2016_08_27 (Continues)

2016_08_27 ok I am mad (as a hatter) :D  Yep I bought another steamer!

And to make it worse, I decided to put sound into it myself :( Not a great idea, I'm afraid)

Anyway here is a pictorial started a month back, and still not finished.

 First thing that I find, is that the builders have filled a bloody big tender with little boxes!!  Why?
I can only guess it makes the thing easier to glue / solder together ??
To cap it off the 8 pin plug is upside down and incorrectly marked (Dot always indicates pin 1 the orange wire!) It appears to have solid bar under the coal load (weight?? why??). The box at front of tender is , or appears to be an empty space.

I wanted to fit a Wow sound with stay alive, but could not find enough room to do so, so have settled for this ESU Loksound V4 installation.

Now this creates a further problem. That is that the tail lights are LEDs in metal containers attached to the circuit board under the 8 pin plug. that has to nestle down in the space right beside the speaker. That means the existing light rods (fibre optics) cannot reach the light boxes.  I will have to glue led's  directly to the lamps on the rear of tender. I can barely get my fingers in there, so job is progressing slowly!   Just noticed a post which shows Eugene has mounted a wow into an A2. Have to ask him a favor :)

You can just see the holes in the rear wall of the tender where the fibre optics poke into the lamp assemblies.

Cheers
Rod

EDIT
Just noticed I had not shown you my new N Class :)

Cheers
Rod

2016_08_27 I guess I am back?

2016_08_27  The weather is changing, and my health is improving.

This weekend I have decided to spring clean and finish off finding a home for all my junk

I guess the barrow shows a ruthless disposal of junk.  And I have already filled a skip many times. It just keeps on going!  :D

The 10 50 liter boxes  are starting to diminish, and yet the room still looks like a war zone :( This is probably contributing to my depression :(   However when its done I think all will be well ;)

I do use the McKenzie patented Locomotive storage bin (Meat clip-it container) I store locomotives waiting parts, such as sound speakers, or just repairs.  As the parts arrive I put them in the bins with the locos and add them to my to do list.  Most of these are to be fitted sound, which is in the bin. A few are damaged for repairs.

Now looking here you would think, I have not done much? However if you think about it, I need to find a place for all the junk. And it needs to be where I can find it again. So it takes a lot of sorting. I guess I cleaned this table down three times (bottom pic) But it just builds up again. But I will get there.

As the bins fill, they are stacked here under the new bench work. Probably need another 10 bins, as I have not even reached the front corner which I need to remove to finish off the last 2.5 m of wall.

empty boxes, and only another 13 to go!

Al decided to help with the stock yards. Thanks Mate Terry and Al have put together a heap of buildings for the layout. All I got to do is install them.
So a start was to add an extension for the cattle and sheep siding. Going to use Casula platform and cut it all in together and cover it in gravel etc etc. Another Walther's yard is coming and will finish it off with two Model Train Buildings yards

Model Trains Buildings

Just noticed these sitting in Wodonga yard. Did I show them before?  They run really well and navigate No6 crossovers well. I am happy with them, although I need to tone them down a tad.

Ok a few hours of (warm) daylight left. I guess I can fill a few more bins
Cheers
Rod Young

2016_07_26 OMG its been too long.

2016_07_26

Watching a lot of TV and keeping warm...  What a waste of time :(
Not been too happy of late, just cannot get too enthused at moment.
Was ill for a while, was too cold for a while too.
Apart from adding a few new purchases, and rewiring some of the layout, nothing much to show.
I got a second hand N Class, which needs sound. Runs very nicely!
I did pick up TrainBuilder X29 today and need to fit sound and test run it. Might take some pictures of that one later. Tony bought it and decided it was too big for his branch line, so muggins here liked it and is broke once more.
Cheers for now
Rod Young

2016_06_16 Bunnings is a destination often visited these days!

2016_06_16  I need to get activated again :)

So Tony had a delivery from the Bendigo Hobby shop and called in on the way to Sydney.

These cast and hand built kits were much appreciated. Thank you to the Shopkeeper at PCB hobbies :)

Really nice job very square and painted better than the original ones were I inspected at Wandong many years ago :)

Very happy with these :)
Cheers
Rod

ps Bunnings? oh yes Bunnings !!  oil based paint to seal the plaster walls procured with a new roller and no stops! Lets paint the walls (again :( ) and stick some back scenes down again :(

2016_06_05 Ixion C32's at Epping?

2016_06_05 A post and some rumors are out there that  Ixions much waited for C32 is about to arrive

On Rail Page this morning....

  standard gauge Station Master

 

 

Looks like there will be some 32s available at Epping including 3265 in maroon

$595.00

This will certainly give Lindsay O'Rielly some cheer and I note it will all have to do with customs as to whether it happens or not.
 It has been a long road with lots of pot holes along the way.  A few caused by me, I'm sure, in my defense of a friend. I sincerely regret this today.

Cheers
Rod Young
Edit possibly a good chance to remind you about what Ixion are presenting?

Ixion on Face Book

2016_06_04 Brass Engine Sale!

2016_06_04 Thanks to friend Michael Holian we have another N Class!

Michael sent this email:-

Hi,

Just wanted to share around that I've got the following for sale, if anyone is interested let me know, I can provide photos if wanted, all models are in good condition and run smoothly, unfortantly they don't come with boxes as the owner thought he wasn't going to sell them in the future, perhaps a reminder to keep the boxes our models come in.

PSM K190 Black, light weathering $1200  Sold pending
PSM D4 247 Black light weathering  $1200  Sold
Alco N 497 Black medium weathering piston extenders fitted oil burner $1200  SOLD
PSM BCE 1 $500
PSM BC 12 $500
PSM E 1 Pressed metal doors $200
Model Company F class F210 $700 original box comes with model

ALL MODELS ARE DC

Please feel free to email this around to any friends you might think are interested, it's some good product that doesn't come up very often, also if you are in a club could you print out a copy of this and put it up at your club rooms or share it with your members

Regards

Michael Holian
0422 739 530
Michael_4472@bigpond.com

If anybody is interested please contact Michael.

Here is my new N Class.

Thank you Michael, for the offer
Cheers
Rod Young

2016_05_31 very quiet, but?

2016_05_31 Auscision really goes for my wallet!

Southern Aurora

Better get some track down to run it on!

Could this be ready for Caulfield, even if they already signed it off?
Cheers
Rod

2016_05_27 The wet has arrived

2016_05_27  Wallpaper eh Back sheets again?

BACK drops again!! My local Bunnings store paint manager, is a liberated Pom ;) He brought his family here after spending years painting and wall papering homes in England. He has never been available for a chat until now. "In England we still use oil based paints. The reason is that some of our houses are so old and the weather is so damp anyway that we need to properly seal the walls and plastic paint just does not cut it."
Most wall papering, he says, goes right over the top of old wall paper, and in very old houses it can grow to half an inch thick. The new glue seals up the old paper and its good for many more years. It acts as an insulation as well. New homes get oil based top coats to ensure the damp is sealed out and if required wallpaper can be applied. Strangely it is difficult to buy oil based paints here, and I guess damp is not usually a problem?

Without a doubt, I need to paint the plaster walls with oil based paint. I think he was suggesting that this means undercoat as top coats are acrylic? Apparently lightly sanding the existing plastic and mixing the blue colour into flat undercoat will do the job. Just another $57 for paint with 8 litres of unused paint to get rid of :(

The Murray Railway Modellers Exhibition 2016
Our exhibition this year was very successful again this year. I have been lost in action during this busy time and spent three days with the Exhibition.
Our major sponsor was Austrains again, and about an hour before closing Sunday he announced it was his best ever show here breaking records for all small Exhibitions.

Our huge collection of Australian HO and books went well, however a lot of the collection is still to be moved. Not sure what they will do now.

Cheers
Rod

2016_05_21 Down by the station....

2016_05_21  Down by the station Four little engines all lined up in a row ;)

oop's that's not what we are doing here? However each of these engines needs one of these :)

Water Tanks!

With the silver Trainbuilder one, I think that's about it for water tanks :)
These were express delivered to me from the smoke a the Exhibition
Its a great job from a new supplier, I think you will agree!

Check out their FB site here.......
Section-8-Model-Railway

Cheers
Rod

2016_05_19 Playing with the new engine.

2016_05_19  Package in mail, and found some old friends.

So the E Tank loco arrived. First a test on DCC, then start stripping it down for DCC. Plenty of room too. So will have to see if sound is an option :)

These heavy little tanks hauled Melbourne's passenger services prior to electrification. They ended their lives in the 60's as yard shunting engines.

Service and test it before converting to DCC.
It is abit twitchy at the moment, mainly because of pick ups, and a possible short. I have checked with Brian Chester to find out any sugestions he might have for the conversion. Tweaked the pick ups and it does run better.

Pretty simple little things, appear to have enough room for a WoW to Ha Ha.

Fine Scale Models N Class

After reading another FB page I was reminded that I had these lovely little engines :)

They were white metal and brass kits. I must listen and see how they run, I remember that they were noisy.

Their still in the DCC queue where they have sat for over 8 years. Another job to do :(
Cheers
Rod

2016_05_17 (Stepping Back) and working on track circuits and signalling.

2016_05_17  Well the damage to the back scenes has gone no further. Sheet one is rippled and needs replacement, however sheet two is quite acceptable, making me think that a brand new unused sheet two might go on perfectly with what we have learned. But stepping back for a little while.

So what has happened whilst this wall scene drama has been escalating. Not a lot

Wiring:-    As the wiring has been changed so many times, I am bound to find problems. This happened a few weeks back when I found the branch line was shorting out. Not enough to set of circuit breakers. But a certain amount of warmth was found in some heavy wires.
Disconnecting them stopping the short and then carefully adding the droppers back into the circuit locatied at least three insulation problems and I have not reached the end yet.

I found that when the wiring was removed some track sections were still live. Bullioh was getting an unwanted + feed from the north and a - feed from the other end.
Then I found some droppers had been connected to locally protected circuits and others had somehow been joined to the DCC bus lines. This of course bypassed the local circuit breakers.

So I gradually removed duplicated feeds and got everything to go to where it was designed to go. Just a few droppers to solder in place and that maintenance work will be finished
Signals and Detection
I also started locating some San Mateo Signals.  They are pretty good. The only problem I have found is that these signals use a common negative and the nice Australian made detectors I found on EBay are DCC compliant. This QLD supplier is going to fool around with his circuit and see if he can modify it to be common negative. What a champion! I am pretty sure some others out there might like to buy a San Mateo detector from a local business that shows a lot of care for his potential customer

You can find him here
jonesaj73 EBay Account

The new baby....  E Class
I also noticed an E Tank loco was offered for sale on Face Book. Of course I asked to get second  offer if the first guy did not go on with it. I was offered the engine on the basis that the seller wanted funds in a few days, and that is how I bought this....

And as I don't think this is a loco that will not make it in plastic in my time, I am happy with the opportunity :)  Looks pretty nice I reckon?
Cheers
Rod

2016_05_16 So thats the best I can do!

2016_05_16  This is about where you walk away :(

Whether it be that you just can't recover a damaged sheet, meaning we will have more success if we try to fit a new sheet?  But I think I am over this. My background wishes are pretty much history today.

without flash, just room light

Flash shows what it really looks like

Pulling it off wall with heat, and re applying glue, takes the large crease out.
heating it up also takes it out.
But two hours later it is right back again.
We used a new craft type spray adhesive, spraying both surfaces as well as leaving go tacky.
I was a horror to put on, because you had to glue it to a line, which meant pulling it away to keep it straight.
All pictures taken one after the other and the room temperature was 14C at 51% humidity.
Cheers
Rod

2016_05_14 More Back Scenes!

2016_05_14 Graeme must be a masochist ;)

At about 9.30 he is banging on the door again and so we had our wake up coffee. Retired folk don't need to get up at these early hours do we?
Ha Ha I was ready for him, actually and already had  removed the sheets and started to remove the glue of the wall.
We found some sugar soap and scrubbed it clean and I used a dry cloth to rub the rubber of the sheets. They came up very well, with only one small tear.
Some pictures  just after dark that night follow.

This was taken with flash, and so at first look, we might have done it?

Some of the original creases have reappeared :(
But we were worried about them from the start, and so no real surprise. I think a new sheet might go on far better than these sheets that have already been pulled off the wall.

So I heated up the paper with a hand held heat gun, and all of the creases disappeared as before and the glue seemed to be still sticky, so I rolled them flat once more, and sprayed the whole sheet with clear matt medium to see if I could stiffen it up . It appeared to work

Rolled flat painted with clear matt (and no flash this time!)
I guess if it sets like this we will have achieved our goal?

Cheers
Rod

2016_05_13 (part2) SDS Sill less GY's

2016_05_13    Well look at that,Steve's long awaited G and GY vehicles finally arrived.

SDS Models

Pretty model with good proportions except for  the fact that they feel light. They may be ok, almost certainly are, however the Orient Models Productions OBF weighs almost exactly the same, and does need a metal weight that is placed on the floor (neat fit) of an unloaded wagon, it is painted to hide it away. I will let you know how these go without the extra weight. 

Interestingly I started to compare the Auscision GY to the SDS one and got a fright when I saw the difference in the leaf spring suspension, but as usual Steve and the fellas at SDS got it right.. See here..  EDIT: The Auscision GY leaf springs are also correct and match the version of the GY they modeled. I did not realize the springs varied over the different series of wagons.

from SDS pages.

Love these, next pay I will buy a few more :)
Cheers
Rod