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Wombat Creek Tramways

Wombat Creek is a H0 (1:87) scale model of a fictional town situated somewhere in the Victorian Goldfields, Australia.

The time is 1963. Geelong wins the VFL Championship against Hawthorn (109– 60). John F. Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas. ValentinaTeresjkova is the first woman in Space. The men behind The Great Train Robbery get £2.6 million from a Royal Mail train heading from Glasgow to London.

The town consists of several buildings. The “Wombat Creek Bank and Gold Exchange” is a prominent building in the town centre. You will also find several other commercial buildings; among them the daily newspaper“W.C. Chronicle”(colloquial known as the "Toilet Paper") and “Wombat Creek Brewing Company” (Famous for the “Wombat Bitter”). “The Big Nugget Gold Mine” is situated at the Western outskirts of town near the small Chinatown. The War Memorial is in a small park along East Street.


The town’s mayor Alfred Campbell together with his son David Campbell owns several businesses, including the bank, the pub and the newspaper. AC/DC basically run the town and make most decisions on behalf of the rest of Wombat Creek’s residents, who, on the other hand, are too busy with their own businesses.


The mayor’s latest initiative is Wombat Creek Tramways. Wombat Creek doesn’t really need a tram system, but AC reckons tramways will improve the town’s reputation. Partly because of limited funds the tramways' construction and rolling stock depend heavily on second-hand requirements from other Australian and overseas tramways.

The Bellcord – part 9

Text & photos from Wombat Creek Tramways Posted on Sat, May 06, 2023 13:23:54

After almost three months I am pleased the Bellcord, or as it is known by the good people of Wombat Creek ‘the Jazz House’, is finished.

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The sign at the top of the building is made from ‘stem wire’ (used by florists), super-glue and some patience. As a template I printed the sign in a appropriate font called ‘Jam Session’ and bent the wire following the outline of the letters. Once glue together, the sign was a little hard to read being green letters on a green ‘scaffolding’. Painted black they stand out a bit better and also tie in with the letters on the balcony.

I have enjoyed building the Bellcord, but I look forward to smaller projects which can be done I far less time.



The Bellcord – part 8

Text & photos from Wombat Creek Tramways Posted on Sun, April 30, 2023 11:23:50
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The Bellcord is ready to turn up the jazz music. Since the last update the work has mainly been on the roof. As seen on the photo the roof is rather ‘complicated’ with quite a few elements. The roof is in two parts and detachable in case I need to work on the interior of the building.

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No point of turning up the music if you don’t get any audience! Time to finish the build with a bit of advertising. All will be revealed in the final update.



The Bellcord – part 7

Text & photos from Wombat Creek Tramways Posted on Thu, April 20, 2023 10:21:59

After three days of modelling the Bellcord looks like this:

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Next task to tackle is the roof.



The Real Wombat Creek

Text & photos from Wombat Creek Tramways Posted on Mon, April 17, 2023 11:18:56
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The fictional gold mining town of Wombat Creek is named after my favourite animal, the wombat, and a place for gold panning, the creek. On our way home from holidays my wife and I passed the real Wombat Creek. Nothing like the grand model town. Just a small creek and a handful of houses along the highway far from the Victorian goldfields.



The Bellcord – part 6

Text & photos from Wombat Creek Tramways Posted on Fri, April 07, 2023 16:18:49
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Before the builders went on their Easter break they fitted the external doors and all the tiles on the front. Back on the job they will focus on the ‘art deco’ features.



The Bellcord – part 5

Text & photos from Wombat Creek Tramways Posted on Thu, March 30, 2023 17:53:48
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Work has started on the intricate front of the Bellcord. My research photos are a good reference for the actual front and its tile cladding. For details on the roof I go to Google Street view and Google Earth. It will not be 100% accurate, but only I will know (and you, since you are reading this!).



Wildlife

Text and photos from Wombat Creek Consolidated Mines Pty Ltd Posted on Mon, March 20, 2023 18:16:50

I have been asked for a few photos of the wildlife around the railway. Here they are!

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Spot the wombat
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Koalas near the Creek

PS: Sorry for the shadows!



The Bellcord – part 4

Text & photos from Wombat Creek Tramways Posted on Mon, March 20, 2023 18:09:19
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The setting is not what you would expect, but the photo shows the Bellcord with windows! The doors are in ‘back order’. Next step will be the front entrance, which will be a challenge due to its shape.



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