2021_11_19 Scenery? Wow!!

 2021_11_19  Graeme paints his canvas.

First he highlighted all the cracks and crannies with black paints.

Then highlighted it with reds and grey.

And as it dries back.

It becomes really nicer as it dries back.

Yes we are pretty happy with this.

This will end up a little like the Wangaratta side of Glenrowan.  Wait for the apple orchard :)

wet

Drying out... Fences extra blending and a lot more to come here. This is day 1.

Blending dirt back in on top.

Cutting in and access track on left.

Dirt on top.

Ok watching it dry :D

Cheers

Rod

2021_11_17>19 Lots of stuff!!

 2021-11-19 A package arrived! Some scenery etc

So you want to run a prototype length grain train?

Got 55 goofies?  Yes check all Auscision grain wagons!

Got good couplings?    No they are plastic!

ok what about power?  We have 3 new Auscision B Class locos with DCC Victoria sounds... check!!

So will they pull it?

Yes they do but they strip the plastic couplings away and the train parts multiple times. The wagons are fantastic however the cheap couplings not so.

And as I had a pack of 50 scale whisker couplings in storage, I best get cracking!

It took me 2 days to replace them all. What a waste of time. And the goofies were set up incorrectly. The couplings were all low on the kadee coupler height gauge. I had to place a kadee fiber washer under the wagon to lift it up to standard height, and even then, I had to bend up every trip pin to clear the height gauge.

Here I slip the whiskers under the bottom plate and screw it down with a magnetic screw driver.

A package arrives from Narara Locomotive Shops.

TNT Overnight Express less than 24 hours!!

Thanks Gerry Nicely packaged.

These old brass locos have been sitting on a shelf for 20 years.

S302

Nice.. Good as new.. Ha Ha better it now has lights and sound.

Whats this ?    Two more?

?

C502 and C505

Just like they came out of the factory but also with sound and lights.

My first run on a C Class was  on the real C502 out of South Dynon in August 1977 as a fireman. I even got to steer it for a few miles after Seymour.

Short run of S302

Cheers

Rod

2021_11_16 Another video

 Kilmore East mob meets again!

Cheers

Rod

2021_11_15 Streamlining grain haulage

 2021_11_15    New Video 

Cheers Rod

2021_11_12 Ctrl P to the rescue once again!

 2021-11-12 Wrong bogies on Powerline Coaches.

After waiting for the Victorian AZ (particularly the ACZ) coaches for near 20 years I have been much disappointed by Powerline again.

Not only were they 75% more expensive than the Auscision daylight cars, they suffered stupid inaccuracies.

The seats look like the cut down O gauge versions and the back rests are taller than the windows (well almost)

The ACZ does not have the periscopes fitted on the early versions

And the BG SOP (sanserif) version has the modern commonwealth bogies fitted, whilst the SG version with modern lettering is fitted with Argentine bogies.

Anyway against my better judgement I outlaid $175 a carriage       and added some to my fleet.

I swapped bogies from one coach to another but ended up needing 4 sets of Commonwealth bogies. I contacted the shop and was old Brian had refused to sell spare parts for the AZ's I asked why not? and was told I was being directed to buy new coaches not upgrade the original coaches from 20 years ago. Did not matter that I was trying to upgrade the NEW coaches!

Anway I bought Auscision commonwealth bogies, but I could not fit them account of the different bolsters.

Then I noticed that Ctrl P had these bogies. I wrote to them and found that they were already out there and both versions of commonwealth bogies were up on the web site that very day. A version to fit the older carriages, and another to fit the new version.  So Powerline misses out, and my new best supplier wins big time..

Really nice 3D prints

Powerline BG SOP cars with Commonwealth bogies and lettering on bottom coach suggests SG SOP with Argentine Bogies. Although the BG might have received upgraded modern bogies, the SG SOP never ran on Argentine bogies,

Oh and I put the Auscision commonwealth bogies to good use as well. Trainbuilder brass bogies are a pain in the arse. Now they roll sweetly on their new bogies.

Here are the Auscision bogies fitted to the Trainbuilder coaches

Here are the Ctrl P bogies fitted to the Powerline coaches.

Cheers

Rod

2021_10_31 Magnetic couplings for V/Line Sprinters (Explorers too)

 2021-10-31  More video!

Ctrl P Models

Showing how well the Ctrl P magnetic couplers work.

Cheers

Rod

2021_10_30 A video?

 2021-10-30  Playing with J544 and some B's

Cheers

Rod

2021_10_30 Kilmore East visits Hobsons Bay Northern Division.

 2021-10-30 So a week in pictures and videos

LAYING MORE TRACK

And so after a month or so of running trains, we discovered a bottle neck. Trains heading out of Albury towards Junee, can climb up to the top level and proceed to the old helix. But sometimes trains rising over the old helix will block its passage. So I installed this crossing loop to open it up a little.

44220 crosses S313 at (new) Chiltern Loop.

42220 now has a clear track down helix to Wanganella.

IXION J CLASS problems

Out of the box I could not connect the tender to the J. No matter what! The electrical plug was loose and the connector bar would keep dropping out. So damn frustrating. I solved the problem, by super gluing an 8ba nut onto the pin locking the two together. I then used a lot of pressure on the electrical connector and managed to secure it finally. 

I reached a set of points that are perfectly aligned and give me no problems whatsoever. The train hit a brick wall and derailed. I then had to pull the engine                                                                           away from the track and found the brake gear had been ripped off the keeper plate.  With memories of the Trainbuilder X Class and K Class which also drops its brake gear (sih) ;) ok out with the super glue.

I will put up a video after the blog. After installing a DCC sound project (Thank you Mike)

Graeme improves the Tunnel on new Helix

Here we were widening the cutting to allow for the gangers to get their vehicles along side the track.

Repairing and preparing!  Ground cover next.

Graeme  decided the rounded off boulder look was not doing it for him :)  So out came the chisels.

Well worth the effort. I will paint over it and get rid of thestark whiteness of the plaster before we start making it look like rock.

Bunnings had  a cheap can of yellow pain, and so that becomes our base paint colour.

Nice job Graeme.

Really nice.

too wet to clean up just yet. But I will save some of those "boulders" to dress it up later.

SHORTS AND MORE DAMN SHORTS (cont)

As my regulars will know I have had serious wiring issues in recent months. With Steve up from Kilmore East we went around the top of the layout checking for wheels that might be bridging an insulated section of track. Eagle eyes Steve looks in the bogie exchange shed.

And lifts it off the layout to find this engine sitting underneath. Now the bogie exchange shed sits over the break of gauge and hides the fact that I really don't have a real broad gauge. However anything moving from the right to the left simulates the movement to the BG and it is the only place on the layout where trains can move from BG to SG and back again.

Under neath the fuel tank is a double insulator which means one bogie is sitting on BG circuits, and the other on SG circuits. When BG and SG are running in same direction, no problem! However reverse one and the persistent and frustrating short returned.

And of course I modifies other places trying to sort it out. 

I now have to go back and return these "modifications" to their original settings, because I have now to undo all the new problems I have created.

(Al will be smirking away..shut up Al !!)

ok will publish a couple of videos in a few minutes

Cheers Rod.

2021_10_09

 2021_10_09  OK need to cross SG trains here!!

Too many trains and not enough storage ;)

Aim today was to get a loop in and running. However I ran out of energy and light about the same time.

What was happening? Trains were being stored in track 2 (SG) on the old helix. Could fit up to 4 trains here, except they all needed to run in same direction. Track 1 (SG) was the through track in both directions.   Thus I needed to build the new SG loop to cross trains. It should fix the bottleneck. The existing SG track becomes the loop. Minor adjustments to the BG and the new track just needs droppers and the point to be connected. Now what will I call this loop??Maybe Chiltern?

Cheers                                                                                                                                                      Rod