Comtrain goes H0! H0! H0!: 09/04/17

2017/09/04

2017_09_04 After Caulfield a week of important jobs, that really dont show.

2017_09_04 Scenery, adjusting track and fixing faulty rolling stock by finding out why derailments occur. First look at track, then look at wheels or couplings. Fix the problem!

So that's what Al and I did all day Friday, and we fixed quite a few problems.

Saturday Graeme spent a day here and we completed covering the foam with towels ready for top coats.
What will hold this up is fixing the Masonite fascias in place to form the terrain to. Ok need to get them cut at Bunnings, I guess.

Covered and stiffened with fiber towels in white glue (50/50) Brushed on.

The Wodonga cutting to House Creek is going to be very nice.

House Creek up to Kelly Street, and Home Hill.

covering all except the rock molds.

I decided to buy a couple of points from Evan in Indonesia.

I was thinking of using the double track Y point here. The right tracks head up the helix, and the left tracks become the reverse loop. However the left hand side of the Y would have to turn too sharply to the right,to form the loop. So by moving the tracks to the left a little a new double track, right hand junction will fit this place perfectly.

And so Evan will make two more points for me. Here the reverse loop returns to Albury. I can make this junction with Peco Points. However If I move the points to the junction represented by the bit of roadbed sitting on top, and Evan builds me a left hand double track junction, I can save baseboard for Albury, and the point leads straight into the curve. Not a bad investment, as Evan does great work :)

So that brings me to today

Point Motor day at Trentham!

I was disorganised as ever, but we did get seven Tortoise machines in place, even after breaking two tie bars, removing points and replacing them with brass tie bars.

We got there Al, Thanks mate we did good today :D

We had to pull the trolley out of storage , and laying on my back, I was able to locate the point motors in place and screw them home

Al helped locate the spring wire in the throw bar and held it whilst I made sure the motor was centered.Two screws tighten up and test. The wiring is complete to the points. But the switches are yet to be connected to 12v bus. And as well the live frog is not connected to the Tortoise SPDT switching.. But all is ready to go next time. And finally all those hanging wires can be set in place and be out of sight.

Cheers

Rod

About my Railway

The Australian National Railways was established by the Whitlam Federal Government following a commitment made in the 1972 election to invite the states to hand over their railway systems to the federal government. In July 1975 Australian National Railways was formed taking over the operations of the federal government owned Commonwealth Railways.

The state governments of South Australia and Tasmania whose railway systems were deeply in debt, accepted. During the next two years discussions between these two states and the federal government resulted in a number of staffing and operating agreements being made that resulted in all South Australian Railways services (except for the Adelaide metropolitan passenger network) and all Tasmanian Government Railways services transferring to Australian National Railway in March 1978, the latter being re-branded AN Tasrail.

At first Victoria declined to hand over its Railways, however a change of Government after Bolte retired meant Victoria could be absorbed into AN as well.
Despite doing everything they could to tarnish ALP leader Clyde Holding, The ALP were able to defeat Hamer who was seen to be just another Bolte, doing more of the same into the future.

Clyde Holding handed over Victorian Railways to the Commonwealth where it prospered as a division of AN retaining its VR colours until later when AN decided to re-brand it as V/Line.

My Railway thus reflects what could have been ;)
And of course National Rail (Pacific National) has no place in my little scenario. Australian National was never privatised and has continually taken East Coast loads off the Highways. As well many branch lines were upgraded and Whitlam's policy of decentralisation actually moved employment to towns with a ready pool of workers, which of course took the pressure of Melbourne which was starting to expand as bush kids moved away from the Country in search of education and employment ( just as Gough Whitlam envisaged it would do)
Rod Young

Comtrain goes H0! H0! H0!

2017/09/04

2017_09_04 After Caulfield a week of important jobs, that really dont show.

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About Me

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