2013 November 25

2013 November 25

Playing with the R Class?
 

Really the grade is pretty small, varies between 1% and 2%. The curve is wide and should help with grip, no?

2013 November 22 and 23

2013 November 22 and 23
Not a lot happening as I have had visitors and other commitments to keep me out of the room :( but also  :D
But I did complete the new bench work started on Thursday. As well I made this video, that was supposed to include the R Class, but as it would not pull the train, I substituted the T Class so as to enable me to brush up on my video skills (or lack of, I guess)

Cheers
Rod

2013 November 21

2013 November 21  Sunny not to hot, a really nice day :D

Had two visitors today. Tony was over from Bendigo for a bit of R&R and my Corowa mate Al was back for some more punishment :) I think he went home with a bad back. Hope he forgives me :(

Last few days has been tweaking track and running trains. I am absolutely thrilled with the results.  Still got some places to fix. R752 is the test engine. If it goes through and sounds are uninterupted, everything will go through. I was planning what to do for today. Al and I work well together, and we do heaps! Anyway I am afraid it turned into a demolition derby once again. I am certain Al looks forward to building bits, not tearing things down. Sorry Mate :( Next time I promise we will spend a constructive day ;)

Remember this photo?  I was pretty shocked at how bad it looked, and after fixing the long back wall, I bit the bullet and removed this eye sore!

 

The following pictures detail our efforts at improving things.   The last picture shows just how straight we got it.  

In this picture the boys are working out how to lift the heavy brackets. It turned into an awful job, as the brackets had to lift 70mm, and every pre drilled hole lined up with a cut out slot in the upright strut. Every hole needed re-drilling. Fortunately Al was able to fix my pedestal drill,that had not worked for 10 years, but it delayed us a lot.

So all the brackets have been raised and checked to be true with the level.
Now I usually take a heap of measurements and get down on the floor with right angle clamps and screw a frame together after cutting out the material. 3 days later....  :(

At Als suggestion, we simply cut out all the bits and then assembled the frame in situ on the brackets.
It took a couple of hours and fitted the space it was meant to occupy and was a near perfect job. We took time to get the brackets right, and the material measurements right, and carefully trued up the bits as we screwed it all together..

 THis picture shows it all bolted down and it is perfectly true! The brackets do slope up about 5mm, but that was designed to take the weight of the scenery on top. When I add the 5 ply sheet to the top, I feel certain the weight will pull it back down again .

Just looking at this picture, and remembered the plaster back drop was not done!  I meant to fix that in place before screwing the box sections in, to save my back. Oh well can't be helped.

So a great day, and the Railway takes one giant leap backwards (again :D )  but rebounds with this much improved bench top :D
Cheers
Rod

2013 November 15 (continues)

2013 November 15 (continues)

Just a couple more to finish off I guess.

The first pic shows the two R Class coupled.
The front coupling has a tiny shank about 3 mm long which is pinned to a clevis and swings aside just like the real one. Unfortunately their is no link coupling provided.
This head is a plastic dummy of similar dimensions to the popular KD. It does hold a coupling but you need to muck around a bit to get them to close. I found it easier to bring the KD coupling up underneath. I have broad curves and nothing smaller than No6 points. It appears to run nicely with no derailments.

When I wanted to put couplings on the motor end of my DERM's, I used a Euro type KD conversion coupling that had a head almost eaxtly the same as Eureka's dummy one. I think I might try to replace them with this one to make DCC coupling a little more realistic

Cheers
Rod

2013 November 15 (Continues)

2013 November 15 (Continues)

Ok So these are the rest of the pictures Enjoy ;)

 Goodness!!  Instructions...

16 pages of them and this is going to take some time, and it did too ;)

So next thing to do is get it out of the plastic. Time to head for the Train Room.......

Several hours later, here are the pictures and a video too if I can load it...

Two things to watch out for. The footplate linking loco and tender snapped when I lifted it up to plug the power through to the tender. I suspect it was snapped during assembly, and it is so fragile, I will not ask for a replacement. Rather glue a wire to the underside and use it to pivot in the hinges.

After a second or two an air pop sounds and the loco moves into neutral mode and all the extra sounds are played, such as ash pan shake, compressor etc.  You cannot move the loco in this mode, but eventually I started to understand the instructions. Just double click F6 and a double pop will tell you are back in primary mode and the loco will move off :)

The headlight is in low beam and when you go to run 1 it goes high.

Unfortunately their are no working marker lights or other lights, even red lights on the tender. The tender markers are a bit bizarre as well.

The sounds are as awfull as we guessef they would be.

The whistle is not the R whistle, more like a modified 38 to my poor ears.
The chuff is nothing like an R Chuff.
Overall I like what I have, and i will sell the sound chip after Mike gets his Loksound R Class working a little better.

about 6 out of 10 for me.  Marker lights and better sound would have made it a 8 1/2.
 Properly blackened buffers and wheels easily would have added 1 point more as well
Cheers
Rod
ps I am not disappointed. I like what I received, and the standard is better than I thought we would get. I am not a rivet counter. So more will be told in the next few days, I am certain

2013 Nov 15

2013 Nov 15
Today on the eve of my 68th Birthday at 10,33 am I got a call from the Post Master! My parcel had arrived!!

I am a little frightened to open it up :( After all three of my friends died without ever seeing their model.

I wonder if others will die of fright when they open their model? Just think it was 8 years since this was announced and the 8th anniversary of my Visa Payment will be in mid January 2014

Will I open it?  or wait till I have someone home with me?

I think I need to go shopping, the pantry is bare. I will think about it whilst I am in Wodonga

Cheers

Rod

2013 Nov 5

2013 Nov 5

Moving on and now the grain silo is completed, with all track circuits working, and 5 point motors installed.

Long view.  Plesa ignore the mess as I just cleared the deck for the picture :)

The grain silo area is finished for now. All track circuits protected, and working just fine. Point motors installed and DCC controlled buttons assembled and waiting the cutting out of the perspex plates before being embedded into frame (cut outs)

In the long shot you might just notice the 5 ply is slightly lifted, and this one was done by clamping the ply down over top of a piece of 18 x 34 laid flat on then secured with risers as shown in next pics

Where their is a will, you usually find a way! Bending 5 ply smoothly!  :D

Well I might do my shopping trip tomorrow and see if I can get some more track down when I return
Cheers
Rod

2013 November 1

2013 November 1  And so the balmy days of Spring have finally arrived.

Just a brief update. Spent a lot of time in the shed, mostly playing with sound and upgrading locomotives and rolling stock.
My latest acquisition was a repainted BG SOP set from Nathan Peters. Thank you Nathan :D

 

 Since I last posted we have started to rebuild the boards and lay some track.  It really is nice to work with a flat deck :)  Allan Jeeves again was extremely helpful, keeping me company and whose good advice and labours are much appreciated. However the tyranny of distance and Oil Company profiteering are having their effect. It costs Allan over $25 a trip to come and help, and it all adds up, doesn't it :(

So here is the first 2400 mm section added to the Helix. This time I am not in such a hurry to get something running, and so it was decided to make it a bit easy on the poor old back. All the track is laid in place, including the grain Silo. All droppers are placed and each point is set up for a motor.  (I just placed another order for 30 motors from my favourite E-Bay supplier)

 Just before moving on, I set this up to prove it would work. The rear of the train has been left on the Main, and the engine has crossed the SG and entered the Silo Yard where it uses the now vacant empty arrival sidings to access the loaded siding. It hooks on and places the loads out on the MAIN, before returning for the second sidings loads. Once all out on the Main it proceeds on to the next Station and eventually the Docks (off the layout)

 

So all I have to do now is connect up all the wires and fit overload bulbs, then connect to the DCC Bus. I have two double slips, one ordinary point in the Silo, as well  the points off the MAIN into the Silo to power as well

Well I am wasting time on this bloody thing again, and the soldering iron is still hot...

Cheers

Rod