Lots of Little Jobs

On Friday night this week I headed to the local Model Railway Buy and Sell.  I tried to sell off some of my stuff and got no nibbles at all.  However all was not lost.  Bargin with a capital B!  As usual I spent more than I earned.  I picked up 10 new lengths of track for $15 to be used in some sidings, a small book, 2 level crossing lights for $8 and an unpainted 3 pack well wagon set missing one of the intermediate bogies for $5.  That is correct - $5.

Saturday rolls around so I decide to do a few  little jobs.  I previously purchased (years ago) 2 x Cornerstone kits for EMD 567 engines.  So I assembled them.  They look quite good and will be loads in some open wagons.  As a by product of assembly there was some bits of sprew that looked just like household gas cylinders.  So while watching TV I filed then flat on the bottom, cleaned then up and filed them to shape and now I have 10 x 4.5kg gas bottles for the layout. - Hey, who else has 4.5kg gas cylinders as detail parts?  Mind you I don't have any BBQ's for them to be used on yet - but I think that is a project for another day.

A few months back now, my mate PK made a number of purchases from OS on ebay.  One of these was some fancy wrought iron fencing with big concrete looking posts from China in both HO and N scale.  He previously donate some of these to the Club.  2 weeks ago, while working on the Club HO exhibition layout I decided to start installing a bit of fencing around the local cemetery and the Church carpark.  I used the N scale fencing.  I brought a packet home and on Saturday proceeded to drill holes up the posts so I can insert some wire that will be used to anchor it to the ground. I think I must have drilled out about 20 posts.  Monday, on the public holiday I am heading to the Club to finish off the fencing.

The dead centre of town - new activity on the top right - photo by PK

Saturday night I decided to make the new 3 pack well wagon set operational.  A search of the shed found a similar bogie to the missing one, on a NSW CCX wagon sitting in the repair siding.  This wagon was there because it was too light and kept derailing.  I plan to replace the bogies on this wagon with AR kits or some other brand in the near future.  It is hoped the added weight of these brass bogies will allow the wagon to return to traffic.  The bogie under the CCX wagon while of the correct type had larger diameter wheels.  However, a search of my other spare bogie collection found a different bogie with the correct diameter wheels.  A quick swap over and voila!  A pair of bogies for the 3 pack.  Well I also had to throw in a single KD and the wagon was now runnable. 

At the same time I also assembled an American well wagon that I'm passing off as Australian that was languishing near Acacia Ridge yard following painted last year with wheels not yet refitted.  I added KD's and screwed the wheels in, and another wagon was now ready to return to traffic.  This wagon will go at the rear of one of my container trains. 

This morning I cut up some styrene I-Beam fencing (0.060") and drilled 5 holes in each of the 66 pieces I cut up.  After lunch these were painted a brown rusty and yesterday's completed 3 pack well wagon was painted grey and 6 pieces of concrete sleeper loads from Sydney Hobbies painted white. 

The three pack well wagon sitting in Fairy Hill siding with containers fitted

This weekend I have also started to get my things together for next weekend.  Next weekend  is the Brisbane Model Train Exhibition weekend.  I will be working on the Structure Building Stand on the Saturday and Sunday only as I fly off to Sydney with work on the Monday for the week.  So if you are in Brisbane say hi to me at the stand.

Tomorrow as I have said I'm off to the Club to help finish off the HO exhibition layout.  It needs some fencing done, around the cemetery and the car park and along the railway line.  I also might do some work on the oil siding.