2017_07_30 Scenery day!

2017_07_30  Graeme tries his hand with rock molds!

Whilst Graeme was carving out and gluing in rock faces, I installed the Wodonga head shunt and played around with wiring .
During the last week I have ordered 7 new Loksounds and installed three in S Class' received recently from Trainorama

My new helix is being built in Kilmore East, and a site survey is scheduled for Tuesday.

In addition to the 3 S Class decoders,I ordered 3 B Class decoders as well as one for the Walker 153.
I need one to finish Al's B Class (before he returns)
Lets see Saturdays pictures...

 Turned out harder than I thought. Where I joined on the additional track had droppers soldered on preventing fitting rail joiners. I had already pre-cut track, so I had to cut away the soldered end, clean and add fish plates. Meant track is short, but can be disguised with buffer stops, I guess.

In reality, only one head shunt, however I get my cutting, and a little more storage for wagons.

Making mountains.

 Initially Graeme matches rocks up, checks on clearances and using water based liquid nails, fixes it all in place

Fixed down, just needs filling in between the moldings.

Unfortunately water based nails is about double the price, but it makes the work a lot easier.

If you cant get an easy fix, just break ends off and fit it in place. We can fill in the holes later and match them in with a sculpting knife.

It really is easy, but Graeme has an artists eye. Wait till you see it filled and painted :D

So here are some more hardening up in the Woodland Scenics Molds for next time.

I forgot the mix already, I think it was 600ml of warm water (to help with mixing it up) into 1 kilo of plaster., which filled these 5 moldings.
Well that's about all I have.
On Tuesday my Helix gets a site survey and exciting times ahead.
Cheers
Rod

2017_07_25 Other things....

2017_07_25  Sound Installs How easy it is, now that manufacturers are listening to us! We got lights, then we got DCC ready, sound ready and finally they were dragged kicking into sound installed :D
Well actually they took the final sound install easiest of all. Thank Goodness ;)

Today I started on installing sounds into the three S Class Diesels.
As a comparison, I have also started on an older B Class which is definitely not a nice engine to fit out with sound.

Click on caption to play each video

Oops that's not right

Now that's better!

 Now it took me 10 minutes to fit sound, including changing out the speakers and reattaching new ones.
It will take a lot longer to sort out the cv's to get them speed matched and running right though.

B Class
Now lets start looking at the B Class. It will take a lot of time, especially as I just found the sound chip might be damaged. More tomorrow...

First job was to try and glue the side grills back in. New out of box, both grills damaged by buckling. I think I got it.

Then remove the switch from the bottom of tank after removing two screws and putting some braces aside and removing tank from under engine. Fill in the hole, and save the wiring to the switch, as you will need it to connect to the speaker. Its easier than trying to get new speaker wires down there :)

Cut out a new styrene tank top. Groove it to match indents in sides (Fuel fillers) create a notch for wires to exit behind new speaker. Draw lines from corner to corner. Where they cross in middle is where you drill out hole for speaker.

And so next job is to glue (silicone) the speaker inside the tank. (Hole is a couple mills smaller than speaker. Notch tank near battery box to allow wires to exit, and seal box with silicone or body filler before painting black to match tank.
Put tank back on engine tomorrow. Time to go inside and warm up
Cheers
Rod

2017_07_21 (continues)

2017_07_21  Discovered another reason for my wiring problems

I think I have learned something knew about reversing loops. It appears that I have fluked my earlier installations. But in upgrading my wiring (strewth!! what a job!) I moved several reversing loop sections. I moved two sections to a place between two command stations. As I use TAM Valley frog juicers and have had exemplary service up until now.,my mistake helped to burn out two Hex juicers valued at $140 (ok repairs in States actually cost $40 plus postage both ways)
It seems that you cannot reverse between two command stations, and so it failed, and finally burned out two juicers. I kept reading the instructions and finally after the second burned board I noticed the bit about two districts. Now it seems to be working ok

To get away from the other power district (read command station) I had to cut in an extra insulated section. Diagram should show you what happened.
Cheers
Rod

2017_07_21 Hardware Shopping Wheeeeeeeee!!

2017_07_21 Nice day. Should be in shed, but I have run out of food and need to shop. Anyway need stores for the shed. So off to Bunnings for a $12 sheet of 3mm MDF cut up for forming the fascias.

So home from shopping

Well I did get the MDF  (cut up free! thanks Mr Bunnings)

And the Post Office had a parcel from Bob's Hobbies. Takes 5 days and usually 7 for damn Post Office to move stuff from Sydney to Wodonga via Sunshine Mail Exchange, and 7 km's away people in Albury can receive theirs in 24 hours and worst cast 48 hours. Morons won't treat us like twin cities, even as they close Wodonga mail center down You got a 3 post code then you go via Sunshine! Morons!!!

I have worn out my remote power point switches. They are 8 years old. These Arlec ones were $35 and saves me bending down under layout to shut off power. Good for this old back.

I found some nifty little LED strip lights in battens and at $18 each, pretty cheap.  Might fill in light in the corners.

Gorilla Glue is here. Now we can find out if our Yankee mates are right Is it the best glue in the World?

Security lights to replace the 500 Watt power eaters the kids broke with a basket ball. only 20 watts and almost as bright.

Liquid nails, water based, to glue foam in place Twice the price but pretty good stuff.

Oh and did I mention a parcel from Bob's Hobbies?

Start timer! zero

1 minute!

1min 30 seconds!

2 mins!

2 mins 30 secs!

3 minutes!

4  minutes! Now where is the DCC chip? Removing the bodies is just so easy, particularly if you didn't cut your finger nails the night before. Simply spread body out above fuel tank valence careful not to drop the mech. as it is heavy. Do it an inch above a surface so it will not be damaged. To place it back on, simply line it up, push it on, and press sides in to ensure the tabs have locked in safely. I have seen these disengage so make sure it is tight before holding on to body to lift it off track,
.

ok ok Lets read the nice instructions......

10 minutes later, I decided to test each engine with a silent chip, and come inside and order some sound chips from Mike  at  DCC Aussie Sounds
Was going quite quickly for a while too ;)

Cheers
Rod

2017_07_17 Belted out of the ground by NBN stupid tactics!

2017_07_17 A little more scenery, a little more on sound installs, and a lot of ruging up inside by the heater.
NBN blues still no internet. Winter starts off with a failed air conditioner (read sole heating) and continues with disconnection of internet communications. What else has it got planned for me?
Scenery
Graeme came over Saturday and we prepared a few areas for scenery. Looking forward to covering the new areas with grass and trees.

Here we started to put the basis of our fascia and filled in the holes in the baseboard, preparing to put Osbourn Street and road in, Then we can add the Shell Fuel depot.

 The facia will be glued on to this

Wodonga yard head shunt in place needs track, and cuttings formed both sides of Main.

Preparing cattle run linking stock race to Abattoirs other side of line.

Still touching up our mountain, getting it ready for rock molds which will be next to construct.

Powerline Cars

I think $150 a carriage is a rip-off. Stupid execs at Powerline, delay production of models for 13 years and then slug us another 80 dollars because their dies had deteriorated and were worthless.

Despite the fact that they were rather nice. Despite the fact that the wrong bogies appear to be under the cars. I would have thought First and Economy were SG on Commonwealth bogies, whilst the Scripted First and Second Class were BG SOP on Argentine bogies?
And despite the fact that some cars had interiors back to front.

The new Helix

Good News is that I have been lucky enough to get my new Helix professionally built. Material was delivered to factory today, and if all goes well it will be cut up and temporarily assembled  to test it out before delivery within two weeks.
There you go Mr. Al :D its finally happening

Cheers
Rod

2017_07_01-02 Coldest night ever! -3.9!

2017_07_02 Early Morning blues!!

Had to get up early to relieve a little pressure old blokes seem to suffer.

Found this

Frost as far as you could see

To the North of West

Looking South of West

Looking  West  and sun sets over train shed roof. But not at 6.00 am!

Looking North East

Now this picture looks like the sun is rising?   Well if it is, we are in deep trouble, because we are looking North WEST near  where the sun always sets ??

Here is  the picture that connects with  the others.. Looking East  and sun is up, but hidden by Hills at 6.00 Am.

The runoff from an air conditioner warming the house, is frozen! Nearly put me on my arse, you can just see the skid marks (in the ice stupid :)  )

And later I checked the temp which has a sensor out side under the verandah. Min last night at  -3.9 C
All explanations gratefully solicited :D
The kids came back from Horse Riding at Chiltern, where it was -7 C this morning
And on the news they said Goulburn got down to -10 C

Its still -2C in the train shed. Guess where I will not be going today :(
Cheers
Rod

2017_07_01 Scenery and its stilll cold 11C Max

2017_07_01  Graeme came over to change the look of the place a little.
Pictures show the change....

 Just measuring up and working out how to support the false fascia

 Fixing supports in place

 Got an edge that we had to smooth off to the right..

 Test fitting fascia with additional supports

and adding to the bottom level as well

We carved away some of the bench work under spirit level to smooth out the false facia.

This will give us the chance to support the foam, and trim up the edges to lay scenery. At the finish we will glue and screw an aluminum true fascia over top to pretty up the effect.

Cheers
Rod