All about Mike

Tuesday this was wet, but 9 visitors still turned up at Shelton’s place to see the progress on his Victorian based layout. As usual there was good company, good talk and a great night. And what about the fruit cake and mini lammingtons made by Deb - Just great.  The only thing missing on Shelton's layout is some sound fitted locos - like a T or a Y class.  Maybe for next visit.  Shelton had started to install some very fine ballast, which had a few Tuesday Nighters asking about what brand was it, and he has installed some manual point operation rod that protrude through the facia.  They work very well and look good. 

Old Mike brought along his On30 steam loco and we changed its address from #3 to #5. We even had Mike hauling some VR wagons around on the layout.  We also made arrangements to meet at Horizon Hobbies early on Saturday and see what specials he had on offer.

Saturday morning dawned and after dropping off a birthday present on the other side of town for the Boss’s girlfriend’s youngest daughter, I was travelling along South Pine Road when I looked at this beast of a red car in the right hand lane as I was coming up to a set of lights. OMG! There was this ugly person looking at me out the back passenger window and then it dawned on me that I knew that face and it was only Old Mike. It was Geoff being a chauffer in his new car for his car load of hoons (Mike, Darren and Brendan). It was fantastic timing. They then followed me to Horizon and we preceded to spend our hard earned savings on model railway items. I picked up a Tillig Dual gauge point and some scenery scatter.

I was first to leave the hobby shop and headed back to the Clubrooms just a few kilometres down the road. I then started to investigate why Barry’s loco that I had just installed a decoder in (2 weeks before) would not work. I pulled it apart, and checked the lower motor connection that I had insulated from the frame. This was removed and then re-attached.  I tested the motor separate from the loco and it worked. So I then reassembled the motor into the loco and Voila it was also now working. Did I ever tell you that I hate Athearn Locos almost as much as I hate old Hornby ones.  Oh well I guess not everyone models God's own country of Australia and in particular the NSW North Coast area.

Today I went over to Mike's place to discuss the finer points of decoder install.  I had sent him an article that I had written and wanted to walk him through it to ensure that he understood it before he embarked on installing decoders into some of the mechanisms that he picked up the day before over at Horizon.  Mike being the perenial scratchbuilder will build some On30 cabs to go over the motors, but he wants to run them on DCC.

I think at our next Tuesday Nighters meeting we might see his locos built and ready for fine tuning of the CV's.

Besides the above modelling related activity, I have not entered the shed for a week.  I will have to take the vacuum cleaner to it next weekend as the next rendez vous of our group is at my place.  This is when I unvail the next level of the layout to the group.