2021_10_30 Kilmore East visits Hobsons Bay Northern Division.

 2021-10-30 So a week in pictures and videos

LAYING MORE TRACK

And so after a month or so of running trains, we discovered a bottle neck. Trains heading out of Albury towards Junee, can climb up to the top level and proceed to the old helix. But sometimes trains rising over the old helix will block its passage. So I installed this crossing loop to open it up a little.

44220 crosses S313 at (new) Chiltern Loop.

42220 now has a clear track down helix to Wanganella.

IXION J CLASS problems

Out of the box I could not connect the tender to the J. No matter what! The electrical plug was loose and the connector bar would keep dropping out. So damn frustrating. I solved the problem, by super gluing an 8ba nut onto the pin locking the two together. I then used a lot of pressure on the electrical connector and managed to secure it finally. 

I reached a set of points that are perfectly aligned and give me no problems whatsoever. The train hit a brick wall and derailed. I then had to pull the engine                                                                           away from the track and found the brake gear had been ripped off the keeper plate.  With memories of the Trainbuilder X Class and K Class which also drops its brake gear (sih) ;) ok out with the super glue.

I will put up a video after the blog. After installing a DCC sound project (Thank you Mike)

Graeme improves the Tunnel on new Helix

Here we were widening the cutting to allow for the gangers to get their vehicles along side the track.

Repairing and preparing!  Ground cover next.

Graeme  decided the rounded off boulder look was not doing it for him :)  So out came the chisels.

Well worth the effort. I will paint over it and get rid of thestark whiteness of the plaster before we start making it look like rock.

Bunnings had  a cheap can of yellow pain, and so that becomes our base paint colour.

Nice job Graeme.

Really nice.

too wet to clean up just yet. But I will save some of those "boulders" to dress it up later.

SHORTS AND MORE DAMN SHORTS (cont)

As my regulars will know I have had serious wiring issues in recent months. With Steve up from Kilmore East we went around the top of the layout checking for wheels that might be bridging an insulated section of track. Eagle eyes Steve looks in the bogie exchange shed.

And lifts it off the layout to find this engine sitting underneath. Now the bogie exchange shed sits over the break of gauge and hides the fact that I really don't have a real broad gauge. However anything moving from the right to the left simulates the movement to the BG and it is the only place on the layout where trains can move from BG to SG and back again.

Under neath the fuel tank is a double insulator which means one bogie is sitting on BG circuits, and the other on SG circuits. When BG and SG are running in same direction, no problem! However reverse one and the persistent and frustrating short returned.

And of course I modifies other places trying to sort it out. 

I now have to go back and return these "modifications" to their original settings, because I have now to undo all the new problems I have created.

(Al will be smirking away..shut up Al !!)

ok will publish a couple of videos in a few minutes

Cheers Rod.