2016_03_17 (continues)

2016_03_17     Sandown

 All pictures can be clicked on to enlarge!
Sorry about quality :(

2016_03_17 Sandown and Kyneton shows.

2016_03_17 A day for the Irish


Nothing to report as it is still too hot to work out in the train room. So basically any work done has been inside working and repairing kits and rolling stock.
But Sandown has come and gone, and I did manage not to spend much. In factit was underwhelming.
The only things new, had rubber tyres!  We now have model drag strips and radio controlled trucks.
Some pictures    The photo quality is very poor for some reason however all pictures
will enlarge if clicked on!

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Cheers
Rod

2016_02_25 A cool change and more wall up

2016_02_25

Things have not stopped per se. little jobs just keep on getting done. Not exciting enough to create much of a blog.
However this has happened over the last week or two

Another section of floor cleared and two more wall panels started. Making noggins to fit is present project.

Spending time fixing up sound projects. Have about 31 locos in this queue and about half way through.

Checking heights and bench work on paper first. As an example the horisontal struts need to drop about 70mm for next section to allow the SG main to drop the full 125mm along this wall. The upper level will sit up on risers to maintain flat base.

And of course this troubling and increasingly more expensive project is still been checked and experimented on
The three sheets are recovered from paper that failed to stay in position and was removed in order to start again. The sheet on the left is  watered down Woodlands Scenic white glue. The next is watered down craft glue and the one on the right is about 3 to 1 Aquadhere, which leaves the others for dead, so far.
Ok the day is getting too hot to work outside, so back to the computer and post this, before checking out a few locomotives.
Cheers
Rod

2015_02_15 wins and losses

2015_02_15
 First a loss
It seems my good friend Geoff Hope has lost control of his NSW C30T project. With Ixion announcing that they have brought the project from a third party, I can only pray that Geoff is going to be ok after this. He needed the model to replace his Superannuation that was invested in this project. Experts are already saying it is among the best HO model steam engines produced, and I can imagine only a catastrophe would make him lose control of it.
 Get well Geoff.

Then another loss for Graeme and I who spent the day working on the layout.
Back Drops

So following the instructions to the letter and finding a stockist for the exact recommended glue, we attached the first sheet in position on the wall.

This $21 bottle of glue is supposed to be the one to use.

I returned 20 minutes later to find the back scene had dropped off the wall.

When I touched it, it fell away. The glue was to be painted on the back drop, but it was not sticky, and was drawn into the paper like a sponge. applying more got it to stick but the paper  became soaked. We wiped it on with a cloth and it appeared to stay there. When it dried it was not attached and had rippled badly. Apparently the ripples draw out if it fixes properly to the wall.

Here is a piece of recovered back scene fixed with white glue (I grabbed a piece of the scene from the first attempt) This is getting expensive!
However about 4 or 5:1 white glue seems to do the job, as shown here.

The new wall A win, I think?

 After moving all the keepers to other places, another barrow full of rubbish off to the skip.

So we painted the wall with undercoat. Then cleared all the stored boxes to access the next 6m of wall.
Which of course meant finding new places for that which we moved.  Started cutting out the new wall panels, which I hope to nail together soon. Getting the last 9 m of wall finished which will allow me to mount Honeysuckle in place and start getting the branch line into service.

I also played around with this camera which will give me a view from the East side when arriving and departing trains from Wodonga and Trentham.. I ordered 4 cameras all with longer focus lens which will give a clear focus over 5 to10 m.

2016_02_09 plugging along!

2016_02_09.
Warmed but cool with the AirCon working again.
Unreported but we have been plugging along. Several more locomotives are back in service with sound running nicely. The plaster sheets are in place, crack filled and ready for paint (Today?)

The supports for Honeysuckle are working as designed.

Note:
The sad remains of the first backdrop attempt. It did not shrink, as we used expensive 3M spray adhesive almost dry. We did have trouble keeping it stuck (painted surface?) But it simply shrunk back into itself creating vertical air pockets along its length.  We had trouble keeping the edges fixed, but when we went to remove it, it was impossible to not tear it. Replacement rolls are now here, so I need to try again using a better glue.

Have had a look at Threntham (need a new name)  And decided to upgrade all the points for reliability. As so many code 88 wheels have arrived on RTR rolling stock and locomotives, I have to sacrifice the very old hand laid points.
I was about to lean on a very good friend, to see if he would bring his "Fast Tracks" jigs up and make me some code 70 points.  Out of the blue, Steven from Sunbury advertises he is selling off his layout and offers on Rail Page, 7 points (Homemade Fast Tracks) in code 70 Fortunately I was in first, and got them all, at a very reasonable price.

So Trentham might get more use with this added reliability. Is that three way point still not fixed in? ...Geesh!! it just not end does it? :D

Cheers
Rod Young

2016_01_18 What next?

2016_01_18  Looking towards finishing the wall, but then I also need to clear up some of the junk to enable work to continue. So this is what I am thinking ;)  and that's dangerous, I guess.

Most of these boxes contain built up kits and trees as well as a lot of valuable materials to finish off the layout. So I guess junk it isn't.  I intend, or should I say, need to store this stuff under the layout along the finished wall.

Now notice the late afternoon sun shining on the layout. It did this for near 3 hours before this shot was taken at 7.15pm. The bricks were very hot to touch, and the plaster was cool, but was up slightly behind the glass at the top. But I am happy with that as it was 36C today, clear blue skies.

So now I have to work out how wide the Albury yard can be to accommodate the rest of the modules I want to install in here. (Remember South Grafton)

 Click on it if it is not all visible on your monitor.

I want the Albury section to be freelance like the rest. So I need to know how many SG storage roads I can fit and the maximum width I need to create this yard. I would like to fit the station and the flour mill in, if I can, so will leave the locomotive depot out, I think. This gives me three long roads at station end plus more and 4 long yards at the Sydney end plus more depending on width available.

I will have to talk with Roger as he knows how to use these confounding layout design programs!

These are some spare L Girders I have and will cut out new cross pieces when I know how wide I can go. But that sits at about the right height.

And this is how I need to store bins under, depending on the width.
These Bunnings Bins are about the right size at 560 x 380.
the baseboard is set at 410 wide, but that will change.

But I am getting ahead of my self. Need to sand down the plaster joins before I go much further

Cheers
Rod Young