A Week's Relaxation

I've just spent a week relaxing down the Coast.  The weather was not that bad.  We got to the beach on every day and also to the Pool.  I thought I might spend some time doing some modelling.  But between games, on Uno, Monopoly, going to the pool and the beach, and heading out to look at the local shops, there was not much time.

It was Thursday afternoon, the worst weather day that I finally got the modelling gear out.  I had taken some telegraph poles down the coast so I could cut up some 1mm styrene rod for insulators and install these on the poles.  I went to do this and no knife.  That wasn't clever!  I had everything but the kitchen sink and a modelling knife.  So I started job number 2.  This was to cut up some 3.5mm square timber for a frame under a NSW water tank.  I had previously purchased a kit some time back, and started to build it .  The kits was to go under a water tank.  With a layout the size of mine, I think I would need more than one water tank.  I thought - maybe I could make up 2 or three others using the same parts as supplied in the kit.  Luckily I had a small saw with me, which I could use to cut the timber legs to the correct length.

Later that afternoon, just before the shops closed, I made a dash to the local $2 shop and picked up a cheap craft knife for $2.  I had previously picked up a roll of magnetic strip for $2 from the same shop.  I am planning to cut this up and use this for each train that North Coast Control has running.  The train number will be glued to the top of the magnetic.  He can move these train symbols along the schematic that we will eventually have installed.

This is the paper diagram pinned to the wall of the end schematic that Darren has done up for me.  The magnetic stip will eventually be used to stick to the whiteboard that this schematic will be copied onto using pin-striping.

So after getting a knife, I continued on with the wooden tank stand frames.  I cut up enough for another stand.  I also had the correct timber with me for the cross bracing.  On Friday I started gluing these together - 2 legs and two cross braces.  I used aquadhere.  Once the eight frames pairs were dry, I stained then with ink diluted in metho.  Again once this was dry, I then tried to glue these frames together in pairs and then added the next lot of cross bracing.  The new cross bracings were then stained as well.  I finished these off by cutting and installing the cross member above the pairs frames.

The various sub-assemblies of 4 posts glued together with the cross bracing.  The four pairs on the right (out of picture) have the top cross member installed, but yet to be stained.

Saturday was come home from the Coast day.  This was followed by travel to the Club for the Club Christmas party.  This is also the Annual Modelling competition day.  Next year I might have a water tank on s stand to show off.  Unfortunately, there were only a handful of entries this year.  Very disappointing!  However, some were of excellent quality.  This day is also the day for our Club Christmas Hamper.  I was lucky enough to pick up 4th prize.  It was a BNSF calendar.  However, our Club President had his eyes on that calendar and did a swap with me for his calendar of Model Railroader's great layouts.  Knowing my luck it was probably last year's calendar donated by PK - I should check that!

It was coming over very stormy at the Club, so everyone scarpered off home.  I made my way home, and decided to spend some time on saturday night installing decoders into some locos that a new Club member had left his locos for me at the Club during the week.  He had a Candy 80 class and a Tuscan Jumbo, both to receive TCS decoders and a Tuscan 44 that was to receive a Tsunami sound decoder.  I had been previously advised that the Jumbo did not run.  So I tested all the locos on my DC test track.  It was true that the Jumbo did not run.  However, after stripping the circuit board out of it and applying power to the motor leads, it ran, so on with the installation.  I also removed the front and rear bulb headlights and installed new LED's with 1K ohm resistors into the Jumbo and 80 Class for both front and rear headlights.  These tested OK on the Powercab test track.

Today I decided to bite the bullet and install the Tsunami into the 44 Class.  It was a fairly easy job to accomplish.  In between sessions of working on this decoder install today, I put the Christmas lights up in the lounge room, on the Christmas tree and along the front of the house.  I left the bulbs in the 44 class, with a 180 Ohm resistor added for the front headlight and a 220 ohm resistor for the rear headlight.  This also tested OK on the test track.

I think I now need a holiday after the activities of the last two days.