Large Scale Central

Ringbalin Light Railway

Track and Trestles
#1

I would like to introduce my Railway “The Ringabalin Light Railway” a fiction railway that exists in my backyard in Australia.

The layout is elevated off the ground with a L shaped corner section built in a 15.5M x 8.5M area of my backyard bounded on two sides by a wooden fence (the “back” and the “side”).

At present there are 2 levels attached across “the back” with the lower level being 900mm (35.5") off the ground and the upper level 400mm (16") higher.

The plan is for the upper level to descend to the 900mm level across a corner and along “the side” with an overall grade of 4% which also consists partiality of a 2.1 Meter (7 Foot) long curved trestle bridge.
Across “the front” there is a town area planned on a free standing table type area (size not determined yet but planned to be in the order of 8 Metres x 2.5 Metres) which will be 900mm above the ground, both track loops will pass through the town area, where there will be shunting sidings, before the upper track ascends back to the 400mm higher level to form a continuous loop.
There is no printed track plan at present the plan exists only in my head, I am creating a plan as I progress which I may publish at a later date.

I have created a Blog to document my endeavors https://ringbalin-light-railway.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html.

Below are some pictures of my latest efforts of getting the 2 levels down to the same level. The rocks under the high trestle will be extended to the front under the low trestle to simulate a rocky creek/gully.

#2

How did you come up with the name ?

#3

Sean McGillicuddy said:

How did you come up with the name ?

“Ringbalin” is the name of the street I used to live in before I retired and moved, it is where I started in Large Scale after being introduced to a neighbour who has since passed away and I was given some of his gear by his wife.

I was going to name it after the suburb I now live in but a person at the local train club advised against that because there have been a number of model train thefts in the area.

One lot of thieves were brazen enough to join the club so they could find out where members lived and find trains.

1 Like
#4

One lot of thieves were brazen enough to join the club so they could find out where members lived and find trains.

Wow! I was actually reticent to post on this site for the same reason. Luckily, we seem to have no market for trains locally.

On a happier note, I am looking forward to seeing how a model sugar operation SHOULD look so I can steal your ideas - and only your ideas - down the road!

Aloha,

Eric

#5

I am updating my Blog of the railway to include a description of my locomotives starting with my Bachmann 3 Truck Shay, more will be added as time goes by.

https://ringbalin-light-railway.blogspot.com/p/3-truck-shay.html

I converted it to Battery Remote control using robotics motor controllers, 2.4GHz transmitter/receiver, a MyLocoSound sound card and a 14.8V LiPo battery.

#6

Being locked down because of the COVID-19 I have had heaps of time to do things on my layout.

Some pictures of the “High” trestle and the “Low” trestle and some scenery that has been put in. It is a rocky gully with a paddock beside it scene.

The “grass” is offcuts left over from an artificial turf job done our swimming pool.

The track has been screwed to both trestles and with the base boards being installed track laying can begin in earnest.

I am thinking of putting in a temporary switchback line so I can run a loco and a few wagons up and down the lines to give me something to do plus it will test the track as laid.

Base board across back fence

#7

Work has progressed quickly, thanks to being locked down and the layout is at a position where I can call Stage 1 (across the back fence around the corner and down the side fence) complete.

Baseboards were installed and track laid. The silver bridge was removed because when I came to lay the track across it I found that it had developed a curve in the deck probably when it was moved from the old layout house to the one I am in now. There was a height difference of 21mm between the deck centre and one end. I will try and straighten it and use it as a lift up bridge elsewhere (it was originally a lift out).

I did some testing to check clearance on the big trestle for my Bachmann Connie, the loco with the largest overhang, and all went well.

The time I spent trying to get the track as close to perfect as I could has paid off with not a bump or wobble in sight.

Pictures below, Blog will be updated in time. https://ringbalin-light-railway.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html

Baseboards installed and track laid.

Clearance testing being done

#8

Nice work so far !

#9

Oh that photo with locos on tiny bits of track balanced on the support beamsmade me nervous!
“The upper train is an LGB 1:22.5 Stainz and the lower on a 1:20.3 Bachmann Spectrum 3 truck Shay, the thinking here is that a bit of selective perspective would make the trains not appear to much out of scale when compared.”

In the photo on this page, what are the containers 470 is pulling? Something involved with sugar cane?

#10

Forrest Scott Wood said:

Oh that photo with locos on tiny bits of track balanced on the support beamsmade me nervous!
“The upper train is an LGB 1:22.5 Stainz and the lower on a 1:20.3 Bachmann Spectrum 3 truck Shay, the thinking here is that a bit of selective perspective would make the trains not appear to much out of scale when compared.”

That setup lasted all of about 3 minutes, just enough time to let me take the picture and get an idea to see what I was planning and if it would work. That Shay is my pride and joy and I would not put it in any danger what so ever, hence the walkway and barrier on the high trestle.

In the photo on this page, what are the containers 470 is pulling? Something involved with sugar cane?

The containers are bulk sugar bins/boxes the full size ones each hold 10 tons of raw sugar and the 1:1 mainline railways usually had two (2) per wagon but the mills tramways usually had only one (1) per wagon.

They are used to transport the raw sugar from the mill to a bulk sugar terminal for loading onto ships for transport to refineries.

The ones I made are largely blocks of Balsa wood with the top parts being cut from balsa sheet and match sticks to simulate reinforcing.

Bit of info found here

https://zelmeroz.com/album_model/modcane/11_modcane.pdf

The zelmeroz site is a great resource for modelling Australian sugar cane railways, I have used it a fair bit plus drawing on my own experiences of growing up in a sugar cane area.

#11

For a full view of the railway’s construction please visit my blog

https://ringbalin-light-railway.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html

#12

I have updated my blog about the construction of the railway so that it now reflects where it is at.

https://ringbalin-light-railway.blogspot.com/search/label/Latest%20Posts

It shows the lift up ridge and the continuation across the yard.

#13

6 new “Whole Stick” wagons have just rolled out of the Ringbalin Light Railway workshop and have had their first test run which went well.

Enjoy these wagons in their current new state because after a cane cutting season out in the paddocks they will not look all that pretty.

(https://www.largescalecentral.com/FileSharing/user_3049/GAPs%20Pictures/P1060120.JPG)

(https://www.largescalecentral.com/FileSharing/user_3049/GAPs%20Pictures/P1060121.JPG)

(https://www.largescalecentral.com/FileSharing/user_3049/GAPs%20Pictures/P1060122.JPG)

#14

#15

GAP,

Love your cane cars! Are those the “pasidump” journals folks recommended as we worked through our own desig?

Eric

#16

Eric Mueller said:

GAP,

Love your cane cars! Are those the “pasidump” journals folks recommended as we worked through our own desig?

Eric

Eric,

The whole wagon is a “Pasidump” kit.

I cut the deck board at every 2nd board line with a dremel except of course the middle, I cut them out from each end and ended up with the double width there.

To add weight down low I glued 5/16" washers to the back of each wheel, if you look real closely at the second picture you can just make out one.

The uprights are made from pieces of verandah decking that I cut into thin strips.

I bought extra rivets from Pasidump and used them for the uprights and the cross beam

I am looking for an old straw/millet broom so I can cut it up to make my cane loads.

I also soaked the cars in bleach to remove the stain that they came with so I can weather them with a wash of acrylic artist paint and methylated spirit (alcohol).

To see where I am at with the layout please look at my blog Ringbalin Light Railway G Division: Construction Logs (ringbalin-light-railway.blogspot.com)

#17

I have stained and weathered the wagons now all I need is the straw broom to use as a load.

Before and after staining

(https://www.largescalecentral.com/FileSharing/user_3049/GAPs%20Pictures/Before%20and%20after%20weathering.JPG)

Final weathering

(https://www.largescalecentral.com/FileSharing/user_3049/GAPs%20Pictures/Final%20Weathering.JPG)

Close up of journal

(https://www.largescalecentral.com/FileSharing/user_3049/GAPs%20Pictures/Journal%20weathering%20close%20up.JPG)

Detail of washer behind wheel to add weight down low

(https://www.largescalecentral.com/FileSharing/user_3049/GAPs%20Pictures/Wheel%20washer%20detail.JPG)

#18

GAP,

Very nice! The washer trick you shared, by the way, made the difference between success and failure with our own cane cars and the follow-on projects built upon the design. I may actually add those washers to some of our Hartland Loco Works “minis,” as they tend to jump the rails a bit.

Oh, and thanks for the link to your blog!

Eric

#19

That washer on back of wheel for weight low is an idea to note and remember.

#20

Forrest Scott Wood said:

That washer on back of wheel for weight low is an idea to note and remember.

Using metal wheels has the same affect. Those wheels look like plastic.