Action at the Steel Mill. Friday 21-12-1972

Roo posted:

Gary.

Do you live in WA or NSW?

If you live in Perth or visit from the east you are welcome to drop in and have a look I'll even give you a train to run. It is O scale so don't expect anything like you HO blokes can build I have severe space limitations. Let me know. Roo.

Hi Roo,

Thanks for getting back so quickly. Unfortunately I live in NSW (Southern Highlands)- long way from Perth! In fact I haven't been there for quite a few years, though used to go there often about 15 years ago for work. But hopefully will visit again some time in the not too distant future.

You would be most welcome here of course if you are over East at any time. We live in Burradoo, next to Bowral, about 1 1/2 hours (by car) or 2 hours (by train) south of Sydney.

Incidentally, if you are interested in more info on my layout the website is www.newcastle-modelrail.com. There are some articles there, including one on how I model my steelworks. I'm also doing another article at the moment for the US NMRA Steel Mill Modellers Group. So I was excited to see another Aussie modelling a steel mill - as far as I know, there aren't too many who do.

Cheers

Garry

Hi Garry.

There is not many Steel Mill modellers over in West Australia BUT believe it or not there are a couple more in sadly (for me)  HO scale. I am a member of the NMRA steel group only joined a few months ago can you get back copies of their journal ?

Your layout and website is impressive very nice and of course your layout is wonderful, there is a HO section at OGR where you can post, I have only one place on the internet where I post about my Railroad and that's here on the OGR forum so if you want to keep informed on what I get up to look here and the structures threads. In O scale you have to scratch build almost everything for a Steel Mill which is not that hard just time consuming as we run the layout every week so I work in between building and operating and of course keeping the layout in good shape. Take care. Roo. 

Roo posted:

Hi Everyone.

Today we had another great operations day here are some photos and even one of the "Boss studying the train orders looking a bit confused Ha Ha !

The layout has been operating for many years now in different themes the railroad track plan has changed during this time but not the actual baseboard space one day I will try and trace a timeline and see how old the layout actually is, there is still some original track on the present layout we have certainly had our money's worth over the years and expect a few more years yet. never had plans to rip it all out and sit around playing snakes and ladders for the rest of my life! All the photos you see here were taken today during the session. The last photo is looking down on the BOF (Basic Oxygen Furnace) The staging area where that Skinny bloke is (Bruce) is not yet finished will be soon. It's not a prize winning layout but is very reliable it's very rare excluding operator's mistakes do we have any problems.  Roo.

 

 

You are way too modest Roo. You have a beautiful layout! One of the best on the Forum IMHO.

It's too bad you decided to build it in the middle of the Pacific Ocean though. Many of us would love to see it in person I'm sure.

Bob

Bob. Thank you very much for those very kind words. Roo.

Roo posted:

,

Roo,

These overviews of the layout clearly show how impressive it is.

MELGAR

Roo posted:

Gary.

Do you live in WA or NSW?

If you live in Perth or visit from the east you are welcome to drop in and have a look I'll even give you a train to run. It is O scale so don't expect anything like you HO blokes can build I have severe space limitations. Let me know. Roo.

Hi Roo,

Thanks for that - will let you know if I plan to head over to Perth. Incidentally, would also like to contact the HO steel mill modellers in Perth you mentioned - do you have their email addresses? -  and also I wonder if you might send me your email address, as I come across material from time to time which might be of interest to your steel mill modelling efforts, which I could notify you about, such as the "Muster Point" site for the BHP Steelworks in Newcastle, on which are now posted hundreds of excellent photos of the plant by people who worked there, and which are invaluable for modelling purposes. 

Not sure how you could get back copies of the Steel Mill Modellers Group Journal "The Mill" from the US, but you could try contacting the editor, Don Dunn, don_csx@hotmail.com.  Cheers Garry

Hi Gary, and anyone else, apart from here (OGR Forum) and my personal email it's the only place you can contact me not being rude and I welcome messages but don't always expect a quick reply, I'm busy building, I come on here when I'm waiting for glue to dry!

Contact me on neville-1234@bigpond.com 

Roo.

Hi Everyone.

I have just spent the afternoon making up some trucks for a 16 wheeler K-Line flatcar. I used MTH trucks with metal Weaver wheelsets talk about a combination! The Weaver wheelsets I was ready to scrap they were in the Weaver truck frames and it's almost impossible to get them out they are riveted then the idea came that I could use them in the MTH frames so I junked the Weaver frames used the wheelsets but first I had to re guage every set they just won't run through my finer scale Marcway frog turnouts without "bumping" now they do very smooth, a horrible fiddly job but they work fine now I could have used Intermountain wheelsets but thought no I'll try and use the Weaver first and save some dollars. Of course the K-Line flatty hasn't arrived yet, next week it's in Singapore at the moment next stop Perth.

And the other job today was to put up some signs.

Roo.

Roo the signs came out exceptionally well.  Can't wait to see the 16 wheel flat when it's done

Roo, things sure are looks good at the mill! I also cant wait to see the 16 wheel flat car~!

Roo, look forward to each addition to your thread. Your work is amazing. The signage really came out great. Looking forward to the flat cars.

Tom

New project!! I have the Flu at the moment so I have plenty of time to plan things. 

While waiting for Bruce to catch up with the wiring at bay Ridge and I am waiting for the flatcar to arrive I have decided to get together some items for a Boiler House and a substation two separate buildings but on one board.

Over the years I have been collecting items for a medium (I won't say large !) electrical substation I have collected items from all over the world... well mainly in the UK and the USA I think the time has come to start a plan or should I say start planning, (I should have paid more attention to my English teacher at school) my writing and spelling is atrocious sometimes. Anyway who needs education to build a model railroad not me I just dive in and hope for the best.  so even with the flu I hurried down to the hardware store this morning before it got busy and bought a board and some pine for a frame tried not to breathe on anybody came home and dropped into bed for a while to recover now I'm up at the computer. The exciting thing about this latest project (which will be rail served with two tracks) is it will be portable as in a large diaroma which will be great for the model railway show next year I might enter it and see if I can win a free hot dog or something it has to be portable because it is in an aisle and must be removed if we have a derailment somewhere over near the BOF. The photo shows where the new board will go it will be larger than the one there now it will extend out further toward the camera this would be another wonderful "How To" project on a separate thread but I will keep it here. Keep looking, I will be better soon and get stuck into it again. I had to come back and edit this the boiler house will be on this module as well with a spur for coal hoppers as well as the substation and a new photo this area can be controlled with a contoller already in place as this is the other side of the blast furnace. Look at the photos maybe it would be easier for you guys to visit me and I can explain it better!

Roo posted:

 Look at the photos maybe it would be easier for you guys to visit me and I can explain it better! 

Ok Neville! 

Nobody turned up so I'll have to post photos instead. This is the new module in place. The one after it has been removed so I can work there. Roo.

That's the Boiler House walls and roof sitting there 3mm Styrene sheet it won't fall down ! More later... Roo.

Roo, you have a great idea and its nice to see how you go about making it come to life! I will be watching as you go along cause everything you do looks so wonderful! I hope you feel better soon!

Roo posted:

Photo Caption. "I guess the trolley is a bit small"

 

Now that's just hilarious!

Where is your Falcon parked? 

Thanks Mike.

Tough car BobbyD ! I like it! Reminds me of the old days.

OK. Lets see how the Boiler house is going. It's together and all the windows and door!!!!  wait, as I'm typing this there is one more door section to be cut out at the front a small door or maybe an office needs to go there that is the opposite end to where the smokestack goes, yes, I think a small office/amenities room for the staff would make everyone happy. Roo.

Roo, its looking good! cant wait to see your next post!

Roo posted:

 

Hi Roo.

What a great railroad you have down there! Really nice work. Enjoy following along with your posts here on the forum.

I'd like to ask you about those black ore cars. Who made them? Are they the old Atlas 3-rail ore cars?

If you did a 3-rail to 2-rail conversion on them, can you give me any details on how you did it? I'd like to do some for the little 2-rail layout that I'm putting together, and I've never converted anything before.

Thank you, Jim