A Wet Weekend

The modelling related activity this week started with a Tuesday Nighter's trip to Lefty and Son's up the road in the next suburb. We spent quite a bit of time talking and checking out some of their recent O scale purchases that were displayed on two tables in the shed. We were also checking out their shelving that they purchased from Bunnings. This is used to store '& Son's' O scale models.  Lefty (Dave) has plans to start putting up wall brackets sometime between Christmas and New Year and this will be followed by baseboards. I understand that '& Son' was to have the Wednesday off work to receive a delivery of wood for the baseboards - framing and tops. We expect that by the time the next Tuesday Nighter's meeting comes around again at their place, they will have some layout built and some track laid - but we will see.

As promised last week, I was setting myself a goal of getting the power supply for the North Fork to Old Cassino section working this weekend. This was accomplished on Friday Night. As this weekend was chock full of parties, there was not much chance of shed time, however, I did schedule 1 hour in the shed early on Saturday morning before attending a pool party for a 6 year old's birthday for lunch (one of Kyle's school mates) followed by a family get together at the Sister-in-law's place just around the corner at night for another 5 hours for a BBQ dinner. It certainly was good catching up with the wife's family, but you know it is time to go home, when you are looking at your right hand and the table in front of you trying to figure out where your stubby has gone (you had it only minutes before) when after about 20 seconds you realise it was in your left hand.

Yesterday in the one hour session before heading off to the pool, I was also able to complete the installation of the staff machines for the locations for Cassino and Rappville along with an intermediate staff location at Bonalbo Ballast Siding.

Today, with about one and a half hours available in the morning, before heading to my niece and her husband's place for their youngest's 1st birthday party, I was able to install a section of facia about 7' long in the area of Grafton Yard. I then wired up the three control panels for Grafton Yard and Rappville Loop, along with the intermediate staff location of Rocla Sleeper Siding. I called it quits when I could not find the power supply for this section and then I remembered it was on the kitchen table. So one night this week I will install that and the whole section from Grafton Yard to Acacia Ridge will be controlled by Staff machines. I still have to complete the building of the last two power supplies required for the branch line for the section Old Cassino to Lismore (with an intermediate staff location for Lismore Shell Siding) and the section from Lismore to Murwillumbah. As I have lots of junk laying all over the track at Lismore, these power supplies might get installed before trains will be running in this section. As Lismore is directly beneath Kyogle on the layout, and there will be a bit of plastering occuring at Kyogle over the next 10 days or so, this section might remained covered. I am intending to build these last two power supplies tonight at the kitchen table, so I can try and remove everything from the table for the next few weeks at least.

This morning, I also got up on the ladder and cleaned out some leaves in the guttering near the downpipe for the front of the shed. We have had quite alot of rain recently. It is really annoying. Let's hope we have a fine Christmas.

This week PK was on a spending spree of a couple of Austrains locos (from Horizon Hobbies at Warner) and then was looking for sound chips for them.  So I said to him, put me down for a soundtraxx 44 Class equivalent chip so we'd share the postage.  Hopefully these might turn up on Monday so I will have something to do next weekend on the long weekend before the Monday Night.  I have a few NSW Modellers coming over on Monday night for a running session.  The usual culripts will be there - PK, Darren, Geoff, Peter, along with a new comer - Rob who was an American HO modeller before downsizing to N scale.  This will be his first trip to see the layout.

Until next week - everyone have a Happy and Safe Christmas and spend some good quality time with the family and the layout, let's hope the white bearded one in red leaves something model railway related under the tree.