A small informal group of model railway enthusiasts going by the name of Nogut Rabis and Associates build diorama type layouts for the annual Hobart Exhibition. This year's (2013) contribution was a 00 scale representation of Adloun, a minor block post in southern Lebanon, as it was in 1945.

 

Figure 1 - Adloun blockpost, safeworking one side, accommodation the other.

 

 

Why Adloun?

Long-time BRMA Tasmanian rep. John Mayo began his railway career with the L.N.E.R. as a wartime junior clerk at Harrogate. He also worked at Pannal and Weeton stations before being called up for military service. After basic training, he went to the Longmoor Military Railway and then on to Lebanon as a railway traffic officer, brakeman, shunter and blockman. He served during the war in Lebanon, Palestine, the Canal Zone and Libya, rising quickly from Sapper to Staff Sargent. John served for a time as Blockman at Adloun.

 

Figure 2 - Sapper John Mayo, 1945.

 

 His photographs of the H.B.T. Military Railway were an inspiration for the model. John's recent retirement from official duties with the Society and his gradually deteriorating health suggested that we should recognise his outstanding contribution to the model railway hobby by modelling an aspect of his railway career. John proved to be enthusiastic with the idea of modelling Adloun and contributed significantly in getting the details 'right'.

 

The Haifa-Beirut-Tripoli Railway

The railway was built to provide a through standard gauge link between Europe and Lebanon, Palestine, Egypt and Libya. Its immediate purpose was to enable rapid movement of troops and supplies north, should Hitler attempt a land-based attack on the Suez Canal. It also provided an alternative supply route to Russia.

It opened throughout in 1942, but only ever operated for military purposes. Through traffic with Europe was blocked by Turkey's neutral status. Passenger traffic consisted mainly of military personnel travelling on leave to the fleshpots of Beirut. At the end of the war with Germany, the British found themselves in deadly conflict with the Jews who, with American support, were clearing Palestine to make a homeland for themselves. Sabotage and terrorism on the Railway was such that it eventually became inoperable and, when the British were turfed out in 1948, the railway was permanently destroyed at the Israel-Lebanon border.

Today no trains operate in Lebanon and the prospects of a through rail connection between Europe and Africa, for about eight years an established fact, now seems an impossible dream.

 

Figure 3 - A ROD heading north somewhere along the coast.

 

 

Figure 4 - John Mayo working out how to put it all back together.  This is the result of Jewish sabotage.

 

 

The model

The layout measures 7.2 metres long by 60 centimetres deep, with a full-height curved backscene. Trackwork is Peco Code 75 and the station consists simply of a passing loop and short dead-end siding. The outlook is towards the west, with the Mediterranean Sea dominating the scene. The station area, with a small beach nearby, is as close to ‘spot-on’ as we could achieve. The small cove and beach at stage right has been brought right up to Adloun and the quarter mile straight that existed in real life has been eliminated. The cove itself is correct for the period, although much developed and built on today. Left stage bears no direct relationship to Adloun, but represents the difficulties of operating the railway, particularly in the face of Jewish terrorism.

 

Figure 5 - A ROD heading south with a train of tanks.

 

 

Figure 6 - The Nogut private carriage paused at the wreck.  The shadowy figure of Nogut Rabis can be seen on the balcony.

 

 

Locomotives

All locomotive types regularly used on the H.B.T. line were modelled.

· R.O.D. 2-8-0  two Bachmann locos converted to oil burners

· Stanier 2-8-0 converted to Middle East conditions-two Hornby tender drive converted to dummy and propelled by best available American diesel mechanism hidden in first boxcar. (nobody noticed and operation is reliable and superbly smooth). One new Hornby loco drive tangled its motion regularly and soon self-destructed.

· American 'Middle East' 2-8-2 (the prototypes for the NSWGR 59 Class) Brass/plastic/card combo body on Rivarossi mechanism. Failed to get it to run to our standards so in desperation, with only hours to go before the Exhibition, ripped out the motor and gears and ‘wheelbarrowed' it as per Staniers.

· Whitcombe centre cab diesel. Walthers Fairbanks Morse switcher chassis lengthened to suit. Plasticard body.

 

Rolling Stock

· Flatcars and tank wagons are various American HO models modified with buffers, etc.

· Brake vans seem to have been a military design specifically for the Middle East. I made plasticard patterns and cast four of these in polyurethane resin. One ex-Southern "pillbox" was repainted in olive drab. The Bachmann model made this easy.

· Boxcars again seem to have been specific to the Middle East .As with the brake vans, I made patterns for a kit and Peter Rowland assembled two trains of these. Some had doors open to accommodate African armed guards, who accompanied most trains.

· Passenger carriages consisted of a couple of "near enough" conversions to resemble Pullmans working through from Cairo with military "brass", one "kitbashed" Palestine Railways coach and three ex Indian coaches re-gauged for H.B.T. trains. The Great Indian Peninsular Railway coaches were made by "kitbashing" castings of just a section of the sides. This saved pattern-making time to the benefit of a little more assembly time.

Couplers consisted of Kadees on the goods stock. These proved not very reliable on the day, due to the rushed nature of everything and the inevitable minor bad track variations where modules join. Passenger stock used my usual double hook and bar wire arrangement, which is cheap (free), totally reliable, but not automatic; which is irrelevant on an exhibition layout.

 

Control

We have stuck with DC at this stage, due to simplicity and use of available second-hand loco mechanisms to "kitbash" various prototypes. Jim Graham is our electrician and provided an excellent Roco controller, which gave super smooth operation.

 

Figure 7 - A very battered ALCO 2-8-2 on the Beirut passenger train.  The coach is ex-Great Indian Peninsular Railways.

 

 

Operation

Set trains alternated from our standard backstage fiddle yard sidings. At peak periods, or when we were feeling lazy, two trains ran in the same direction and were kept spaced, so that only one was on stage at a time. We aim for smooth, jerk-free, scale speed operation at all times. The long, slightly undulating, straight run on Adloun had the trains loping along in a most satisfying and convincing manner; a look we could not even get near to with the old Hornby tender drives or Rivarossi 2-8-2.

 

Figure 8 - Stanier 2-8-0 passing wreck.

 

Figure 9 - another angle of the Stanier 2-8-0..

 

 

Scenery

Scenery was my department and was simple in the extreme. The full height backscene is just the Mediterranean, with a little haze. It took about half an hour on a sky blue base. The obvious problem of horizon height versus viewer's eye level was overcome to some extent by lowering our fascia board well below the usual height and it actually seemed to work! Rock work used a few rubber moulds that were at hand or used the crumpled foil method. Basic ground cover was my usual fine beach sand in PVA glue. There is never a problem with salt in the beach sand being used. The salt in that dry sand taken from dunes has probably leached out anyway, and once encased in PVA it is just fine.

The predominant low coastal scrub is just old carpet. Trees are a mixture. The palms are cheap Chinese, repainted. A couple of old Woodlands oaks were recycled. Others are standard wire armature/Heki Flor jobs cobbled up while watching train videos. The iconic Lebanon Cedars use Woodlands metal branches, balsa trunks and Heki Flor foliage.

 

Figure 10 - The wreck, with a view of the sea.

 

 

The Team

People drop in and out of our group, depending on their interest in the particular display being built. The core team consists of BRMA members with the addition of Non-BRMA members.  We also encourage younger or newer modellers to "learn the art".

 

Conclusion

Once again I think we presented a good case for the notion that "less is more" and perhaps an even stronger case for approaching model-making a bit like a theatrical production. Our exhibition dioramas are always temporary. They give us a variety of challenges, prototypes, scales and themes. They are always fun to make and they keep us fresh. Our model-making skills and level of enjoyment increase with each exhibition. Such are the benefits of doing things this way that I consider it unlikely that I would ever build another "permanent" home layout.

 

Figure 11 - General view with Title Board.

 

Figure 12 - Adloun layout view.

Figure 13 - John Mayo at the exhibition.