Convention Preparation

Tuesday night this week was spent completing my notes for the Convention booklet for the Narrow Gauge Convention at the Ipswich Workshops Rail Museum over the Easter weekend. They were due to be submitted on Wednesday, so they can be included in the convention proceedings. I have also almost finished my Powerpoint presentation to go with the notes for my Styrene presentation. That just leaves me to complete my O scale 1:48 props for the presentation, the notes and plans for the Clinic that I will be doing on the Sunday, and the my demonstration models for the Clinic and kits for the attendees to put together. I will be also away for a few days between now and then so time to complete all these might be a bit lacking.

So today I spent some time doing some models. These include some fence posts, a picnic table, a 3 cubic metre industrial bin and a screen door. I also spent some more time on my dunny. I created the pan that gets removed out the back door. I also attached the door and yes it opens and closes on some new hinges I created. Weren't they an absolute pain to create.

The industrial bin, the screen door and a picnic table

The dunny, the seat that lifts up so you can check for redbacks and the pan with its bucket handle

This week I also glued a plan of my proposed HO clubroom layout to some cardboard and created a scale 3D model of the layout. I just feel that some people cannot visualise a multi-deck layout.

The 3D version of the layout for the HO shed extension

That just leaves me one week before the next Club Meeting to present the track plan which I will also draw on some other copies of the photocopied layout design, but these won't be in 3D, but I will have some potential scenic suggestions annotated on the plan.  On the front right Blob, there will be a return loop on the bottom level as well as a spiral up to the top deck around the edge of the mountain.  The bottom deck at the front will be staging, and will incorporate another return loop around the bottom blog, with a helix inside this up to the top deck.  The bottom level along the back wall will feature a large station complex for the passenger train fraternity and the finger to the right hand side, may well be a mine comlex.  The finger off the left hand wall will be a branch on the back side (it may even be 12mm narrow gauge) and a rather complex shunt area on the front of that peninsula.  I think we will inclue a timesaver shunting puzzle within this area so we can amuse members and visitors alike with some real complex shunting.  There will be lots of other places to shunt wagons to on this deck as well.

Well, haven't I had some issues with the delivery of my recently purchased camera from WOW. The first attempt was ballsed up by just 30 seconds, with the wife seeing the TNT delivery truck backing out and driving off as she came in the other end of the street. They want someone to sign for the delivery and with my luck with the wife in and out like a yo-yo going to school, the shop etc., it is just certain she and courier will never meet up.  Re-delivery was attempted at my work address two days later at the roller door to our dock down a lane way in the middle of the city. But the courier reported that the company was closed at 9:16am - I don't think so sunshine! I'm sure the did not even try to deliver it as we had painters down in the dock all day on Friday and the roller door was open as well as I had briefed our ever helpful storeman in advance of a personal delivery from TNT. So the next attempt will be scheduled back at home on Tuesday and I will stay home until the delivery driver turns up and then I will head off to work late. But I will be leaving work reasonably early on Tuesday as this is Tuesday Nighters at Warren's place. We have not been there for well over 12 months. So it will be good to check out what he has done, as he has converted from US standard gauge to Narrow gauge.

With a bit of luck, next Saturday I may be able to create a cradle to secure the camera so that it fits into a 20' container slot on one of my container wagons and it will be able to do the rounds of the layout, puched by a sound equipped loco.