Since then, I have linked the coal mine head shunt to the line from platform one of Bega Station, I have re-aligned the track at the renamed Billabong Marina to fit in the Fine Fish building. I'll need to block off the ends where vans went through on the old layout.
The third thing mentioned from the last blog post was an unloading platform for the coal mine for supplies. I'm going to need to build the coal tipple first to see if there is enough room.
As for working on the terminus, not much happened. We have some renovations going on and while I was able to get a start on it and adding bits of track with my 15 minute a day philosophy, work was soon halted as stuff needed to go into the train room for temporary storage.
We were meant to be going away last week but someone in our house got COVID. As an aside, we're triple vaxed so for the infected person, things weren't too bad. Dad came down with it too on the same day. It was a coincidence as the the only common factor is me. However, I love that his doctor prescribed him some $1000 antiviral tablets and it cost him less than $6. Mum came down with it a few days later and received an even better deal. I love that we are in a country with health care like that. I'm happy to pay my Medicare levy.
Despite the illness, I looked at the silver linings of the storm clouds that battered the NSW coast for the first week of the month. I didn't have to drive in the hazardous conditions and I could self isolate to the train room. As a close contact (I still am) I don't want to go anywhere and potentially spread something.
The train room needed some cleaning. I'd stacked some stuff where the terminus station was planned. It was convenient to put it there. I had to buy some new points as well. There may have also been some binge watching as a distraction too. However, as of last night, the terminus has been put down and trains can now arrive and depart.
The curved track placed in the foreground is to a planned good yard. There are 6 platforms and a bay siding for unloading parcels vans. In later years, when passenger traffic increased, this was turned into another platform. However, the new platform couldn't be named platform 7 as it was on the opposite side to platform 6. There are a number of station which have a platform 0. Lidcombe is a good example. Why not renumber it platform 1? Apparently, it's a big programming issue. I don't know the ins and outs and I don't really mind that I don't know.
Why put a platform 0 on a new layout with a fictitious station? It is a shorter platform than platform 1 and I like the idea of the more important express trains leaving from platform 1.
The original idea was for a 4 car suburban train on a DC shuttle from the bay platform as though it was travelling on a different line. However, there isn't enough room on the other end to hide the train. With the shuttle at the back of the layout, there would be less things to interfere and it could be its own little circuit.
With that idea not coming to fruition, it is just another platform for trains on the rest of the layout.
It was pointed out to me by a friend that platform 1 on every Sydney station has trains heading to Central. I think Museum on the City Circle is an exception but trains on both platforms are heading to Central one way or another. Platform 1 is always on the up side of the station. Maybe my platform numbering is totally wrong. I'm not changing it.
There are also no points at the buffers end of the station. That means we need a station shunter. I've a couple of locos that can fill the job. The operator can uncouple the loco at the buffers and at the other end of the station, the shunter can come in and remove the train to the carriage sidings or onto another platform. The loco can then head down the hill for servicing a the loco depot. With the terminus at about 1.4m from the ground, I reckon that some of my operators (including myself) might not be able to reach any points a further 50 cm from the front.
What's next?
Fill the rear window with a a board for a backscene.
Get some timber for the platforms.
Build the coal tipple for the coal mine.
As I'm still a close contact, the tipple might be built tomorrow.
Until next time.
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