Operations Session 20 Aug25. Tuesday AM Service

 August Activity 

The layout underwent some changes over August. Millicent has been renovated to bring the track out from under Heywood. Dry Creek Yard has had the track work completed and some kinks and alignments have been improved.

On the scenery front, not much, started to work on grounds cover and trees in Snuggery, started the building the landforms around tunnel portals and the support structure for a tunnel portal at the west end of the VR trestle over the Glenelg River Valley near Dartmoor. 

I have started the design work to convert the SW8 Switcher I bought in Melbourne to an ‘kinda’ SAR 500 class loco to switcher for Blue Lake Yard. First couple of bodies off the printer give me hope it will pass the 18 inch test. I also got my Green Long-Tom Brake Van running, all I need now is to get the 520 up and going and I can run an ARHS Special out of Adelaide.

I acquired a SAR FClass loco from Orient Express which now hauls a train to Murray Bridge and back. After returning it for a service it runs pretty smoothly, But it is precious, any little kink or flaw in trackwork and it will just stop and chug away on the spot. Great for track fault finding. 

Ops

The Wednesday AM Group, Geoff T, Steve W and Michael R gathered last week to put the layout through its paces prior to the larger Operational group who came  this week. We identified a number of failures that needed to be fixed before the main event, but we had some fun in the process. 

The Northern Clan gathered for another Operating Session at the GSD at 10.30am on the 20th. Coffee and cake to start proceedings and update on changes to the layout since the last visit in June. Steve was an apology due to having  a wog, so the crew became:

Dispatcher : Geoff T

Blue Lake Yardmaster : Ray B

Operators: Geoff M, Ron S and David O.

Troubleshooter: The Commish

Due to the amount of work I had done on the electrics, after April’s problems, I was not confident enough to run a Fast Clock Timetable as planned, so we ran a sequence based on the ops of the Tuesday AM program, with a Fast Clock running alongside.  We logged all the operators phones onto the internal network, connected to the system. The program started well  with the two Fast Jet freights passing through Blue Lake for their loco changes. Followed by 901, the Express Goods from Mile End hauled by 932. So far so good. I started to relax. Operators seem to be all over the brief. Trains continued to run smoothly, Geoff M pointed out a few administration improvements I could make to  my Train Control Sheet, Point 54 in Heywood (a Cobalt) played up  but that seem to be the only hassles.

The main sticking point though, was a major construction issue that rendered two of the Operators into a wild state of confusion. It seems some switches on my control panels are upside down, apparently.  It seems, if I understand the complaint properly, you have to have the switch oriented such that down is 'Closed" and up is 'Thrown", or is it the other way around? They also want LED to show which track is aligned, oh and those switches that are controlled by the Dispatcher should also have a mimic switch on the panel so they can throw it at their leisure. Both first world problems. I reminded them the panels are only temporary and the Board of Management will put their recommendations to their next meeting.

The layout exceeded my expectations to the extent I am happy to go back to a Timetable for the Tuesday PM session next month. I was also happy that all embraced the mobile technology willingly and today it delivered.

Some Pics of the day

Ron and Ray working Blue Lake

Geoff T overseeing Traincontroller 

The Fast Jet hauled by 702 passing through Upper Sturt from Melbourne on its way to Dry Creek. It was going so fast I couldn’t focus the Box Brownie in time 😳

Dave and Ray working Blue Lake

Geoff M working 87 in Bridgewater

The F about to uncoupled and run around it’s trains for the return journey to Adelaide

Ron working 185, the Appel switch in Snuggery.

A Visit to the Victoria Southern

 Today Ray and I had the great pleasure of visiting Kym Harvey in Ballarat Victoria, to run a few trains on his Victoria Southern layout. We started out by catching the VLine Regional train to Wendouree station where Kym picked us up.

Southern Cross (Spencer Street) at 7.45am 🥶🥶🥶🥶🥶🥶

Kym is building a fantastic layout in his rather sumptuous shed, the back end of which, he has a sealed room for a doubled tracked dog boned loop layout with numerous towns with switching opportunities aplenty. He runs a radio controlled Lenz Command Station with Yard Panels operated through Traincontroller SmartHand add-on. (I liked it) The rolling stock is a mixture of VR, SAR, AN and some of the more modern names floating through Victoria over the last 50 years or so. He runs things he likes (what a concept). 

Kym had prepared a mini Operation session for us. I ran his newly acquired Overland around the layout twice, to orient (indulge) myself, before doing a couple of switches jobs. Ray just dived in the deep end doing switch jobs from the get-go. I ran my locos with sound on so the throaty roar of 900’s pulling the Overland and 800’s switching was a joy for me. Ray isn’t so keen on sound. He ran in stealth mode.

Kym’s wife Lynette provided a wonderful Morning Tea and Lunch for us all, which was greatly received. But, we had to be on the 1438 back to the big smoke so we headed back to Ballarat Station and the trip back to Melbourne. 

Ray and I had a great time, catching up with Kym and playing on his layout. Thanks mate. We will all meet again on Platform 11 at Southern Cross tomorrow at 9.20 for the trip to the Showgrounds and the 2025 AMRE Exhibition.

The entrance to Kym’s Train Room ( side note, the two lamps were the last two tail lamps operated on the SAR before they were removed from service)

SmartHand Control Panel (just touching the point and it throws)

Ray in his element

A bit of Foreign Power heading to Yimpi Flat

Dyson Yard

Tuesday AM Timetable 18 June 2025

 The next planned operating session on the GSD is scheduled for Wednesday 18 June.

It is planned to run the Tuesday AM Schedule as planned by Geoff M. The documents are outlined below. 

Arrive 1030 for coffee, 

Clock On 1100

Clock Off  1200

Lunch  1200-1230

Clock On 12.30

Clock off  1330

Coffee  1330 - 1415 ish

Running Sheet

Timetable

 

Trains 

Operator Roster

Train Orders (Revised after advice last Session)

Any Questions?

The Commish

 

 

Not All Holiday

 Just spent two weeks in Bali. A week of diving and a week of relaxation, well it wasn’t all relaxation. Still being in the process of developing the supporting paperwork for operations and having run the Monday AM and PM schedules. I spent many hours in my hotel room writing, or typing, out the paperwork for the Tuesday AM scheduled, getting ready for a June Operating session. Train Orders, Station Timetables, Blue Lake Switchlists etc. I also spent time processing images of my locomotives to use on the Traincontroller interface. 

15 years Operations of the BDR

 May 3rd, 2025 saw most of the BDR team, past & current assemble for the 15th Anniversary of BDR commencing regular operations

Geoff, Steve Ray, Bob , Don, Reg, Craig, Connor , David & myself  to a lunch time BBQ all wearing the Border Downs T shirt.  

Snags, onions & coleslaw with buttered bread & a choice of sauce - very nice followed up with a chocy cake that slid down very easily.

The Boss cooking up onion.

Some tall stories of all types

On a board were photos of the various stages of building the BDR

 a record of events

   and some notes from the History book

Reg. Bob. Steve, Ron,  Craig at the far end, Connor, Ray, David, Don - gunzel Geoff

this time Gunzel is Kris, the Boss according to Geoff

A very enjoyable period of time.

remember crew for May 8th

Geoff - main line driver

Steve - Train Control

Ray - Border Downs Station Master

Craig - poison train plus

Connor & David , the other crew members.

I now have two records to my name  - on both Wild Creek & Border Downs, I have the most operating sessions just behind the railway Company owners.

Sol

The Wolf Creek and Western Expansion

 Geoff has decided to expand the WCWRR further creating a little congestion on the layout. He has moved that layout around so that the Largest town, formerly Bristol is now in the centre of the layout, renamed Eagle. Now stay with me, Eagle is now Bristol, Bristol is now Eagle, Hudson is now Independence, Greenville is now Hudson, Franklin is Greenville, and Clinton and Dayton are Dayton and Clinton. The new area above Aaronsberg Yard is Franklin and Indepenence is either Jesus or Jehovah’s, I’m not sure which, maybe Jacksonville or Jump City. Anyway things have changed in the WCWRR. 😱😩

Bristol, I mean Eagle Yard

The new Franklin above Aaronsberg Yard

Dayton, or is it Clinton, 

The SAR finally hits the South Penn

 Imagine my surprise as I entered the Train Room expecting to see Carlisle in my face and there staring at me was the town of Jamestown, half way between Gladstone and Peterborough. 

Like me, Steve is finally taking the plunge to come home. He has redesigned his layout from the ‘once planned but never built South Penn’ to his real passion ‘Gladstone’. As luck would have it, his layout design facilitates a section of the standard gauge line that ran from Broken Hill to Port Pirie, intersecting with the narrow gauges at Gladstone , to Wilmington, and at Peterborough, to Quorn and of course the Broad Gauge to Adelaide. His Staging conveniently acts as Port Pirie, Adelaide and Broken Hill.

The modelled section commences in Peterborough (formerly Bedford) with the Narrow Gauge Branches to Quorn (Narrow) and Adelaide (Broad) up through Yongala (formerly………), Bellalie North (formerly Summit), to Jamestown ( formerly Carlisle), down through Caltowie (formerly…….. ) to Gladstone with its Branches to Wilmington (Narrow) and Adelaide (Broad). Jamestown has a Branch to Bundaleer North (formerly Pine …..) for the extensive logging traffic to Port Pirie.

Welcome home Steve.

835 and 848 haul a string of OB loaded with wheat from Caltowie to Jamestown and on to Port Pirie for export.

Later in the day the 830’s are seen hauling a mixed goods towards Gladstone

Monday PM Schedule 16/4/2025

 Today saw the second running of the GSD as an Operational Model Railway. Seven brave souls entered the Bear Pit and undertook to run the Monday PM timetable. Sixteen trains, only one Passenger, 166, and that was a mixed.. The relative positions were:

Train Controller Geoff Tynan

Blue Lake Yardmaster : Steve Weedon

Operators: Ray Brownbill, Ron Solly and David Orr

Operations Quality Supervisor : Geoff Matthias

Commissioner: Yours Truly

Things got off to slow start with phone logging on issues and general orientation to paperwork and the layout orientation, but they soon started to settle down. The slow start did put a few trains behind schedule but over all most worked through the issues and good few hours was had by all.

The Bear Pit being ‘Geoffed”

I was expecting problems as it is only when the whole crew is here that the layout is put under pressure and weak point break. This was only the second time the layout was put under such pressure.  We had problems with power to some points in Wirrega,  Murray Bridge and Bridgewater, some of my paperwork was less than salubrious, for instance one Operator noted that he had to take a crossing loop in Tantanoola to cross his own train (Doh!). The timetable worked pretty well and each of the train gave the operators plenty to do. Thanks to Geoff. Steve worked Blue Lake hard and made a few suggestions to improve its workability. That’s always a good sign we are getting there. All in all though I got the impression everyone had a good day, even though I finished with another long list of things to do before the next session in June.  They all said they enjoyed the cake.

Steve and Ray in Blue Lake

All trains movements were completed and clock only stopped twice due to delays.

One major issue was the Train Orders did not have enough info on them to be useful so I have set about rewriting them based on Geoff M suggestions.

Whilst I appreciate the patience of the operators I feel I took another step forward toward a reliable Great Southern Division.

Train 731 has left Dry Creek Yard nd passes Mile End on its way out of the city to begin its long haul to Melbourne.

Train 9127 crosses the Dartmoor trestle heading in to Blue Lake to pick up an SAR loco for its trip through SA to Dry Creek

312 passes Bridgewater station on its way to Mile End