The construction of the sugar mill main buildings is now complete.
They consist of;
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| Mill and Tipper building |
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| Mill Oblique View |
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| Mill Side view |
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| Mill End View |
The track loop that forms the Farms end and the Mill Run to the mill precinct of the cane farm line has now been laid and tested.
The track is Code 250 while the points are LGB so transition pieces had to be made to connect the two track sizes together.
The sleepers have deteriorated in the sun and do not hold the gauge well on the top of the loop so wooden spacers cut to hold the gauge have been used, they can be seen in the second picture.
The points allow a train to push through them to set the direction.
The way it is set in the first picture allows a train to run clockwise around the loop, when it returns to the point it pushes through and the train runs down to the mill.
The next train that comes from the mill runs around the loop in an anticlockwise direction and pushes through on the way back to the mill.
The points are now left set for the next train to again run clockwise and so on.
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| Farms loop entry/exit points |
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| Loop looking towards points |
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| Frangipani inside loop |
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| Loop looking away from points |
The entry/exit points are Aristocraft that operate in the same way as the farm loop points.
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| Run to the mill looking from loop points |
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| Run to the farm looking from mill points |
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| Mill loop entry/exit points |
The line is a single out and back loop at one end with a 'Y' point that will move as the trains run through it.
The other end runs into the mill precinct that has a loop as well as sidings where shunting can take place.
The track is Code 250 held in place with cable ties, Code 250 is used to differentiate the line from the mainline which is Code 332.
The track is laid on 225mm wide electrical cable tray, with shade cloth underneath that is covered in 7mm blue metal gravel ballast, either side of the track has artificial turf to simulate the line going through grassed areas.
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Entry to mill area framework
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| Across the hedge |
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| Tray, track, turf trial |
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| Farm Loop posts |
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| The ballast |
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| Cable tray at Farm Loop end |
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| Cable Tray Run into Mill Precinct |
Firstly fixed edging made from treated pine fence palings around the bottom of the posts.
Next I laid down weed control mat.
Then I covered it with Decomposed Granite "Deco".
This now completes the path around the inside of the mainline and around the cane line so I can now walk around both layouts and access them from both sides.
Next the gardens under the cane line will be planted out when the cane line base board and the sugar mill are installed.
Around the back of the mainline there was a patch of earth in front of my shed roller doors that kept getting overgrown with weeds.
This was creating unnecessary work so to eliminate that, I laid weed control mat down then covered it with "cracker dust" (a type of crushed rock) then ran a compactor plate over it to compress it.
I then sprinkled dry cement dust over the compressed dust then lightly misted it, this caused the cement to set and hold the dust in place.
This provides me with a walkway around the back of the mainline layout so I can access one of my shed doors and the battery compartment.
Construction of the sugar mill has begun;
This is the first part of the mill precinct, that will be the centrepiece of the layout, there are other buildings to be added e.g. a cane unloading facility, a molasses tank and a bulk sugar hopper amongst others to complete the whole scene.
They will be mounted on a painted fibre cement baseboard, the main mill building sits on a base board 800mm long 600mm wide and is 400mm high.
I am using a couple of buildings that were given to me by a friend as a former for the mill shape they are made of thin timber that would never survive outside in the climate without a treatment of some sort, they were off an indoor layout and as I do not have an indoor section they were going to waste but were perfect for the shape.
I am covering them with a cladding of galvanised corrugated iron to keep water away from the timber and a "damp course" made from cheap nylon cutting boards to try to prevent any water from wicking up into the timber and I am painting them inside with a water repellent sealer. .
The corrugated iron was the frame for an above ground children's wading pool, they are now not allowed to be used by law because of safety issues surrounding sharp edges but are a fairly good scale metal cladding for my purpose.
To attach the cladding I am using a product called "Liquid Nails Landscape" which is formulated for outdoor use as the name suggests and will aid in water keeping water out.
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| Side View |
End View 
Corrugated Iron Cladding
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| Molasses Tank |
Construction of the base support has been completed, it consists of a 100mm x 100mm post in the centre and eight 75 x 100 mm treated pine fence posts around the outside. These have "joists running between them on which will support the baseboard.
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| Centre Post |
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| Outside Posts and Joists |
The next step is to construct the sugar mill which will be on a baseboard seated on the supports over the centre post, from there the rest of the baseboards will be fitted onto which the tracks to will be laid.
I am building from the centre out the idea being that once the buildings are complete there should be no need for them to be accessed unless something untoward happens
Around the bottom of the outside posts treated pine fence palings will be attached to form the boundary of a garden under the mill precinct and also form one side of a pathway around the layout.
A fascia will also attached between each outside post which will further strengthen the whole construction and give a finished look the same as the mainline.
