Scale

HO (1:87.1)

Track & Wheel standards

NMRA Fine:HO (RP25/88)

Location

Chilcott’s Ck to Temple Court (10.4 miles/16.7km) ,  Main Northern Line,  Liverpool Range,  NSW,  Australia

Turnout & Signal Control

Turnouts will be operated by servos, controlled by Megapoints Controllers hardware and driven by microswitches connected to the fully interlocked lever frames for Kankool, Ardglen and Pangela.  There will also be a few turnouts at Ardglen that will be operated by single levers built to a similar scale to the main signal box frames.  Slow motion motors for storage yards.  Signals will be scratchbuilt from brass with some 3D printed and will be still be operated by the wire-in-tube method.

Lighting

Integrated behind valance, LED slimline battens.

Period

1980 to 1983, New South Wales Public Transport Commission & State Rail Authority eras.

Motive Power

ALCo Diesel/Electric locomotives – 44, 442, 45 and 48 classes.  Seven car DEB set railcars will provide passenger transport.

Trackwork

Viewable scenicked areas will be handlaid code 70 on Central Valley plastic sleepers with handlaid 1 in 8 turnouts in the mainline with 1 in 6 in sidings.  The staging yards will be handlaid code 70 on PCB sleepers with 1 in 6 turnouts.

Minimum radius

40 inch (1016mm); 36 inch (914mm) in helix

Construction

Diorama/shadowbox style on open frame benchwork, double deck, with spline roadbed.

Train Control

Digikeijs DR5000 command station DCC system, interfacing with JMRI WiThrottle server and using EngineDriver or WiThrottle apps on mobile phone handsets as throttles.  Staging yards controlled by RR-Cirkits hardware interfaced with JMRI PanelPro.

Track height

42 to 70 inches (1067 to 1778mm)

Ruling grade

1 in 84 (1.193%) against UP trains – prototype is 1 in 40 (2.5%)

Total length of mainline run

458 feet (139 metres) – between staging yard exits, including helix

Room Size

Approximately 100 square metres (1076 square feet)