Bert Toogood - Cape York Lines.

When you walk into Bert's train room you know you are in the mountains behind Cairns.   The Cape York Lines is an imagineered system from Trinity, (Cairns) to York, (Cape York).   It incorporates many of the features of the Cairns/Kuranda line as well as prominent places in the surrounding region.   The place names are either real or commemorate historical places or figures, eg.   Mt Mulligan, Stoney Creek Falls Bridge, Rob's Monument, mythical Edmund Kennedy Gorge, and Palmerston.

 The concept is an out and back lower layer, with the range section, Trinity to York, point to point.

 There are 78m of main line using both Shinohara code 70 and Peco code 75 nickel silver track.   These have fitted together well.

The line services various industries, which have been, or still are important to the region.   These are coal from Mt. Mulligan, cattle from York, railed to the meat works at Stoney Creek and timber from Palmerston going to a sawmill in the yet to be completed industrial area.   A passenger service runs from Trinity to York via Stoney Creek Falls.

The train board-bases are at elbow height constructed on L girder bench work, topped with 12 mm ply, then 12 mm caneite with the track laid on a cork road-bed to minimize drumming.

The scenery, including a cane farm, creeks and mountains are made in the tried and true way of using plaster and rock moulds covered with sawdust and foam to represent grass and ground cover.   The trees are made from garden twigs covered with poly fibre and sprinkled with ground foam.   The variation in colour and shape represents different types of trees.   Col Walsh's expertise in backdrop design and scenery, especially Stoney Creek and falls is acknowledged at Walsh's Corner.

Bert's interest in trains began in childhood.    He was not a keen team sportsman, but found he could pursue his hobby alone and enjoy the company of similarly interested people.   Later train modeling fitted in with his life style and job as an ambulance bearer.   It has provided an ongoing interest through experimenting and research to solve problems.   In retirement this is his only hobby and main focus.  

Bert began modeling in the 1970's under the tuition of NMRA member Barry Meynell.   He began work on his layout in March 1993 in a dedicated hobby room.   He wanted to draw inspiration from the region, hence the imagineered Cape York Lines.

Edmund Kennedy Gorge Bridge

The bridge over the North Fork of the Feather River in N.W. California, is the inspiration for this bridge.   It is built from ply and balsa.

Click on photo to see movie. Size 0.15MB

Bert's new Helix under construction.

Click on photo to see movie. Size 1.5MB

Bert's new Helix under construction.

Click on photo to see movie. Size 1.1MB

Stoney Creek Bridge

Mt. Mulligan