Toronto Hotel

Something has been bugging me for awhile , my Toronto Hotel which is a L&J cardboard model and its called "Railway Hotel" and single storey . I came across a couple of pictures on google of the Toronto Hotel and its 2 storey. I was at Epping MRC exhibition yesterday and spotted
 Models N More at the Exhibition . I have noticed the sudden arrival of laser cut timber kits available on ebay recently . I have bought a double timber level  crossing and installed it at Toronto a couple of months ago . Well at Epping yesterday MnM have 3 or 4 hotel kits available both single , double storey and low relief . I measured the size of the assembled kits and guestimated my available space . I have chosen and purchased the Royal Hotel and it has 2 facades  so I will fit in well . Here is a picture I found on google pictures of the real Hotel .

And the kit as it come ready to construct.

 

Genuine Station Name Plate

Whilst trawling through ebay I found a couple of sellers who sold memorabilia of the NSWGR the first one sold old train tickets and postcard pictures of trains . I bid on an old ticket to Fassifern but the person went AWOL . I received a refund through Paypal . The 2nd bit I found was a guy selling old name plates off the old manual indicator boards . Buy it now for $9.90 had to have one but I missed one for Toronto unfortunately. Mounted it just below my version of Fassifern Station.

Casula 30 class

Well you can never have too many 30 tanks on a short north type layout. Lashed out and bought a Casula Hobbies 30 class. A fellow modeller asked me to show him how to white metal solder . Previously I have built in order 32,30,60,30T,10,57,59 all completed except for the 57 . Its been about 3 years since ive started a kit build in white metal. 2 things I've learnt since my last kit and the most important one is the FLUX .I used to use Carr's then changed to laco paste from plumbing section at Bunnings and it leaves a big mess . I have since discovered BGB flux and it is fantastic and so easy to use . 2nd tip was from a DVD I purchased from the UK showed once the joint was tacked checked for positioning was then to flux

 again then have a little ball of the low melt solder ,drop it into the joint and then hit it with some heat and watch it flow into the joint SOOO easy. This will be my second 30 and I'm going to fit sound to it .Looking at using one of those little square speakers in the coal bunker . It must have a peanut whistle maybe ill look at some of those pommy sound chips. I've heard some Hornby stuff and IMO it sounds good but ill probably get a ESU with English sound if I can. Here is my first days work on the kit ,mostly cleaning up . The cleaning up is tiresome but if the kits didn't have so much cleaning up id do more .

Kicking on abit with 146

I had a hernia op last Thursday and once I got over the excruciating pain to now just pain I've got stuck into a few different projects especially my 146 modules ,as I want to finish it up to the plate girder bridge over the main .Then I can marry it back up to 142 module . Also when all I could do was sit in front of the computer and research I found a whole heap of pictures of Toronto station and yard that I didn't have . This has allowed me to move a fair bit on knowing what now to do . And also the pics are in colour .They are in my favourites list in Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/anzac1959/favorites/
especially the one by Timarnot of the parachute water tank and the walkway .The handrails appear to be sky blue . Fassifern Station was trimmed in light blue also. Was this sky blue and white colour scheme only used on the short north? Graeme Kaufman also has 2 pics of 3076 being watered , and the picket fence at the end of the platform. What I will do is develop the picture of the NO WAY sign and print it of at one of the 15c places ,cut it out and use it as my sign. Thought! might do that for the 146 mile post also if I can get it small enough. Here are a couple of progress pics this was my 2nd attempt at ballasting the yard I'm pretty happy with the result except the lead in point has a dog leg on the main run into the yard . (scratches head what to do) Might have to just live with it.Once I ballast the point and surrounding area it might not look so noticeable .

That point

Buffer stops ?? There was a accident and an T&R FO ended up in the building across the road Wharf st.