The Potters Orchid Railway

[FWLR]

Some nice photos Dazza. The video is brilliant also. Just love that Rattler....

[Hydrostatic Dazza]

Some nice photos Dazza. The video is brilliant also. Just love that Rattler....

My grandparents retired to Gympie circa 1975 after selling the Boonah farm and I had many visits to stay in Butler street Gympie which is not far from the yard. I would wander down and watch trains, visit the cabin, ride the shunt loco and catch the Rm2000 railmotor back to Brisbane after a weeks stay. I could never have imagined that 45 years later I would be crewing at the Rattler. Back then I dreamed of creating a huge scale HO model of the Gympie yard and station. When MAM and I visited the MVHR for a ride (circa 2009) we got to know the crew that day, MAM got a contract job at Downer EDI (loco and EMU works) in Maryborough from chats with the loco driver whi was the head engineer at Downer edi and the fireman who I now know well and I would have a week off work on occasions and stay in the guards van set up for over night accommodation and help in the MVHR workshop. (my passionate love affair with #253 started then) Then MVHR had to shut down and I spent some time at Rosewood Railway which struggled on for a few years and is currently closed. (just not enough human resources to keep operational) When the MVR restart was underwa started I got stuck in from the first minute of crew training commencing and very much enjoyed it and still enjoying the journey. The Rattler has a great team of lasses and lads, simply a good bunch to be about. I am living the dream. It is possible for ordinary sods like me to live the dream. So my heart has been with the Gympie station since 1975.

[Hydrostatic Dazza]

After four days of Steam for me and MAM chasing trains for four days, MAM was keen to run her engine, so we did last night. The plantings are coming along as well as can be expected.

[Peter Butler]

The plants are taking hold really quickly, MAM certainly has the green finger touch, it is looking beautiful.

[FWLR]

Agree, those plants are looking fantastic. Shame ours are now starting to wilt. Great photos again Dazza..
MAM's Lady Anne coming out of the tunnel is brilliant....

[ge_rik]

Already looking well established. Must be a great joy to see it all coming together

Rik

[Hydrostatic Dazza]

Last night Captain Plod was off to mix some soil and fill in some more spaces ready for planting out this weekend, however the head horticulturist of the POR noticed Mama water dragon laying eggs on the very top of the Potters Junction tunnel, so labour was switched to laying track in the siding/steam bay extension next to the Cactus garden. It is good MAM noticed Mama laying eggs so it is now marked with an upside down hanging basket so we do not step or dig there for a few months.

[Peter Butler]

Water Dragon...... wow!!! All I get on my railway are dogs.

[Hydrostatic Dazza]

Water Dragon...... wow!!! All I get on my railway are dogs.

This water dragon lives under the back stairs where the motor mower is stored (only used for the foot path grass at the street ) Last night after she laid eggs MAM fed her some small pieces of Banana. Dragons also like cheddar cheese, or little pieces of meat, I kid you not, some will come running to you when they see you, knowing some morsels will be offered. It is fun. The dragons will gobble up bugs around the compost piles and will chomp up the odd small sweet flower in the garden. There are a few that live in rocks around the neighbours pool, if we stand on on our back deck at the railing they will come running, even swim across the pool to get some cheese. The big problem is the dogs one neighbour has, many dragons have been slaughtered, very sad. When the little dragons hatch the Kookaburras, Butcher birds and Magpies gobble many up. I have watched a Green Tree snake chase across the floor of my workshop a hatched little dragon and gooble it up and then return to the nest area and repeat the chase across the floor and gooble up a few more. Life out there is dangerous. The Spangled Drongos have again flown in this week from New Guinea and will again nest and be gone in 3-4 months. All happening here...

[FWLR]

Amazing wildlife you have. Wish we had those water dragons to eat all the spiders and ants that prowl our garden....

All we get here are flipping pigeons and seagulls......

[Hydrostatic Dazza]

Planted out Potters Junction yesterday, we finished in the dark. Best time to plant is late afternoon, less plant shock. That is it for major planting. Now it is just fun details to do and fill in with buildings and see how the plantings go. The annuals will be replaced next season and the perennials will grow up and fill. The footpaths, slab and awnings we hope will be started soon. I will be back in the Red Room soon and working with metal and my loco build. It has been a good winter of enjoyment at the POR.
More cactus were added yesterday evening.

[FWLR]

It's looking fantastic Dazza. I love the cactus planting very much. I see "Williamine" the Water Dragon is still in residence.
Just wish I was able to see your line for real, but sadly that's never going to happen....

PS Hope you don't mind naming the Water Dragon....

[Peter Butler]

This has just appeared on youtube.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kloFGMbP6Zs

[Hydrostatic Dazza]

This has just appeared on youtube.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kloFGMbP6Zs

Yes, that is me in the black hat, I drove out and put 974 back on the carriages at Amamoor. The footplate rider was on my shoulder while I drove out and then I fired home and we put the footplate rider in the fireman's seat, which means I stand the the whole time on the fall plate. That was the third day of four I was on steam living the dream.

[Hydrostatic Dazza]

It's looking fantastic Dazza. I love the cactus planting very much. I see "Williamine" the Water Dragon is still in residence.
Just wish I was able to see your line for real, but sadly that's never going to happen....

PS Hope you don't mind naming the Water Dragon....

From now on, she will be known as "Williamine". We had a wee youngun from last years hatchings running about as well and another Male who lives under deck in amongst the stuff stored there. There is another MAMA that digs holes for eggs about the place and she adores bits of cheese. We have mounted a little camera on a wagon and will be experimenting with videos of the line from the drivers shoulder and in front of the loco, so that may give you an idea of the POR. I am not a modeler and never will be, I want to get back to the Red Room (The Llewellyn Locomotive works) and get back to my loco making but with track ballasting, buildings, lights and some details and more signals for Potters Junction, so much to do...

[Hydrostatic Dazza]

Captain Plod likes his cactus garden.

[Hydrostatic Dazza]

At Potters Junction, MAM was making a Lasagna dish, it almost became a Bonsai pot as she was not all that happy with it.



Mean while as summer arrived and the shade from the trees has disappeared Captain Plod was rebuilding the top of the bed above Potters Junction Tunnel. The garden bed now continues into the top bed where Day Lilies, Roses and what ever else reside.



Soak the bed, plant, one is a giant Kangaroo Paw, water down the mulch, all is now ready for the paths to remove the dirt pathways which was mud and now dust and more dust.

[philipy]

Love the way that flower bed now fades into the railway scenery, so that the railway becomes part of the garden and real world landscape.

[Andrew]

What a wonderful railway you're creating there - so much to enjoy! I think the tunnel mouth in the cutting is my favourite of the recent pictures, it looks just right...

Cheers,

Andrew.

[FWLR]

Captain Plod likes his cactus garden.

Love this photo so much.
I guess it will look so much more when you get to ballast it and perhaps a photo of MAM's Lady Anne in steam on it...