Scratch Built NOCY Almost Complete

On Friday I was pottering around the shed, trying to find an old Main West Bow Bending kit for my NOCY wagon.  I had seen it recently.  Do you think I could find it?  Anyway I found some photos and then tried to make my own jig to allow me to make my own wire frames for an NOCY wagon or two.  I found some fine wire and bent up 20 frames, before I ran out of wire.

Saturday morning I went looking for plans for the NOCY wagon.  I could not find any.  Then I remembered that I had an old NSW wagon plan book.  So I found the plan I was after, but it was reasonable small and not to scale.

Anyway around lunch time I started looking at two of my old scratch built NOCY wagons.  It was then I realised that I had never put the underside gussets on them.  Bugger!  So I cut the gussets and added underside caps to the gussets.  I then searched my spare parts box and found some old sprues for underfloor details, from various manufacturers.  I think I found everything that I needed on a couple of AR Kits sprues.  Not surprising when you realise that Al sells ready to run NOCY’s as well as some shake the box kit versions of the NOCY.  I then added the uncoupler lift bars to my NOCY.

Luckily I had a few of the AR Kit Ready to Run NOCY wagons laying around.  I used these wagons as templates for my versions.  Just to see where the various pipes went on the ready to run model.  The hardest part was drilling holes in the gussets after I glued them onto the wagon, instead of before I did it.  The holes were for the brake pipe going from one end of the wagon to the other via the various reservoir tanks and triple values etc.  So I added all this detail and the last thing I added were a couple of KD air hoses.  The wagon needed a new coat of paint and then it will need a set of decals added.  Given my luck I will assume that I do not have a set of decals in my spares box.  So I might need to contact Al for a version.  

Early on Sunday with fine weather, I painted the NOCY a black colour.  I had planned to take a photo before painting, but I forgot.  The next task was to drill all the bow rig holes to support the tarpaulins over the top of the wagon.  There was above 20 pairs of holes to drill.  I used an AR Kits model as a guide.  The bow rigs were added this afternoon.  Decals are the only thing left to add.

Because I was in the zone, I continued with doing some more detail work on another wagon.  I got my scratch built NHBF ballast wagon out.  I studied some of my photos of NHBF wagons.  I had built a variety of these wagons over the years.  But they were all near enough to run on the layout, and lacked any super detail.  Most near enough but with different internal hopper detail.  So when comparing one of the ones I was taking further along the path to be superdetailed, I realised that I needed a change to the internal hopper, with the two dividers added.  That was quite quick and easy.  Next the air hose from one end of the wagon to the other was added.  The 8 hand rail supports were then added.  Uncoupler lift bars were next to be added.  The various shunters steps will then need to be added.  I’m not sure I have any detail parts (shunters steps) that will look correct.  I will look through my detail parts box during the week.  The wagon will need a new paint before work continues next weekend.

Next week I will continue work on my scratch built NHBF ballast wagon and scratch built ballast plough.  I seem to have plenty of photos of these wagons on hand to assist with detailing.  Again decals might be a bit hard to come by for both wagons.

The XPT is Awakened

This week I could not get motivated to do any modelling activities.  Maybe the heat had something to do with it?  Saturday would have been too hot to live in the shed during the day.  Finally today I went to the shed.  I got out some paint and painted the coupler release levers on both ends two of my kit built QGA wagons.  Last week I added these working coupler release levers.

After that I decided to work on my Auscision XPT.  I get enough ribbing about my XPT not running (Hey Clinton!) that I thought I might give it some attention.  This train derails all over my layout.  I had originally thought that this was because the two power cars were not evenly matched for speed.  So today I put them back to back and ran them back and forth over about 10 feet of track on my layout.  I adjusted the Reverse Trim setting on the two power cars.  One was significantly faster than the other in one direction and the other in the opposite direction.  So I adjusted the Reverse Trim setting CV95 on both power cars through a process of trial and error and in the end, after only about 5 minutes both power cars were pretty evenly matched for speed in both directions.  I then took the 7 car XPT set for a run from Grafton Yard to Cassino and back a couple of times.  No issues on that section of track. 

After lunch I continued testing the XPT with a run from Cassino to South Brisbane Interstate.  There were some sections where one of the power cars would just stop running.  I think this is a pickup or wiring issue inside the power cars.  I will pull them apart one afternoon next week and inspect and clean the pickups.  However, after adjusting the Reverse Trim setting, they ran pretty well, with an occasional derailment of a bogie of a coach when one power car lost power.

On the way back from South Brisbane Interstate to Grafton Yard, the working was much better than ever before.  Not perfect, not acceptable, but almost tolerable.  Occasionally one wheel on one bogie would pop off and this was re-railed and the run resumed. 

I will give the train another run next weekend after some maintenance.  I still have a couple of KD couplers between two XPT coaches having the occasional issue.  I found that about 4 couplers were missing their KD springs.  So I added springs to these.  We will see how it runs next week.

Hopefully I will start on adding some brake gear to two of my scratch built wagons during the week.  These are some of the 8 wagons I need for the Master Builder of Cars AP certificate.

I expect soon that the registration for the NMRA Australian Convention will be available, so we can register for that event. 

Still Detailing the QGA Wagons

Again a very slow week in terms of model railways activity.  However, Tuesday evening this week we drove to Darren’s place for our usual Tuesday Nighters meeting.  We had good numbers in attendance given the distance we all had to travel.  We also had a good get together and plenty of jokes doing the rounds.

Saturday this weekend included a trip to the Club for the monthly meeting.  I had hoped to catch up with someone there to pick their brain but they did not attend.  There is always next month.  This is not to say that it was not a positive outcome on the day.  I had many good conversations with those in attendance, and sold a few pallets to members.  The number of pre-made pallets I have on hand now is getting quite low. 

This morning I attended the UPMRC Open Day and table sale event at Holland Park.  I said g’day to a few people there, but I did not buy anything.  I had my eye on a couple of items, but they were picked up by others before I could follow through on my intentions.  It was very nice to see the number of young families visiting the UP clubrooms to show the trains running on the UP Clubroom layout to their kids.  

Later this arvo, while watching the Motor Racing, I set about adding coupler lift bars to both ends of my two QR QGA grain wagons.  I eventually got them fitted and they actually move.  I will touch them up with some paint next weekend.

Next week, I think I will super detail two of my long time scratch built wagons.  That detail will be mostly brake gear, brake pipes and various handbrake wheels, air tanks and piping.

Detailing Some QR QGA Wagons

On Saturday this week, I sat at my computer working on the code for my Arduino for quite some time.  This was to cram three different functions into the one Arduino.  First function was to standard on-off flash of a buoy on Barnacle Bob’s brilliant Mosquito Creek layout.  The second function was to provide the 'Shelton the Photographer' flash for a DC powered layout.  I got this working.  The next function was to make a single street light flash on the layout.  When a string of street lights was turned on around the layout, the Arduino will sense this through an Opto-isolator interfacing with the circuit powering those street lights.  This will then make the Arduino flash another street light, that makes it look like it is faulty.  When the street lights are turned off, so to does the flashing light controlled by the Arduino.  I will now make up a small control board that will house all the electronics needed to interface with the Arduino and drive these functions.  I have a circuit diagram, I just need to buy a few items and solder them all together.  Next stop is Barnacle's to install it.

This work was followed by a chat with Marty for a couple of hours on Discord.  We were joined by our Supreme Leader – Gordy – very early in the morning his time.  A couple of hours later we were all online together listening to the British Region have their fortnightly Brew and Natter.  A few Div 1 people also get on and listen to this event.  Although this time, the main subject was Adam Wuiske talking about his layout, which has started to be created in his shed.

Today I decided that I was to spend some time adding detail to a couple of wagons that I was to enter into an upcoming NMRA modelling competition.  These entries could be used as two of the 8 models I need for my AP Cars certificate.  I had previously built, painted and weathered two PGC kits of the Queensland Railway QGA wagons.  Today I added brake pipes at each end to two wagons, and also some pipework down the length of the wagon for the brake pipe as well as the brake cylinder actuator.  I am also looking at doing some uncoupling levers.  But that is next week’s job.

Bit by bit, I have also been adding some extra detail to my NMRA Convention presentation for September/October this year.  Still a few photos to add, but it is coming along early.  It has a few jokes in it, so hopefully, this will keep the attendees at the presentation awake during delivery, especially if it is toward the end of the day or after lunch.

Next week we will be heading to Darren’s place for our Tuesday Nighter's get together.  He does live in the boonies, but given he can’t drive at the moment, it is easier for him to host us than for him to travel to a meeting.  In two week’s time, he might be back driving again, so he can then attend someone else’s meeting in person.