2015_09_21 Keeping on?

2015_09_21   A little bit of painting, wiring and fixing a problem or two...

 The work bench used to sit against the wall, but after I moved it to the other side of the doorway, I created a problem. I usually store dangerous stuff on top, out of reach of the youngsters and in easy sight. Moving the bench here meant that if anything fell off the back it would land on the loop storage roads, and it did, stressing the track and causing it to be unusable.

So two fixes. First use some spare ply to build a back and side on the bench to prevent stuff falling off.
Then paint it to make it disappear (easy to see why Graeme paints the back drops ,eh? ;)

 With access created (the bench is on wheels) it was time to fix the track.

Rather than fix it, I decided to replace it. Actually now that I have located all my track tools, it might be a good time to continue laying the silo roads and fix a few other problems, that do cause derailments in a few places.

Putting wheels on the work bench was a great idea, particularly as it blocks access in its new home.

Well it was really only a few hours work, but it did keep the ball rolling, didn't it?

Cheers
Rod Young

2015_09_19 Blue Skies!

2015_09_19  Blue Skies....... (suggested by Graeme)

 

Was a busy afternoon. I continued on with my wiring, and had a lot of luck. A short that I just couldn't find turned out to be an unplugged wire. When I had globes the short was definitely a short. These NCE circuit breakers just stop current flow. Thus my puzzlement. Re fitted the wire and after 4 hours everything was working just fine....
In the meantime friend Graeme  continued with his  back drop project. Thanks mate :D

Now did Willie tell you or not?
Cheers
Rod

 2015_09_17
Well next Monday starts the doomsday week right off . So 5 to 7 days to go?
Thought I better say goodbye to you all, just in case :D

An asteroid? Or a financial meltdown? Everybody down in nutsville is getting really excited on YouTube this year ;)

In the meantime I am still working on the railway :)

Wouldn't it be lovely if i could stay on one project?  Well it keeps happening, and side tracks seem to swallow me up all the time :(

Working on a complete rewire of the storage roads under the helix. Its difficult to access and had to shift a lot of stuff, but found out why the helix was drooping in two spots. So no wiring got done but the dips have been straightened out. Using measured risers for each level, means thet every level sees the dip. Fix one riser and every level is fixed at one time. Put masonite strips under two legs, adjusted the height, and clamps and white glue fix the super elevation. Wonder if the picture will show it fixed?

So when I arrived this morning, track that has not seen a train for 5 years was accessed cleaned and every fish plate needed to be reset. Constant heat and Cold temperatures seem to work the plates along the rail, till they pop.
* Distraction No.1 clean track, fix joins and then solder one side (short side)

Leaning over the top of the Helix, I leaned on the top track and broke the glue bond, which took the hill out of the track at that spot. So I had to repair it anyway, so why not adjust the legs on the helix and fix the dip in the track, eh make that three dips in the track :(
* So that's distraction No.2

So jamming two pieces of masonite strip under neath the riser seems to work ok? Looks good.

yeah thats what I am saying!
Now Roger Lloyd and I built this helix about 7 or 8 years ago?   When we built it it was a perfect  grade, but it flexed too much between the double risers. The picture above shows the single risers I later added in to stop the flexing. It seems my calculations were out on two risers by two layers of masonite (He He)  and Roger had nothing to do with the problem. Ok it looks fixed, and I wonder if the Eureka R will get up it now?

The next riser was a lot simpler, and required only gluing one level back after lifting the track.

And so its a little after 1.00pm. Got time to go out and start the wiring (again)
Cheers
Rod

2015_09_16 wiring again

2015_09_16

Without a doubt wiring is going to make or break a model railway!
Bad wiring is going to break my railway, eventually. I had to do a complete rethink, about what wiring was required with a DCC layout. I made some good decisions, such as using a heavy ring main around the whole shed. But my lack of experience with DCC showed up many mistakes. The mistakes introduced me  to  temporary wiring. That is get it right then make it neat later when you know it works. Bad ... Bad idea.....   :(

So now even though I got it right, I am suffering with a rats nest of temporary wiring... So what to do?

The last week has found me back on the floor tracing out wiring and removing the mistakes and preparing to "neat it" all up.  Found a few improvements and still more mistakes. Actually this was a good week, but it could have been avoided if I made it all neat from the start.

 The Hex Frog Juicer here was screwed to the framework, but it was not working as it should.
The temporary wiring was all good, but finally I found a dry solder joint on a rail.  My soldering skills are not good, barely better than when I started here 7 years ago.
Temporary wiring 7 years on.. The solder joint let me down, however the rest of the wiring using automotive spline joints, and spades all crimped on, are just fine. Lots of folk told me the crimp joiners would fail. I don't think any have thus far. I only used them because at my age, I have no hope of soldering everything together on my back under the layout. I would say the crimped joiners are a success.
You can pair up two frog juicers or 4 of them for special duties. So this juicer manages frog polarity on two points, and as well it uses two pairs to operate track polarity on both ends of the reverse loop formed by the storage roads around the Helix and out of Wanganella.  I made some changes to the wiring here today, and improved operation a lot. With two reversing sections, I can now enter both ends of the dual track storage roads at the same time, when I tried this before, I would put a short on the other train.

 
So the red heavy cable is 45 amp copper, probably over engineered, but I got it on special at Jaycar, and it was the cheapest option.
I am phasing out the tail light short detectors, and replacing them with NCE circuit protectors.
Since I took the picture, I have removed four of the heavy cables, and then redirected all droppers  to the remaining pair. I have no idea, why I thought it was necessary to run the extra cables. System works fine without them.

Tomorrows job will be to tape up all the wires and secure them close underneath the frame. That should look better :D

Cheers
Rod

2015_09_05

2015_09_05  Ugh!! Clean up continues.

Graeme and I finished off the corner and have now cleared three bays allowing me to start construction of the new inner wall. The wall will serve two purposes. One overcome the problem of the pillars intruding into the back scenery, at the cost of losing space in between. But most importantly, taking out the heat during summer on that Western wall. Wish I had done this on the other side.

The last part of the old branch line layout was also recovered and removed. It had been occupied by rats recently and was a mess anyway. So to the tip with it. Rats have been defeated thus far by using two electronic devices. Within an hour of turning them on 6 months ago, I found two small ones running around in circles outside the building. These repellents really mess with their heads. Have not seen them in the building since, which is good news. Living in bush land settings does have its problems. Fortunately no actual damage to the railway or stored equipment has been noticed.

Need to sort through these two areas. The trestles are holding up loose screws and fixings as well as an old venetian blind, that I have removed slats from and been using as reflectors for the LED layout lighting. The second area, my military trunk from conscription days and sundry track items which all need a new storage home

Skips full :(

The last part of Bullarto to be broken up.

Now where is the Rhinosnort?
Cheers
Rod Young

2015_08_28 Spring Cleaning?

2015_08_28

Well its time to make another start (Version 34.7)

So out with the wheelbarrow, check their is room in the skip and do it!
When I moved my stuff out of storage it ended up along one side of the shed. It got added to, and it got untidy as I looked for stuff, and now I need to get it into an order that allows me to work on that side of the shed. I got a lot of stuff I will never use again, is just too difficult to store, sell or give away, but I got a skip that accepts anything without argument. All those paperbacks read over 40 years, out!!  Old magazines that will never be referenced. The Model Club and the second hand book store don't want them, and I could not give them away at the Exhibition..so out they go!

I have kept every box that arrived with my modern train stuff, I guess they will be more valuable in boxes should my survivors decide to sell the stuff after I depart this place. So they stay.
A photographic journey begins here :D

This was the front corner. I had previously removed and swept back the front wall, and here I had stacks of supposedly empty boxes stored.

So cleaned the accumulated wood off cuts, saw dust and foam from under the layout and using spare 3 ply got the stuff to sit off the floor..Hold on that top box is not empty??

Glad I don't throw my boxes away. Thought I had more goofy's!

And it did not end there. I think some folk have got too much stuff.

The corner is about cleared now. The old layout end under the cork (read field mice nesting material)
is taking up space, but will need to break it up in place or get some help out the door with it.  South Grafton station sits in front, and it will be recovered and used again.

Damn!!  I hardly made a dent in it all :(  Better get some more plastic bins.

of course this had to be sorted out from the barrow and its end at the skip.

And then this lot needs to be disassembled recovered, sorted and the rest cut up for the fire.

Cheers
Rod
forgot, whilst all this was going on, I had the two new P Class on the programmer getting an updated sound scheme and I promised to video it running..better go do that now :)

2015_08_24

2015_08_24 Continued   The Auscision 421

Let the pictures do the talking?

Not going to talk about the nose. These guys have produced three bulldogs now, and they have done what they had to do. Ended for me.
The model, is beautiful. Is it their best yet? Not sure. But it is certainly nice and if it carries through to the first series X in December, I am going to love it.
Well done Auscision. Have bought two P Class and a 421 and tickled pink with all of them
Cheers
Rod.

2015_08_24 One Day after...

2015_08_24  Back from Caulfield.

Great trip down and back. However I took the car into Melbourne..     What a mongrel of a City! its down the bottom of Victoria and the map shows an anal cavity emptying out on poor old Tassy.

Your drivers are maniacs. I had shit box mini car zooming up the inside and another up the outside. both trying to squeeze into the car length I was leaving in front to avoid piling into the car ahead as he lifted his foot of the accelerator on the floor to full weight on the brake.  You people in Melbourne are crazy, and I got to tell you I am going home to the Border to form a militia to man road blocks at Chiltern to keep you bastards out of our home towns...maniacs!! two days of hell and how come all these ratbags have P plates on? Are all the responsible people too frightened to come out on the roads these days?

Hold on need a mouthful of water to wash my medication down :(

ok why did I come here? Oh that's right to tell you I enjoyed all the chats and the camaraderie at Caulfield this year. Leave the comments on the layouts to others, enough to say they were great as usual. Favorites dead heat Maryborough and Town and Country. The new Bradford (Benalta fame) was a close second or should that be third. But that's how I see things. :) Plenty of other ones there to amaze others.

My Bank Manager has already rang me this morning, warning me of irregularities in my card accounts :(  So I must have gone even harder than ever before ;)  Not game to look yet ;(

So here is the annual booty list in picture form ;)

After starting work on Grafton, I realised that I had nothing to populate a NSW side. So Austrains provided a few 4 wheelers to at least make a showing.

Finally bought some of Ian's update kits for the Powerline S Cars

Using Trainbuilder brass parts as well as machined plastic bits and glazing.

Damn another engine I did not expect to buy. But they look so nice, don't they? This one a temporary Victorian pre 1983

Wodonga Roundhouse

Roughly in position, just got to work out the track spacing and glue it all in with scenery.

What are you saying? Wodonga did not have a roundhouse?   Well hold on, I just got it home last night, it surely will have when I do fix it in ;)

The Walther 90footer is the best I can do, its DCC and indexed. Cant wait to populate it with locomotives and lights and tools and fitters and crews   <BIG GRIN>

Bugger would not give me a cent off it either, but finally relented and bought the fuel depot because I needed the decal sheet for another job :D  Yeah right ;)

All in all their is one hell of a lot of money here for one model railway. I think it gets a better feed than I do.;)  The two engine sheds were supplied built up by Stuart Walker and I am delighted to give him my hard earned folding stuff. You can help him stay in the hobby manufacturing field too by giving him some of your hard earned as well. He is by far the best of those in this field. Find him here

Train Building Design-Laser Cutting services

Just chatting with Joe from Casula Hobbies (actually probably annoying him) when I spot this. I said that I was unsure any of these were left in the wild. He said Really? I better put the price up, and he went to take it from me, and I said no way!   Its nice. I have not got one, but do I need 3 x Walker 280's and another 2 x 153 motors with two trailers?   Duh!!

This is my own little bit of Hobsons Bay. I asked the Club if I could have it and they agreed to sell it to me. The club layout may be gone, however I have 10 point machines which will click and sing the Hobsons Bay memories for me, and each time I shunt here, I will remember all those great guys we enjoyed the company of ,all those years.

Cheers
Rod Young