2013 Nov 5

2013 Nov 5

Moving on and now the grain silo is completed, with all track circuits working, and 5 point motors installed.

Long view.  Plesa ignore the mess as I just cleared the deck for the picture :)

The grain silo area is finished for now. All track circuits protected, and working just fine. Point motors installed and DCC controlled buttons assembled and waiting the cutting out of the perspex plates before being embedded into frame (cut outs)

In the long shot you might just notice the 5 ply is slightly lifted, and this one was done by clamping the ply down over top of a piece of 18 x 34 laid flat on then secured with risers as shown in next pics

Where their is a will, you usually find a way! Bending 5 ply smoothly!  :D

Well I might do my shopping trip tomorrow and see if I can get some more track down when I return
Cheers
Rod

2013 November 1

2013 November 1  And so the balmy days of Spring have finally arrived.

Just a brief update. Spent a lot of time in the shed, mostly playing with sound and upgrading locomotives and rolling stock.
My latest acquisition was a repainted BG SOP set from Nathan Peters. Thank you Nathan :D

 

 Since I last posted we have started to rebuild the boards and lay some track.  It really is nice to work with a flat deck :)  Allan Jeeves again was extremely helpful, keeping me company and whose good advice and labours are much appreciated. However the tyranny of distance and Oil Company profiteering are having their effect. It costs Allan over $25 a trip to come and help, and it all adds up, doesn't it :(

So here is the first 2400 mm section added to the Helix. This time I am not in such a hurry to get something running, and so it was decided to make it a bit easy on the poor old back. All the track is laid in place, including the grain Silo. All droppers are placed and each point is set up for a motor.  (I just placed another order for 30 motors from my favourite E-Bay supplier)

 Just before moving on, I set this up to prove it would work. The rear of the train has been left on the Main, and the engine has crossed the SG and entered the Silo Yard where it uses the now vacant empty arrival sidings to access the loaded siding. It hooks on and places the loads out on the MAIN, before returning for the second sidings loads. Once all out on the Main it proceeds on to the next Station and eventually the Docks (off the layout)

 

So all I have to do now is connect up all the wires and fit overload bulbs, then connect to the DCC Bus. I have two double slips, one ordinary point in the Silo, as well  the points off the MAIN into the Silo to power as well

Well I am wasting time on this bloody thing again, and the soldering iron is still hot...

Cheers

Rod

2013 October 23

2013 October 23 Nice day cloudy but easy to work in the shed :D

Wednesday is turning into a regular workday at my place.
Allan Jeeves again came over with some valuable advice and much needed assistance on the layout.
I think he came over to lay track on the previously completed track bases, but I had other ideas. In fact I did not know what I was thinking , because I decided to relay the track along the upper level on the long wall. The more we looked at it, the more obvious was our final decision to demolish most of it and start again.
I gently lifted all the track and laid it on the bottom level for easy recovery, and then we started rebuilding the top. In fact we demolished it and then re supported the remaining frame.    Even though the camera does not really show it, all the dips have been removed and a new baseboard mounted on top should be flat and level as I first wanted it. Let the pictures do the talking :)

Allan keeps coming back for more, and I got to say, I really appreciate it too. Got some great thoughts and we do get on well, despite me trying to drill his hand today :(

The new Bowser Junction roughed out. The left hand rail enters the branch and Bowser Station around the corner. The straight track is the main BG heading towards the section on the other main long wall, as yet not started. Temporarily it will ling into the branch on the Trentham side. The third track to the right crosses the SG on a diamond ,but instead of heading for Beechworth and Bright, it will enter a stone quarry, in a way similar to the Kilmore East facility. AS I say roughed out, but ready for smoothing out the curves and tacking it all down.

Trying to show the straight top edge. It really is straight and with 5 Ply affixed to it, should be really nice to lay track on.

Cheers
Rod

2013 October 18 continues still :)

2013 October 18 and there is more

Finishing off the bottom level base boards :)

All the supports in and just waiting for the white glue to dry on an extra spacer.

This is the last bit of roadbed to tie in the whole bottom level.  Lay track and wire it up, and we can have long distance controlled movement, at last. I am determined to have this bottom section sceniced and looking good in under 8 years (three to go to beat Eureka!)

This is the left hand join to the new section just added, and shows the difference in thickness. The router got a work out rebating the 5 ply. This time I was happy with the job, and I must be getting a little less frightened of the tool, I guess :)

The right hand side join looks a bit messy, but it is glued in place, good old reliable Masonite strips save the day once again :)

This outrigger extends into the aisle where the track bed short cuts the baseboard. It took my 100kgs so it will support the track easily

This is one of the benefits of screwing everything into predrilled countersunk holes. The drill sits in the countersink and does the job in one!

Long view showing this weeks gains.

All the supports in and just waiting for the white glue to dry on an extra spacer..


Cheers
Rod

2013 October 18 continues

2013 October 18

This was some progress from Wednesday when Al Jeeves again arrived to assist me. Well he did all the work, as I had fallen in the room day before and had a crook back. So Al did the stuff at floor level. How is YOUR back today, my friend :)

What we did was replace all the twisting 3 ply with 5 ply and the new ply shows where we started from. I needed to shift all the wires and build in new supports to lift this section level and match the track out of Wodonga.

 

And this is the last piece to be added to complete the connection. The board is extra wide because Wodonga loop actually ends just before the start of the curve. It holds 45 vehicles and two engines! This shed is just not big enough (Jeff's shed next?   

Cheers

Rod

2013 October 18

2013 October 18   Sunny and warmer than yesterday :)

Some news from other places?

Finally on the water...

 

http://eurekamodels.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/and-now.html

My letter to Ron at Eureka, and I just could not bring it upon myself to congratulate him

Well Ron

The day has finally arrived, eh well, not just yet, but we are closer to getting our hands on these engines than we were this time last year anyway, or so it seems.

Of course I am expecting the ship to be hi-jacked by Pirates riding jet skis or perhaps sinking in a typhoon. Well that is unlikely as I have seen this ship, it is indeed huge. Could you please arrange for the container to be carried inboard, rather than seaboard as I have a funny feeling it will fall overboard if placed there :(

Seriously though!

Just to confirm that you may still send my two R Classes to

Rod Young

50 xx Court

xx

Victoria Australia.

My telephone is 02

 mobile 042

Also to confirm that I have paid in full for the engines and upgraded the price to account for sound at Corio two years ago.

The only problem I now have is the numbers that I am getting?

I think the oil burner is 719?  However I am not fussed about that.

I definitely do not want a preserved number for my coal burner, and after seeing R704 in its Exposition livery at Caulfield, I am hoping that you will have a sound version spare that I can change to? If this is possible I will be happy to accept it.
Other than that, any Number except 752 (an engine I already have) will be acceptable.

Hope this helps us both, my attempt to shave a bit more time off the long  wait.

Now to save up for the K :)

Cheers
Rod Young

2013 10.9

2013 October 9

Since our last visit we have done a bit of work on the layout. After returning from Liverpool this year, Roger stayed a a few days and we finished supporting the House Creek bridge and glued in the open deck bridges, laid the track, and started to lay track in the yard. The braced angle supports are temporary, and Jim has worked out a way of strengthening the upper deck (almost) invisibly. We will install them when the braces are completed.

in this long view you will notice we had to widen the benchtop, in order to fit a bit more in :)  The SG through track is almost in its final position, The BG platform is long enough to fit 8 cars and a loco, actually only two cars short of the original. The points over high street are moved further outto allow more room for the enlarged platform. The carriages are sitting in the through or No2 road. The space on the aisle side will easily accomadate the old Sales yard stock sidings with BG and SG access.

Starting to rough out the stock siding

Here is the the bridges fixed in place. We left the trackrite off hoping the wheels will roar just like a real one over the bridges. I hope the plastic sleepers on steel beams will do the trick although the plastic might reduce the effect somewhat.

A look up the hill towards Wodonga Station.

Elevated view

Now here are a couple pics of the booty from Liverpool :D

The two B Class have been stripped, DCC chipped and the buckled screens glued back on. A real bargain at $100 each. However I did buy them for parts ;) The orange one has a mech and it is on the track below.

42216 and 42219, appear complete, however they are only dummies. Again purchased as spares. However I might be tempted to put a motor in each of them.

AN3 has no place on my layout, however I kind of like the look of them. Anyway it got a smile from Peter and Jamie, first I have had from them for quite a while :) I wonder why that is ;)

Anyway I spent all day today watching the Bathurst telecast, doing only a little wiring under the coal siding. I strung the 9 circuits, built up the stop tail protection circuits, and installed everything up ready for connection to the main DCC bus. Hopefully tomorrow I can connect in all the droopers to the new circuits, however I will have to find another way of running the negative bus.  The cable is much to thick and you have to strip back the insulation before the connectors will attach.

So a little further advanced :)

Cheers
Rod Young

Monday September 30

Monday September 30  A nice day

Spent some time in the train room, but mainly fitting sound decoders and sorting through a few things.
I have found some stuff it is time to move on. Hope you will bear with me as I list out this stuff and try to sell it ;)

These models all run, however they have been in storage for 20 years and will need cleaning down and lubrication. If you want them and don't feel  competent to do this let me know.
They were all built by Pete (ANR) Smith and ran without problem hauling long trains at Hobson's Bay. In their day they were much admired and regarded as of the best. Without a doubt Trainorama have put them to retirement. However I know that their are some out there with young families that cannot pay $300 on Ebay for the modern stuff. I think you will be happy with these until your circumstances change ;)

 942
Body is  finished just needs side frames and this mech fitted.
Want $150 +ph.
  The mech was specially made to correct wheelbase. And it is not K&M It was meant to overcome the problems the K&M one had, unfortunately the guy building them moved to Brisbane and died after a massive heart attack setting up a new workshop. They are nice! and I have another 930 mech as well.

949
 modified and weathered is nice and grotty :) Want $110 +ph
Its stock standard mech.

960
 $110 +ph
stock standard mech.

Thanks for letting me know, but the AN single ender was a Trainorama one and so has been  withdrawn because thought it was the Lima one. I will repost the Lima one when I find out where it is :)  Apologies

here are the three of them together.

A look a like N set?   Again 25 years old and its the paint that makes it look like an N set but I loved it way back then :)  Maybe for $120 +p&h they can help you with the illusion as well.

What about NSWGR 3830?
I have never run it because I bought it without a lead truck. Eventually I sourced one from Casula, which is included, and if you are up to it I can sell it for $160 +ph

Some Powerline 48 Classes?
What about $150 plus p&h for each of them The bicent. certificates are included with that one as well.

The 125 year green 48 has an offer on it :)

Well I guess that's all of it PM me if interested :D
Cheers
Rod Young

2013 September 25

2013 September 25  Wednesday  Not a bad day!!

Today Allan Jeeves came for a visit, and we had a great day I think.

The dip down to house Creek has been done. I have cut out the fitted supports already, just noticed in this picture that I forgot to glue them in every 30 cm.

Nice gentle slope should not give the 4 wheelers any problems :)
The bridges were previously constructed and all I need do now is fit them back into the new trackbed. Because I am using Central Valley bridge decking, I had to use code 83 track to match over both bridges. That has been aquired and will not hold me up.

Just need to cross brace it, but otherwise this bit is ready for track.

The trackbed crosses the future connection which heads into NSW at 9cm about 1.5 cm lower than I wanted Not sure how it will effect double stacks?  May need to build a girder bridge over here to gain another 16 mm Ha Ha

On the other side the track clears the temporary diversion and heads towards Wanganella. All fixed in place and ready for work laying the base into the SG loop area previously started.   That will complete Stage 2 trackwork and allow limited trains to operate on the bottom levels, once the droppers are all in place.
This may not seem like a lot of work. However it entailed a lot of cutting, accurate measurements, fitting of new cross braces. Making sure all other track had proper clearances. Al spent a lot of time on the floor gluing in bracing to make everything solid. Whilst I bent over the layout with head and shoulders barely clearing the top level as we lined it all up, and fixed it solidly in place.

Cheers
Rod