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