Ops SessionWrap for 2022

Tuesday this week was my Ops Session. I spent some time on Monday working on getting some lights configured in the Risk.  This included the signal box, the Station building and a platform light post.  I have planned for two light sunder the awning on the platform, but time ran out.

So as the appointed hour approached, Marty was the first to arrive and we chatted while I cooked the snags on the BBQ.  The crew came in dribs and drabs and we had a full compliment.  But I had a big fail.  It totally escaped me that Geoff C had never operated on the layout previously, so I did not take him through the procedures, etc.  We also had Glen, but I knew he was a first timer.  Also in attendance was Jeff who had not been here for some time.  So when the clock ticked over, all hell broke loose.  The phone system went down.  So we through that out the window.  People need to yell out to the North Coast Control or even visit him to advise what they are doing, or at least seek permission to do that.  I thought I knew what caused it.  I pulled off one of the plug in point fascia panels and sure enough two wires had broken off.  But soldering them back on did not fix the system.  There is a dead short in the system.  I think it is another fascia plug-in panel that has suffered a broken wire.  I will keep looking.

Also during the session, the whole DCC system lost power.  Now that had me stumped.  I pulled the system apart.  It appeared that the DCC Ammeter on my panel had stopped working.  Also the DCC Voltmeter had also stopped working.  But if I cut out the DCC Ammeter power resumed.  So we did that and the investigation had been put back into the future.  I thought I had a cause, but it turns out it was not correct.  I do have a loose wire behind the panel.  I thought I knew where it should be connected, but when I connected it there, the system still does not work.  But by removing various components from the front of the panel, the loose wire had fallen down, and the ammeter now works, but the voltmeter is still offline.

At just after 4:00pm we pulled up stumps for afternoon tea.  The general consensus that I was hearing from the crew, was that they all had a good time.  That was actual inverse as to my opinion.  This session had to be close to the worst session.  With no phone and no DCC for about 15 minutes that is why I thought the way I do.

So after the session I collected the timetable cards and did some fixes around the layout.  During the session I fixed a KD spring to a passenger coach on NL2.  Post the session I adjusted the bogie packing under a coach on NL4.  I also spent some time working on the infrared detectors on my level crossing detectors, by packing them with balsa strip in the holes that they sit in under the layout.  My issues was that these seem to fall down over time and that causes them to go trigger my themselves when the detector is within the hole drilled between the tracks.  So hopefully I have now fixed that issue.  I had a chat to Anthony post the session and it was the inspiration to create a new training manual for the layout for new operators and a refresher for those operators who had not been around for a while.  So this document has started to be put together.  Actually it has always been around.  I have started pulling lots of previous documents together into a single document and I will see how that goes for the next session.

But post that I had been continuing the rush to install lights in various locations around the layout.  So the platform awning lights were installed in The Risk.  So that locations has signal box lights, station master’s room lights, platform light and two under the awning lights.  I added a staff exchanger platform light at Border Loop and also signal box lights.  I also finished doing the same at Glenapp Loop.  I am looking at also controlling the lights at Fairy Hill by the same method.  Once the station building has been completed at Kyogle, I will also do the same at that location.  I also have plans for lights along the Bruxner Highway south of Cassino station, lights at Barker Street pedestrian crossing, and maybe some more in some of the various streets backing onto Cassino Platform.

Border Loop with lights

Glenapp Loop Lights

Cassino overbridge with lights

The Risk Loop with station lights

Murwillumbah turntable

Five narrow gauge coal wagons with loads installed

I have also had Geoff C come back for his orientation briefing and I think he now understands a bit more about how the layout works. 

I also have an action plan inspired by Anthony that I will start working on over the next few months.  I also have a few more tasks to tick off over the rest of this week while I am still on holidays.

So today I ran four trains and fixed up a couple that did not follow the timetable card.  So the time on the layout is now 5:55pm.  I ran the first phase of the Steel train from Grafton to Cassino Yard and ran some light engines from South Brisbane Interstate to Loco Pilly.  One of the standard gauge Rocklea Shunt trains ran from there to Clapham Yard with some empty limestone wagons, and a shunt train ran from Fisherman Islands Yard to Clapham Yard with three container wagons, which were not dropped off there when the train ran through earlier.  So I had a bit of run for the start of the new year.  There are about 18 trains to run in the remaining 6 plus hours to complete the timetable before it resets and all the fun starts over again.