Slowly, slowly.....

I've been very busy over the past few weeks. Nothing to do with my modelling unfortunately. I have a new position and I'm working at a different location, so I'm learning. Also I have now purchased a netbook with wireless broadband so will be able to keep the blog up to date while travelling the 90 minutes to work every day (and the 90 minutes home in the afternoon).

I have been a bit worried about the on again off again level crossing on the module. Mainly I didn't know whether DSVN would have a level crossing across three tracks, but I've now found a video which shows exactly what I'm modelling, including one of those sets of crossing gates on wheels as well as the more usual crossing lights.

At the moment I'm waiting on a package from the US which includes a couple of 40' flat wagons and a couple of tank wagons both of which look very similar to Vietnamese versions. Once they arrive and are suitably modified and painted I should have 8-10 pieces of freight rolling stock. Now I need a nice green brakevan and to finish my D12E class locomotive. The brakevan will have to be scratchbuilt (maybe using an existing underframe).


I also have some plans to use the Life Like coaches I bought. I had hoped that I could 'fudge' them into VNR coaches but I think now I will remove the sides and scratchbuild new ones, as well as adding airconditioning units to the roof.

I might have some photos for the next entry so stay tuned.....

A bit of scenery....

Whew! Doesn't life sometimes get in the way of your hobbies! Too often I think!

Since my last entry I have been adding a few bits and pieces to the module. Here are some rough photos to give you an idea.

Note that after two three reversals the level crossing is back and being worked on! There are also a couple of cattle near the level crossing (I think one has fallen over and is asleep! The skinny houses back scene will be replaced by something more in scale.

I also have an idea for a war memorial of some kind. I got a couple of 1/144 tanks to use (you can see one on one of the photos). I've also decided to go ahead with my Petrolimex petrol station. It will be on the corner next to the light coloured two story building. I'll have to make a 'site specific' concrete pad and then use the parts from the Tomytec kit.

I recently attended a model railway exhibition here in Sydney, Australia and got some ideas to add a 'circle' to the layout so that I can run continuous trains without having to build a full layout. And I haven't even started the planned 'corner' yet!

By the way, I haven't finished painting the sky board yet. It will be a lot smoother when finished.

Things don't move very fast do they, but they do move.

Have a look at this gentleman, at SaiGon station in August. I think he has the right idea!

Hmm. Maybe to much of that.

Progress....

It's been a while since my last confession, so here goes.

Some progress is now being made on the module. A backscene has been put in place and painted. It still needs a second coat. The first lot of scenery has been added, plaster soil, painted and covered in basic 'grass'. As well some minor changes have been made to the arrangement of buildings. The photo below shows the unpainted backscene in place with pillars in place for the overhead road/bridge. Notice the roads are still not 'in'! When the ground is complete I will then add lots more trees of various kinds as well as signs. I've also removed the cheap and nasty shiny plastic palm trees and replaced them with more realistic ones.

I have also bitten the bullet and started to build my D12E locomotive. This version will be the 'quicky' version (about as quick as the tortoise in the 'tortoise and the hare' I think!). I'm using a scaled down version of the card model, cutting out windows etc, and fitting it to the SW1200 chassis I have. Should look alright from a distance. This is a 'fudge' until I build a proper body in styrene. At least I'll have a locomotive!

Also notice in the photo above that I still haven't 'Vietnamized' the buildings. That's next on the agenda after the basic scenery (including the roads) is finished, as well as the completion of the overhead road bridge.

 

I know this sounds strange, but I've also been planning the next module. It seems to me that I need some sort of 'corner' module at the overbridge end. This would consist of a curved mainline, with the workshop/depot sidings branching off from this. Scenery would be much more rural I think. Rice fields etc. I might even move the pagoda there as it looks a bit odd where it is.

So what do you think so far. It's taken a lot longer than I thought but it is progressing.

Until next time.......

Slowly...slowly....

Things have been a bit quiet the last week or so. A bit of planning but not a lot of actual modelling going on. I'm sure everyone has these times where you look at what you've done so far and do some planning for the future but don't do a whole lot more.

I purchased a Bachmann 44 tonner. Lovely model and comes with DCC as well as the normal system, so not cheap for  such a small locomotive. I still haven't taken it's top off but the chassis measurement is around 60mm. If the Kato chassis are OK I might leave the top on and convert it to a New South Wales (Australian) 79 class, but your not interested in that are you.

I've also been eyeing off those  Japanese chassis you can get. They come in various lengths. The Kato 58mm one seems almost perfect for small locomotives. Unfortunately they only come with 4 wheel bogies can't be used for D18E's or D19E's etc.

I've also been updating my websites so what with time being limited (do you get the impression that they've changed the definition of an hour to 50 minutes?), I've not been able to put hobby knife to styrene.

I promise I'll try harder this week OK?

Back to the real world.....

I've been back in Sydney for a couple of weeks now. My trip is just a memory.

Once again I've made some changes to my plans for the module. After seeing Thap Cham and Saigon I've abandoned the idea of a level crossing across the yard. The level crossing will have to be on another module.

I came across a couple of city type buildings by Kato in a shop here in Sydney, very expensive but I bought them and they're on the module already. The idea is to create a small slice of a city skyline:

The Kato buildings are perfect as the modern tall ones, but I will have to scratchbuild the narrow 'Vietnamese' ones in between.

The good thing is I've actually seen DSVN in operation so have a better idea of basic operations and the 'feel' of the system. Some of my ideas were confirmed, and some not.

I have so many photos to add to my two websites and not a lot of time. But I will get there!

It was interesting to witness an integrated rail system with both passenger and freight. Here in Australia most freight has been sold off to private operators and the two functions don't have a lot to do with each other.

I still don't have a locomotive so I'd better get going with that one. I noticed in the same shop I bought the city buildings an example of the N scale GE '44' tonner locomotive. I wonder if the chassis could be used? But my first loco will be a D12E as previously reported.

I also got some photos of the grey tank cars. There were two at Thap Cham, so that should make my tank car modelling much quicker.

Oh well.... on with the modelling...

On the way home.....

Well here I am back in Saigon due to return to Australia tonight.

On Thursday I had a wander around Saigon Station. Lots of different carriage types and yard shunter D9E 217 doing its thing.

On Tuesday I came from Thap Cham to Saigon by train (SE5). A very pleasant 6 hour journey, with a D19E (type 2) on the point. I sat up but no problem. The train was about 1 hour late (shades of the Up Melbourne-Sydney XPT!), Though since it had started two days before at Hanoi, no problem.

There was a D4H pottering around Thap Cham yard but it was labelled in what looked like Russian Characters and had a number in the 2000s. Don't know why.

The trains I saw both freight and passenger where all pulled by D19Es of both types. I presume other types are around.

I got some photos of tank cars and boxcars, as well as the station. Also interesting, a track vehicle (GM07) with a wagon behind. There was another one in Saigon (GM08) with a similar wagon. Looks like they use it to pick up rubbish or rubble around the track.

At Saigon I took 'walkaround' photos of the 141 class 2-8-2 steam locomotive displayed outside the station. So I now have plenty of detail shots. Enough to do some drawings? Maybe.

Oh, well back to the real world tonight. Lots of photos to work on and put up on my website.

In Dalat.....

Well here I am in Dalat. It's a very nice city up in the hills. Much cooler than Saigon!

Yesterday we went for a ride on the train which goes for about 5 km to Trai Mat city. Very bumpy! The locomotive was an old Russian(?) combined diesel and a sort of passenger section. Looks a bit rusty these days but still seems to work OK. There was also a Japanese C12 class 2-6-2, Vietnamese 131 class steam locomotive. It also has seen better days and I doubt it goes any more, but people like to have their photo taken in front of it.

There was also a D4H diesel locomotive which was painted a very faded green compared to the green I've seen in the photos.

I took lots of photos so I'll post them on my webpage when I get back.
It's a pity the line doesn't go further but maybe one day?