2016_09_20 a mixture yesterday and today

2016_09_20 Happy Birthday to my Grandson, Kae 14 yo yesterday!

Got a few jobs finished or started...

WODONGA GOODS SHED

 Need to stick down this road bed in front of the Goods shed. Going to use some spray adhesive for the job. Enables me to lay the track to the turntable finally. The black foam perfectly matches the Trackrite underlay and was provided by them.

NEW TERRITORIES TRACKWORK

So  next job was to destroy a $100 sheet of 5 ply!

The aluminium tube has two pencil holders clamped to it and using the floor to find the center point , I was able to create curves wide enough to fit two tracks and a third one track that will allow 36' and for double track, 38" radii. 

And then I cut out two of the three straight sections, along the weakened edge, to link up with the curves.

The bottom curved bed is the link between Wodonga and Albury. This is a real problem, because my gradients badly messed up here. Fortunately the wall is so long and the station fits somewhat in the middle, so I can cut the gradient back into the main board. Unfortunately this makes it look less like Albury than I intended.. Top level shows the single track  branch line heading towards the terminal, Honesuckle Creek, which is here crossed by a timber trestle.
The slightly lower level track is hidden SG and BG connections that will run behind Honey Suckle out of site.

BACKDROPS (cont)

Although not perfect, with paper loose between tape fixings, it is by far better than anything else we have been able to manage. Happy with it. Just waiting to see how Graeme feels.

WIRING!
As well as all this, I started removing temporary wiring from Coal siding to Wanganella, commissioning the changes last night. Now I am going to start on Wanganella, which is still running the original temporary set up. Hoping this will overcome some of the mystery shorts that shut me down last few months.
Cheers
Rod

2016_09_16 two in a row :)

2016_09_16  Back scenes again :(

Graeme arrived today with a grin and an optimistic view that today we could win the battle of the scenes. We checked the test edge on the existing sheet and found it had held. So onward and into the next sheet. We will wait a week and see what happens with our double sided tape trial.
Here are the pictures.

 Trimming the 5 foot sheets using a scalpel and a steel rule.
(Now if I thought it out, I could have had this prepared before Graeme arrived :(  )

Cutting strips of double sided tape and applying them about 6 inches apart,
after inserting the drop behind scenery, and pining it at bottom.

Ok we used drawing pins to locate the bottom and folded it back. Then we fixed the double sided tape as shown. striped off the protective layer of tape and simply holding sheet tight pressed paper from left hand bottom towards right hand top. I held the paper tight but clear of tape by about 3 inches and Graeme worked towards me.

The last strip of tape was applied after we got the paper fixed without any folds. It really looks great.
Then we fixed the tape to the paper and fixed both in place.

Ok we decided to leave the less buckled sheet in place. But removed the badly wrinkled one furthest from the camera. I need to sugar soap the glue off and we can replace that sheet next week.

We are both pretty happy with the way it all turned out.
Cheers
Rod

2016_09_15 Another Thursday Work Day

2016_09_15  Rained a bit, sunned a bit and Al came for a visit :)

What to do when your mate says he will only come and visit with you, if you are organised and their is a job to do?
Well you get organised and tell him you look forward to his visit, I would think?

What to do? Have I got a days work ready to go? I must have...  ok lets do this ;)

Like all plans, it did become complicated. I needed to adjust these table tops (Albury Yard) But I had moved all the tools and fixings here after removing all the paint tins, and plaster etc.

So in order to start the programmed work, I moved all the boards to the left, allowing for the necessary gradient at the Wodonga end. (Coal siding is actually 90mm lower than Albury, which was a mistake not picked up when I fixed Albury in position...ah well :(
So clean it all down, and screw the boards down, less one now not required.

The gap will allow the gradient  to stretch 6m and will be about 1.5 %

While I fool around with the new camera, Al adjusts the new baseboard...

And I fit a new leg and remove most of the L Girder to allow the curved track bed to gently climb into Albury.

horisontal braces in place and two by one recycled from top L Girder screwed and glued in bottom to create another L Girder to support weakened frame. New leg further strengthens frame.

WE cleaned up this base board a little removed a leg and horisontal side and fitted extra leg nearest camera. Also cross pieces far wall to support new track bed which is just visible under red handled clamp.
Now all I have to do is cut out track bed at 42 " outside radius, 40" inside radius and set up the gentle.5% gradient.

And that's about all there is folks ;)
Cheers
Rod

2016_09_06 Little jobs and big wins

2016_09_06  Track Gangs deployed.

First Job! Mechanical engineer has been pondering the operation of the scharfenberg coupler system in HO because of the immenent arrival of the Sprinters from major supplier On Track.

Because of unreliability problems we have purchased a quantity of  1mm thick, 2mm diam. rare earth magnets. They are small enough to drill out the couplers and fit inside  couplings supplied by On Track. They will create a problem, because North and South poles need to be set to attract and thus hold the coupling together. This will mean that the cars cannot be coupled No 1 end to No 1 end, or 2 to 2.
As it turns out the cars operate this way anyway. V/Line never turn them, they always couple this way, and so will we.

The top coupler will have the magnets fitted to keep the powered cars together.

The 500 magnets sourced from Sydney on EBay.

My camera needs replacing. No longer focusing properly. These things are 2mm by 1mm thick.

Second Job for day (after packing car) was track repair.......

 Lining up the prefabricated points

Clearing away the rubble .

And that's three tracks aligned in , ready for ballast
Final adjustments to connect the Rail Motor dock and the platform road. Then connect up all the power leads and point motors. polarity changes done electronically, and point motors only change points.

Third job was to adjust the Led lighting and add a couple more supports then trim off the zip ties

Taken before adjustments and with flash

Without flash. I am happy with light level. I am not a fan over over lighting my scenes.
So far so good

More soon
Cheers
Rod

2016_08_31 How do you make a better Venetian...eh? blind?

2016_08_31  Making LED light reflectors.

A few years ago I bought 5m lengths of LED strip. And decided on using old recycled venetian blinds as reflectors.  I found some 14 foot blinds in good condition and installed them above Wodonga Coal Sidings.  They were not very successful, unfortunately.
The first thing was that they were too flexible and failed to attach flat to the bearers. As well the self adhesive LED strips did not attach firmly to the slats and after a very short time the buckled slats and detached LED strip had to be removed.
So back to the drawing board.
I tried to reinforce the slats, and as I recovered a hundred or so from the old blinds, decided to laminate two together using overlaps to extend the length.

I tried to join the slats by overlapping, which produced two thickness slats, but it was still too flexible.

So in the finish I had a third layer glued over the top, three thickness dried appeared to be ok.

My son who is a Carpenter swears by anything in a  SIKA bottle, particularly Sikaflex silicon sealer.
So when I saw this one at Bunnings, I thought  Why not? :)  SikaBond TechGrip. Although later on, I found, in the instructions, that it works best when one layer is porous.

 Anyway it was checked this morning, and had a strong bond.

 So  I will try to get a 12.5 m length glued together, today, and will reinforce the LED strip with Sikabond after pealing off the self adhesive cover strip.

Now I need a way to suspend it underneath the top level baseboard. It probably need to hang as I still will need to access point machines and wiring uner that board. The fixed one over the coal sidings is a real pain sometimes. I was thinking about long threaded butterfly clips which would allow me to push the slats aside when necessary? Or perhaps just use picture frame wire or chain?


Cheers Rod
EDIT

Trying not to reinvent the wheel :)  I came up with this whilst pondering the problem :)

 Not sure if I have enough strip I can recover, as I tossed a lot away already. But this is what controlled the slats and held up the blind when it covered a window. So why not use it again?

Glued or stapled in place might fix the slat permanently in position, and allow the reflector to be focused?

If it covers the led's, I believe I might be able to find a similar string design at Spotlight.
Of course, looking at this picture, I am thinking if I measure the slats correctly and mark exactly where the cross pieces are, I could glue the tapes between the slats and they would not then interfere with the LED's :D
Rod

2016_08_29 Sorting it all out (The mess)

2016_08_29.  Moving on. Trying to find a place for everything!

Finally got into Studio for a few hours. Started sorting stuff into areas and clearing down the bench tops.
Aim is to complete existing  track wiring. as well as setting out track in Wodonga yard including turntable area.
Then to lay Albury Yard in place before a running night to be organised in November, with old friends from the Melbourne based Hobson's Bay Group.
So opened the doors up just before lunch and looked at this.....

Need to clear this down, dispose of garbage and store away required items in a place I can find them.
Sometimes I think I am a hoarder. My criteria today, is will I ever use it? Throw It, unless someone else might use it :)

Never got to this corner. I really need to finish the wall. But it is falling back in the order of things.

After sorting out most of the stuff on top of the bench work, I had to find a spot for the two black cases, where I store locomotive boxes that I want to keep. After sorting  through, I actually hung them under the layout, off the floor, and reloaded keepers back into them,

Room to store tool boxes underneath.

So Wodonga side is clear and cleaned off.  Now this reminded me that I had promised Roger that I would get this area finished before he returned. With Liverpool very close now, I need to install the turn table and sheds and lay the missing track, before he turns up.

See how things change around here :(

Its going to be dark under the top level. I already have LED's to install and brighten this area up. So I located them and started to plan out how I would hang them.

I decided to continue on with the Venetian blind method that I was not happy with from using it over Coal sidings. This time I am going to glue the slats in place rather than screw them, which tended to cause them to buckle. As well they drooped between the screws.  To stop it buckling I am going to laminate up to three lengths of slat to make them more solid

These are off cuts. The slats are 7 feet long.

By  gluing the slats together overlapping, I can strengthen the fixture and then glue the strips of LED's down the middle.

I have two types of LED strips. each 5m long one has 300 LED's and other 600 LED's These are 300 strips.

Cant find the glue sticks or the gun, I am going to use to fix it, so will buy some tomorrow so I can complete the job.

Cheers
Rod

2016_08_27 (Continues)

2016_08_27 ok I am mad (as a hatter) :D  Yep I bought another steamer!

And to make it worse, I decided to put sound into it myself :( Not a great idea, I'm afraid)

Anyway here is a pictorial started a month back, and still not finished.

 First thing that I find, is that the builders have filled a bloody big tender with little boxes!!  Why?
I can only guess it makes the thing easier to glue / solder together ??
To cap it off the 8 pin plug is upside down and incorrectly marked (Dot always indicates pin 1 the orange wire!) It appears to have solid bar under the coal load (weight?? why??). The box at front of tender is , or appears to be an empty space.

I wanted to fit a Wow sound with stay alive, but could not find enough room to do so, so have settled for this ESU Loksound V4 installation.

Now this creates a further problem. That is that the tail lights are LEDs in metal containers attached to the circuit board under the 8 pin plug. that has to nestle down in the space right beside the speaker. That means the existing light rods (fibre optics) cannot reach the light boxes.  I will have to glue led's  directly to the lamps on the rear of tender. I can barely get my fingers in there, so job is progressing slowly!   Just noticed a post which shows Eugene has mounted a wow into an A2. Have to ask him a favor :)

You can just see the holes in the rear wall of the tender where the fibre optics poke into the lamp assemblies.

Cheers
Rod

EDIT
Just noticed I had not shown you my new N Class :)

Cheers
Rod