Above: An operational but still incomplete HOn30 (009) cane railway display with a double-sided backdrop (mill one side, cane farm the other). Models are a scratchbuilt Jenbach diesel using a Bachmann mechanism, Bob Dow's cane bins and a freelance brake van with flashing light. Details can be found in Handbook articles.
The Handbook articles are your best starting place, and the article on scale/gauge choice should be an early read.You also need to explore other sections of the web site to help you better understand the sugar cane railway industry and to choose a specific prototype. Overall you'll find several thousand photographs, plans and modelling tips.
Sugar cane railways are typically 'narrow gauge', in that they run on tracks that are laid somewhat closer than the 'standard gauge' of the mainline passenger trains. Cane trains in Queensland, for example, have a gauge of 610mm (2') while the mainline Queensland Rail runs on 1067mm (3' 6"). New South Wales, on the other hand, has a mainline gauge of 1435mm (4' 8.5"). Gauge choice for the prototype railways was, and still is, a matter of economics and politics but a narrow gauge typically permitted tighter corners, faster construction and lower construction costs than its standard gauge cousins.
Narrow gauge modelling is perhaps the fastest growing segment of model railroading due to the wider availability of applicable models and nostalgia for their steam engines and short line operations. However, most narrow gauge railways ceased to exist, except for tourist operations, once their resource base (silver mining, for example) became exhausted. Somewhat uniquely, narrow gauge cane railways still exist in several countries or have ceased to exist recently enough that there is still a considerable amount of information available on them. They also use relatively sophisticated equipment and modern operating procedures, making them attractive to today's youngsters.
There are a few suppliers of locomotives and rolling stock suitable for modelling cane railways in HOn30 (ie 009), On30 (ie 16.5 mm track), O-16.5 (ie 7mm scale on 16.5mm track), On24 (1:48 on 2' track) and various garden scale/gauge combinations. Fairly obviously, however, you'll need to adapt (kitbash) or scratch build many of the items required to build and scenic an operating cane railway.
Welcome aboard and best wishes!
- Introduction to Cane Railway Modelling (8 pages, prototype and model tips, 1.4 Mb pdf file)
- Handbook: Downloadable modelling tips, plans and photos... generally oriented towards Queensland profile and HOn30/On30 but applicable to sugar cane modelling in any country/scale.
- Member's Models: A gallery of sugar cane modelling.
- Large Scale/Garden: Models and Tips larger than 1:48th scale.
- Suppliers: Where to get models and other materials specific to cane railway modelling.
- Kitbashing and Scratchbuilding: More advanced techniques and examples.
- Scale Drawings: Queensland locomotives, rolling stock and buildings.
- Typical Structures (Qld): Industrial, commercial and residential buildings and their construction.
- Image Collection: 5000+ photographs, plans, etc.
- Scenic Locale for a Realistic Sugar Cane Railway
- Resources: Alphabetical listing of modelling resources.
- Simulator: Virtual modelling.
- Modelling Links: Other web sources.
last updated: 27/07/08.