Leaving Campbelltown for Camden

Leaving Campbelltown, the train crosses Bow Bowing Creek, before the challenge at the heavy up hill climbs ahead. 

Bow Bowing Creek.

Something which kept us wondering was why the locos, especially steam, always ran forward to Camden. Then I found it was because when the loco commenced it's climb up the steep grades, the water would end up at the wrong end of the boiler. 

Along the way the train passes "Model Farm" where a Model Aero Club meets to fly their model air planes. Some were successful at it, some not so successful. (See second photo). However they still enjoyed their time together, so it appears.

"Model Farm" 

End of lockdown and the party starts.

Note Tommy, with his radio controlled boat on the pond.

Poor Tommy lost control of his boat, when the antenna fell off, seen floating on the water. After passing the farm, the train crosses what was the old "Hume Highway" before entering Narellan. I need some "Wigwag" signals for the highway traffic if you have some clues.

Hume Highway crossing.

Narellan Station and Yard

4107 shunting empty wagons into position for loading,

(An early photo)

Campbelltown

Campbelltown is where the Camden Line started from, and a short distance South it turned away from the main line and headed west to Camden. It was seperate to the Main Line. In the following pictures I have only modelled the Branch Line side of Campbelltown's Up Main Platform, because I am not running Main Line Trains. I have installed a point from the "Dead End" representing the connection to the Up Main Line from the Yard. This dead end still needs to have a building made to represent "Dairy Farmers Milk". 

I have just recently obtained some pictures from the Campbelltown "N" Gauge Layout in AMRM April 2006, built by Mick Lovell, of what the building may have looked like. At least it gives me some idea of where I'm heading, and thank you Mick.

The Loco shed also needs to have a building for the Loco Crew's "Sign on Room" and Foreman's Office, and a fuel tank on a stand to refuel the Diesel Loco's. Especially now with the new addition. Again, thank you Mick.

Campbelltown Station

Campbelltown, The 41 Class waits for next move.

It appears the shunters have all gone to lunch.

The Coal trains awaits the departure of the passenger.

(An early photograph)

The Coal train (41 Class) cannot depart until the passenger trains arrives in clear at Narellan Station. This is why it is only a "One train operation", as it was in real life. 

A new addition was added (gifted to me, yesterday) for Camden. X212, They were trialed on the Camden Branch but was unsuccessful in it's attempt to climb "Kenny Hill". Imagine it with an "S" truck. 

I was supprised what this little loco could pull, when I coupled it up to my yard full of wagons.

X212 Shunter.

I still need some figurines to fill Campbelltown Yard as shunters and maybe others, but they are hard to find, especially to suit this layout.

Track and points used on the layout.

 The track is Peco Code 75, and the points are Large Electrofrog. The frog polarity is controlled by removing the switch rail jumpers to isolate the frog and using a micro switch to control the frog polarity, pending which way the point is set. A jumper was soldered under the point and the switch rails are alive all the time while power is applied. Sidings and loops are isolated by inserting insulating rail joiners between the point and both the joining rails at one end and live joining at the other end, then switching the point to the other direction. This then makes the loop either 2 + or 2 - rails so nothing moves. At Narellan, I can isolate trains on all 3 tracks at the one time.

Point direction wires

Jumpers under the points

Polarity Switch for the point frog

How this layout is controlled.

Although this layout is single line operation with stopping and shunting at Narellan, which is halfway between Campbelltown and Camden, it uses the simplest of operation. The points on the layout are manual operation using a simple brass wire in plastic tube. A continuous feed runs the complete length of the layout with take off feeds to each module and a plug conection between each module. 

The controllers plug into a four pin microphone plug and I have four different type controllers I can use. These are a standard DC variable speed, a DC variable speed with inertia, a DCC black box with 28 settings and to program any DCC loco, press Shift 99 and your away. And a cordless DC remote with a range of 80 meters. This controller has a small knob on the right for direction. At 12 o'clock it is power off, turn it clock wise, or anti clock wise for the direction you want to travel. Starting from off it has adjustable inertia. The further you turn it, the less the inertia. The range is 120° each way. The large knob on the left is the speed control. Power is up to 24 volts and 6 amps. The only draw back is there are no functions on the controller, and the plus is, I am not tripping over leads lying across the floor.

Control Panel

Cordless Controller. 

Hand unit on the perspex and the receiver on the timber bracket 

at the end of the module, cable into the microphone plug.

Cordless reciever unit

Cordless hand piece

Standard controller

DCC Black Box with 28 functions

DC controller with inertia and brake

Multi Tab Transformer and plug in various voltages

Camden Wiring Diagram.

 

Where to start

Campbelltown Station

Why did I decide to model the Camden Line. This is my third layout since we moved here 20 Years ago. I have a passion for disused Rail Lines and Camden sounded good as I didn't need much track (and space) and only one train with little rolling stock, so I thought !! and it would be easy to dismantle when the time comes. 

Well the first thing is, what does Camden layout contain. It starts from Campbelltown which is on the left of the picture in my first Blog, and this is where the Branch Line started in reality, and then the next stop is Narellan, then onto Camden. I have only modelled what the main purpose of the line was for, and the main stations along the line that serve that purpose. It was for the removal of coal from Burragorang Valley and dairy produce from the Camden area. More on this later. How does the layout operate ?? Well it was going to be DCC but as it is a one train at a time line, DC would be a better way to go. I will explain the operation in my next blog as it is very complicated (for me anyway).

Getting back into it.

Well it's been twelve months since I closed Camden Valley Model Railway Blog, and I was too late when I found that I could have restored it. I can only recall  one occasion in that time when I ran a train, the CPH from Campbelltown to Bowen Creek and back. Now I have decided to reinstall Camden Blog I will not bog you down with jargen about my troubles etc but will just add pictures and a short description with the picture.

I will also include a description of a partially constructed "N" Gauge layout I recently purchased from a deceased estate. This will be a slow process as I am also revamping Camden scenery at the same time. With the situation we are in at the moment, it is taking up to two weeks to get orders delivered. One purchase took five days in Victoria, to go from one Melbourne Suburb to an ajoining Suburb. 

Probably the first thing I should do is get new glasses !!