Introduction
In 2020, James Pennington and myself (Keith) both rekindled our interest in the hobby of model railways. This layout became a gateway back into the hobby and a stepping-stone into the world of Digital Command Control (DCC). I have now become enamoured with all its bells and whistles.
Design and Planning
We opted for a size of 2.4 by 1.2 metres (8ft by 4ft), which is a common size for constructing an entry-level layout. Starting with this manageable size, enables beginners to ease into the hobby without being overwhelmed. We hadn’t encountered a South Australian Railways (SAR) layout built to this size before.
The layout is planned as a showcase for inspiring modellers who wish to model the SAR, but are constrained by space. They can still pursue their passion!
Track Planning
The initial track plan concept for the. The notion was to artistically transform into an SAR themed layout. However, during the conceptual phase, we realized that the track plan wouldn’t be suitable for Australian models due to the curvature radius. But we kept the core theme of that layout by retaining the coal mine which became the limestone quarry.
