's a bit like "suck it and see" as the layers are added on a wet (with caulk and water) surface and then liberally sprayed with glue. Next morning it's solid and looks pretty good. Good enough to continue this approach on the other quadrants of this board, and then retro-fit to the other "sandpaper" sections. After initial preparation it took about 20 minutes to do this section. Pretty fast work. |
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| River Dutton was inserted back into the layout on Feb 1, after completion of the "first pass" scenery phase. I am more than happy at the way this has eventuated, and will now revisit the "sand paper" modules of West End Hill and Wanilla Forest. There is still work to be done on this section - the river needs to be converted from a flat-painted piece of timber, and the bridge continues to need some weathering. | |
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A little more work on River Dutton. The bridge piers were re-coloured
to be more of the sandy colour that concrete weathers in South Australia.
After being quite happy with the appearance, I used dullcote to protect
the chalk, and blew it all away... I am currently continuing to work
on colouring the piers! I took advantage of the board being out of the layout to do the ballasting. Quite successfull too, with the rubbing alcohol working a dream as a wetting agent. Interesting the two photos above, taken in different locations. The shot of RM97 and van is in the layout, the one showing ballasting is taken in my work area - but the whole shed is lit with the same fluoros. |
Last updated 21-Feb-03
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