Maybe I Should Have Measured That?

Friday this week was a modelling night at Simon Says Hobbies and Games.  I turned up and ran into Darren and a few regulars.  Also there doing some figure modelling, were at least three guys that actually had model railways.  I started off by cutting out about 20 Railway Crossing signs in two different sizes.  I had previously printed these out at home and I just had to cut around the printed words.  Next up was cutting up and then folding up about 21 or so tarpaulins.  These are destined to replenish my supply of tarps that I sell for $0.50 at various hobby shows that I attend.  I must have enough tarp material to make another 40 tarps, but I might get the wife to save a few more tea bags for me so I can do some more in alternate colours.

Next task was back on the railway crossing signs.  I cut some styrene strip (0.060” x 0.010”) and glued it to the smaller versions of the signs.  I also cut up about 10 lengths of code 40 rail, which the signs will be super=glued to.  I still have not started my triangular give way signs.  I just can’t find the time for that.  Something else always pops up.

On Saturday, I was chauffeured to Aurora Trains by my daughter on a driving lesson and I picked up two SDS container flats with milk containers on them – pack 12 with an NQIX and a NZMF.  These have already been added to the Branch Line shunt train.  This will allow two more wagons, and three containers to be delivered to Murwillumbah from Grafton Yard.  My thinking as of Saturday afternoon was that I might see if I can arrange for a train to bring these two extra wagons from maybe Kyogle to Cassino and then get attached to the shunt train before it gets delivered to Murwillumbah.  I will see what sort of paths are available in the timetable using the train graph.

I then sat at the modelling desk and watched a bit of motor racing.  At this point, I painted up some white metal items, distance signs and some tools.  These were left to dry overnight.  I also cut up another 4 tarpaulins.  These tarps are destined for the layout.  I am thinking of installing these at a couple of my fettler camps.  I will prop these up on tent poles and tie them down with cotton, so provide some shade to the hardworking teams that keep my track running.

On Saturday evening I did a desk check of the timetable graph and it looks like I can get a light engine from Loco Pilly all the way south to Kyogle to pick up some Milk tankers, and then it can weave its way between northbound traffic and place the milk wagons into the yard at Cassino.  It will then meat the shunt from Grafton before it heads onto the branch towards Murwillumbah.  However, it looks very dodgy if I will be able to get the wagons off the return shunt from the Yard at Cassino back to Kyogle and the Loco back to Loco Pilly before the next day in the timetable.  That has thrown a spanner into the mix.

Another thing, is that I decided to run my now elongated Number 11 shunt train from Grafton Yard to Murwillumbah this afternoon to test the running properties of the new wagons and see how it would go.  First issue was, it was sitting in Grafton Yard with the loco on the wrong end.  That was easily fixed with a quick run around manoeuvre.  The train departed Grafton Yard and as soon as it got to Rappville Loop, the next issue was spotted.  The train was longer than the loop.  Not a real issue, as long as no other overlength trains are coming the other way when this train needs to run.  When we got to the back platform road of Cassino, the train was just able to fit in, as long as the train remained foul of the southern main line, until the loading to be dropped off, could be removed and placed into the yard for onforwarding to the Cassino Meatworks.  After the loco was reattached to the train in the back platform road, and headed off to Old Cassino, the next major issue was that the train which needs to drop 5 wagons off in the Dairy Siding, no longer fits in the Yard at Old Cassino, to permit a loco run around move, before the push back of the five wagons into the Dairy Siding.  Well at that point, the option of increasing the length of the No. 11 Shunt train by the two new wagons has been put back on the back burner.  The shunt train was sent back to Grafton in disgrace and the thinking cap has been put on to look at alternate movements.  I have now removed those two additional wagons and sent them up to Kyogle to sit in the dairy siding at that location until I figure things out.

One solution might be to drop the shunt loading for Old Cassino at Cassino, along with the Cassino Meatworks traffic and another light engine from Cassino Loco can come out and shunt these wagons to Old Cassino, when a path exists.  I’m pretty sure that this can be achieved in the timetable.  But I still have to look at how everything gets re-established on the return journey.  All this to give my operating crews some interesting jobs, and also make my North Coast Control rip his hair out.  One of the benefits of this movement is that currently no locos are stored at Cassino Loco and this will add a whole new area of operation to the layout.  It will probably force me to get the turntable working and also get all the roads at this location operable.

I also went to my mate Dave’s place early this arvo, and helped him wire up two return loops on his layout.  We also completed wiring up another two at the other end of his basic dual track dog bone layout.  He might have trains running (or at least partially) when our Tuesday Nighter’s group visits in about 3 weeks.