Busy....Busy...Busy...

I've been working hard on my DSVN layout with almost all the track down and some scenery being attempted. Still a long way to go, but at least we're moving forward. I'm concentrating on the 'pagoda' end of the layout as far as scenery is concerned with tunnel, hills and river underway. The other end is still involved in tracklaying and ballasting so nothing much to see there.

My beautiful Vietnamese partner has been staying with me here in Sydney so she has been encouraging me to get some work done in between showing her around!

Here are a couple of photos to show what I mean.

 Above: 'City' area with loco depot and 'pretend' D9E locomotive (actually a Bachmann GE 70 tonner). The Vietnam flag is still upside down!

 Above: The 'pagoda' end showing work on the river and hills, with tunnel mouths in place.

 Above: Another view of the hilly end. The pagoda will go on the slightly flat section of the hills with stairs taking worshippers up to the buildings from the roadway along the river. Something like a pagoda I visited in Hue earlier this year.

 Above: Station area with temporary station building. My partner wants me to name it after her so it's going to be 'Ga Hong Ha', as is the rest of the 'city', so TP Hong Ha (Hong Ha City).

I still haven't got a proper operating locomotive (the D19E) is still the cardboard body, but I'm working on a 'near enough' D13E' modified from an Atlas RSD 4/5. It will probably be in the blue and white colour scheme.

Ok. That's your lot for today. Until next time when I should have at least one locomotive in operation, and be able to run a train completely around the layout (that's my plan anyway).

Extensions

I've been busy working on the layout extensions. Here are a couple of photos. The first one shows the extended mainline as per the diagram in the previous post. The grey square is a marker for where the station building will be. The second photo shows one of the 'end' sections, the one where the pagoda will be sited.

I have set up some bridge sides to show where the river will cross the board, and also added the backboard for the other 'straight' section. The end section at the other end wasn't quite complete when these photos were taken so can be seen leaning up against the original section.

The third photo shows the current state of the original section. When I moved reidence some scenery bits fell off so have to be replaced. Also note the the arrangement of the 'city' buildings has changed as well as installation of 'footpaths/sidewalks'. These are still to be painted.

One thing I did notice was that the Vietnamese flag is upside down! That will definitely have to be fixed!

I'll post some more photos when the track is laid and the other end section is fitted.  I intend to keep each section separate so that if I have to move again (which is highly likely) I can dismantle the layout and take it with me, or take it to an exhibition to display.

See ya later...

Back on Track (excuse the pun)...

After a long period of time engaging in very little modelling of any kind I'm now back on track as far as my VN modelling is concerned.

Earlier this year I went through a change in my marital status, my residence and my employment status, and now that my life seems to have settled down a bit it seems that I have more time again to indulge in modelling the railways of Vietnam.

During the time since my last blogg I visited Việt Nam for the third time and took more photos which I will I'm sure find useful in modelling.

As far as my DSVN module is concerned, the plans now call for it to become an actual operating layout with an extension already being built to house a station building (Ga) and two end sections planned to bring the mainline around to the back and a planned 'fiddle' yard. I plan to have a Bhuddist Pagoda on one of the end sections and farms/rural scenes on the other. Below is a plan of what I hope the layout will look like. The plan will probably change quite a bit, but at last I have something on paper. The section with the engine shed is the original diorama.

Of course the plan has always been to display the module, and with the extensions this now becomes an operating layout to be presented to the public at some stage.

There's still a lot to do but at least the project is 'moving forward' as our business people and politicians like to say.

I'll try to put up some photos in the next blogg. I'll also be getting back to updating the 'Modelling the Railways of Vietnam' website as soon as possible.

Until next time.......

Locomotives etc

At last I have something which looks vaguely like a DSVN locomotive. I've assembled one of the card kits of a D19E class and popped it on a spare chassis I had lying around. A lot more work yet, including a chassis for the body, front and rear 'cowcatchers' and finishing off the windows. This 'rough and ready' model will have to do until such time as I am able to produce something better. Hmm. Must get rid of that white plaster off the palm tree trunks and the track sleepers.

I have also done a little bit of work on the level crossing. Still far from complete. If you look carefully in the background you will see my partially complete (isn't everything!) Petrolimex petrol station. it's being kitbashed from a Kato model (which was too big for the space I have).

I still have the major project of the road bridge on the left to build as well as lots of signs etc.

Maybe this weekend?

Progress....

Welcome to 2011.

Here are a couple of photos showing that I do get to do some actual modeling occasionally. I promise I'll do a lot more this year..

Tasks to carry out in the near future include adding a proper Vietnamese city backdrop using photos from the web. The photos show part of a test backdrop but it is in fact over sized. Also I need to finish the level crossing and get the bridge done. You can see the pylons for the bridge on the left. I also have a Petrolimex petrol station on the work bench. It's a cut down Tomytec Japanese petrol station.

If you look carefully you will see my roadside markers with the red tops. I'm quite happy with those as well as the Uncle Ho billboard. More billboards will be added when I have time. The one on the top of the tall building is only temporary (the one with the young ladies, not the Vietnam Airlines one).

I have a couple of more flat wagons to be painted light blue for container traffic. I still don't have a locomotive, but that should change soon as well.

I hope to get a bit of work done this weekend so hopefully I'll have more photos to show.