Rocklea Siding Possession

This week started off slow.  I did not do anything in the shed.  I was advised that a delivery of track was being shipped on Monday, so it raised my anticipation juices.  I was also still waiting for some electrical switches early in the week.  I tossed up if I was to go to Jaycar and buy some alarm cable, but I decided to wait a few days.  I eventually picked some up on Wednesday using my NMRA discount.  I saved about $3.

So early in the week I did scan through a presentation that I was preparing, adding a few extra words here and there.  I had promised our Div Super I would have four new presentations completed by February next year.  One is complete and the second only needs pictures added.  That is probably a week's work to do it properly.  A third is also almost complete and the last one is nowhere near being started.

I finally got a delivery of some track on Thursday so I went straight to the shed to install some trackwork.  I decided to change my strategy and prioritised the Rocklea Siding area.  So I took a track possession.  My God it was hot and humid in the shed and I just dripped sweat as I pulled out the trackage at Rocklea and re-laid it.  The narrow gauge track work was all completed on Friday.  Again very hot and humid.  I reinstalled the point motors and gave them a test and they all worked, except one standard gauge one.  This one will no longer throw.  So I will look at the point and point motor at a later time.  I then decided to try and run a narrow gauge train through the area that has been relaid.  I had to jerry-rig the power to the narrow gauge section, as it gets its power from the standard gauge bit of track, and that was removed.  Slight overlook there!  But one was connected up, the loco ran well through the new trackwork to the old Rocklea Sidings.  I still need to install an auto-reverser for the standard gauge/narrow gauge diamond crossing.  Until this is done, I cannot run back out onto the mainline towards Acacia Ridge.  So that will be Tuesday's job after I mow in the morning - I think.  

Saturday was NMRA meeting day where we got to view Jim Costello's New Haven layout.  Very nice indeed.  When I got home in the afternoon, one of my deliveries of switches was in the letter box.  

I was waiting until the Sunday Buy and Sell so I had planned to I pick up some more lengths of second hand 16.5mm flex track - to complete the standard gauge trackage through Rocklea.  So while at the Buy and Sell I picked up a couple of extra points and some more point motors and I will swap out the sticky one in Rocklea on Tuesday.   I sold some bits and pieces, but ended up spending more on my purchases.  There were some absolute bargains to be had.  I plan to have the whole Rocklea area re-done as of Tuesday afternoon, or Wednesday at the latest.  

With my point work being delivered on Thursday I had also joined the other bits of track for two of the three ends of the angle going into Dutton Park.  I will spend some time this coming week working out what extra baseboards need to be installed before this gets installed.  Some of the baseboards may be just too narrow to support two tracks.  I will see.

We all know that good things come to those that wait.  While at the NMRA meeting on Saturday, a presenter showed a photo of a location where I was planning to base my future exhibition layout.  He used to live next to the track there.  So a USB is coming with a few hundred photos.  This will help me with the planning over the next year or so.