2017_10_10 still plodding along

2017_10_10   Wiring still !!


Amazingly even though trains run through here and have for some time, I found missing droppers.

I just cant seem to get my head around the resulting spaghetti now hanging underneath...maybe tomorrow?
Cheers
Rod

2017_10_06 written updates?

2017_10_06 Still wiring. This time in the House creek area Wodonga. 

Lefy Bullarto till Al is able to return in a few weeks.
So moved on to Wodonga. Things were a lot better there than I thought. Existing wiring is permanent. All I have to do is remember my wiring codes so I can connect all the new work up to point motors and DCC bus. Going to use "Juicers:" on crossovers and point motors on the rest.

Also need to start work connecting the helix to the layout. So a trip to Bunnings to purchase the connecting timber and now its just a matter of seeing when Roger has a spare few days, and we can get into laying track...oops I forgot to organize the  cutting of the extra.curved ramp road bed pieces. I need another 10 to complete the helix.

Use the craft wood to bridge the gap between BG main line and new station on top of helix.
Have cut off pieces to use as templates to get exact curve on these boards.

Using piece on top, I can cut new sheets to fit existing curvature and then extend top level along wall to the existing main line, out of site on the rhs.
Second board will get same treatment and fill the gap under the spirit level.

Ok on the trolley for a few more days, and continue to connect up points and block wiring for Wodonga yard.
Cheers
Rod

2017_09_28 Making a video

2017_09_28  Shunting at Trentham (Yes I know playing instead of fixing?)

However when you think you got it right, its time to test it and make sure.
Spent about 3 hours finishing off up here (and an hour cleaning up the mess :( )

And for Al, I thought I should film the results.
Al relaid all of the track and helped me add the point motors last time he was here.
He did a great job, apart from one fish plate not connected, smooth as silk!! Well almost :)

Click here for video>>  Vimeo video of Trentham Test

What the heck this is fun. Her is another one

Click here for video 2 Block Rock picks up at Trentham


Cheers
Rod

2017_09_25 Whats up?

2017_09_25  A bit quiet around here as Al has to be elsewhere for a little while.

So I am just adding on to work done recently.  And also fighting the dreaded short bugs I have let loose on this layout.

Last visit, Al finished off the Trentham points, and today's job is to finish off the wiring.

Al adjusting the tracks on Saturday

That's better The wagons clear the goods dock.

Bloody three way points!!

Spent a week or more sorting it out first time. And on Saturday, out of the blue, it failed again! Damned if I could find out why. So   testing wires, changing polarity. Testing for continuity? Nothing obvious...So.... ripped out the new wires and  located the Peco wiring diagram. Rewired it, and it works :(  No idea why it stopped though  :( Thing I did notice is that Peco have an Asymmetric three way point and a medium radius three way. They are built differently. You need to find out which version you have, as Peco have changed their specs several times since scale "electrofrogs" were introduced.

De Ja Vu?

Finally tests ok, and train runs through in both directions on all three routes.

Tidying up?

Yes for about 1 day, I cleaned the desk down, loading everything into boxes after sorting it all out,
I also decided to have a break from wiring, and so began finishing off some sound projects. This took time to accomplish though as the Decoder Pro program gave heaps of trouble. Fixed now, but look at the bloody queue!

Fitting sound?

 
Found a CL I was looking for, as I promised to sell it, to another. However it has been fitted with sound, which I did not remember doing. I was going to remove the sound, however it is hard wired in, and I cannot locate the lighting board that fits it.

A new flat top and a modification to speakers used. Be interesting to see how it works.

My clean work bench :(  Does not last long around here.

I just got word from Indonesia that Evan has finished my double line junctions and they are ready to mail, so next job is the helix :)

OK back to Trentham. 3 points done, 4 to go!

Cheers
Rod

2017_09_16 Catching up and Sat Workday!

2017_09_16 Lot of work is happening but as for last post, hard to show it in pictures, But lets give it a go :)

Caulfield 2017

Victorian Railways  6 Ton Yard crane re-released by Lyndons trains  www.lyndonstrains.com

Latest version WOW sound for Diesels

Rolling Road test bed.

Nice little buildings for Bullarto.

Mike produced these tidy little electro point modifications. So I bought them from him. Thanks DCC Mike :)

 A lot neater than mine :(

SDS 40 Foot containers. Some (most of) metal plates rattled off in the delivery from China. Simple fix with a little silicon and they are fine now.

Nice stuff coming from this mob :)

And I got a pack of the J, 4 wheel cement hoppers from Austrains which I think I already featured earlier?

So by Saturday after steadily moving around the layout changing out wiring to help with fault finding we get to today with two projects going on.

Graeme came in to add some more cover on his scenery project.

Scenery

Covering up the pink paper towels :) The cutting South of Wodonga.

House Creek.  Lighting changed colours.

Looking further South towards SG Loop (Beyond our mystery tunnel :) )

Need to finish the base of the fascia
.

Home Hill :)
 

 
 Down past the Loco and towards Coal Siding (North)

Wiring up the point motors we installed last week.

Running out of Tortoise Motors, but I found these, purchased a few years back, because they came from an Australian Business. They look great, operate well, and had a price advantage. A huge disadvantage is that they cannot easily be operated manually (like a Tortoise can) They can only move under power. Anyway these are ready to use when we actually run out of the green ones.
 

Whilst looking for more Tortoise machines, I also found these!
They are all provided with a DCC address, and so I will use them in Albury Yard for main line point control.

So when Al arrived, it was time to wire the Trentham points, all 7 of them.

Wiring went quickly, but one point motor failed to work. Replacing it lost us a heap of time. But eventually all 7 points were wired in and working.
The 3 way point needs the frogs to be wired. I have two point motors and three frogs. I don't remember which two get wired together. Will look that up now, and job finished.

Half these wires are obsolete. I removed them, and we were just adjusting some track, and getting to the tidy up stage, when I cut an actuator piano wire with the dremmel to clear couplings. The heat melted the tie bar, and I have to replace it with a brass one. I should have removed power from motor and centered it, because the pressure of the actuator which was red hot as I cut it, melted plastic bar and that was that :(

 

So instead of finishing the job, I had to remove the point and need to replace the bar to work the blades from side to side.

Well that's about it.
Thanks for the company Graeme and Al, we did great work. Cheers
Rod

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

2017_08_24 Al day All day :)

2017_08_24 Well we are back to normal and our regular workday produced great results today.
First of all, Al completed the track laying at Trentham, and also completed the silo area there as well.

My job was to start mapping out Albury yard, which we will need to work out our approach to the Helix.

Pictures tell the story

So rolling tests were all excellent. Al was pleased with his work, as he should be. First time trains can run on all tracks reliability since we started this project. Thank Goodness ;)

I was supposed to do the wiring and hook up the point motors. Finished up finding some defective track, which took a little time to adjust. Also broke a tie bar trying to attach a motor, and only option was to pull it out and undo some of Al's good work.  It always happens to me, and I am sure it is not that impressive to Al :(  Anyway we both got it all finished and running before 5.00 pm, official end to Alday.

Whilst I was fooling around with wires and point motors, Al completed the second track at the grain silo.

Looking at it, I am going to have to cut a point in this end, as a head shunt. The other end is actually supposed to be a temporary connection, using the head shunt, whilst Honeysuckle was bought on line. If it stays, it will have to be out of service during grain season Ha Ha

So now we have finished track, wired in on the branch line from Bowser all the way to Honeysuckle. However I need tony ,now to come and help me wire that station in place. I think it must be a big job, as he is not enthusiastic about it ;) Which brings me to my job. In this picture you can see I have started to chalk out the south end of Albury yard.

The three way point is through road, runaround road and platform road
The point bottom right is the BG crossing the SG track and it then goes above the three way point to form the two BG roads down past the Station box, and crossing the main lines after the platform, to proceed to Elders and the Flour Mill.
As  you can see I need to work out another way to do it, as its much too tight here.

 A little better?

Sorting out the BG platform roads.

Using SRA diagrams and another designed and drawn by Mick from Murray Railway Modellers, I am attempting to get it all as close as possible.

Micks diagram is at 1 inch to foot, and he had to leave some of it out too. But that drawing represents 63 feet and my shed is just not big enough. The baseboard is not wide enough either.
Lets see what we can do.

Earlier in the day, The Y Class hauled out the first half of the rock train, as the B Class hauls the down morning pass to Honeysuckle

The return pass heads to Wanganella on the up.

A block rock train comes off the branch at Trentham, as the evening pass waits for its turn to proceed up to Honeysuckle. The pilot is shut down for the night. The down goods was cancelled due to track occupation down the track. The rock will pull forward allow the pass to proceed, and then set back in, to stable until track is available for use early in the morning.

Well all I guess we see you at Caulfield?
Heading down to caravan at Kilmore East tonight. Over to see Mum and Dad at Narre Warren, back to Exhibition on Saturday morning. Returning home that night, I guess if things go to plan.
Cheers
Rod Young