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

2013 September 23

2013 September 23 Sunday  A sunny day ,mostly :)

Its been over a month :(   And I have been ill, in fact I am still not crash hot, if the truth is told. After surviving the whole winter, my chest caved in and although I avoided Pneumonia it was not by much.
So very little to report.    Al Jeeves came over and got me moving again last week and we attacked the Wodonga yard and relaid the approaches to House Creek in 5 ply. Next job is to reinstall the bridges and start laying track.

The hidden work included running wiring under the coal siding in preparation for the droppers to be cut in and protected with our stop tail bulbs. All ready to be installed.

Then connect up the point motors and connect all the droppers. In itself a hell of a job.

Today I decided to do something less strenuous, and so installed a sound module into my new Walker 280 . As well I completed the work on the two GM's, now both fitted sound as well.
I had started work on the Endeavour set I acquired at Caulfield.  The Walker has two speakers installed one on each side of the motor unit. Whilst one speaker sends all the sounds out of the passenger compartment and really annoys me, two speakers can be turned down low and you would swear the sound is coming straight out of the motor unit.
So I have decided to fit four cell phone speakers to the Explorer one each end of the middle carriage and another mounted as far away in each driving car. I can series parallel them and keep the impedance safe, and you should hear the sound coming from every carriage as it passes.  Next thing would be to use a modified GEVO 3 Genset (cummings power) Diesel, and see if I can get individual engine sounds in each carriage.

Well as I seem to be over it (my illness) for now, and Allan is visiting on Wednesday to finish off Wodonga, I should have some pictures and something to show latter on this week.   Also going to Liverpool with Roger Lloyd and we might spend a few days track laying the following week.
Cheers
Rod

2013 August 18

2013 August 18 Sunday  Another wet day?  this is the longest spell of rain arriving every afternoon, I can remember up here.
How long before some cash starved Scientist starts claiming that the Ice Age is coming back and we need go all green to protect from floods and serious cold temperatures :D

This is supposedly the final paint sample of the Eureka R  Thank Goodness the front coupling is fixed and I hope we are not going to see those awful driving wheels? that look nothing like the real thing.
After waiting for so many years, one would also hope they will be blackened rather than slightly darkened?  and what is up with their crazy buffers?   Oh well ready to run or not I can probably disassemble the wheels and paint them black, mask and paint the buffers, and if I was really serious I guess I could source the correct wheels and change them over. Wait a minute every driver has a gear fitted, not sure anybody will be up to doing that :(

This is the real wheel

Here is one of the pictures supplied by Mark Bau on his site. How could anybody not see that they are different?

This weekend I was away in Melbourne. I took the train from Chiltern to Southern Cross where I met Graeme (who helped me a week or so ago lay out the Coal Siding) We spent a few hours searching the shops at Spencer Street and walked to the Docklands where we sat around and waited for a key to turn up to gain access to the Hobsons Bay Club.
We were there to attend the AGM and see a committee installed uncontested. Sad state of affairs, really.
The good part of the trip down continued after I decided to delay my return home by stopping off at Kilmore East to visit Tanya and Steve Munro and conduct an inspection of his new train shed :D

Here is the new shed.

Fully insulated and lined with LED lighting, construction already on the way. The studs are secured through the plaster onto the shed studs, and the tables are hung off the new studs without any other supports.

Here is Steve's helix, and just to show their are many ways to skin a cat. This one is about 40 inch radius but supported on one side only. The ply is also supported with pine spines underneath. Steve and Rob are using this to climb about the same distance as mine, however Steve opted out of keeping the climb under 1.5 % and this enabled double stacks to run, at reduced train lengths. Thisply will never sag like mine did in the finish.

A horizontal piece is glued to a central spline evenly spaced (100cm) around the helix, and the roadbed rises 3 cm and between supports (3%) then central supports are cut in under the track bed, to firm it all up. Once the first level is completed the other levels were added by maintaining a predetermined space on each support.

It is sturdy and very neat and does a very good job of it.


.

Ron finds the studs and firmly attaches the new studs on top of them.

The double main line enters the helix on the bottom circles three times, and exits on the middle level. From the middle level the branch enters the helix and climbs to the top level circles only once.

Using the studs that is 3" x 2"  (What is that 70 x 45 ?) creates a very strong self supporting table top. After seeing this, I am really disliking my "L" Girder technique, and it has started to annoy me. I think I am going to rebuild the top deck from the Helix onwards using Ron and Steve's self supporting studs.

The bottom level does have legs!

Skirting board cut outs and pre drilled pieces helps with installation.

Here are three different ways of introducing maximum stability and strength.

This is the secret in my opinion.
The cross support is rebated with a router  and glued and screwed accurately to the stud.
this means that the integrity of the join is now not just glue and screws, the rebate edge is hard against the stud and adding to the strength of the join.

Of course it is an added advantage if the Cabinet maker is named Ron and he gets the bug whilst helping you with your benches, goes home a builds you a trestle bridge :)

These two get on pretty well together and it did not take very long to get this far along the new wall. In fact 30 minutes later the table top was cut out and the openings in the top for the studs were all cut and the top was dropped down to exactly fill the corner where Steve is seen working here.



I really do wish Steve had been able to build this shed 3 years ago.  I learned what my Router could do today, as well I got a lot of great ideas, and I trust you did too.
Cheers
Rod