No.4 or something like that...

The second house for Hope St (not sure of the numbering yet...), built the same way as it's fellow though with room for an extension at the rear, more garden and room even for a chicken shed....just awaiting some chooks!

Set Up Celebration

To celebrate my acquiring the E Class, I set up a couple of shots. Keen observers will note the E does'nt yet have couplers, hence this was all posed.

Hope springs eternal...

Have started construction on Hope St, Glenburn. The first house here is scratchbuilt in styrene, card and wood with Ian Lindsay chimneys. This type of house is quite common around Glenferrie and Auburn stations, the prototype picture being taken near Glenferrie.

A bit carried away.

Completion of my first Tait Motor has led to a bit of a photo-shoot....

Figuratively speaking.....

I've lamented the apparent lack of interwar figures before in this Blog, however I recently found a supplier in Europe. Some of the figures are above, some will need repainting to dull them down a tad but I'm impressed overall. As such, I have finally been able to add some passengers to Glenburn, and replace the fruiterer who I've always thought looked a bit too modern. Signature elements for this period are full suits for chaps and cloche hats and low hemlines for ladies, and of course everyone wears a hat.

Strung Up!

Have extended the wiring a further section (only about 30 to go to circumnavigate the room...), this one a bit interesting in that it includes one of the crossovers between Up (left) and Dn (right) lines. As such I have strung a third catenary line between through the section covering the crossover.

Original Inspiration

Like any model railway, "Glenburn" had many inspirations preparatory to building. One of the more significant was inspired by a Rod Slogget photo of double swingdoor motors hauling a goods - a not-so-infrequent occurence during the interwar era. Here's such a train with two motors substituting for the regular electric loco which was called away....(I have'nt built it yet).

One scratchbuild looks at some others....

Louise holds up Rachel (5 months) for a spot of trainspotting - swing door set zooms into Glenburn

Up side of Glenburn

Work has started on building out the suburb of Glenburn in the Up direction.

LJ's kits note they come up well with a bit of work, and that was my experience - they're both relatively inexpensive and do respond well to some work - here this includes reversing the sides for a plain finish, adding corrugated roofing, a cast chimney and wooden landing and stairs

She's placed on the other side of All Saints facing the lane.

Hope St is bridged by another VR girder bridge, this time smaller girders per prototype practice for smaller openings.

Less detail on the "other side" of the line, but still needs some attention.

Behind the scenes.....

A change from the usual, a few pictures behind the scenes of Glenburn Operations:

A "Will-become-a-V-Class" on the Saturday afternoon Dn goods is held at a crossover as a D1 on the Up suburban pick-up goods crosses the Dn lines to the Up starting it's trip back to Melbourne.

The E and XYZ deputising as the breakdown train is stabled in Camberwell sidings as the crew go to work on the IA wagon nearest camera which dropped it's coupling while shunting in the yard.

Yard shunter E Class at work breaking up the weekend's goods workings, and reassembling them into new trains. I have established a sequencing pattern between the various goods services to ensure prototypical movement of wagons, continuing rotation of rollingstock, and that trains running on the layout have a reason for doing so. Low lighting is deliberate here simulating the nighttime shunting that used to take place in Melbourne yard. Passenger sets lay over between runs on 2 and 3 road.

Creating a scene at the back!

Some amateur artwork at the back of the layout looks a bit better than the plain white of before. (Nb. The above pictures can be clicked on for a larger version)

2 years difference....

(The above photo can be clicked on for a larger version)

Recent completion of the station roof allowed the second catenary line to finally be added, and completion of major tasks on this first (Glenburn) section of my Interwar Inner Melbourne Suburban layout. The early photos (as per the first post: http://vrlatestupdates.blogspot.com/2008/04/tell-him-hes-dreaming.html) show the formative stages just over two years ago, from similar angles.

Opportunity was taken to add more detailing - in this case train length indicators mounted prototypically on both the awning and lamps, in these cases showing drivers of 2 and 4 car trains where to stop.

Fiddler on the Roof.

Finally, the last major task at Glenburn station is the roofing for both the up and down platforms. These in progress shots show the completed major structure (Evergreen styrene corrugated sheet with styrene bracing) prior to detailing, and temporarily put in position to see how it looks - starting to look like a station! (nb. the girder supports have since been straightened!)