Sunday, July 23, 2023

Running Trains and Taking Pictures

Last weekend, while picking up a few things decoder based at a good price, I also picked up an NCE USB to connect an NCE Powercab to a PC.  I think this will be a good addition for my tool kit.  I also picked up another Wifitrax WFD-30 wifi connector for an NCE system.  I have tested it out and it works well.  I was hoping that this version might have the NCE FastClock feature working.  But I just checked on the wifitrax website and it says that this has not yet been implemented.  Bugger!

On Monday I also removed the installed X2F couplers and replaced them with KDs, on the two WAGR Open wagons that I purchased at the Buy and Sell the day before and I then replaced the bogies.  These two wagons have been placed on the layout in a siding.  I will get around to including them on a train sometime in the future.

On Friday this week I printed out a new scale diagram of my QR HO wagon, that printed in the correct scale size.  That night and early on Saturday I used Microsoft paint to draw/colour in the various internal colours of the wagon floor that I copied out of Adam Wuiske photos of a real HO wagon.  My plan was to print the internal scale floor and then then glue it into the scratch built QR HO wagons floor that I have.  Later that morning I went to Aurora Trains and picked up some tins of paint for the outside of the wagon.  This was the wagon colour as well as the rust colours.

Later that afternoon and into today, I ran a few trains on my layout.  This was the Steel train contingent of trains on my layout.  It is 6 trains that shuffle steel wagons from Grafton yard to Acacia Ridge yard and then a shunt occurs from Acacia Ridge Yard to Rocklea Sidings and back, before a shuffle of loaded wagons occurs in Acacia Ridge Yard and the whole process can occur again.  I tried to get a few photos of the events but really, I need a real photographer who can adjust the shutter setting and get more depth of field included.  I’d have to call myself a NAPA.  If only I had some friends proficient in this field.

Later this afternoon, I have started adding more detail to my next layout article on the Murwillumbah Cement Train.  This is a fairly straight forward movement, with some drop offs outbound and pickups on its way back to Grafton.  I will run this train’s timetable sequence in detail next weekend and get a few photos of these movements.  The next train after the cement train will be the Banana Train.  I have a small list of additional trains I can talk about if these stories turn out interesting to the reading public.

I might have to attend a funeral next week and either before or after I go, I might be able to knock off the last couple of tasks for my ballast wagon and NOCY open wagon.  I am having all sorts of issues with the very small wagon number decals for the NOCY.  They just break up under water, and do not separate from the backing paper.  The other decals on the sheet work well.  I will hit them with some clear coat next week sometime and then given them another go.

No comments:

Post a Comment