Hawkesbury River Upgrade.

My Hawkesbury River Station platform needs surfacing & the area especially around the Marina, needs sprucing up.  

I had previously made a curved 3.0 mm MDF platform top. To surface it, I used the same  method I did for Broadmeadow & Sulphide Junction, for details click here . With the top off, I trimmed the base pieces for a better fit then added brick facing paper to the front edge. 

I had a "suitable" Sydney Suburban Station kit built already. It should have a Signal Box on the up end but it'll have to do for now. I added a Stuart Walker Platform to Ground Footbridge & two Sheds on the up end. With a few seats & people, it's nearly completed. 

I added the Railway Crossing at the southern (Up - Sydney) end with a Signal Box that controlled the boom gates. I tried a yellow pencil for the double yellow lines at Rob's suggestion in the Broadmeadow Comments but it didn't work. I borrowed a Bow Pen but I can't make the lines so I 'll try a fine yellow Marker pen. I'll also need to "centre line" the road in front of  the shops & hotel.

I started to install Troughs for the signal wiring that are very prominent in the 3 photos of Hawkesbury River Station in the Country Station Books (Book 3). I bought an Anton's $12 Trough kit that'll make about 350 mm of Troughs, that means I need about 10 kits for my 3 metres, that'd be $120 & it'd have nice brackets. 

Instead, I used styrene strips & using a Jig to drill the holes for the Supports, 25 mm from the track, with the posts about 8 feet apart.

With the first strip of Trough fitted, I suddenly remembered I was going to install Overhead Wires to my Main North from Hawkesbury River to Gosford.  

I removed the Trough. 

Many years ago I had purchased at the recommendation of Geoff S of Mullet Creek layout fame, a packet of Code 83 rail, Tichy HO Insulators, 0.025" Phosphor Bronze wire to make Stanchions & plenty of Marklin Catenary. I used the above Jig to drill the holes for my Stanchions. Now I've done Hawkesbury River station, I'll need to get more of the Marklin Catenary. Installing the Overhead will be my next Blog topic.

I added a bit more land on the road to McKell Park (towards backboard) & found a building under the layout, sprayed it grey. It'll do for my Marina Office/Workshop. Made a Ramp down to water in front of the Workshop & added a couple of Jetties that are waiting for some 3D printed Row Boats. Added a Pilot Boat, cause that's what I found once again under the layout, tied up to the closet Jetty in the "corner".

Using the applicable Facebook group for inspiration, my Marina area is a poor representation but much better than what I had before, so it'll do for now. 

I added fences to the road to Long Island on the Causeway adjacent to railway & added the Brooklyn Ferry Wharf.

As can be seen, a very basic & incomplete model of a boat, is tied up to the Brooklyn Wharf, hopefully I'll find the rest of the kit & it'll be the ferry to Dangar Island.

I was given an 80 foot Sardine boat kit, that's too big for my Marina, so you'll see the hull tied up to a wharf under my Hawkesbury River Bridge. I must & complete the boat as I have the parts but not a high priority at the moment, much to the disgust of John H in Brisbane, who gave it to me.

Adding the jetties etc was done after I had installed the Catenary that made the job even harder. Soldering the last of the Overhead, I tripped over the Soldering Iron's chord with the Soldering Iron & Stand, falling from the above shelf (my Newcastle station) & it broke the first Stanchion I'd made. At least it didn't land on my Footbridge that would have broken in half or on the Station/platform that would have been much harder to repair. 

I added the Troughs, modifying the Jig after using it to drill holes for my Stanchions & platform Lights including Nameboards to fit the 8 font "Hawkesbury River". 

For the Comment from my South Coast Rail mate, there was a General/Fast Food Store in 1965 across the road from the Pub, see below. Bit different now in 2023. 

          

        

Sulphide Junction Upgrade.

My Sulphide Junction had 6 tracks in all, the Up & Down main line, an Up & Down Refuge Loops & two Exchange Sidings off the Up Refuge for the Sulphide Works at the southern end & the Cardiff Locomotive Works at the northern end, off the Down Refuge. 

The running of the W44 terminated at Sulphide Junction with the Garratt + 36 shunting the CGs & Van  into the Exchange Sidings. Government locos could not be operated into the Sulphide Works. The Sulphide Shunter (a 44 Toner), shunts the CGs further into the Works.

The Cardiff Locomotive Works opened in March 1928, replacing the Honeysuckle Workshops in Newcastle. Many of the workers came by train but I didn't have Station. The only action from my Cardiff Locomotive Works was the occasional "light engine" running of 5717 to/from Sydney. 

I wanted to add a Station so the Workers at "my" Cardiff Locomotive Works, could catch the train, with a short walk along the Siding, into work. Without much happening on the Down Refuge, I removed the Down Refuge Loop then moved the Down mainline against the fascia that gave me enough room for an Island Platform. The Siding into the Works now comes off the main.   

I added more "saw tooth" workshops, a Boiler Shed  & Change Room/Showers with an Office so the Workers could bundy on & off.

For the Station platform surface I used the white sand/Oxide mixture I used at Broadmeadow, adding a little more Oxide for a darker asphalt surface. I wanted to experiment with the colours of asphalt as I have to make a few more platforms - Fassifern, Gosford & Hawkesbury River.  

I built the second Joe's PC3 Station kit I found under the layout, added a C2 Toilet from Scale Model Co & Antons Station Lights, 

I added a Signal Box against the backboard from Stuart Walker with the Footbridge, also one of Stuart's kits. 

I added a Road Bridge crossing the mainline at the summit of my Fassifern Bank on the peninsula, providing a "back road" entry into the Sulphide Works, a Walthers kit.

Now to include stopping at Sulphide Junction for some of my passenger trains.

Now onto Hawkesbury River Station, that'll have Marklin Catenary fitted that I bought years ago.