Running SP on an old local West Australian Mainline ...Swan View layout

G’day critters,

I spent an afternoon down at the local club today…I thought the locos may need some run time seeing most of them have been sleeping in their boxes for almost 20 years. I put together a little film for yall…

The layout is called Swan View. It is a 1:64 S scale model of an old Western Australia hills branch run by WAGR (Western Australian Government Railroads) back in the old days. The layout is around 30 years old and now resides at the AMRA WA branch club rooms. WAGR was a narrow guage track so the use of HO guage rail is found on the layout.

This is what running my HO American stock on a Sn3 1/2 scale layout looks like…Enjoy

It may be Sn3½ but it looks like an HO layout to me, love that SP stuff.

Mel

Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951

My Model Railroad
http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/

Bakersfield, California

I’m beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.

Hi Monkey Bucket

Thats no branch line that was the main east west line untill the standard gauge went up through the Avon Valley.

regards John

Hi RR_Mel

Its definatly Sn3 1/2 and quite acurate to the local West Australian trains.

I don"t know about the US trains But the South African 3’6" trains are physicaly larger than the WA ones so its a reasonable bet so are the US ones.

hence the the illusion of being smaller scale.

It is all scratch built or group made kits nothing for the WA trains is comercialy avalable from the normal scources for S scale

regards John

RR_Mel… For a youngster I am really into the old diesel era Southern pacific (1940s to 1980s). Just love it.

**Thanks John…**You comment prompted me to do some more reserch…Raining again today so here is what I found…In light of new information I have changed the title of the film and thread. [8-|]

I couldn’t quite remember whether it was part of the old line that used to run through John forest but found some info on wikipedia…here is some info from the net.

Info care of Wikipedia…

Swan View railway station, Perth was a railway station of significance on the Eastern Railway in Western Australia. In all Working Timetables (WTT) during the operation of this line, the station was the point of control for the Swan View Tunnel.

The Bellevue to Chidlow railway line involved the encounter with the Darling Scarp requiring extra power for the up line, and considerable extra caution for the up and down lines.

The station masters house was adjacent to the station [1]

Due to the volume of traffic passing through, various accidents were regular either at the station or in the vicinity,

Hi Monkey Bucket

The “local” trains have quite a following

The ones I know of Bindiup (fictional south west), Parkervile, Kurragullen, Kojenup(spelling), Denmark, Swan View there is one up towards Geraldton some where Can’t remember it’s name there was a small one I think it was called Kangaroo flats was a Millars timber line down the the south west I think.

Then there is Richard Stallards large home layout which Kojenup is now part of

Don’t know if this one still exsists was at expo in 2007 or was it 2008 Sons of Gwalia mine wood line this ones an odd one being a 20" gauge wood line acording to the book Rails Through the Bush.

The Sn3 1/2 WAGR Leonora branch line on this one was static with the 20" line being the operational one.

There are a couple of others that I can’t remember the names of.

There is usualy an Sn3 1/2 layout at the June expo.

No doubt there are more Sn 3 1/2 layouts about than I know about.

Definatly a scale for the craftsman railway modeller

Have not seen a Boulder loop line or local 3’6" wood line one yet maybe one day.

regards John

Cool stuff…I do remember the Sn3 1/2 modelling starting out as wagon kits and small flat beds back in the 90s at the AMRA WA branch…all the engins and locomotives were scratch built or early brass kits…They had their own interest group and all. It has really come a long way in the time I have been abscent from the club scene.

I think “Denmark” was at the June show this year. I love the SN3 1/2 layouts as the modellers really work to put a lot of detail into their layouts.

Thanks for the info…

I think it’s more the loading gauge of US HO matches that of Australian Sn3 1/2. It’s noticeable when one of Broadway’s BHP liveried HO locos is parked next to any HO loco from Powerline/Auscision/Austrains as it towers over them. Though that could just be down to it being an AC6000 and I’ve yet to do a similar comparison with an SD-40 or SD-70, nor any other US diesel used on the iron ore trains.